Cast-iron..Everything everything sticks

[TMandGirls]

Bought a cast iron griddle, it was a lodge brand, came pre seasoned. My pancakes stick, eggs stick, hash browns stick....breakfast was ruined! What am I doing wrong, people swear by cast iron and, I'm ready to throw it away and buy a Teflon coated griddle.

[Wishbone51]

SWMO wrote:
Yup, just don't leave them in there after they cool

..but don't take them out before they cool.. I've burnt several oven mitts this way, and they can crack when you put them on the stove. I've cracked a couple of antique pieces this way before I figured out what was happening. 😞

[SWMO]

JRS & B wrote:
I wonder if you could clean them in an electric clean oven. Probably would need to leave the windows open.

Yup, just don't leave them in there after they cool. They will start to rust all most immediately. If you can't re-season right away they can be sprayed with a non-stick or wiped with oil to stop it. I've never worried about the minute amount of early rust. I do wipe them down thoroughly though to get most of it off before seasoning.

[JRS___B]

I wonder if you could clean them in an electric clean oven. Probably would need to leave the windows open.

[Roy_Lynne]

towhead wrote:
One thing not mentioned here is how to clean a very old skillet that has gotten a thick crust on the outside. This is rarely a problem since it takes years of use to get that way. Years ago my grandfather showed me how. He put grandma's favorite skillet into a red hot fire and let it get hot enough to burn the crust off. It came out like new and had to be seasoned again before useable. That thing must have been really old, mine is forty years old now and still not as crusty as hers was.

Actually I have one just like that and I tried scraping if off. Thanks for the tip

[JRS___B]

There is a bit of the old "Catch 22" in play. I had a similar problem with a Lodge Combo Cooker. The food sticks and so the pan had to be scrubbed clean. But after the pan is scrubbed clean, guess what? The food sticks again. It is a viscous cycle.

I oiled/greased my pan like everyone says. BUT, then I also used non-stick aluminum foil on my pan so the food would not stick. Eventually the so-called patina formed on the pan and I could stop using the foil. Give it try. It can't hurt.

[ScottBob]

My neighbor stores his larger cast iron pots outside in a shed, and after cleaning them he wipes down the inside with food grade mineral oil, not vegetable oil, before storing them. He says vegetable oil will get rancid. Before use, wipe as much of the mineral oil out as possible with a clean paper towel.

[JiminDenver]

campn4walleye wrote:
Make sure you wash the pans in hot water with heavy salt used as cleaning mechanism. Then put on a warm burner to dry and wipe with a bit of vegetable oil.

This was how I was taught in a restaurant I work in. We were never sure which was older, the pans or the cook. 🙂

[rockportrocket]

They make great trotline weights if you don't season them.

[campn4walleye]

Make sure you wash the pans in hot water with heavy salt used as cleaning mechanism. Then put on a warm burner to dry and wipe with a bit of vegetable oil.

It takes a while to get them seasoned but when they are, they'll be like Teflon.

Another option is to look at flea markets and such and you'll find some really old well seasoned ones. They last forever and imagine the history.

[SWMO]

southernkilowatt wrote:

Be very careful doing this, a friend of mine did this and cracked and ruined two nice pans we had found in a barn. He got them red hot and took them out of the fire and sprayed them with water to cool them quickly (stupid). Leave them in the fire until it burns out and let them cool gradually. They will come out like new and will need to be seasoned again.

I got a griddle too hot, not red hot but close, and pulled it off the burner and it cracked. The advice to leave it on the fire and let it cool slowly is very good advice.

[southernkilowat]

towhead wrote:
One thing not mentioned here is how to clean a very old skillet that has gotten a thick crust on the outside. This is rarely a problem since it takes years of use to get that way. Years ago my grandfather showed me how. He put grandma's favorite skillet into a red hot fire and let it get hot enough to burn the crust off. It came out like new and had to be seasoned again before useable. That thing must have been really old, mine is forty years old now and still not as crusty as hers was.

Be very careful doing this, a friend of mine did this and cracked and ruined two nice pans we had found in a barn. He got them red hot and took them out of the fire and sprayed them with water to cool them quickly (stupid). Leave them in the fire until it burns out and let them cool gradually. They will come out like new and will need to be seasoned again.

[Roy_Lynne]

I don't know if this has been mentioned but cooking in a cast-iron pan isn't the same as cooking in aluminum or... First make sure you pan is hot enough and it takes longer to heat than the others. Once it is hot, a drip of water should dance and sizzle, then add a bit of oil, butter or whatever.
I have a 3 year old great grandson who "cook's" breakfast with Daddy every Sunday morning. He was so proud to show me his new cast-iron mini pan that his mother found at a yard sale for 10 cents.
My second bit of advise is to never purchase a new pan, just head out to any number of flea markets and you will find dozens for under $3 dollars because folks buy them and then can't cook in them.
Once you get the hang of it, you will never want to cook in anything else.

[mainecamp]

Fun to read - as I love cooking with cast iron. One post mentioned this - but I will again. It really makes a huge difference to heat up the pan prior to adding anything.
Heat it up, then add your butter and eggs - or whatever you are cooking your eggs in...if you are putting the eggs in a dry pan - you will have trouble with sticking - it isn't like those chemically-non-stick pans.

[magnusfide]

SWMO wrote:
If you want to clean an old one and have a self cleaning oven it is too easy, just throw it in the oven during the cleaning.
I don't think the Lodge pans are that rough, at least none of mine have been that bad and a little roughness helps hold the seasoning. That's why it can be so hard seasoning a carbon steel pan, they're too smooth. I don't know about Chinese CI, never used any.

Double ditto.