Do any of our Seniors know how to treat a new frying pan?
My lady friend gave me three new frying pans of various sizes and I was wondering how best to break them in. Any suggestions? They are cast iron and heavy, not the teflon coated junk.
My lady friend gave me three new frying pans of various sizes and I was wondering how best to break them in. Any suggestions? They are cast iron and heavy, not the teflon coated junk.
Shortstuff13
Favorite Answer
Wash them with hot water & dish soap of your choice. Dry them well, with a dish towel or paper towel. On a clean piece of paper towel, add a little bit of cooking oil to it, then wipe the insides of the skillets with the oil. (not too much) After using them in the future, clean them by wiping them out with clean paper towel. No need to wash them all the time. They will become well seasoned over time, by not washing them until they absolutely need it. Always make sure they are treated with a little bit of cooking oil, so they won't rust.
P.L.
There is a huge amount of information on the internet about how to 'season' a new cast iron frying pan and it can be very complicated. Some involve using a lot of salt, some say never place the pan in water etc.
I chose an easy option. I heated the pan, poured in a little oil and, when that was hot I turned off the heat and allowed it to cool before wiping the pan with paper kitchen towel. I then gave it a good wash and repeated the process. I have never had any food stick to this pan.
Sometimes I think that instructions just try to blind us with science.
sophieb
when new they come with directions and I'm sure those directions are on the internet under "how to" but when I got mine I remember it saying you'd have to oil it and bake it. I'm sure I used the wrong kind of oil because it made it sticky. I think you have to use the old kind of white crisco. And you do that to put a non-stick finish on it. My mom used to just wipe it out after every use, "never" wash it or it would remove the finish and then rust. Today people are such sticklers for cleanliness and say ewww but back in the day that was our teflon. I don't know how you'd wipe out dried egg off of there these days or if there is a concern for salmonela as you'd have to look that up to be sure it's ok to do. From time to time when the finish starts to wear down you can re-oil it and again it becomes non-stick. As I recall you can't put any food to cook in it that has water because that will rust the pan. They cast iron is really heavy. They used to say that the iron from the pan gets into your system so if you're in need of iron that's a plus. Over the years I've heard that if a person has too much iron in their system though that may cause a problem for them. So I'd assume the frying pan might be used like for sunday breakfast...just my thought.
Observer
Most modern Cast Iron pans made in the US are pre-seasoned. You should read the instructions that came with them. If they were not made in the US. I would wipe a small amount of oil ( I have used olive oil) on the inside of the pan covering the entire inside of it. Then place it in the oven at about 250 for about an hour, When it has cooled it should not feel sticky. It is does wipe it with a damp paper towel.
I have heard the the baking spray also works will, but I have not used it.
Once the pan is seasoned you should never "wash" it. You should be able to wipe it out. Washing it will only remove the seasoning and require it to be re-treated so it will not stick.
Jodi D
Scrub them well to remove the oils from manufacturing. Dry them. Coat them, inside and out, with lard. Rub it into the iron as mush as possible. Line the bottom of your oven with foil to catch the drips. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the skillets upside down on the oven racks and let them bake for at least 4 hours. Then, turn off the heat and let them cool slowly. When completely cool, wipe off the grease and use soft cloths to buff the iron to a soft glow. To keep your skillets in good shape, do the whole routine over again once a year. (I do it around Halloween, when the weather's cool. We usually haven't yet turned on the furnace at that time and the extra heat in the kitchen is welcome.)
After using, don't soak the pans for long. When possible, just wipe them out with paper towels. If you have to wash them, do it quickly and then spray with canola oil cooking spray or rub with a very little bit of lard.
I have 4 cast iron skillets and I use one or two of them almost every day. They are completely non-stick. One of them was given to my mother in 1927 -- and it was already old then! Cast iron is my favorite cookware.