How do I "season" an iron skillet?!
I have an iron skillet that my Mom used years ago, I have it now and when I use it everything sticks!.!.!.will seasoning it make the food stop sticking!?Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
Apply a thin coat of melted, plain vegetable shortening such as Crisco to the entire surface, both inside and out!. Cooking oil or sprays should not be used for seasoning because they'll eventually make the surface sticky!. (Both, however, can be used for cooking!.) Coat the handle, edges and corners of the pan, and if it has a cast-iron lid, coat that, too!. Wipe out excess shortening with a paper towel!.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F!. Line the lower oven rack with aluminum foil to catch any drippings!. Place the cast iron pot upside-down on the middle rack and bake 2 hours for the new, natural-finish pans, and 1 hour for older pans with either finish!.
Turn the oven off and let the pan cool before removing it from the oven!. Wipe again with a paper towel!. Once seasoned, a new, natural-finish pan will acquire a brownish-gray color!. With time and use, and reseasoning, it will become shiny and black!. Seasoning is an ongoing process, and a well-seasoned pot has a surface that will release food easily!. A rule of thumb to consider: If the crust on your fried fish or chicken begins to stick and burn, it's time to re-season!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F!. Line the lower oven rack with aluminum foil to catch any drippings!. Place the cast iron pot upside-down on the middle rack and bake 2 hours for the new, natural-finish pans, and 1 hour for older pans with either finish!.
Turn the oven off and let the pan cool before removing it from the oven!. Wipe again with a paper towel!. Once seasoned, a new, natural-finish pan will acquire a brownish-gray color!. With time and use, and reseasoning, it will become shiny and black!. Seasoning is an ongoing process, and a well-seasoned pot has a surface that will release food easily!. A rule of thumb to consider: If the crust on your fried fish or chicken begins to stick and burn, it's time to re-season!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Sounds like you need to reseason it which is normal!.
Wash skillet with hot water and soap!.
Apply a thin coating of melted shortening (Crisco, for example) or vegetable oil with a solf cloth or paper towel!.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Put the Skillet face down on the rack!.
Foil a cookie sheet and place on a rack below the skillet to catch any droppings!.
Bake in oven for one hour!.
Turn oven off but leave the door closed and don't open the oven for a couple of hours!. The film on the cookware will come off after use, don't worry about it!.
I do this every few months or whenever things start sticking to it again!.
Sometimes after I test it things still stick a little and I reseason it right away!.
Make sure you never wash it with soap, use a wet paper towel (water only)!. If you use soap and a scrubber you'll have to reseason it!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Wash skillet with hot water and soap!.
Apply a thin coating of melted shortening (Crisco, for example) or vegetable oil with a solf cloth or paper towel!.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Put the Skillet face down on the rack!.
Foil a cookie sheet and place on a rack below the skillet to catch any droppings!.
Bake in oven for one hour!.
Turn oven off but leave the door closed and don't open the oven for a couple of hours!. The film on the cookware will come off after use, don't worry about it!.
I do this every few months or whenever things start sticking to it again!.
Sometimes after I test it things still stick a little and I reseason it right away!.
Make sure you never wash it with soap, use a wet paper towel (water only)!. If you use soap and a scrubber you'll have to reseason it!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Preheat your oven to 275 degrees!.
!. After the skillet is completely cleaned and dried you will want to apply the oil or fat to be used to form the coating that will season your pan!. Bacon grease, lard or for vegetarians coconut oil should be used!. You will want to avoid vegetable or corn oils because they will form a sticky shellac on the skillet surface!. Proceed to coat the pan throughout with your oil or fat with a paper towel!.
!. You will then want to place the coated skillet in the oven for 2 hours!.
It may be necessary to repeat steps again to create the proper surface!.
Cook high fat foods your first couple of uses!. Foods such as burgers or bacon are ideal!.
--------------------------------------!.!.!.
How to clean your new skillet
Avoid using soap and water to make sure that you do not clean off your well seasoned surface!. You will want to simply use a damp cloth to wipe out the pan and then leave it alone!.
If there is still food stuck to the bottom of the pan you may want to use a more aggressive cleaning regimen!. You can do this by using a paper towel and salt as an abrasive!. If it is especially burned on you can also boil a little water in the skillet to loosen the food particles dramatically!. Make sure to apply a bit of oil or lard afterwards!.
If you tend not to cook much in the way of high fat foods you will find that food may start to stick again!. If this is so you will want to reseason the pan!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
!. After the skillet is completely cleaned and dried you will want to apply the oil or fat to be used to form the coating that will season your pan!. Bacon grease, lard or for vegetarians coconut oil should be used!. You will want to avoid vegetable or corn oils because they will form a sticky shellac on the skillet surface!. Proceed to coat the pan throughout with your oil or fat with a paper towel!.
!. You will then want to place the coated skillet in the oven for 2 hours!.
It may be necessary to repeat steps again to create the proper surface!.
Cook high fat foods your first couple of uses!. Foods such as burgers or bacon are ideal!.
--------------------------------------!.!.!.
How to clean your new skillet
Avoid using soap and water to make sure that you do not clean off your well seasoned surface!. You will want to simply use a damp cloth to wipe out the pan and then leave it alone!.
If there is still food stuck to the bottom of the pan you may want to use a more aggressive cleaning regimen!. You can do this by using a paper towel and salt as an abrasive!. If it is especially burned on you can also boil a little water in the skillet to loosen the food particles dramatically!. Make sure to apply a bit of oil or lard afterwards!.
If you tend not to cook much in the way of high fat foods you will find that food may start to stick again!. If this is so you will want to reseason the pan!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Yes, after you have "seasoned" your cast iron skillet
correctly, nothing will stick!. Here's how!.!.!.
Thoroughly wash it in warm water and scrub off all rusty
areas and rinse!. Wipe clean!.
Set it on a stovetop burner and set the heat to medium
to dry it completely!. Turn off the heat and let it cool off!.
Pour 1/4 cup of cooking oil inside the skillet!.
( you can use corn , canola, peanut, or safflower oil!. These
oils can withstand high temperatures before they start to
smoke!. Avoid vegetable oil!. It does'nt stand up to heat
very well and smokes alot!.)
Using a couple of paper towels, smear the inside of the
skillet completely!.
Turn on the burner and set it between low to medium heat!.
Let the oil burn off!.!.!.15 to 30 minutes!.
Repeat this process 3 or 4 times!.
Let the skillet cool of and wipe it clean with paper towels!.
Your skillet is now ready to fry up some sunny side up or
over easy eggs or home fried potatos!. You will still need
to use some oil for frying as this is not non-stick tefflon,
but I can assure you, they won't stick!.
Let the skillet completely cool off before you wash it!.
Always use warm water and a soft sponge to wipe it
clean!. Depending on how often you use the skillet, the
inside of the skillet will get darker and darker until it is
completely black!. This is how a well used cast iron
skillet should look!. It has developed a hardened carbon
sheen over time that you will make every effort to protect!.
You will do this by using this skillet exclusively for frying
or sauteing!. You cannot and will not use this skillet to
cook any food that requires any liquids of any kind!
( this includes soups, stews, braises)
If you do, you will desolve the carbon sheen that you
have taken so much time to acquire and will need to start
to "season" your skillet all over again!. Not a good idea!
If you think that this is alot of hard work, go out to your
friendly Dollar Store and buy yourself a set of tefflon
non-stick skillets!. They're cheap and convinient!.
If you value your mother's memory and cherish the times
she used it, then this is the way to go!.
A well "seasoned" skillet is like your old best friend!.
They never die,!.!.they just fade away!.
Good luck to you!Www@FoodAQ@Com
correctly, nothing will stick!. Here's how!.!.!.
Thoroughly wash it in warm water and scrub off all rusty
areas and rinse!. Wipe clean!.
Set it on a stovetop burner and set the heat to medium
to dry it completely!. Turn off the heat and let it cool off!.
Pour 1/4 cup of cooking oil inside the skillet!.
( you can use corn , canola, peanut, or safflower oil!. These
oils can withstand high temperatures before they start to
smoke!. Avoid vegetable oil!. It does'nt stand up to heat
very well and smokes alot!.)
Using a couple of paper towels, smear the inside of the
skillet completely!.
Turn on the burner and set it between low to medium heat!.
Let the oil burn off!.!.!.15 to 30 minutes!.
Repeat this process 3 or 4 times!.
Let the skillet cool of and wipe it clean with paper towels!.
Your skillet is now ready to fry up some sunny side up or
over easy eggs or home fried potatos!. You will still need
to use some oil for frying as this is not non-stick tefflon,
but I can assure you, they won't stick!.
Let the skillet completely cool off before you wash it!.
Always use warm water and a soft sponge to wipe it
clean!. Depending on how often you use the skillet, the
inside of the skillet will get darker and darker until it is
completely black!. This is how a well used cast iron
skillet should look!. It has developed a hardened carbon
sheen over time that you will make every effort to protect!.
You will do this by using this skillet exclusively for frying
or sauteing!. You cannot and will not use this skillet to
cook any food that requires any liquids of any kind!
( this includes soups, stews, braises)
If you do, you will desolve the carbon sheen that you
have taken so much time to acquire and will need to start
to "season" your skillet all over again!. Not a good idea!
If you think that this is alot of hard work, go out to your
friendly Dollar Store and buy yourself a set of tefflon
non-stick skillets!. They're cheap and convinient!.
If you value your mother's memory and cherish the times
she used it, then this is the way to go!.
A well "seasoned" skillet is like your old best friend!.
They never die,!.!.they just fade away!.
Good luck to you!Www@FoodAQ@Com
Scrub it real good with steel wool (not soapy kind), dry it, and then use a paper towel to rub oil inside and out, real good!. Then turn it upside down in a 200 degree oven for a few hours!.
Wash it every time ya use it with hot water and your scrubby, no soap (well I do use soap on the outside sometimes)!. Dry it and then ya put a drop of oil in there and rub it out with the paper towel for a nice sheen!.
The reason ya turn it upside down is because otherwise it will streak the inside of the skillet!. That's a bummer!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Wash it every time ya use it with hot water and your scrubby, no soap (well I do use soap on the outside sometimes)!. Dry it and then ya put a drop of oil in there and rub it out with the paper towel for a nice sheen!.
The reason ya turn it upside down is because otherwise it will streak the inside of the skillet!. That's a bummer!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Sounds like you have some good answers,using the oven method!. I have one that is quite old and the flavors it gives cooked food are unbelievable!. the more you cook with it the better it gets!. I have never used soap to clean it, just wiped it clean with some oil and a paper towel!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
heat up the skillet on your stove!. then use crisco or vegetable oil and coat the inside!. you will probably have to do it a few times before it gets re-seasoned!. if you ever have to wash it with soap, redo this process!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
I found a link that explains step by step!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
I always heard that u keep oil or grease on them and you're really not supposed to wash them just wipe them out real good but I'm not positive!. Good luck!!Www@FoodAQ@Com