Hi There,
I have posted a couple of times already, so I thought it was time that I introduced myself. I have always liked cast iron, but haven’t had the best relationship with it as I am self-taught how to use it and look after it and I haven’t until recently had the beat luck with it.
My journey: a couple of years ago I took a cooking class and one of the things I learned was how to make good southern corn bread, so then I had to find some cast iron to cook it properly. I located a couple of corn bread molds at a local flee market and searched the internet on how to clean them up and reseason them. The site that I found recommended using flaxseed oil and it seemed to have a good reason why you should use it, so I tried it. It worked ok on my corn bread pans but not on my old skillet. After following the directions exactly, I was excited to try out my newly seasoned skillet only to be very disappointed. I tried bacon in it for the first time, as many people recommend using bacon to help add seasoning, but it did not work for me as it stuck to the pan and pulled off some of my new seasoning. I next fried some food with lots of oil and that helped the bottom, but the sides of the pan stated to chip, the seasoning was flaking off. I do not recommend going the flaxseed route!!
I did a little more research and learned about lye baths and electrolysis and then took off the old seasoning on my skillet and then reseasoned this time using safflower oil three times. Tried the bacon thing again and had the same problem, sticking and pulling off the new seasoning, but no flaking. Did more research and discovered this site and found a wealth of good information. From this site, I discovered what the bacon problem is about; most commercial bacon is injected with water and cured with sugar, thus the sticking from the sugar and the water boiling removing the new seasoning. If you are going to use bacon in your early seasoning stages you must use a bacon that has not been injected with water and cured with sugar.
This site has taught me a lot and I am still learning as I read more of it; it has also helped fuel the addiction problem as I have now purchased some Griswolds, BSRs, Wagners, Martins and several no marked names items. I am headed down the rabbit hole for sure!!
Thanks for all the great info and the kind generous people that share their knowledge.
Happy Trails!!!..... Eldon
I have posted a couple of times already, so I thought it was time that I introduced myself. I have always liked cast iron, but haven’t had the best relationship with it as I am self-taught how to use it and look after it and I haven’t until recently had the beat luck with it.
My journey: a couple of years ago I took a cooking class and one of the things I learned was how to make good southern corn bread, so then I had to find some cast iron to cook it properly. I located a couple of corn bread molds at a local flee market and searched the internet on how to clean them up and reseason them. The site that I found recommended using flaxseed oil and it seemed to have a good reason why you should use it, so I tried it. It worked ok on my corn bread pans but not on my old skillet. After following the directions exactly, I was excited to try out my newly seasoned skillet only to be very disappointed. I tried bacon in it for the first time, as many people recommend using bacon to help add seasoning, but it did not work for me as it stuck to the pan and pulled off some of my new seasoning. I next fried some food with lots of oil and that helped the bottom, but the sides of the pan stated to chip, the seasoning was flaking off. I do not recommend going the flaxseed route!!
I did a little more research and learned about lye baths and electrolysis and then took off the old seasoning on my skillet and then reseasoned this time using safflower oil three times. Tried the bacon thing again and had the same problem, sticking and pulling off the new seasoning, but no flaking. Did more research and discovered this site and found a wealth of good information. From this site, I discovered what the bacon problem is about; most commercial bacon is injected with water and cured with sugar, thus the sticking from the sugar and the water boiling removing the new seasoning. If you are going to use bacon in your early seasoning stages you must use a bacon that has not been injected with water and cured with sugar.
This site has taught me a lot and I am still learning as I read more of it; it has also helped fuel the addiction problem as I have now purchased some Griswolds, BSRs, Wagners, Martins and several no marked names items. I am headed down the rabbit hole for sure!!
Thanks for all the great info and the kind generous people that share their knowledge.
Happy Trails!!!..... Eldon