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Taking good care of your cast iron (or carbon steel!) cookware starts with understanding the chemistry it relies on.
𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 (𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲) 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀:
-http://www.castironcollector.com/seasoning.php
-https://cookingissues.com/2010/02/16/heavy-metal-the-science-of-cast-iron-cooking/
-https://www.scienceofcooking.com/science-of-cast-iron-skillet-cooking.html
-https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/General_Chemistry/Book%3A_ChemPRIME_(Moore_et_al.)/08%3A_Properties_of_Organic_Compounds/8.26%3A_Cross-Linking
𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝘄-𝘁𝗼𝘀:
-https://www.cooksillustrated.com/articles/381-how-to-clean-a-cast-iron-pan
-https://www.cooksillustrated.com/articles/2279-how-to-season-carbon-steel-cookware
-https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-season-carbon-steel-pans
-https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-season-cast-iron-pans-skillets-cookware
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_lEO-oYpyU
𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰:
-Will Dichtel, Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University
-Michael Kessler, Dean & Professor at the College of Engineering at North Dakota State University
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39 Comments
Why don't manufacturers season the pans themselves?
Bought a cast iron but have only used it 8 times. It's just so much work to maintain. I really wanted to love it but it just required plenty of time nurturing. Now I use an enamel coated pot that traps and distributes heat perfectly. It is phenomenal and cleaning the pot is like a dream. It cleans perfectly with s soft sponge. Impressive coating material on both the inside and out. If you're like me and don't have much time to spend seasoning and caring for a cast iron then get yourself an enamel coated pot that gives you the same effects as well as saves you all the cleaning time.
This video is why stainless steel is better.
Thank you 🙏
Why is she talking like kindergartners are watching this video? Is this really how you people like to be talked to?
Great video!!!!
I actually put mine on the burner with a little bit of soapy water, leave it sit a bit, check on it, then when it's ready, dump it, finish cleaning if needed, rinse, return to burner to dry, turn off burner and it's good to go
Regarding seasoning, I have the permanently coated cast iron, so I got the better quality
I switched out all of my pots and pans for cast iron a couple years ago. I don't cook on anything else.
I I cook with grapeseed oil so that’s what I use
i just want a non sticky pan that I can abuse and put in the dishwasher.
Doesn't the soap residue stay in the seasoning layer? I don't think it rinses clean away unless maybe its just an all natural stink free color free soap. I never use soap. No need. Rinse scrape dry.
I just use a paper towels to clean my pan. N just scrap what ever left.
Im over cast iron. Way to heavy to deal with. To much care involved. It's 2025 and we have so many other choices. I dont two flying eff's what a chef will tell you about making "Great Food" with it. It's not worth the time or energy to cook with.
0:14 this screenshot goes wild
NEVER a season a cast iron skillet with animal fat. If left too long it will spoil. Always use plant seed oils. Like Flax seed oil.
I've used my cast iron pan daily for 10 years. I've never seasoned it.
Before cooking, I pour a layer of olive oil and heat it. Almost never sticks, works great.
Trying to learn about cast-iron pipes but im here learning about how to take care of cast-iron cookware. Not exactly a waste of time.
Lol one of the comments said use Motorola, definitely notgoing to eat anything off that pan
"Dont PAN-ic" …….you're fired
is the burning of oil a concern for health? since your oil , as a polymer
, will be at high temperature when you use it for cooking?
Your editor doesn’t get paid enough
Wrong. Seasoning creates a "varnish" of polymerized oil. It does not react with iron.
Stainless steel is the way to go. I disposed all my cast iron. A lot of rituals to maintain, very heavy, etc…
Seasoning a new pan and a new grill plate right now. Using corn oil. Made 1 layer on each, doing the second. We will see. Do you store your cast iron stuff oiled?
So glad that I switched to enamelware cast iron. Really is worth it. Things like Staub and Le Cruset cookware are excellent, though pricey.
Great video! Thanks for explaining the science…just a question…..if we can t soak the pan….how do we wash it? Some amount of sokaing does happen when we wash it with water right? Please do clarify…thanks 🙂
I just follow Lodges video. Since they are the best
Best advice for caring for cast iron? USE STAINLESS STEEL. This is an outdated cooking surface that will never preheat evenly unless you use a gas burner as large as the pan base.
Why my cast iron still has brown residue after cleaning?
I love all my cast iron pans and pots.
my cousin burnt 8 years of seasoning off cooking one steak and washed it up wrong teenagers huh that think they know it all
Great video! So, if i buy a new one, unseasoned, i should wash it with soap and water, then i can dry it on the stove, season and put it in the oven on high heat for like 30 minutes, this should be good right?
If plastic is made of polyemer too won't that make it unsafe on cast iron pan?
I soaked water
Thats a lot of talk for a very simple issue.
1. Make your pan hot, put some simple cooking oil. It should be so hot youll see a light smoke.
3.spill, put new cool oil and cook. Food want stick for this time.
4. Wash with soap, use only water and a washing pillow, still wool, scothbright or alike. Dont scrab with any firm tool or alike.
5. Dry immediately with a towel. If you keep it for a long time without use, you may put a thin lubrication of oil and smir it over the whole inner and outer surface with a paper towel. Dry in a warm weather or low oven heat till it soacks well into the metal.
6. Same goes for Dutch oven, cast iron poik'e cooking bowl of flunch, arab sudj or any iron cookwaer.
I’ve always said the best thing for cast iron is to use it. Cook a steak in it from time to time and that’s all the seasoning it really needs.
Funny they advertise new cast here.
Soap will leave a baked in residue.
Seasoned mine with wd-40