That is what cast iron looks like if you strip it down to the bare metal. It’s not actually ruined, but it will be unusable until someone goes through the process of re-seasoning it
You should avoid washing and rinsing it as much as possible, especially avoiding soap. When food sticks, I usually just soak it, scrub it using a loofah, and then dry it over a hot burner or in a high-temperature oven.
I saw one guy on YouTube who scrubbed his out using salt. I think I’m going to start using this technique, because it avoids water altogether.
I got a chain mail cloth thing that does a pretty decent job of getting the pan clean without using soap. When it fails I use steel wool that doesn’t come pre-soaped.
Which is a bit time consuming and takes a little practice, but is a pretty great feature for getting a pan back into working condition in situations where a steel or aluminum pan might be ruined.
I had a few imperfections on a lodge that were catching the spatula, but too big to just knock off with said spatula. After a light 5 minute sanding with an orbital sander, a wash, and a couple hours for the new seasoning to bake on it was back in business.
Yes. Aluminum sheet pans for baking and roasting are awesome. They take a seasoning really well and when fully seasoned to a dark brown/black they become amazing tools for browning and roasting foods!
Carbon steel, yes. Stainless steel, no (you can season that one too, but the coating will not stick to the pan well due to the steel’s smoother surface).
Steel can work really well with seasoning, but not stainless steel. I have a steel griddle top and a steel pizza pan that are well seasoned now to being mostly non-stick.
I don’t know what kind of steel you’d call them but probably not carbon steel nor stainless steel
I am pretty sure you could cook bacon or similarly fatty stuff in there right away.
Then again there are people that see cooking bacon as a legitimate form of seasoning a pan.
Cleaning cast iron is actually super easy, this person didn’t “clean” it though they sanded it down to the bare metal which makes things more difficult
If you put enough time and effort into it, you can grind down and polish a cast iron pan until it has a mirror like finish. Some people prefer this so that after seasoning the pan is very smooth and glossy black, like a well-cared-for carbon steel pan.
That was not cast iron, was it?
That is what cast iron looks like if you strip it down to the bare metal. It’s not actually ruined, but it will be unusable until someone goes through the process of re-seasoning it
Not me thinking that “seasoning” meant to let stuff stick to it for the flavor. 💀
I had a roommate who thought this, and therefore never washed or rinsed their cast iron. They refused to believe otherwise.
You should avoid washing and rinsing it as much as possible, especially avoiding soap. When food sticks, I usually just soak it, scrub it using a loofah, and then dry it over a hot burner or in a high-temperature oven.
I saw one guy on YouTube who scrubbed his out using salt. I think I’m going to start using this technique, because it avoids water altogether.
no, the soap thing was from back when soaps contained Lye. dont use grandma’s soap on cast iron. please use a small amt of soap on your cookware
I got a chain mail cloth thing that does a pretty decent job of getting the pan clean without using soap. When it fails I use steel wool that doesn’t come pre-soaped.
Chain mail and dish detergent every time. Usually just needs a quick wipe, then dry with a paper towel.
Occasionally something sticks but you’re already set to scrub. In that case, you’ll need to touch up the seasoning after
Which is a bit time consuming and takes a little practice, but is a pretty great feature for getting a pan back into working condition in situations where a steel or aluminum pan might be ruined.
I had a few imperfections on a lodge that were catching the spatula, but too big to just knock off with said spatula. After a light 5 minute sanding with an orbital sander, a wash, and a couple hours for the new seasoning to bake on it was back in business.
Now it is my favorite cast iron pan!
(I cook most things on ceramic non-stick though)
You can season aluminum and I think steel (although I don’t see the benefit of steel)
Yes. Aluminum sheet pans for baking and roasting are awesome. They take a seasoning really well and when fully seasoned to a dark brown/black they become amazing tools for browning and roasting foods!
Really? I’ve never tried but now I’m interested
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Yes, look up Helen Rennie on YouTube. She does a bunch of tests and explains how to do it.
I could be wrong, but I think carbon steel skillets and woks are supposed to be treated the same way as cast iron.
Carbon steel, yes. Stainless steel, no (you can season that one too, but the coating will not stick to the pan well due to the steel’s smoother surface).
Steel can work really well with seasoning, but not stainless steel. I have a steel griddle top and a steel pizza pan that are well seasoned now to being mostly non-stick.
I don’t know what kind of steel you’d call them but probably not carbon steel nor stainless steel
Wouldn’t even call it unusable as is.
I am pretty sure you could cook bacon or similarly fatty stuff in there right away.
Then again there are people that see cooking bacon as a legitimate form of seasoning a pan.
If my cooking senses are right, it would be like cooking bacon in a stainless steel pan, which is sticky and burny but not impossible
No, they’re right cooking bacon is a way people season cast iron! You have to cook a lot of it though, and it’s really not the best way to do it lol
But it’s the tastiest way to do it!
you really oughtta season your stainless steel too, then you likely won’t have such issues.
I mean, you can. But bacon will pretty angrily stick to a naked pan like that.
Can’t we just get a Tefal so we can clean them like normal people?
Cleaning cast iron is actually super easy, this person didn’t “clean” it though they sanded it down to the bare metal which makes things more difficult
Dude started with 80 grit and went from there.
yea, you can see Lodge on the handle, he grabbed his camera quickly before the rust kicked in
If you put enough time and effort into it, you can grind down and polish a cast iron pan until it has a mirror like finish. Some people prefer this so that after seasoning the pan is very smooth and glossy black, like a well-cared-for carbon steel pan.