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Cast Iron Cracked. How?

Robenco15

By Robenco15
in Kitchen Consumer

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Robenco15

Robenco15

Posted
Posted

Hello,

Today I used my cast iron pan for the first time on my electric stovetop. Before, I used it twice in a 450 degree oven to roast a chicken. This was the first time on the stovetop.

It is this one - http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L10SK3-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet-12-Inch/dp/B00006JSUB/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1390002211&sr=8-3&keywords=cast+iron

I preheated pan on the stovetop (on medium, right in the middle of the dial) and let it heat for about 10 minutes as I got my steak out of the oven and other things organized. Then I heard a pop and looked over and saw the pan cracked from the lip of the pan towards the middle.

What the hell happened? It is cast iron. I didn't put it on a crazy high temperature, just medium. It is the third time I ever used it, first on the stovetop. It wasn't cold before I put it on the heat, it was room temperature.

Was there already a crack in it? I thought Lodge was good. What do I do now? Buy another one? They aren't very expensive but I don't want that to happen again.

Thanks for any input!

  • Like 1
annabelle

annabelle

Posted
Posted

They'll take it back. Lodge has only been making those pre-seasoned pans for a decade or so, but I doubt if the pre-seasoning is the problem. It was probably poorly cast.

I'd return it and get a regular Lodge pan. There are several threads and some videos devoted to seasoning cast iron. Most of mine is very old and hasn't caused a problem. I did have a Lodge Dutch oven that cracked between the base and the walls when it was on the stove-top. It's a planter now.

  • Like 2
Shel_B

Shel_B

Posted
Posted

I don't know if this could be the problem, but, for the future, maybe a lower, slower preheating would be in order. I recall reading something in my Le Creuset manual about preheating s-l-o-w-l-y. Although, an electric burner does come up to temp relatively slowly.

That said, I don't always preheat my Lodge low and slow, and I've never had an issue. The pan is about 35 years old, and it's been used on gas, electric, and over campfires. I'd guess that there was a flaw in the casting of your pan.

 ... Shel


 

Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted

Likely a hidden flaw.

It's common with cast iron.

Critical castings such as car parts are x-rayed to detect flaws.....I doubt Lodge x-rays pans.

  • Like 3

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

gfweb

gfweb

Posted
Posted

You could go on ebay and buy used. That way the thing will have been cooked with and already stressed.

I'd take a photo and email it to Lodge. Bet you get a free one.

  • Like 1
Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted

You got a lemon...buy another one.

You shouldn't have to baby cast iron.

I have several dozen pieces, I use cast iron every day and I've never had a piece crack.

  • Like 4

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

judiu

judiu

Posted
Posted

Shel, I believe that advise is more for the enamel than the cast iron!

  • Like 1

"Commit random acts of senseless kindness"

andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted

It absolutely should not crack. I've put cast iron skillets on high output gas burners with no problems, put them right onto hot charcoal and onto electric hotplates.

Contact Amazon's customers service and explain what happened. In the "Contact Us" section there is a place where you can enter your phone number and click on "Call Me" . Your phone will ring, pick it up and there will be a wait (usually) but you will get a live person to whom you explain the problem.

I bought an all glass tea pot and the first time I used it the handle just fell off while it was sitting on the counter, after I poured hot water into it.

They sent me a new one and told me to package the old one in the box in which the new one came and give it to the USPS mail carrier.

  • Like 3

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

  • 2 weeks later...
Robenco15

Robenco15

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

For future reference, I contacted Lodge. They asked for pictures and once I sent them the pictures they let me know they'd be sending me a new pan at no cost to me.

I really was happy about this because I didn't have to deal with Amazon.com, even though it was purchased through Amazon.com. I wasn't looking forward to mailing a broken cast iron pan back to Amazon.

It came in the mail today, a day after they said it would be sent out, so all and all I can't complain. I'm using it tomorrow night for a steak so here is hoping it doesn't crack.

  • Like 4
dcarch

dcarch

Posted
Posted

"---I'm using it tomorrow night for a steak so here is hoping it doesn't crack."

I have cooked many steaks, none of them cracked. :-)

Don't forget to season it yourself. Factor seasoning may not be very good.

dcarch

  • Like 1
Robenco15

Robenco15

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

Would the factory seasoning contribute to it cracking? I don't have an oven to use to season it. Just an electric stovetop burner.

The new cast iron pan I received I believe is pre-seasoned, but I did notice it is much grayer in color than the dark black I originally had. I guess cast iron pans vary in color?

Edited by Robenco15 (log)
Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted

No.

  • Like 2

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

Robenco15

Robenco15

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Seeing as I asked 2 questions, what does that "No" refer to? All cast iron is dark black and because mine is grey that is a problem? Pre-seasoning won't contribute to any cracking? Thank you!

Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted

I was replying to the first question.

A fresh iron casting is gray, the black comes from the seasoning, however a light seasoning may still be grayish.

  • Like 2

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

dcarch

dcarch

Posted
Posted

Seasoning, if done correctly, is somewhat similar to tempering steel after hardening, it can relief some internal stress, therefore minimizes cracking.

dcarch

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