1 hour ago, Kim Shook said:I didn't. I assume that mine is already seasoned by years of use. I looked online and found lots of varied information about seasoning, but they were referring to "aluminum" and I couldn't tell if they were talking about CAST aluminum or just plain aluminum pans. Advice??
Well, I learned this from a book written by the "Omelet King", Chef Rudy Stanish. See, http://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2008/02/12/Obituary-Rudolph-B-Stanish-Omelet-king-for-the-rich-and-famous/stories/200802120223 It's not seasoning in the same sense as people talk about for cast iron and carbon steel, and doesn't last as long. It doesn't leave any discernible layer of polymerized oil, either.
Here's how I was taught. Pick a high smoke point cooking oil. Pour in a 1/8" layer of oil in the pan, and heat it up slowly. As it comes up, wipe the interior of the pan as high as you like. Heat to just below the smoke point temperature (If you don't have a thermometer, up to the point where the oil shimmers actively). Watch for runnels or "tears" of oil on the walls, and wipe them smooth. You do not want the oil to show yellow anywhere or smoke. Remove from the heat and let the pan cool to room temperature. Dump about a 1/4 cup of kosher salt into the cooled oil, and scrub the slurry vigorously with a rag all around the pan. Dump the oily salt and wipe clean. You're done. Some cooks do this a couple times.
You can make this "seasoning" last longer by thereafter only cleaning the pan with more oil+salt scrubs, i.e., no soap or other surfactants. And the maximum nonstick effect is attained if you dedicate one pan to eggs and crepes. It's still stickier than Teflon, but I think you'll be impressed. The process works on SS pan linings, too.
