Cast Iron Seasoning --- Veg Oil or Lard?

[col klink]

If I'm breaking in a new cast iron pan, I like to buy a duck and render all of the excess skin. Cast iron loves duck fat almost as much as I do.

[Mabelline]

I always went with lard because we are always wanting to replicate old-fashioned flavors, techniques, etc., and that's how my folks did it. But duck fat sounds so good, and that's why I was asking about schmaltz. Surely someone who would not use pork would use an equivalent? I mean in former times.

Edited December 19, 2003 by Mabelline (log)

[GrizzyLemon]

Okay, I need help.

:)

I have a lodge cast iron round griddle pan. (It is basically flat, no 'sides' to speak of). It was never properly seasoned and everytime my husband uses it (despite repeated talks about it, bla bla) it gets worse and worse. He uses it to make steaks, etc, which stick, leave bits on it and then he either leaves it in the sink, soaking, or just leaves it on the stovetop for hours, the thing has gotten coated with rust a few times, which I've cleaned off with (don't kill me, brillo pads) and then coated it with crisco, put in hot oven, etc, it looks okay, but still not seasoned and then it goes through the husband process again. What is the best way to get this thing back to normal and start to properly season it? At this moment it has some stuck on bits of meat, etc and is black around the edges and 'unseasoned' looking in the middle?

[Dave the Cook]

Okay, I need help.

:)

I have a lodge cast iron round griddle pan. (It is basically flat, no 'sides' to speak of). It was never properly seasoned and everytime my husband uses it (despite repeated talks about it, bla bla) it gets worse and worse. He uses it to make steaks, etc, which stick, leave bits on it and then he either leaves it in the sink, soaking, or just leaves it on the stovetop for hours, the thing has gotten coated with rust a few times, which I've cleaned off with (don't kill me, brillo pads) and then coated it with crisco, put in hot oven, etc, it looks okay, but still not seasoned and then it goes through the husband process again. What is the best way to get this thing back to normal and start to properly season it? At this moment it has some stuck on bits of meat, etc and is black around the edges and 'unseasoned' looking in the middle?

It's a two-step process:

1. Divorce.

2. Bacon.

[Dave the Cook]

Seriously, the problem is that your pan is never really getting seasoned. The crisco/oven thing only gets the process off to a good start. But you have to give it time, repeated saturations with oil/fat/grease, and some TLC until the seasoning really takes hold. If you can keep hubby from mistreating it for a dozen or so cook/gentle cleaning/crisco cycles, it will be able to withstand much more of his abuse.

[GrizzyLemon]

Should I try to reseason now with the bits stuck on, or should I clean them off and then start the oven process?

;)

[Dave the Cook]

Clean them off, using a very stiff brush or steel wool. If you want to really start over, put it in the oven and run the self-cleaning cycle.