"PastaLover" > wrote in message
news:qiHmg.15067$_c1.2702@fed1read05...
> hob wrote:
> > > wrote in message
> > ...
> >
> >>In rec.food.cooking, hob > wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>And if the pan is not hot
> >>>enough, the food will not release easily from the iron oxide and the
> >
> > method
> >
> >>>will appear to not be working well.
> >>
> >>The food will not release from the iron oxide? What the heck is iron
> >>oxide doing in your pan?
> >
> >
> > the black on a cast iron pan is iron oxide.
> >
>
> Wrong. The black is carbonized oils.

(I think the term is "polymerized oil". TTBOMK, carbonized oil is oil
contaminated with bits of burnt oil.)

However, if actually is polymerized oil, then there is a problem in
verification-

--either cooking acid foods won't remove the coating (which it does), or
--acid foods will remove burned on oils (which most won't - only strong
alkalines like lye do that).

--acid foods, on the other hand, readily remove black iron oxide.


To further illustrate the problem with the coating being polymerized oil, I
challenge you to get a SMOOTH polymerized ("carbonized") oil finish on an
aluminum or teflon frying pan - same oil, same temperatures, same seasoning
=
sticky rougher surface, nowhere near the "slicker than teflon" seasoned cast
iron surface.

Now, it is possible that there are two coatings on cast iron pans, both
called "seasoning" which look almost alike and are not noticed as
differtent -
the kind on my pans, which is slipperier, smoother, and more non-stick
than my high-grade commercial teflon (it seriously is) and which looks dry
and oil-less after cleaning,

and an oil based kind.

fwiw

>
> > red rust is also iron oxide.
> >
> > --one is ferric oxide, and the other is ferrous oxide.
> >
> > red rust will not form where black oxide is formed, if the black is
> > sufficiently thick and complete.
> >
> >
> >>
> >>--
> >>A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
> >>--Edward R. Murrow
> >
> >
> >