Hello,

I just received a Lodge cast iron pan of the pre-seasoned variety. I
was wondering if there were other folks who've been using these
pre-seasoned pans and how they've found them to be. I'm new to these,
and to cast iron in general.

I can see two spots on the pan, near the handle and on the top of the
rim, where the pre-seaonson coating doesn't seem to have landed, or has
been chipped off. Should I be concerned? I'm wondering if this coating
settles in once the pan is heated a few times, or if I should be
worried about it slowly coming off in my bacon and eggs...

Many thanks for any help!

sally

wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I just received a Lodge cast iron pan of the pre-seasoned variety. I
> was wondering if there were other folks who've been using these
> pre-seasoned pans and how they've found them to be. I'm new to these,
> and to cast iron in general.
>
> I can see two spots on the pan, near the handle and on the top of the
> rim, where the pre-seaonson coating doesn't seem to have landed, or
> has been chipped off. Should I be concerned? I'm wondering if this
> coating settles in once the pan is heated a few times, or if I should
> be worried about it slowly coming off in my bacon and eggs...
>
> Many thanks for any help!
>
> sally

Pre-seasoned cast iron is fine, but keep in mind the pots/pans still require
seasoning on your part. That seasoned coating isn't going to stay there
indefinitely, rather it is so you can avoid doing step 1 of seasoning
yourself. Did the pans come with instructions? Mine did but I don't still
have the instructions. At any rate, after the first use, wipe the pan out
with a paper towel and use a bit of salt if necessary to get off any
stuck-on bits. Do NOT add water (iron rusts), *definitely not* dish soap
and do not put these in the dishwasher. After the first use, put some oil
in the pan and heat it in the oven. Then wipe out the oil and store the pan
away. As you do this with each subsequent use, the pan will build up its
own seasoning and become virtually non-stick.

Jill

Thanks Jill - this is a big help! (Esp. the advice about using salt...)

Sally

wrote:
> Thanks Jill - this is a big help! (Esp. the advice about using salt...)
>
> Sally

I do even less that Jill. I consider every time I cook, I'm reseasoning
the cast iron. I always use oil or fat when I use the frypan. So I
don't put oil it and put it back in the oven after each use. I clean it
with a special Scotch-Brite that never sees soap (except for an
occasional cleaning and thorough rinsing) and salt and water. I just
dry it and put it away.
Everyone has their own way of maintaining their CI. The important thing
is to maintain it! When I bought mine at a garage sale, it was totally
dried out, useless. No wonder someone sold it. I just seasoned it and
started using it, works great! Just find a way that works for you,
Jill's or mine or someone else's.

salgud wrote:
> wrote:
>> Thanks Jill - this is a big help! (Esp. the advice about using
>> salt...)
>>
>> Sally
>
> I do even less that Jill. I consider every time I cook, I'm
> reseasoning the cast iron. I always use oil or fat when I use the
> frypan. So I
> don't put oil it and put it back in the oven after each use. I clean
> it with a special Scotch-Brite that never sees soap (except for an
> occasional cleaning and thorough rinsing) and salt and water. I just
> dry it and put it away.

The OP did mention cooking eggs (after, I would assume, the bacon) so that
might mean draining off most of the fat, and requiring the scrubbing (with
the aforementioned salt) and possibly then adding more oil to season the
pan.

> Everyone has their own way of maintaining their CI. The important
> thing is to maintain it! When I bought mine at a garage sale, it was
> totally dried out, useless. No wonder someone sold it. I just
> seasoned it and started using it, works great! Just find a way that
> works for you, Jill's or mine or someone else's.

Absolutely. Whatever works best. Just skip water and soap and keep it
seasoned with repeated use. I love my cast iron!

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
> salgud wrote:
> > wrote:
> >> Thanks Jill - this is a big help! (Esp. the advice about using
> >> salt...)
> >>
> >> Sally
> >
> > I do even less that Jill. I consider every time I cook, I'm
> > reseasoning the cast iron. I always use oil or fat when I use the
> > frypan. So I
> > don't put oil it and put it back in the oven after each use. I clean
> > it with a special Scotch-Brite that never sees soap (except for an
> > occasional cleaning and thorough rinsing) and salt and water. I just
> > dry it and put it away.
>
> The OP did mention cooking eggs (after, I would assume, the bacon) so that
> might mean draining off most of the fat, and requiring the scrubbing (with
> the aforementioned salt) and possibly then adding more oil to season the
> pan.

When I cook eggs, I just clean it out with salt, wipe it dry and put it
away. For me, the re-seasoning it gets in normal use gets it through
eggs, which I cook with a little butter, and anything else that might
slightly deteriorate the seasoning. But if you like doing it, keep
doing it. Everyone is different.

>
> > Everyone has their own way of maintaining their CI. The important
> > thing is to maintain it! When I bought mine at a garage sale, it was
> > totally dried out, useless. No wonder someone sold it. I just
> > seasoned it and started using it, works great! Just find a way that
> > works for you, Jill's or mine or someone else's.
>
> Absolutely. Whatever works best. Just skip water and soap and keep it
> seasoned with repeated use. I love my cast iron!
>
> Jill

Agreed!

Thanks again for all the advice and shared experience - one more newbie
question to trouble you with: I'm finding that whether I use a paper
towell or a cloth towell, I'm getting lots of fibers sticking to the
pan. Does this stop as the pan gets smoother or better seasoned?


sally

wrote:
> Thanks again for all the advice and shared experience - one more newbie
> question to trouble you with: I'm finding that whether I use a paper
> towell or a cloth towell, I'm getting lots of fibers sticking to the
> pan. Does this stop as the pan gets smoother or better seasoned?
>
>
> sally

Strange. I don't recall having this problem. Is the surface of the pan
pretty smooth from the seasoning? It should be almost satiny (new
word?) when it's seasoned. Stuff shouldn't be sticking. Maybe Jill or
someone will have some experience with that. How did you season it?
What temp, how long, in over or on stovetop?

wrote:
> Thanks again for all the advice and shared experience - one more
> newbie question to trouble you with: I'm finding that whether I use a
> paper towell or a cloth towell, I'm getting lots of fibers sticking
> to the pan. Does this stop as the pan gets smoother or better
> seasoned?
>
>
> sally

I've not run into this problem. Did you wipe the pan when it was still
warm? Guess I should have mentioned to wipe it out before it gets stone
cold. If you used it for eggs, even with a regular non-stick pan, eggs can
sometimes be problematic. Try one of those nylon scrubbie things. Then
heat some oil and season it some more in the oven.

Jill

I was wiping it to dry it, actually. I think I'll just heat it up on
the burner to dry, and leave it at that. Meanwhile, I'm loving the pan!

sally

wrote:
> I was wiping it to dry it, actually. I think I'll just heat it up on
> the burner to dry, and leave it at that. Meanwhile, I'm loving the
> pan!
>
> sally

Dry it from what?

Jill

> wrote:
> Thanks again for all the advice and shared experience - one more newbie
> question to trouble you with: I'm finding that whether I use a paper
> towell or a cloth towell, I'm getting lots of fibers sticking to the
> pan. Does this stop as the pan gets smoother or better seasoned?

I know what you're talking about... particularly on the outside of the pan,
which might remain rough, little bits may come off the paper towel. Don't
rub so hard! ;-) With time the inside of the pan should become satiny
smooth, as another poster mentioned.

I wouldn't worry about the water too much. I rinse my cast iron off under
hot water going over it with a plastic dobie pad. Then I dry it with a paper
towel. I often put it into my oven, an old one with a pilot light that stays
fairly warm to get rid of any last traces of moisture. If the pan has seen a
lot of use and has a decent coat of baked on oil/grease, that step really
isn't necessary. Just make sure it is completely dry before storing away
stacked with other pans.

I do have one pan that has never seen water, but that is a French carbon
steel omelette pan that has only had buter and eggs in it. I always just
wipe it out with a paper towel after use and hang it up.

I would make one note as to how completely one drys a cast iron pan before
putting it away... it might depend on climate. At my parent's house in
Florida, it seemed everything rusted, including the front of the
refrigerator which was enameled. Even canned goods would start to rust if
kept around a long time.

I just ordered my first Dutch oven...a Lodge 7-qt pre-seasoned.
Can't wait to get it.

On Sat, 03 Feb 2007 22:53:39 GMT, Mitch <Mitch@...> wrote:

>I just ordered my first Dutch oven...a Lodge 7-qt pre-seasoned.
>Can't wait to get it.

I tried to order a Lodge 5qt dutch oven from Amazon but the site
keeled over mid-order I want to make NYT no-knead bread and I need
something to bake it in!

Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
> On Sat, 03 Feb 2007 22:53:39 GMT, Mitch <Mitch@...> wrote:
>
>> I just ordered my first Dutch oven...a Lodge 7-qt pre-seasoned.
>> Can't wait to get it.
>
> I tried to order a Lodge 5qt dutch oven from Amazon but the site
> keeled over mid-order I want to make NYT no-knead bread and I need
> something to bake it in!

A regular baking pan will work. It's not like the world revolves around
cast iron, that's just the way it was done in days gone by. Heh, so was Led
Zepplin. Bake it in whatever you have and light some candles

Jill

>>> I just ordered my first Dutch oven...a Lodge 7-qt pre-seasoned.
>>> Can't wait to get it.

Ordered? Even Bed Bath and Beyond carry them in stock.

"Ward Abbott" > wrote in message
...
>>>> I just ordered my first Dutch oven...a Lodge 7-qt pre-seasoned.
>>>> Can't wait to get it.
>
> Ordered? Even Bed Bath and Beyond carry them in stock.

But what if the OP lives in Big Piney, Wyoming. Or Fernbrook, CA. Do they
have a BB&B there?

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...

> A regular baking pan will work. It's not like the world revolves around
> cast iron, that's just the way it was done in days gone by. Heh, so was
Led
> Zepplin. Bake it in whatever you have and light some candles
>
> Jill

Hello. Just lurking.
Baking pans and cast iron cookware ARE NOT THE SAME

geeez <G>


Have you seen these? Im sure you have.

http://tinyurl.com/2kqlqh


This is real bakeware!

On Sun, 4 Feb 2007 06:00:33 -0600, "jmcquown" >
wrote:

>Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
>> On Sat, 03 Feb 2007 22:53:39 GMT, Mitch <Mitch@...> wrote:
>>
>>> I just ordered my first Dutch oven...a Lodge 7-qt pre-seasoned.
>>> Can't wait to get it.
>>
>> I tried to order a Lodge 5qt dutch oven from Amazon but the site
>> keeled over mid-order I want to make NYT no-knead bread and I need
>> something to bake it in!
>
>A regular baking pan will work. It's not like the world revolves around
>cast iron, that's just the way it was done in days gone by. Heh, so was Led
>Zepplin. Bake it in whatever you have and light some candles

Everyone says the success of that particular recipe revolves around a
HEAVY cooking pot with a lid, heated to a blazingly hot temperature
before you tip the dough into it... usually I'd say use whatever, but
I really don't think it would work this time. (I need to make THAT
bread because raw yeast affects my hands very badly and you don't have
to touch the dough at all!)

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
>> On Sat, 03 Feb 2007 22:53:39 GMT, Mitch <Mitch@...> wrote:
>>
>>> I just ordered my first Dutch oven...a Lodge 7-qt pre-seasoned.
>>> Can't wait to get it.
>>
>> I tried to order a Lodge 5qt dutch oven from Amazon but the site
>> keeled over mid-order I want to make NYT no-knead bread and I need
>> something to bake it in!
>
> A regular baking pan will work. It's not like the world revolves around
> cast iron, that's just the way it was done in days gone by. Heh, so was
> Led
> Zepplin. Bake it in whatever you have and light some candles
>
> Jill
>
>
In this case, to be successful with this bread, you need to conform to some
specific requirements. You need a heavy-weight container and lid (5-6
quartish) that can be preheated (empty) to 450F.
Janet

"Karen AKA Kajikit" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 4 Feb 2007 06:00:33 -0600, "jmcquown" >
> wrote:
>
>>Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
>>> On Sat, 03 Feb 2007 22:53:39 GMT, Mitch <Mitch@...> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I just ordered my first Dutch oven...a Lodge 7-qt pre-seasoned.
>>>> Can't wait to get it.
>>>
>>> I tried to order a Lodge 5qt dutch oven from Amazon but the site
>>> keeled over mid-order I want to make NYT no-knead bread and I need
>>> something to bake it in!
>>
>>A regular baking pan will work. It's not like the world revolves around
>>cast iron, that's just the way it was done in days gone by. Heh, so was
>>Led
>>Zepplin. Bake it in whatever you have and light some candles
>
> Everyone says the success of that particular recipe revolves around a
> HEAVY cooking pot with a lid, heated to a blazingly hot temperature
> before you tip the dough into it... usually I'd say use whatever, but
> I really don't think it would work this time. (I need to make THAT
> bread because raw yeast affects my hands very badly and you don't have
> to touch the dough at all!)

I have a piece of Silpat that I had never used (given as a gift). I used
the floured Silpat to do the second rise and then simply picked up the
Silpat and rolled the dough from it into the cast iron pot. Use a lot of
flour as the dough is wet enough to get the flour under it wet and gooey.
Best choice would be rice flour as it doesn't absorb the water, but I don't
care for the crunchy left behind by rice flour or cornmeal. Have fun. If
you're interested, this is how my NY Times bread turned out
http://janetbostwick349.fotopic.net/
Janet

On Sun, 04 Feb 2007 13:02:23 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski" >
wrote:

>Do they
>have a BB&B there?

I would suggest that you do your own homework. Google is our
friend.

"Ward Abbott" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 04 Feb 2007 13:02:23 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski" >
> wrote:
>
>>Do they
>>have a BB&B there?
>
> I would suggest that you do your own homework. Google is our
> friend.

Obviously you missed the point. You questioned the fact that the OP ordered
instead of going to a place like bb&b. There are places in this country
that would be a 200 mile or more drive to get to one. You should get out
more.

>Ordered? Even Bed Bath and Beyond carry them in stock.

I had an Amazon gift certificate.

>Obviously you missed the point. You questioned the fact that the OP ordered
>instead of going to a place like bb&b.

Actually, that's true for us. The nearest BB&B, mall, Costco, etc.,
is an hour minimum.

On Sun, 4 Feb 2007 07:29:24 -0700, "Janet B." >
wrote:

>
>"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
>> Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
>>> On Sat, 03 Feb 2007 22:53:39 GMT, Mitch <Mitch@...> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I just ordered my first Dutch oven...a Lodge 7-qt pre-seasoned.
>>>> Can't wait to get it.
>>>
>>> I tried to order a Lodge 5qt dutch oven from Amazon but the site
>>> keeled over mid-order I want to make NYT no-knead bread and I need
>>> something to bake it in!
>>
>> A regular baking pan will work. It's not like the world revolves around
>> cast iron, that's just the way it was done in days gone by. Heh, so was
>> Led
>> Zepplin. Bake it in whatever you have and light some candles
>>
>> Jill
>>
>>
>In this case, to be successful with this bread, you need to conform to some
>specific requirements.

Wrong.

>You need a heavy-weight container and lid (5-6
>quartish) that can be preheated (empty) to 450F.

I use a soup pot and aluminum foil, and my bread comes out great. I
think the real key to this is closing in the wet dough, thereby
creating steam inside the cooking vessel.

SErene
--
"I can't decide if I feel more like four ten-year-olds or ten four-year-olds." Laurie Anderson , on turning 40.

http://serenejournal.livejournal.com