On the recommendations from either this group or another cooking group I
bought some cast iron frying pans. (I have to blame someone:-) From a
cooking point of view I've been very happy. The meats cook evenly and there
is plenty of heat. The problem I'm having is cleaning.

I initially followed the seasoning directions. Cleaning wasn't that
difficult. My biggest problem was determining what I should wipe the pan
down with afterwards. I found the paper towels left a lot of lint behind.
A soft cotton cloth leaves a lot less. When these is a lot of grease in the
pan... I'm at a loss as to where to begin.... paper towel or cloth?

I'm finding it more and more difficult to clean the pan. It seems even a
little meat burning leaves a lot of crud on the pan and I can't scrape it
off. I guess you are not suppose to use steel wool. So, cleaning is nearly
impossible.

I am wondering why meat is sticking to the pan. Is the heat too high? Not
seasoned properly? Or, is it normal, and I should boil water in the pan
after cooking to dissolve it. How long after cooking should I begin
cleaning the pan?

I was thinking of following the cleaning directions from the following site
and starting all over again. However, I don't want to keep repeating the
same mistake over and over again.
http://antiques.about.com/cs/miscell...anCastiron.htm

I apologize in advance if this is a redundant question.

In article <Wmflg.232$VF.122@trndny03>,
"Charlie S." > wrote:

> On the recommendations from either this group or another cooking group I
> bought some cast iron frying pans. (I have to blame someone:-) From a
> cooking point of view I've been very happy. The meats cook evenly and there
> is plenty of heat. The problem I'm having is cleaning.
>
> I initially followed the seasoning directions. Cleaning wasn't that
> difficult. My biggest problem was determining what I should wipe the pan
> down with afterwards. I found the paper towels left a lot of lint behind.
> A soft cotton cloth leaves a lot less. When these is a lot of grease in the
> pan... I'm at a loss as to where to begin.... paper towel or cloth?
>
> I'm finding it more and more difficult to clean the pan. It seems even a
> little meat burning leaves a lot of crud on the pan and I can't scrape it
> off. I guess you are not suppose to use steel wool. So, cleaning is nearly
> impossible.
>
> I am wondering why meat is sticking to the pan. Is the heat too high? Not
> seasoned properly? Or, is it normal, and I should boil water in the pan
> after cooking to dissolve it. How long after cooking should I begin
> cleaning the pan?
>
> I was thinking of following the cleaning directions from the following site
> and starting all over again. However, I don't want to keep repeating the
> same mistake over and over again.
> http://antiques.about.com/cs/miscell...anCastiron.htm
>
> I apologize in advance if this is a redundant question.

I go against the grain of most here and I scrub my pans if they get
nasty using soap and a scrubby. I then dry them and give them a fresh
coating of cooking oil prior to storing them...

They are not all that hard to care for. :-)

A well seasoned pan will wipe clean without soap in most cases but it
depends on what you cook! Chicken is the worst. After cooking chicken, I
actually set my pan in the sink and fill with water to soak for a bit,
then clean it as needed.

It does not really ruin the non-stick seasoning if you use a nylon
scrubbie and some soap as long as you re-oil it afterwards.

That may be sacrilige to some CI users but it works for me and I've used
CI literally all my life.
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

On Sun, 18 Jun 2006 16:41:26 GMT, "Charlie S."
> wrote:

>I'm finding it more and more difficult to clean the pan. It seems even a
>little meat burning leaves a lot of crud on the pan and I can't scrape it
>off. I guess you are not suppose to use steel wool. So, cleaning is nearly
>impossible.

Things rarely stick on my cast iron, because I keep it seasoned, but
on the rare occasion they do, I scrape the living shit out of it with
a good stiff metal spatula and use hot water -- I don't use soap,
unless I'm willing to re-season it. Steel wool seems fine to me, too,
but I usually have good success with a spatula and water.

serene
--
Kissing Hank's Ass is 10 years old! http://jhuger.com/kisshank
My personal blog: http://serenejournal.livejournal.com
My new cooking blog: http://serenecooking.livejournal.com

Om wrote:

> I've used CI literally all my life.

I very strongly doubt that, unless your crib was made of cast iron.

Bob

"Charlie S." > wrote in message
news:Wmflg.232$VF.122@trndny03...
> On the recommendations from either this group or another cooking group I
> bought some cast iron frying pans. (I have to blame someone:-) From a
> cooking point of view I've been very happy. The meats cook evenly and
> there is plenty of heat. The problem I'm having is cleaning.

Most things I cook in cast iron, I deglaze at the end of cooking, and that
gets up all the crusty bits. If I don't need to deglaze for the recipe, if I
toss a little water in the pan while it's still hot, I can scrape up
whatever is there, then let it cool so I can wash it.

Even if I don't deglaze, there's really not much that sticks.

Donna

In article >,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:

> Om wrote:
>
> > I've used CI literally all my life.
>
> I very strongly doubt that, unless your crib was made of cast iron.
>
> Bob

Well, okay, for 40 of my 44 years. ;-)
Mom started teaching me and my sister how to cook at around age 4.....
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
...
> Om wrote:
>
>> I've used CI literally all my life.
>
> I very strongly doubt that, unless your crib was made of cast iron.

*O rolls eyes*!!! Anyone with more than half a brain would know she meant
all of her 'cooking' life!!!!!

In article > ,
"Ophelia" > wrote:

> "Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Om wrote:
> >
> >> I've used CI literally all my life.
> >
> > I very strongly doubt that, unless your crib was made of cast iron.
>
> *O rolls eyes*!!! Anyone with more than half a brain would know she meant
> all of her 'cooking' life!!!!!

It's ok. ;-) He's just messing with me....... <lol>
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" > wrote in message
...
> In article > ,
> "Ophelia" > wrote:
>
>> "Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > Om wrote:
>> >
>> >> I've used CI literally all my life.
>> >
>> > I very strongly doubt that, unless your crib was made of cast iron.
>>
>> *O rolls eyes*!!! Anyone with more than half a brain would know she meant
>> all of her 'cooking' life!!!!!
>
> It's ok. ;-) He's just messing with me....... <lol>

Hmm well.. that is ok eh?))))

Ophelia wrote:

>>> I've used CI literally all my life.
>>
>> I very strongly doubt that, unless your crib was made of cast iron.
>
> *O rolls eyes*!!! Anyone with more than half a brain would know she meant
> all of her 'cooking' life!!!!!

When you use the word "literally," it MEANS the sentence is supposed to be
taken literally. Right?

Bob

Charlie S. wrote:
>
> On the recommendations from either this group or another cooking group I
> bought some cast iron frying pans. (I have to blame someone:-) From a
> cooking point of view I've been very happy. The meats cook evenly and there
> is plenty of heat. The problem I'm having is cleaning.
>
> I initially followed the seasoning directions. Cleaning wasn't that
> difficult. My biggest problem was determining what I should wipe the pan
> down with afterwards. I found the paper towels left a lot of lint behind.
> A soft cotton cloth leaves a lot less. When these is a lot of grease in the
> pan... I'm at a loss as to where to begin.... paper towel or cloth?
>
> I'm finding it more and more difficult to clean the pan. It seems even a
> little meat burning leaves a lot of crud on the pan and I can't scrape it
> off. I guess you are not suppose to use steel wool. So, cleaning is nearly
> impossible.
>
> I am wondering why meat is sticking to the pan. Is the heat too high? Not
> seasoned properly? Or, is it normal, and I should boil water in the pan
> after cooking to dissolve it. How long after cooking should I begin
> cleaning the pan?
>
> I was thinking of following the cleaning directions from the following site
> and starting all over again. However, I don't want to keep repeating the
> same mistake over and over again.
> http://antiques.about.com/cs/miscell...anCastiron.htm
>
> I apologize in advance if this is a redundant question.

To clean my cast iron cookware, I use a wire scrub brush (with a handle)
-- similar to a BBQ wirebrush, only smaller like a plastic dish-brush.
After cooking, I immediately reheat the CI 'til it's smoking hot, then I
take the CI from the stove to the sink faucet where I have hot water
running. I place the CI under the faucet into the running water (BEWARE
of the STEAM, take proper precautions to protect human flesh) and
vigorously use the wire scrub brush to clean the cooking surface. This
is a fast process and can be done quickly while the meat "rests."

After drying the CI, I might use a little bit of Crisco shortening on a
coffee filter to reseason the CI (if needed).

To keep meat from sticking to CI, it might help to put a little bit of
oil (cook's choice) in the CI just before adding the meat.
Spreading/spraying a little oil on the surfaces of the meat prior to
cooking will help, too.

HINT: Try using coffee filters instead of paper towels or cotton cloths
to reseason CI. The coffee filters are generally free of any lint.
They also work great to clean glass <g>.

Sky

"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
...
> Ophelia wrote:
>
>>>> I've used CI literally all my life.
>>>
>>> I very strongly doubt that, unless your crib was made of cast iron.
>>
>> *O rolls eyes*!!! Anyone with more than half a brain would know she meant
>> all of her 'cooking' life!!!!!
>
> When you use the word "literally," it MEANS the sentence is supposed to be
> taken literally. Right?

Well, we are talking about OM)))

D.Currie wrote:
> "Charlie S." > wrote in message
> news:Wmflg.232$VF.122@trndny03...
>> On the recommendations from either this group or another cooking
>> group I bought some cast iron frying pans. (I have to blame
>> someone:-) From a cooking point of view I've been very happy. The
>> meats cook evenly and there is plenty of heat. The problem I'm
>> having is cleaning.
>
> Most things I cook in cast iron, I deglaze at the end of cooking, and
> that gets up all the crusty bits. If I don't need to deglaze for the
> recipe, if I toss a little water in the pan while it's still hot, I
> can scrape up whatever is there, then let it cool so I can wash it.
>
> Even if I don't deglaze, there's really not much that sticks.
>
> Donna

I, too, usually add some water right after cooking and give it a scrape, as
if deglazing. Anything that's stuck usually comes off after that with a hot
water rinse, and I put the pan back on a low burner to dry it out. If it's
really badly gunked up, I use hot water and a non-metal scrubbing thing--no
soap. When in doubt, I oil it lightly.

In article >,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:

> Ophelia wrote:
>
> >>> I've used CI literally all my life.
> >>
> >> I very strongly doubt that, unless your crib was made of cast iron.
> >
> > *O rolls eyes*!!! Anyone with more than half a brain would know she meant
> > all of her 'cooking' life!!!!!
>
> When you use the word "literally," it MEANS the sentence is supposed to be
> taken literally. Right?
>
> Bob

Only if you are being beastly. <G>
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

"Charlie S." > wrote in message
news:Wmflg.232$VF.122@trndny03...
> On the recommendations from either this group or another cooking group I
> bought some cast iron frying pans. (I have to blame someone:-) From a
> cooking point of view I've been very happy. The meats cook evenly and
there
> is plenty of heat. The problem I'm having is cleaning.
>
> I initially followed the seasoning directions. Cleaning wasn't that
> difficult. My biggest problem was determining what I should wipe the pan
> down with afterwards. I found the paper towels left a lot of lint behind.
> A soft cotton cloth leaves a lot less. When these is a lot of grease in
the
> pan... I'm at a loss as to where to begin.... paper towel or cloth?
>
> I'm finding it more and more difficult to clean the pan. It seems even a
> little meat burning leaves a lot of crud on the pan and I can't scrape it
> off. I guess you are not suppose to use steel wool. So, cleaning is
nearly
> impossible.
>
> I am wondering why meat is sticking to the pan.

Not enough fat in the pan before the meat is inserted into the pan.

IMHE, A tablespoon of oil in the pan is needed before putting in meats.

Is the heat too high? Not
> seasoned properly? Or, is it normal, and I should boil water in the pan
> after cooking to dissolve it. How long after cooking should I begin
> cleaning the pan?
>
> I was thinking of following the cleaning directions from the following
site
> and starting all over again. However, I don't want to keep repeating the
> same mistake over and over again.

I use the following method and have very. very rarely had anything remain on
the pan such that I had to scrape it, nor have I needed to re-season my pans
in 25 years.

In the couple times I did have to redo the cleaning process, I scraped the
hard-to-remove stuff once or twice with a steel spatula, to get the big
stuff off, and then put a tbs of oil in the pan and reheated the pan in
order to reclean.

Using only cool water, always clean the cast iron when pretty hot -
med-high hot, like it is when "searing" or finishing the meat at the end of
frying.
(If you used it for baking a roast, say, then wipe out the inside and heat
it up on the stove top or in the oven to roughly 350-375 F - but don't "burn
away" the oil )
The sides need to be hot, not just the bottom. 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.


This method takes about 15-20 seconds, tops. (I always do it just after
putting the fried item on the plate.)


You need a natural bristle vegetable brush, the round kind with a longish
handle.

1) Remove the pan from the heat with one hand and immediately use the
sloppy-wet-with-cold-water vegetable brush to brush the insides of the hot
pan with the other.
( There will be steam, so use caution. You only need to be firm in your
brushing and fairly quick in all the water-adding steps.)

2). Put the brush back under running cool water and repeat.

Repeat until pan is no longer boiling the water added by the brush

3) Rinse out the pan and the brush.

4) Hang up and let dry.

fwiw


> http://antiques.about.com/cs/miscell...anCastiron.htm
>
> I apologize in advance if this is a redundant question.
>
>

On Sun, 18 Jun 2006 17:14:43 -0500, "hob" >
wrote:

> Using only cool water, always clean the cast iron when pretty hot -
>med-high hot, like it is when "searing" or finishing the meat at the end of
>frying.

Ack. Putting cool water into a hot pan is just asking to warp it,
isn't it?

I use hot water.

serene
--
Kissing Hank's Ass is 10 years old! http://jhuger.com/kisshank
My personal blog: http://serenejournal.livejournal.com
My new cooking blog: http://serenecooking.livejournal.com

Charlie
I often wipe my pans with paper towels and if there is still residue,
I'll sprinkle salt in the pan while its still warm and use it like an
abrasive to clean it off. Works well most of the time. If there is
something really sticky and I know its gonna be a mess, I'll deglaze it
with hot water either on the stove, or while the pan is still cooking
hot. Then I wipe it dry and wipe it down with a light coat of oil. Been
doing this for well over 50 years. I've still got some old pans that I
got from my grandmother and they were old when I first saw them!. They
are a delight to cook with and are coal black from a century of use.
Cheers
Rocky
Charlie S. wrote:
> On the recommendations from either this group or another cooking group I
> bought some cast iron frying pans. (I have to blame someone:-) From a
> cooking point of view I've been very happy. The meats cook evenly and there
> is plenty of heat. The problem I'm having is cleaning.
>
> I initially followed the seasoning directions. Cleaning wasn't that
> difficult. My biggest problem was determining what I should wipe the pan
> down with afterwards. I found the paper towels left a lot of lint behind.
> A soft cotton cloth leaves a lot less. When these is a lot of grease in the
> pan... I'm at a loss as to where to begin.... paper towel or cloth?
>
> I'm finding it more and more difficult to clean the pan. It seems even a
> little meat burning leaves a lot of crud on the pan and I can't scrape it
> off. I guess you are not suppose to use steel wool. So, cleaning is nearly
> impossible.
>
> I am wondering why meat is sticking to the pan. Is the heat too high? Not
> seasoned properly? Or, is it normal, and I should boil water in the pan
> after cooking to dissolve it. How long after cooking should I begin
> cleaning the pan?
>
> I was thinking of following the cleaning directions from the following site
> and starting all over again. However, I don't want to keep repeating the
> same mistake over and over again.
> http://antiques.about.com/cs/miscell...anCastiron.htm
>
> I apologize in advance if this is a redundant question.

On Sun, 18 Jun 2006 11:54:00 -0500, OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:

> I go against the grain of most here and I scrub my pans if they get
> nasty using soap and a scrubby. I then dry them and give them a fresh
> coating of cooking oil prior to storing them...

Mine are so seasoned that the only time I need to oil them is if I
make something acidic in them, like tomato sauce, and even that isn't
phasing my skillets much anymore.
--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

On Sun, 18 Jun 2006 10:13:13 -0700, Serene wrote:

> Things rarely stick on my cast iron, because I keep it seasoned, but
> on the rare occasion they do, I scrape the living shit out of it with
> a good stiff metal spatula and use hot water -- I don't use soap,
> unless I'm willing to re-season it. Steel wool seems fine to me, too,
> but I usually have good success with a spatula and water.

I use a spatula first then a scrubbie or scrub brush, hot water and
soap. As you said, a well seasoned pan rarely needs reseasoning.
--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

I'll weigh in here - my experience with new cast iron pans is that they
do stick more for a while. Or maybe you didn't season the thing
properly - it has happened to me. If you have to scrub with steel wool,
do so, and then just season it again. I'll bet it will all go better
after the second round.

Now I was taught somewhere to coat the pan with a thin film of veg. oil
AFTER you wash and dry it, then heat it on the stove for a couple of
minutes. Sort of post-seasoning. I don't do this anymore because the
pans are so seasoned. My main skillet dates back to the Reagan
administration.

Has anybody tried the pre-seasoned pans? They aren't that much more
money...

Leila


> Charlie S. wrote:
> > On the recommendations from either this group or another cooking group I
> > bought some cast iron frying pans. (I have to blame someone:-) From a
> > cooking point of view I've been very happy. The meats cook evenly and there
> > is plenty of heat. The problem I'm having is cleaning.
> >
> > I initially followed the seasoning directions. Cleaning wasn't that
> > difficult. My biggest problem was determining what I should wipe the pan
> > down with afterwards. I found the paper towels left a lot of lint behind.
> > A soft cotton cloth leaves a lot less. When these is a lot of grease in the
> > pan... I'm at a loss as to where to begin.... paper towel or cloth?
> >
> > I'm finding it more and more difficult to clean the pan. It seems even a
> > little meat burning leaves a lot of crud on the pan and I can't scrape it
> > off. I guess you are not suppose to use steel wool. So, cleaning is nearly
> > impossible.

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Sun, 18 Jun 2006 11:54:00 -0500, OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
>
> > I go against the grain of most here and I scrub my pans if they get
> > nasty using soap and a scrubby. I then dry them and give them a fresh
> > coating of cooking oil prior to storing them...
>
> Mine are so seasoned that the only time I need to oil them is if I
> make something acidic in them, like tomato sauce, and even that isn't
> phasing my skillets much anymore.

Well done! ;-)

I have one that is nearly that way, but two others have a ways to go as
I don't use them as much.

IMHO the best seasoning is lots of use. <G>
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

On Sun, 18 Jun 2006 15:32:22 -0700, Serene wrote:

> On Sun, 18 Jun 2006 17:14:43 -0500, "hob" >
> wrote:
>
> > Using only cool water, always clean the cast iron when pretty hot -
> >med-high hot, like it is when "searing" or finishing the meat at the end of
> >frying.
>
> Ack. Putting cool water into a hot pan is just asking to warp it,
> isn't it?
>
> I use hot water.
>
Cast iron is too thick to warp from a little cold water.
--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

On 18 Jun 2006 21:56:00 -0700, Leila wrote:
>
> Has anybody tried the pre-seasoned pans? They aren't that much more
> money...

I haven't bought one, but I've seen them. I wasn't impressed.
--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

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?


--
A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
--Edward R. Murrow

I have an old cast iron skillet which has been with me for over 40
years. It has become quite well seasoned over the years. I usually
use very mild liquid dish soap, and a nylon scrubbie to clean it up. I
wipe clean with a terry towel.

If it begins to want to stick a bit. . .I will rub it down on the
inside with vegetable oil, and place it in a low temperature oven for a
few minutes to season.

Myrl Jeffcoat
http://www.myrljeffcoat.com

> 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.

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

"Serene" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 18 Jun 2006 17:14:43 -0500, "hob" >
> wrote:
>
> > Using only cool water, always clean the cast iron when pretty hot -
> >med-high hot, like it is when "searing" or finishing the meat at the end
of
> >frying.
>
> Ack. Putting cool water into a hot pan is just asking to warp it,
> isn't it?
>
> I use hot water.

Just use the veggie brush "dipped in water"'s worth of water at a time.

I have tried the natural-bristle brush method with warm and cold tap water,
and the cold seems to work a lot better.




>
> serene
> --
> Kissing Hank's Ass is 10 years old! http://jhuger.com/kisshank
> My personal blog: http://serenejournal.livejournal.com
> My new cooking blog: http://serenecooking.livejournal.com

In rec.food.cooking, 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.

> 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.


I always took the coating on a cast iron pan to be polymerized oil. If it
is really iron oxide, then why is it necessary to coat the pan with oil to
season it? Wouldn't the oil seal away the pan from atmosphereic oxygen,
preventng oxidation?


--
A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
--Edward R. Murrow

writes:
> I always took the coating on a cast iron pan to be polymerized oil. If it
> is really iron oxide, then why is it necessary to coat the pan with oil to
> season it? Wouldn't the oil seal away the pan from atmosphereic oxygen,
> preventng oxidation?

Seasoning is a combination of polymerized oil and ferrous oxide, with
a little bit of carbon and magnetite (Fe3O4) mixed in. The
polymerized oil seals the pores of the cast iron and provides the
oxygen barrier and non-stick effects. The carbon mostly comes along
for the ride, and the ferrous oxide and magnetite are a slight help in
protecting against galvanic corrosion (which causes rust, which is
ferric oxide).

So yes, the oil is doing most of the work.

--
Richard W Kaszeta

http://www.kaszeta.org/rich

In article >,
wrote:

> In rec.food.cooking, 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.
>
> > 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.
>
>
> I always took the coating on a cast iron pan to be polymerized oil. If it
> is really iron oxide, then why is it necessary to coat the pan with oil to
> season it? Wouldn't the oil seal away the pan from atmosphereic oxygen,
> preventng oxidation?

I agree...
I think it's polymerized oil.
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

> wrote in message
...
> In rec.food.cooking, 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.
>
> > 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.
>
>
> I always took the coating on a cast iron pan to be polymerized oil. If it
> is really iron oxide, then why is it necessary to coat the pan with oil to
> season it? Wouldn't the oil seal away the pan from atmospheric oxygen,
> preventng oxidation?
>

I am familiar with the red oxide corrosion mechanism and have engineered
some systems to minimize it on steel, but I never gave the details of the
black oxide process much thought when I developed my method for cast iron.
Normally that black oxide formation is done using bluing salts.

I knew that higher temp promoted the formation of black oxide over red
oxide in steel. (like when you heat iron red hot and check temp for
quenching - it forms a black oxide when you first sand it, on down to a
straw color as it cools. And also makes black oxide if it is quenched above
a certain temperature. Something to do with different binding energy of the
two oxidation processes.)

My guess was that during the usual oven-seasoning, the oil blocked CO2 in
the atmosphere process, limiting red oxide.
So if I could get the iron to oxidize rapidly in the presence of water,
with oil to block, I would have the black oxide without having to leave it
in the oven for hours.

The method I described earlier worked first-try many years ago, so like a
good engineer - if it works well, don't mess with it -- "I'm an engineer,
Jim, not a scientist."

Now, I have gotten "polymerized oil" on the outside of a pan from
spills, but that surface is not super smooth like the iron oxide.
And when I tried cooking tomato to remove overheated oil in a pan, it
didn't work, i.e., it didn't break that "polymerized oil" stuff
free -meaning the seasoning probably wasn't oil (alone).


or perhaps the surface coating actually is a combination polymer/oxide.


(BTW, that bit-of-hot-oil/hot-pan/bit-of-water method reseasons an iron pan
in maybe 15 seconds - like after cooking with tomato sauce strips the pan's
surface, etc.
It beats the oven method of reseasoning )

fwiw...

>
> --
> A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
> --Edward R. Murrow

Charlie S. wrote:
> On the recommendations from either this group or another cooking group I
> bought some cast iron frying pans. (I have to blame someone:-) From a
> cooking point of view I've been very happy. The meats cook evenly and there
> is plenty of heat. The problem I'm having is cleaning.
>
> I initially followed the seasoning directions. Cleaning wasn't that
> difficult. My biggest problem was determining what I should wipe the pan
> down with afterwards. I found the paper towels left a lot of lint behind.
> A soft cotton cloth leaves a lot less. When these is a lot of grease in the
> pan... I'm at a loss as to where to begin.... paper towel or cloth?
>
> I'm finding it more and more difficult to clean the pan. It seems even a
> little meat burning leaves a lot of crud on the pan and I can't scrape it
> off. I guess you are not suppose to use steel wool. So, cleaning is nearly
> impossible.
>
> I am wondering why meat is sticking to the pan. Is the heat too high? Not
> seasoned properly? Or, is it normal, and I should boil water in the pan
> after cooking to dissolve it. How long after cooking should I begin
> cleaning the pan?
>
> I was thinking of following the cleaning directions from the following site
> and starting all over again. However, I don't want to keep repeating the
> same mistake over and over again.
> http://antiques.about.com/cs/miscell...anCastiron.htm
>
> I apologize in advance if this is a redundant question.
>
>
The great thing about cast iron is that you can reseason it anytime. Try
that with Teflon that's been scraped off!

If the pan's crusty, scrap the hell out of it until it meets your
cleanliness standards, and if you've polished off the seasoning, just
re-season it.

Serene wrote:
> On Sun, 18 Jun 2006 17:14:43 -0500, "hob" >
> wrote:
>
>
>> Using only cool water, always clean the cast iron when pretty hot -
>>med-high hot, like it is when "searing" or finishing the meat at the end of
>>frying.
>
>
> Ack. Putting cool water into a hot pan is just asking to warp it,
> isn't it?
>
> I use hot water.
>
> serene
I challenge you to "warp" cast iron. You might be able to do this to a
thin steel pan, but not a thick cast iron pan.

wrote:
> 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?
>
>
Iron oxide is RUST. Something isn't right if you have iron oxide!

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.

> 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
>
>
>

PastaLover wrote:

> Iron oxide is RUST. Something isn't right if you have iron oxide!

There are two kinds of iron oxide. To quote what hob wrote three days ago
when you weren't paying attention:

| the black on a cast iron pan is iron oxide.
|
| 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.

Ask anybody with even a rudimentary knowledge of chemistry, metallurgy, or
boiler maintenance.

Bob

"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
> >
> >
> >