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wff_ng_7 wff_ng_7 is offline
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Default Crisco for seasoning cast-iron pans

"Dee Dee" > wrote:
>I made the choice to buy Crisco for seasoning my cast-iron pans (vs.
> olive oil, lard, etc), so I bought a large can of it at BJ's ($5+). I
> will use it solely for seasoning and as I haven't used it in years,
> and will probably keep the can of Crisco for years for this use, I'm
> wondering whether to refrigerate it. I don't know if it turns rancid
> (does Crisco turn rancid?) if it will make the cast-iron have a rancid
> taste - Yuk!


Crisco does eventually go rancid, even if stored in the refrigerator. I
believe it will last longer though, the cooler it is stored. That's where I
keep mine. I primarily use it for pie crusts. One day I was making a pie
crust and something just didn't smell right. It didn't occur to me
immediately where the odor was coming from. Then I smelled inside the Crisco
can... rancid!

I don't think rancid Crisco would have any effect on seasoning cast iron,
but it might smell more while you are "curing" the pan in the oven. When
done, it should be fine, I would think.

You must have an awful lot of cast iron, or plan on reseasoning on a
frequent basis. I can't imagine using up a normal sized can of shortening (3
lb) in a lifetime on reseasoning alone. The standard can sizes I'm aware of
are 1 lb and 3 lb. What size can did you get?

Just as a side note... the trans fat free Crisco disappeared from my
supermarket a while back, and I thought it was poor inventory control by the
supermarket. Turns out the green label trans fat free product has been
discontinued, and now all Crisco shortening is trans fat free. I read that
in the food section of the paper (Washington Post) yesterday, and saw
there's a press release on the Crisco web site about it too.

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