In article >, bulka > wrote:

> I am now really wondering. People at Ace sent me to Target. And Target
> has
> lots of CI pots - although they are all 'unfinished' -- that is, the
> inside has not been ground or milled. It is just raw cast iron - with
> the
> texture of the sand used in the mold, that is, the same as on the
> outside.

That sounds right. You want the pan's texture to be a little rough.

That way, after it's fully seasoned, stuff doesn't stick so much and
you can clean it better.

> But there were lots of 'unfinished' CI pots. Even in sets of three. So I
> am wondering: Will those work? I picked up a 10" short rimmed tortilla
> pan, just to try it. Claudia George tells me I need Crisco, solid
> vegetable stuff - not lard, or olive oil, or butter - to season it.
>
> What do you all use? All my other CI pots are 30 to 100 years old, and
> have ground insides. I scrape the hell out of them with metal objects if
> things burn. But most of the time they clean up after a few seconds of
> hot
> water and a wipe with a paper towel. And they are ready to use after 3
> or
> 4 seconds on a burner, and a wipe with butter.

Crisco is good because it doesn't burn at reasonable temps, and it is
less tasty to common "germs" than the alternatives you mentioned. So by
incidentally leaving some on the pan, you probably won't get a big
family'o'germs on it.

> I will experiment with this new one. Is this the new style? Will it work
> as well? I read some directions on the packaging of various pots. The
> seasoning is still the same operation. But there are hints about the
> pots
> turning black after repeated use (and it being 'OK'). Mine are all
> shiny.

Mine are all wonderfully black now. And they are more non-stick than
anything else I've tried.

I wouldn't shoot for shiny at all.

Clean up with water and a stiff brush. I avoid and have not had to use
any soap. Scraping with a spatula isn't a problem. I do that all the
time, but stuff comes off right away and the pan and seasoning are not
harmed.

This sort of cookware is just the best once you get it seasoned. (And I
have a bunch of currently-unused anodized, stainless, teflon devices in
my cupboard.)

--
Jack