I recently bought a Lodge preseasoned skillet. Even though I followed
the directions for using the skillet, certain things seem to stick to
the skillet and have to be scraped off with a wire brush. For instance,
this morning I made eggs, sausage and fried bananas in the skillet.
Even though I quickly soaked the hot skillet in water, I still had to
use the wire brush to get off the fried bananas. After I wash the
skillet with warm water (no detergent), I immediately dry it with a
cloth and spray the inner surface with olive oil spray. My
understanding is that this procedure would make it non-stick. Will it
get better over time and usage? Or will certain food items always stick
no matter what I do? Thanks for any suggestions.

In article >,
tenplay > wrote:

> I recently bought a Lodge preseasoned skillet. Even though I followed
> the directions for using the skillet, certain things seem to stick to
> the skillet and have to be scraped off with a wire brush. For instance,
> this morning I made eggs, sausage and fried bananas in the skillet.
> Even though I quickly soaked the hot skillet in water, I still had to
> use the wire brush to get off the fried bananas. After I wash the
> skillet with warm water (no detergent), I immediately dry it with a
> cloth and spray the inner surface with olive oil spray. My
> understanding is that this procedure would make it non-stick. Will it
> get better over time and usage? Or will certain food items always stick
> no matter what I do? Thanks for any suggestions.

It's a Lodge... ;-)
Rough inner surface is difficult to make non-stick.

Go get yourself a GOOD cast iron pan!

(here we go again....... <lol>)
--
K.

Sprout the MungBean to reply

"I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell‹you
see, I have friends in both places." --Mark Twain

"tenplay" > wrote in message
...
>I recently bought a Lodge preseasoned skillet. Even though I followed the
>directions for using the skillet, certain things seem to stick to the
>skillet and have to be scraped off with a wire brush. For instance, this
>morning I made eggs, sausage and fried bananas in the skillet. Even though
>I quickly soaked the hot skillet in water, I still had to use the wire
>brush to get off the fried bananas. After I wash the skillet with warm
>water (no detergent), I immediately dry it with a cloth and spray the inner
>surface with olive oil spray. My understanding is that this procedure
>would make it non-stick. Will it get better over time and usage? Or will
>certain food items always stick no matter what I do? Thanks for any
>suggestions.

It takes some time to get a good surface. It will turn black and then start
to build. Have you been using it for frying some fatty foods first? Cook
up some bacon a few time and that will help.

Certain foods will stick a bit. Once seasoned, you'll never need the wire
brush. In fact, that is extending the time to get a smooth finish. Did you
use a little oil or butter for the banana?

Spraying with oil after the fact does little or no good IMO. It takes the
heat of cooking to polymerized the oil to make a smooth coating. Allowing
the oil to sit with no heat will just make it gunky, worse than doing
nothing.

tenplay wrote:
> I recently bought a Lodge preseasoned skillet. Even though I
followed
> the directions for using the skillet, certain things seem to stick to

> the skillet and have to be scraped off with a wire brush. For
instance,
> this morning I made eggs, sausage and fried bananas in the skillet.
> Even though I quickly soaked the hot skillet in water, I still had to

> use the wire brush to get off the fried bananas. After I wash the
> skillet with warm water (no detergent), I immediately dry it with a
> cloth and spray the inner surface with olive oil spray. My
> understanding is that this procedure would make it non-stick. Will it

> get better over time and usage? Or will certain food items always
stick
> no matter what I do? Thanks for any suggestions.

No wire brushes! Sorry, channeled Joan Crawford there for a second.
Using a wire brush might remove some of the coating you are trying to
build up on your pan. Try using a nylon scrubby instead. I also
season mine any time it is nice enough to keep the windows open. But I
didn't buy mine preseasoned as you did. I second the suggestion to use
them for frying and bacon to start out with. Have a hankering for
fried chicken?

Another factor is preheating the pans. I find if I heat them up well
enough before the food hits them, it doesn't stick as much. A good
pre-heating for me tends to be close to 10 minutes depending on desired
temperature.

Good luck!

GO PATS!!

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> hi, you need to season the pan again. Start from the very, very
> beginning. First put your skillet into the oven at about 200F for
> about 4 hours. This will aid in stopping the metal from being porous
> so nothing will stick. Then let the pan cool down. Too season the
> skillet, cover the bottom of the skillet with salt, a good thick layer
> and put it back into the oven for 2 hours. You can also season the pan
> on top of the stove on a low burner, but I find the oven better.
> Once you have seasoned the pan, I would keep seasoning it once a month
> for about a year. Then you'll never have a problem with it.
> Cheers,
> Lore

Hum ... didn't you leave out the part about coating the pan with oil or
shortening? Heating an non-greased piece of cast iron won't season it -
with or without salt. After the pan is seasoned, you don't have to repeat
the process unless you ruin the seasoning by washing it with detergent.
Constant use and proper cleaning will keep the pan in top shape.

Vox Humana wrote:
> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> hi, you need to season the pan again. Start from the
>> very, very beginning. First put your skillet into the
>> oven at about 200F for about 4 hours. This will aid in
>> stopping the metal from being porous so nothing will
>> stick. Then let the pan cool down. Too season the
>> skillet, cover the bottom of the skillet with salt, a
>> good thick layer and put it back into the oven for 2
>> hours. You can also season the pan on top of the stove
>> on a low burner, but I find the oven better.
>> Once you have seasoned the pan, I would keep seasoning
>> it once a month for about a year. Then you'll never
>> have a problem with it.
>> Cheers,
>> Lore
>
> Hum ... didn't you leave out the part about coating the
> pan with oil or shortening? Heating an non-greased piece
> of cast iron won't season it - with or without salt.
> After the pan is seasoned, you don't have to repeat the
> process unless you ruin the seasoning by washing it with
> detergent. Constant use and proper cleaning will keep the
> pan in top shape.

Nope. Not the very first time you season the pan. I don't know what or
why the salt works, but it does. Very similar results to placing a new
cast iron skillet or Dutch oven in the coals of a burning fire. As it is
cooling down, you add the shortening before it's completely cooled. Then
just use the pan and fry lots of bacon.

BOB
my grandmother taught me the salt trick, and it's also in the seasoning
section at www.thewokshop.com

" BOB" > wrote in message
. ..
> Vox Humana wrote:
> > > wrote in message
> > oups.com...
> >> hi, you need to season the pan again. Start from the
> >> very, very beginning. First put your skillet into the
> >> oven at about 200F for about 4 hours. This will aid in
> >> stopping the metal from being porous so nothing will
> >> stick. Then let the pan cool down. Too season the
> >> skillet, cover the bottom of the skillet with salt, a
> >> good thick layer and put it back into the oven for 2
> >> hours. You can also season the pan on top of the stove
> >> on a low burner, but I find the oven better.
> >> Once you have seasoned the pan, I would keep seasoning
> >> it once a month for about a year. Then you'll never
> >> have a problem with it.
> >> Cheers,
> >> Lore
> >
> > Hum ... didn't you leave out the part about coating the
> > pan with oil or shortening? Heating an non-greased piece
> > of cast iron won't season it - with or without salt.
> > After the pan is seasoned, you don't have to repeat the
> > process unless you ruin the seasoning by washing it with
> > detergent. Constant use and proper cleaning will keep the
> > pan in top shape.
>
> Nope. Not the very first time you season the pan. I don't know what or
> why the salt works, but it does. Very similar results to placing a new
> cast iron skillet or Dutch oven in the coals of a burning fire. As it is
> cooling down, you add the shortening before it's completely cooled. Then
> just use the pan and fry lots of bacon.
>

I use salt as an abrasive if I have to scrub the pan - salt and hot water.

May I ask why you were frying a banana anyway. I have never heard
of that.

Carol T.

"CAROL TURNER" > wrote in message
> May I ask why you were frying a banana anyway. I have never heard
> of that.
>
> Carol T.
>

To eat I'd guess. Good on the grill also. Time to expand your horizons and
enjoy a grilled peach drizzled with honey.

On Fri 21 Jan 2005 09:44:44p, Edwin Pawlowski called across the abyss...

>
> "CAROL TURNER" > wrote in message
>> May I ask why you were frying a banana anyway. I have never heard
>> of that.
>>
>> Carol T.
>>
>
> To eat I'd guess. Good on the grill also. Time to expand your horizons
> and enjoy a grilled peach drizzled with honey.

Ohhh,, that really sounds good this time of year! And I love fried bananas,
too!

Wayne

In article >,
(CAROL TURNER) wrote:

> May I ask why you were frying a banana anyway. I have never heard
> of that.
>
> Carol T.
>

MMmmmm... Fried Bananna with a little cinnamon, butter and a dash of
maple syrup is divine. :-)
It's best to use bannanas that are not quite fully ripe.
--
K.

Sprout the MungBean to reply

"I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell--you
see, I have friends in both places." --Mark Twain

Ed replied to Carol:

>> May I ask why you were frying a banana anyway. I have never heard
>> of that.
>>
>> Carol T.
>>
>
> To eat I'd guess. Good on the grill also. Time to expand your horizons
> and enjoy a grilled peach drizzled with honey.

Figs are good split and grilled, too. Little bit of ham and goat cheese
will put them right over the top. If you add a drop of balsamico
tradizionale, it becomes so sinful it's almost felonious.

Grilled pineapple and pork tacos are wildly popular in some places.

But frying bananas? I'm wondering whether it was battered or not, and
whether it was being deep-fried or pan-fried. It *could* be claimed (under
one usage of the word "fry") that Bananas Foster contains fried bananas. Or
you could deep-fry it after dipping it in doughnut dough, or an egg wash
followed by cornflakes with cinnamon and sugar. If the banana's a little on
the green side, you could cut it into 2-inch chunks, deep-fry those, flatten
them by smashing with another pan, then fry them again, as in making
tostones out of plantains.

There exists more between heaven and earth, Carol, than is dreamt of in one
single cook's repertoire.

Bob

In rec.food.cooking, tenplay > wrote:

> use the wire brush to get off the fried bananas.

They should be water soluble. Use hot water and patience. The wire
brush will scrape off your seasoning.

After I wash the
> skillet with warm water (no detergent), I immediately dry it with a
> cloth and spray the inner surface with olive oil spray. My
> understanding is that this procedure would make it non-stick.

Naw. It will help. But you need to build up a layer of burned grease
which is thicker thant he irregularities in the pan's surface.


Will it
> get better over time and usage?

Yes. The more you use the pan to sear and fry greasy stuff, the better.
Just lay off the wire brush.



Or will certain food items always stick
> no matter what I do?

Yes, of course. Nothing is magic, and there is no clear line between
"sticks" and "nonstick".


Thanks for any suggestions.

--
In the councils of government, we must guard against the
acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought,
by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the
disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
-- Dwight David Eisenhower

tenplay wrote:
> I recently bought a Lodge preseasoned skillet. SNIP After I wash the
> skillet with warm water (no detergent), I immediately dry it with a
> cloth and spray the inner surface with olive oil spray. My
> understanding is that this procedure would make it non-stick. Will it

> get better over time and usage? Or will certain food items always
stick
> no matter what I do? Thanks for any suggestions.

Mine is a very good pan and a very smooth pan. That pan gets used for
eveything. It isn't a Lodge but it still sticks when I make eggs and
other foods at times, esp if I am using egg beaters for the heart
patient in the family. There seems to be a ratio of heat, oil and
ingredients that, if I pay attention, keeps it from sticking.

My solution without scrubbing it to death when I cook is to keep a cup
of water next to the pan. When the eggs are out [or other food that
sticks] I simply dump the water into the pan and boil it. Then a swipe
with a nice stiff synthetic pad [those 99 cent for a pack jobs] and 99%
of the time it wipes off. The one percent requires a bit more elbow
grease and the stiffer version of the pad. I just told the other half
as I was wiping out the pan after making dinner: "My mother use to
scrub the daylights out of the cast iron with brillo after she soaked
it to death in the dishpan full of soap. Silly woman really liked
work." At least she was good looking. She never let it season right
and really hated it because "everything sticks". Yeah. She just
couldn't figure out why people liked that stuff.

If the pan looks dry or water doesn't bead up I simply use some lard
and reseason the skillet a bit. That usually consists of a swipe with
the lard, heat on stove top for a while then wipe out.

Handles everything. I just put tomatoes with chili's in it and it
didn't hurt the seasoning a bit. Umm olive oil? I just can't see
that working. Olive oil is when mine sticks the most when I make eggs.
A swipe with lard and some heating does it.
Gotta go.. Just heard a loud thunk of metal hitting metal outside.

Chilled food added to a pan will stick more than foods brought to room temp
first.

I never add water to clean my cast-iron. After cooking, I usually add a
healthy dash of salt granules and use a paper towel with some vegetable oil
to scub it clean. After the abrasion of the salt-oil removes food
particles, I brush all of the remaining salt granules out of it, and rewipe
with fresh clean oil using a new paper towel. Never had any corrosion
problems. Anyone know if it causes any? If I get a stubborn layer that
won't budge, I'll deglaze with wine or vinegar and re-season.

nope, don't need to use any fat to properly season a pan. Check out
any cooking school books and you will see that. I'm a pastry chef and
sous chef and that is the way I've done my skillets and they work
great.

Hey Zuuum
You're doing everything right which is why you don't have any build up.
Deglazing is an excellent way to clean it. I never use soap or water
on my cast iron either.
Cheers

Lore wrote:

> nope, don't need to use any fat to properly season a pan. Check out
> any cooking school books and you will see that.

You know, I have the CIA books, "Cooking A to Z" (CCI), Wayne
Gisslen's books, "On Food and Cooking" and they all are silent on the
subject. In all the cooking courses I've ever taken, cast iron wasn't
mentioned except in passing and then the issue of seasoning wasn't
whether to use fat, but how.

> I'm a pastry chef and
> sous chef and that is the way I've done my skillets and they work
> great.

I'm a chef, former restaurant owner, country club operator, resort
feeder, food writer, encyclopedia contributor and lots of other things
along those lines. We routinely used cast iron in many of my
operations for both cooking and service items. We experimented with
many ways to season cast iron. The only ones that stood up to frequent
use meant they had a fat-sealed surface gotten through initial
fat-coating seasoning and subsequent redoing of the same thing
irrespective of what was cooked in them.

The properly seasoned pan will have a layer of polymerized fat on its
surface. It essentially forms a resistant barrier *and* fills the
surface irregularities any cast iron pan will have just because it's
cast iron. Relying merely on the contents of the foods cooked in them
to create a seasoned surface, or not using fat at all flies in the
face of literally centuries of experience with these cooking vessels.

Pick one... <http://tinyurl.com/3n4de>

Pastorio

"Bob (this one)" > wrote in message
...
> Lore wrote:
>
> The properly seasoned pan will have a layer of polymerized fat on its
> surface. It essentially forms a resistant barrier *and* fills the
> surface irregularities any cast iron pan will have just because it's
> cast iron. Relying merely on the contents of the foods cooked in them
> to create a seasoned surface, or not using fat at all flies in the
> face of literally centuries of experience with these cooking vessels.

That is my understanding and experience also. It makes absolutely no sense
to me that you could heat a pan with some salt to season it.

most people have always used fat and 6 years ago I would have totally
agreed with you that it was the only way to season a cast iron skillet.
But hey, give this a try if you're ever buying a new one. It works
amazing well. I have 2 skillets that have only been seasoned with heat
and salt and work wonderfully.