Help me save my cast iron skillet

[sam_gordon]

A couple of years ago, DD got me a small cast iron skillet. I use it to cook two eggs most mornings after melting some butter. Late last week, I started getting a couple of "sticky" spots. I washed it just with soap and water, made sure it was totally dry, then used EVOO to season it. I'd put a little oil in the skillet, then use a paper towel to buff it down so it looked like all the oil was gone (that's what I read to do). Bake it in the over at 450 for 4 hours, and repeat. Let it cool over night, put the eggs in, and they stuck something terrible.

Some more online research and I shouldn't have used EVOO, should have used Canola. OK, clean the pan back out, fully dry it, put Canola oil on it. Again, wipe it all down so there's no visible oil, bake at 450 for four hours. Put more oil in, wipe it down, bake again for four hours. More oil, wipe it down and bake it for three (needed the oven to cook dinner). Let it cool overnight, put in my butter and the eggs, and they stick just as bad.

I'm sure I've screwed it up somehow. Is it possible to fix, and if so, how?

As I said, I'll put some butter in the skillet, turn it on medium heat, let the butter melt, then put the eggs in. That's what I've done 6/7 mornings for two years(?) without this issue.

So now what?

TIA

 

[gmi3804]

Cast iron is all but indestructible, and always revivable.

You need a flavorless oil with a high smoke point, like grapeseed. Good to have onhand for seasoning after each use (clean out, oil, heat up to smoking, rub oil in, let cool). It'll take a while to build up the seasoning again, but it'll happen over time.

Try cooking a bunch of bacon initially. That always helps, and as a bonus you'll have a bunch of bacon, and all that beautiful fat, which you should strain (or just pour off and stop before the impurities start pouring in) and keep in the fridge.

I love my cast iron, and, even more, my carbon steel pans. I'm a minimalist when it comes to kitchen equipment, and use the same six or eight pieces (hate multiple lids!) over and over, but the cast iron and carbon steels are essential, IMO.

 

[Disneylover99]

So now what?

Throw it out and buy a cheap, light teflon or other non-stick pan.
That’s what I finally did with my cast iron pan. Too much upkeep for me.
So getting rid of it was my best decision ever.

 

[sam_gordon]

Throw it out and buy a cheap, light teflon or other non-stick pan.
That’s what I finally did with my cast iron pan. Too much upkeep for me.
So getting rid of it was my best decision ever.

I'm almost there.

 

[weewuvvdisney]

I keep reading that teflon/non-stick pans are not that great to use. Scatches easily and then chemicals are released. Never know what is the safest way

 

[gmi3804]

I keep reading that teflon/non-stick pans are not that great to use. Scatches easily and then chemicals are released. Never know what is the safest way

Just about any pan is non-stick if it's used correctly.

 

[wvjules]

I use a Ninja Never Stick pan. It is amazing and gives me a "cast iron" feel without the hassle. I love that set of pans more than any other kitchen item I have.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ninja-C1...ookware-Set-Black/859571159?classType=REGULAR

 

[Genie+]

My next move would be Brillo. Scrub it down and reset the seasoning.

Trick to doing this quickly on the area that really counts: Hold handle and with other hand go straight back and forth quickly for about 5 seconds (don’t be overly concerned about getting all the way to the edge, just work from one end to the other). Then just keep moving the angle of the handle a few degrees repeating. At the end go round and round both directions for the ‘corners’.

Pour a small amount of oil on paper towel for e very light coating. Put it upside down top rack in the oven with a cookie sheet on bottom rack, set the oven to 500f and shut if off after about an hour, leave the pan in there a few more hours without opening the door.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Sam, I sent your OP to my son, Vince. He's pretty much been the head chef firefughter/para at his firehouse over the last 20 plus years and loves and uses cast iron a lot, both at the station and at home. Here is his reply.


Sounds like he's doing the right things. The more you use the pan, the more is self seasons. He might want to take soap water and scouring pad and restart from scratch. Reseasoning the pan is sometimes the only way to salvage cast iron.

 

[barkley]

Throw it out and buy a cheap, light teflon or other non-stick pan.
That’s what I finally did with my cast iron pan. Too much upkeep for me.
So getting rid of it was my best decision ever.

I'm almost there.

don't give up! we have cast iron pans that we are the 3rd generation using (over 100 years old) some of which were in such bad shape that my late father resorted to sandblasting and reseasoning back in the 60's to restore them to their glory. they live on and provide a cooking mechanism that cannot be replicated with non stick pans.

My next move would be Brillo. Scrub it down and reset the seasoning.

yes-take course salt (kosher salt works great b/ it's course AND anti bacterial) and put it in the pan with some VERY hot water to make a paste like consistency. take a Brillo or other stainless steel scouring pad and scrub it completely (not just the spot you are concerned with). rinse it, dry it, reapply vegetable or canola oil and treat it like you are seasoning it from new.

 

[_19disnA]

Used to have a cast iron skillet and like someone else mentioned above it was always a pain to clean, would get rusty and/or needed constant seasoning which was a pain. Some brands suggested you don't wash it and just wipe it out after use which seemed gross to me. Threw it in the trash and have been using various non-stick pans ever since with great results. Non-stick should NOT be used in the broiler, but works fine for all other applications.

If you have a glass cooktop, you have to be VERY careful with cast iron so you don't scratch the glass surface.

 

[CGB]

I love cast iron. I grew up with it and inherited a lot of it. My dad used to "rescue" old skillets at auctions/flea markets and fix them. One of my favorite vendors at our local flea market today is a cast iron vendor who does the same.

It sounds like you've stripped any seasoning you may have had on the skillet. If it were me, I'd scrub it out good with a stainless steel scrubber. Dry the skillet by heating it on the stove. Once all the water/wet spots have evaporated, smear it generously with oil and let it cool. I personally use olive oil but vegetable or others would probably work. Just let it sit with the oil. When you get ready to use the skillet next time, just lightly wipe out the excess oil and add your butter for cooking. That should help with the food sticking. To clean, simply hold the skillet under running water and wipe/scrub it out with a stainless steel scrubber. If it retains some oils on it, that's good. Soap isn't always the best for cast iron. Give it a good rinse and let it drain. As time goes by, it'll build up a seasoning that will be practically nonstick.

I use my iron skillet to make breakfast every morning and that's how I treat my skillet. Hope it helps.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

Throw it out and buy a cheap, light teflon or other non-stick pan.
That’s what I finally did with my cast iron pan. Too much upkeep for me.
So getting rid of it was my best decision ever.

NO NO NO

Keep it!
It's invaluable and always can be repaired. Just keep at it.