Chefs and Cooks of GLP: Advice needed on cast iron, please!

Your heat is too high. I had the same problem with one.

Didn't you season your cast iron skillet first?

You have to heat it up with oil while not actually cooking on it, in order to sort of fill in the pan tiny holes with oil so that no oxygen can be in those tiny holes... I don’t recall exactly how long or what it’s called, but essentially anytime you use heavy anti-grease soap you’ll need to redo this process, I typically cleaned mine with only a few paper towels

They used to sell cast iron polished. I have a couple old pieces that are like that. They are super non-stick. Eggs slide around them. If they get rust on them, I use steel wool pads with soap to clean them and then I re-season them. They are like new every time.

Today they cut corners and don't polish the metal anymore.

Seasoning will help you with your issue. It's a must for cast iron. I like to use olive oil. Here's a link

[link to www.leaf.tv (secure)]

If it is black cast iron, the reason why it sticks is that it has to be treated first by greasing it and baking it in an oven. The skillet will get a shiny but not runny surface. This is your "protection" against sticking. It must be done periodically.
Now, you mentioned "Le Creuset" . If they are "White" in color they need treatment too before any use. When you buy them the item must be treated with a milky base. conditioned very cautiously by heating. Then after you have done that, you need to keep oil, butter in use but it should not stick. You can probably find conditioning procedures at a company site. They are cast iron too, but have a special surface.

Butter.......

Lower heat

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I did NOT season it with oil because it comes with an enameled finish all over, and it's advertised as not needing to be seasoned.

From the link I posted above:

Black enamel interior requires no additional seasoning, unlike other cast-iron cookware.


Seems like Le Creuset screwed that up, yeah?

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Last Edited by Zovalex on 05/05/2020 03:36 PM

Cooking on gas or electric?

I cook with gas with my cast iron and get it hot af, and have very little issue.

Always going to have stuff stuck after cooking, get yourself a good copper scrubby, looks like mini chain mesh. Works magic.

Use grape seed oil to cook and season the pan.

All other oils will just smoke the whole time.

I tried eggs in mine and they stuck like glue. Here's some help:

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I have gas stove with heavy metal grates.

When I try it with oil and high heat, it smokes like hell and sets off all the smoke detectors in the house.

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Yeah I just read that in the description. I would try to season it and see if it helps. It should.

heat it the hottest you can get it and then throw oil on it. it will be dangerous for a noob, so get someone to supervise you. it's called seasoning.

use peanut/ground nut oil , it's submarine safe, low smoke.

oh.

expect it to stick like crazy.

remember it's easy clean, not non stick.

Go with old cast iron its why my grandma had hers for over 90 years. Amazing pans when well seasoned.

Okay, so it seems I have no choice but to season it, despite the enameled finish.

However, should I do that in the oven or on the stovetop?

What oil is best?

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BTW, thank you to each and every one of you for the fast and informative responses!

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The guy in the video I posted had the most luck with Pam spray.

You shouldn't have purchased an enameled piece of shit. Just get a Lodge Logic. I've had a couple of em for about 10 years now that have been solid as rocks, zero issues. Good compliments to the other no-name skillet I received from a family friend that was produced in the USA in 1915 and still works beautifully.

Plain cast iron is the only way to go when it comes to cookware. Fuck everything else, including trendy finishes.

It just occurred to me....

Since it has an enameled finish, seasoning won't work because the pores of the cast iron are already sealed with enamel.

Thoughts?

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The best are the old vintage polished ones. They are just like non-stick cookware.

I didn't think Le Creuset was a "piece of shit", especially for the $240 I paid for it at the time, but might consider going with Lodge.

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Yep, plus you get no iron in your diet from that type.

Pam spray. Watch the egg video.

I went into an antique store and found a real nice vintage hanging cast iron pot. It was priced at $25. I had a Silver Eagle 1 ounce coin in my pocket and it was worth about $25 too.

I asked him if he would take the silver coin for the pot and the deal was done.

In reality he might have picked up that piece for just a few bucks and he could probably sell the coin for $40-$50.

So it seems like he got the better deal. But if I tried to buy a large cast iron pot on Ebay it probably would have been over $50 too.

Plus you can't cook chili with a silver coin...

I did.

Thanks, but no way in hell am I putting that into my body. I eat organic or non-GMO, and PAM contains chemical propellants, GMO oils, and other toxic chemicals.

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The pot that I traded for the silver coin is on the right:

[link to i.imgur.com (secure)]

You could always get hit by a bus. I eat whatever.

You made a good trade!