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

Dude, Immediately when you have finished cooking and the pot is still hot is when the cleaning process/steam process works to release the stuck on food. (pour a small amount of hot water into the pot, (barely cover the bottom of the pan), move it around with a heat resistant spatula, most of the stuff that was stuck will release.. if not, then it is time to use an old plastic mayonnaise lid as a non-scratch scraper only if needed. ( keep a serving bowl at the ready to put the hot cooked food into for serving)

I have had and used my MIL cast iron set that she was gifted in the 1940's, I have used them for many decades. Nothing ever sticks, but if I don't empty the pot and use the steam process it will get stuck on particles, just put the water, bring the pot back up to heat, use spatula, and presto like magic it is clean.

I do wash mine with soap and hot water, dry immediately with dishcloth, on occasion I will apply a fresh film of oil with a paper towel and rub it until it is almost dry. NO RUST. no stick, perfect.

Good luck.

Best set of cookware in the world.

Have Le Creuset cookware. Need to cook with fats to help with the sticking problem especially when cooking proteins. The coating is not intended to be non-stick, it's to keep the iron clean and rust free. Low to medium heat only. Dutch ovens for soups, stews, chili, dried beans, whatever you want to cook low and slow with liquids. We use their iron skillet for roasting chicken. Pour off the fat add water or stock low heat stirring to release the brown bits to create a pan sauce. Use wood or plastic utensils. Soak overnight with water and a drop of dish soap and they clean up easy.

If this is not the type of cooking you do then Le Creuset may not be ideal for your use case.

High grade stainless steel can be fairly non-stick if used correctly but still need to use some form of fat to keep proteins from sticking.

We use enamel coated cast iron, uncoated cast iron, stainless steel, (the stainless cookware coming out of Belgium is awesome), coated and uncoated aluminum. We love our coated aluminum fry pans. Our 12 inch nonstick pans are the true workhorses of our kitchen but they don't last forever. We replace them anytime they get a big scratch in the coating so nonstick particles, however tiny, don't get into our food. They tend to last us about 18 months of hard use before they need to be replaced because one of us got lazy and scratched it using a metal utensil.

Get a flame difuser, and keep the flame on super low to cook eggs.

And like others said, it has to be seasoned.

Let those among you who have not sinned cast the first iron pan.

Target sells lodge and if you spend $35 it’s free shipping. Here is a 10 inch for $15

A tip I learned from my grandmother when making cornbread, turn your oven up 10 to 20 degrees when preheating. Immediately after placing the skillet of cornbread in the oven reduce the heat to the proper temperature

High heat is the fastest way for me to ruin an egg too. I have a ceramic pan that I only use for eggs.

I watch my son fixed scrambled eggs in a copper skillet over high heat and they turn out perfect. It frustrates me so much I need to walk away

Scrambled eggs should be so easy, but they are definitely an art

Stop using trashy oils, especially corn or peanut.
They have low smoke temps and they are unhealthy chlorestrol risers.

Grapeseed doesn't smoke until 425 F degrees and actually lowers your cholesterol.

For cold things like salad dressings use olive oil.
Never heat olive oil as it turns transfatty.

I'm a chef. Collect all your used oil. Anything. Fill your pan with old oil.

Then just let it sit. When you want to use that pan. Empty that oil into a container and run pan under hot water until dirty oil is gone. Then cook with clean oil. Then when done cooking put old oil back and let soak until next use.

HELL FOOKIN LOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was the second post in the thread and the correct answer. Lower the heat and use a lid. Those pans are about even heat but they can get really hot. Lower the heat, take your time or use another pan.

You still need oil. Also turn the heat down a bit. I have a cast iron enamel coated propane griddle. A oil brush on the meat and oil it also, every time, or things will stick.

Clean it up every time or it will rust out.

I took to dipping a paper towel in oil and running it over the cooking surface just prior to adding the meat. Did ok with that, but mine has a sloped surface. I add oil at the top and let it pool down to drain at the bottom.

I probably wont buy enamel coated cast iron again.

Yeah, by making it in China.

wonder why they painted the inside black? must make it harder to see the burn marks

Le Creuset is not a POS but the enameled all over (incl the cook surface) are only meant for low to medium heat and for sautéing only.... Not frying. If you want to fry in cast iron get a cast iron surface pan like Lodge. Put a high smoke temp oil (only enough to cover the bottom... About a table spoon and rub it all over) in it and put it in the oven at 350 for several hours and it will be seasoned. Let it cool slowly and you will be able to use it the next day. It takes some learning but you'll get it and love it once you do.