recently inherited these cast irons that are at least 40 years old. they were sitting in a cabinet for a few years and nasty with rust and crusty, old seasoning. i scrubbed the shit out of them with steel wool and lots of soap, then applied 4 coats of new seasoning! feel free to roast my seasoning, i have no idea if it’s good since it’s my first cast iron and would like to know.

for each coat of seasoning i just wiped the pan with peanut oil then set the oven at 435F for 20 minutes, then 460F for 10 minutes

ive been using only stainless steel for a couple months and im abt to give away my nonstick cookware. nonstick cookware is counter-revolutionary

  • CarbonScored [any]@hexbear.netEnglish
    3·
    2 months ago

    I certainly don’t understand the science, but fair enough. Reading about it leaves me feeling the topic is confused and conflicted.

    As I say, not had any stick or rust issues without any seasoning anyway, maybe different humidity or something matters to make it important for others.

    • Roonerino [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      2·
      2 months ago

      Are you sure you haven’t just built up a seasoning layer by using it? Are you actually scrubbing it down to bare grey iron every time? Are you using actual steel wool and not just one of those brass/copper/chainmail kitchen scrubbers? Even then, I think you’d be hard pressed to get into all the pores of the iron if you’re not using a pretty intense degreaser. It’s probably more seasoned than you think.

      But cast iron is almost indestructible so do whatever works for you.

      • CarbonScored [any]@hexbear.netEnglish
        3·
        2 months ago

        I mean maybe? I definitely scrub it with real steel wool each time, but I do rarely use soap. I am also careful never to go past smoking point so I’m definitely not seasoning it as in the way people recommend.

        If I am accidentally seasoning it, then even more argument that it’s not necessary for me to actually season them I guess. But I struggle to see how anyone wouldn’t be doing the same unless they’re never using oil to cook with.

        • Roonerino [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
          2·
          2 months ago

          A good seasoning layer is nice to prevent sticking but the most important function of it, as far as I know, is just to keep a barrier between the iron and the air so you don’t get rust. If you’re not having problems with rust then I guess it doesn’t really matter. Worst case, you end up using a bit more oil to prevent sticking than you otherwise would need.