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Farm Kitchen:  Seasoning a skillet today  |
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happymama58
True Blue Farmgirl
1210 Posts
Patti
Missouri
USA
1210 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 09 2006 : 1:59:49 PM
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DH found a medium-sized cast iron skillet in a box in the basement while going through things this past week. The odd thing is that nothing in the box is ours, including the skillet! No clues as to where it came from, but we're both sure the basement was completely empty when we moved in, so who knows? Nothing of any real value, so I don't think anyone really is missing this box -- old, but not real old, magazines, plastic baby bottles that cracked, etc.
Anyway, I just received the Carla Emery book I ordered from ebay, so I am seasoning this skillet (cleaned it real well first, of course) the way she outlines in the book. I'm on the 4th coat of suet right now, and it looks so good. So now I've got one more piece of cast-iron to add to my large skillet, dutch oven, and very small skillet.
Some people search for happiness; others create it.
http://happymama58.typepad.com/my_weblog/ |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2006 : 2:39:17 PM
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Wow! Congratulations on getting everything all set up right.Those should be so fun to cook with this summer. Enjoy!
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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sonflowergurl
True Blue Farmgirl
349 Posts
Katee
Tampa 'Burbs
FL
USA
349 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2006 : 2:59:37 PM
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Okay, so how DO you properly season an iron skillet? Mine hasn't been seasoned in years, I'm sure it could use a good dose of seasoning on it!
(I also have two Pampered Chef stones that, according to my PC consultant friend, is NOT seasoned properly...I actually wash it. LOL I guess I need to check into that too.)
Katee
The end will justify the pain it took to get us here.
"Looking Toward the Son"---- http://sonflowergirl731.blogspot.com
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happymama58
True Blue Farmgirl
1210 Posts
Patti
Missouri
USA
1210 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2006 : 6:23:38 PM
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According to Carla Emery's book, you:
1. Wash and thoroughly dry the skillet.
2. Rub the entire thing (I even did the handle, which I did by doing the rest of the skillet, laying it on the oven rack pulled out, and then doing the handle) with suet. Don't worry about getting an even coat or anything; the thicker the better.
3. Heat at 425 for 15 minutes.
*Repeat steps 1-3 until you have 3 coats minimum. She didn't give any instructions about whether or not to let the skillet cool off between coats, but I did. I learned after the applying the 2nd coat that if I didn't, the suet would "brown" while I was rubbing it on the hot skillet.
**The man she quotes says he has 6 coats on his skillet; I stopped at 5.
4. After the last coat application, leave the skillet in the heated oven for 2 hours.
After the 2 hours, the skillet looked like new and the coating is not gooey anymore. I was thrilled, and my husband was really impressed. I don't think he was expecting it to turn out as wonderful as it did!
Oh, the man said he's been using his for years and only has to touch up the bottom from time to time.
If you want me to share the rest of what he says, just let me know. He talks about how to cook with it, etc.
Some people search for happiness; others create it.
http://happymama58.typepad.com/my_weblog/ |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2006 : 8:21:15 PM
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i have carla's book .. i'll have to check out the 'suet' rememdy .. i've always used 'crisco' .. this last one i did came out reeeeeeel GOOEY! so i washed it all off!
and five or six times! wow! i usually stop at two .. when i think of 'suet' i think of birdfood (the blocks with seeds in them!) xo
True Friends, Frannie |
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happymama58
True Blue Farmgirl
1210 Posts
Patti
Missouri
USA
1210 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2006 : 8:42:54 PM
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Frannie, that was my first thought when I read "suet", too!  All it is is the fat cut off meat. I guess when you make the kind of suet you put in the feeder you do something else to it, because the kind I've seen is always in a block. The stuff I got from the meat department was chunky strips.
I was worried it would be gooey, but it's hard, like the laquer over wood. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's really nice and looks good, too. I can bring it when I come weekend after next, if you want! 
Some people search for happiness; others create it.
http://happymama58.typepad.com/my_weblog/ |
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Destiny~
True Blue Farmgirl
195 Posts
Dar
west
TX
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2006 : 06:03:32 AM
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I seasoned my new griddle yesterday. The instructions that came with it said to wash thoroughly with soap and water and let dry. Then rub with oil and put in a 350' oven for 1 hour. Also, to keep an extinguisher nearby.
I did wind up opening the windows to let out the smoke, it wasn't too bad but did stink slightly.
Now I'm ready to make some Apple Cinnamon pancakes. Yum.
Maybe for supper tonight. |
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westernhorse51
True Blue Farmgirl
1681 Posts
michele
farmingdale
n.j.
USA
1681 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2006 : 06:46:20 AM
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I use mine all the time but I just wash it real good, then rub a little veggie oil (never olive oil) on it then either stick it in the oven for 15 min. at 325 or put it on top of the stove for 15 min on low for oil to sep in. Then I wipe it w/ a peice of clean flannel or cotton. Thats it! works great for me.
she selects wool and flax and works with eager hands Prov.31:13 |
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sonflowergurl
True Blue Farmgirl
349 Posts
Katee
Tampa 'Burbs
FL
USA
349 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2006 : 06:49:52 AM
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I use my skillet all of the time too, just haven't seasoned it since my mom gave it to me! LOL I do remember her taking shortening and coating the inside of it after washing it occasionally and then wiping it out until the paper towel came out clean (it would start out black), but I don't think she baked it afterward.
Katee
The end will justify the pain it took to get us here.
"Looking Toward the Son"---- http://sonflowergirl731.blogspot.com
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happymama58
True Blue Farmgirl
1210 Posts
Patti
Missouri
USA
1210 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2006 : 07:26:30 AM
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I should have been more clear. The directions in the Carla Emery book, with all the steps, is for seasoning the skillet the very first time. The rest of the time you wash with warm sudsy water (no detergent, just soap) and wipe dry.
The man Emery quotes says he's used his skillets regularly for something like 20 years and only had to touch up the bottoms from time to time.
Sorry, ladies, I should have made this more clear, that you only go through this process once. I may love my cast iron, but if you had to do this all the time, I'd never use it. It would be like my good china -- put away in the cabinet.
Some people search for happiness; others create it.
http://happymama58.typepad.com/my_weblog/ |
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bboopster
True Blue Farmgirl
1140 Posts
Betty Jo
West Bend
Wisconsin
USA
1140 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2006 : 07:36:22 AM
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I love my cast iron skillets and pots. I use them daily, drives my mom nuts, she always wants to buy me new pots and pans. Mine have all come from thrift stores but a good washing, rub with vegetable oil and I always dry them in the oven. Preheat to 200, stick them in turn them off let sit until when ever. Or we have dried them over the campfire when we are camping. The ones made outside the US are not as nice but work.
Pray for our troops to come home safe and soon.
Enjoying the road to the simple life :>) |
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Destiny~
True Blue Farmgirl
195 Posts
Dar
west
TX
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2006 : 10:57:15 AM
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My mil won't use anything but her cast iron pan to make cornbread.
I saw a few minutes of an Oprah show one day when Faith Hill and Tim McGraw were on there cooking and Faith said that she'd tried several times to season a cast iron frying pan for Oprah, like the one she got from her mother, but it never came out right. She said she'd keep trying and then send it to Oprah. Oprah's eyes lit up.  |
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sleepless reader
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
CA
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2006 : 11:53:04 AM
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I clean my cast iron the same way I clean my Pampered Chef stones...HOT water ana clean scrubbie, if needed (not one used with dish soap). For the cast irons, I keep an old piece of cotton fabric in a ziplock in the frige. It has oil on it to rub on the pans after washing. It looks awful but does the trick!
Life is messy. Wear your apron! |
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gramax18
True Blue Farmgirl
106 Posts
Elinor
meeker
Colorado
USA
106 Posts |
Posted - Apr 20 2006 : 9:39:25 PM
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I use castiron skillets all of the time. I have one that is 51 years old. I guess I'm not as careful as some with them. I wash them in my regular dish soap and dry them with a paper towel. I have put them into my selfcleaning oven while it cleaned then it would need to be seasoned again to use.The way I do it is to wipe out the ash from the cleaning and wipe it ALL over with salad oil and place it into a 200 degree oven for 1 hour. After it cools down I wipe it out again.And it is ready to use.
Gramax18 |
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Jana
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Jana
Eau Claire
Wisconsin
USA
482 Posts |
Posted - May 06 2006 : 09:13:10 AM
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Ok, first of all, some people might find this gross, since we live in such a germ phobic world... BUT I don't actually WASH my cast iron skillet. I seasoned it with crisco, like everyone has been posting (oils tend to smoke). When I cook with it, and I'm done, I heat the skillet really hot and loosen any food bits with a metal turner and then quickly run it under COLD running water. It sizzles like crazy and all the bits bubble out and you are left with a clean, smooth pan, ready for the next time. Just wipe out any water droplets with a towel, but don't go over board. Actually, heating it a bit on the stove to evaporate the water is best as you won't risk getting any rust started.
Funny story... one of my brothers used his to cook fish while out with 'the guys' camping and when they were done cooking (and evidently with a few beers as well) they pitched the hot pan into the lake. It came out perfect!
Jana, Wisconsin |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - May 06 2006 : 1:29:59 PM
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Jana, I have to agree with you. I almost never "wash" my skillet either - Only if I use it to cook sausage or something that leaves brownings in the pan. Then when I do wash it, I don't use dishwashing soap except once in a while - warm water is generally all I use. I store it inside the oven, even better if the oven is still warm, to dry any spots of water left on it.
I did lose a cast iron skillet (actually a Dutch oven) once - I don't remember if it was made in USA or not - but taking it from a hot stove to cold water, it cracked right in half. It must have had a fault in the metal. So I would be a little nervous about throwing a hot pan into the lake!!!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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Farm Kitchen: Seasoning a skillet today |
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Seasoning a skillet today
