A slick, almost non-stick seasoning to try.

E

Eric_R

New member
I clean my cast iron skillet down to the bare metal using oven cleaner in the yellow can, wash with dish detergent, rinse and dry in a 250 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes. I take the pan out while hot and spray all over with Original Pam and wipe to get a thin coat. It goes back into the oven up-side down and I raise the temperature to 400 deg. for 3-4 hours. After about 1 hour I check on the pan to wipe any excess Pam off so the coat stays thin. You may get some smoke off from the other vegetable oils.

Original Pam contains in order: Canola Oil, Palm Oil, Coconut oil, Lecthin from Soybeans (non-stick agent), dimethyl silicone (for anti-foaming). I believe it could be the dimethyl silicone which gets into the metal and makes it very slick and almost non-stick. Since the dimethyl silicone is almost inert to pH and high heat, I have soaked the inside of my pans dish detergent to remove burnt stuff without losing the seasoning. I always wash my cast iron pans with detergent after cooking. I also de-glaze with wine and vermouth without a problem.

For storing and before cooking I spray with Pam. When I went to cooking school, the instructor always spayed the SST pans before cooking for faster clean-up. I do this with my cast iron pans and it also might help reinforce the seasoning. If you try this way of seasoning, look for the Pam that contains dimethyl silicone.
 
Although I still use Crisco or refined grapeseed oil for initial seasonings, I have begun using PAM for after-cleaning final touches. I used to use a small amount of canola, but find a few short bursts of PAM more convenient, less messy, and less wasteful. Whether it has affected cooking performance one way or the other is inconclusive.

There are actually quite a few collectors who use PAM exclusively for initial seasoning. And many who don't, likely because of uncertainty about things like dimethyl silicone.
 
Just as a note.
DMS and PDMS are odorless, colorless, water resistant, chemical resistant, oxidation resistant, stable at high temperature, and do not conduct electricity. DMS and PDMS are considered inert and impervious to the effects of aging, weather, sunlight, moisture, heat, cold, and some chemical assaults.

See FDA regulations 21 CFR 173.340, 175.300, 176.210, 175.105, 76.170, 178.3120 and 177.1210.
USDA STATUS
• Authorized by the USDA for use in federally inspected meat and poultry plants
EPA STATUS
• Exempt from tolerances at 40 CFR 180.910, 40 CFR 180.920 and 40 CFR 180.960; refer to Form No. 26-1351 for information on antifoams for agrochemicals
KOSHER ACCEPTANCE
This antifoam is certified for use in the processing of kosher foods.

Dimethyl silicone is used in foods, food packaging, skin care and cosmetics (like foundations and lip sticks).
 
Just another note;
Dimethyl silicone is a much smaller molecule than the vegetable oil hydrocarbons. The molecular weight DMS is 74.2gms/mole, for canola oil 300 gms/mole, for rapeseed maybe around 338gms/mole, and for palm oil 810-855 gms/mole. I don't know if this makes a difference in the oil penetrating the metal surface or being on the surface.
 
Good post, Eric. I found it while perusing the site for info on dimethyl silicone. Funny how you found it at the top of the food chain (school) and I found it through experimentation (accident) this morning!:)
ALL:
:geek: I got up early, and for want of something to do before making breakfast, I went into the garage and hauled out an 8qt Lodge DO and lid, that looked brand new under the lousy, opaque brownish-yellow, buttery, greasy-looking sticky goo someone poured over this poor thing and probably left out in the sun. It smelled rancid.

In search of a solution, my first thought was that I still have my lye tank, then quickly dismissing the thought, considered the oven. I laughed at myself for wanting to bake it on, so I reached under the sink for my household degreaser. Thirty minutes of elbow grease and three spray and rinses later, I was looking at raw iron!:biggrin:

Now, I just finished 6 pans of various sizes yesterday, and I was not about to go through 4-6 cycles of wax on - wax off again, so I said to myself "Dang it - you prep with Pam and you cook with Pam, why not try seasoning with it?" So I did, and Viola! I had a respectable coat on the pair with the first try! So I did it again, and wouldn't you know? I'm so happy with the result, that I'm calling it done!

I used Pam by another name - WinCo Foods non-stick Canola Oil cooking spray. The ingredients are (in order): Canola Oil, Soy Lecithin, Dimethyl Silicon (for anti-foaming), Propellant. I pu them in a 150F oven and raised it to 350, left it there for a little while, raised it to 425f and left it while I finished my coffee, then raised it to 500f, and when it peaked I left it for 30minutes. Nice, very dark grey to satin black finish. I really enjoyed my breakfast after!:mrgreen:
 
Please note the OP is over three years old and the member hasn't posted in over two years. Searching the forum for info is a good thing, but adding new, lengthy replies to long-dead threads often not so much.
 
Thanks for the check, Doug. I thought it might be a good idea to rehash, since the methods for achieving like results are so varied, and this one is the simplest, least expensive (financial and labor) I've found so far - and reliable, being that it worked for me as stated by the OP 3yrs ago. All done here. I apologize.
 
I just recently logged back into this forum and found this post helpful using the search function. I am on round two of seasoning my new Erie Dutch oven. She is a beauty! Using a combo of this method and Jeff Rogers method for seasoning.
 
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