Question About Cleaning Burnt Food Residue.

P

P.Legrand

New member
Hello all,

It is a pleasure to find and participate in this forum and great database of information. I am 22 years old and just started learning and reading about cast iron over the past few months.

This started when I found an old gate marked dutch oven in a shed at my grandparents house. It was very rusty but I used vinegar and steel wool to clean it and strip the seasoning. To make a long story short, it cleaned up well and I seasoned and used it for the past few months. I love the dutch oven but I realized it had a fairly rough surface compared to some of the skillets I saw on the internet.

I decided to acquire an old Griswold skillet. So yesterday I went out and bought a smaller Griswold no. 6 "699 A" 9-inch from a man who told me he cleaned it with electrolysis and then scrubbed it and re-seasoned. From what I could see he did an excellent job.

TO THE POINT SKIPPING THE DETAILS
Last night I made some flour tortillas in the skillet and it worked excellent. However, I burned the first one pretty badly. When I went to clean the pan, I used a plastic scraper and plastic brush to remove the burnt food.

In the end it was impossible to remove all of the food residue and so I just left the last bit and my question is Should I be trying to clean this last bit off every time I use my cast iron? I don't want to strip the seasoning and I care more about cooking than aesthetics. I simply want to know if there is a way to remove that without stripping the seasoning. I tried using kosher salt, heating the pan and washing with warm water to steam clean it a few times. It just won't come off with plastic brushs and soft sponges. I even tried a green scouring pad and that's when I stopped. I sort of regret not cooking bacon first :glutton: So I came to ask the experts. :razz:

Thank you so much for your help and sorry for rambling on.

P.Legrand
 

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Usually, simmering a little water in the pan or even letting room temp water sit in the pan for several minutes will soften recently stuck residue enough to let it be scrubbed off. It looks more like a stain from the photo. Could just be some polymerized oil, which is not going to scrub off easily, essentially a spot of seasoning. It wasn't still hot when you used the plastic brush/scraper, was it?
 
Thanks for the help Doug. This stuff is really caked into the pan. It simply feels like a bunch of rough spots in the skillet's seasoning and the rest is smooth like before. At first I washed it after it cooled down but then I tried warming it up and washing with warm water. So yes I have used plastic brush and scraper when it is warm. I wanted to create a poll that said "Clean it" or "Leave it". The photo I uploaded of the residue wasn't very good. I just made a screen cap and tried to insert it but it won't work so I'll just post the link here: http://x-v.it/yqgll7

---------- Post added at 04:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:36 PM ----------

Currently simmering a cup of water and will post the results.
 
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From what I can see, you have a pan that, like most that have been stripped, has had a minimal round of manual seasoning applied. It's more a rustproofing than anything at that point, and the non-stick surface that will eventually develop is still in its infancy. The advice when starting to cook on this barely-seasoned surface is to use a bit more oil or butter to prevent sticking. I'd say what you have there doesn't warrant a re-stripping if it's going to be a user. It will blend in with time and use.
 
Ok thanks I edited because I posted my last reply before seeing yours. Thanks a lot for the information. I will try and use a bit more oil and possibly cook some oily things over the next few weeks to build up that seasoning. It really is going to be a user for me.
 
:icon_scratchchin:Hmm, If it really bugs you, try the salt again, with a slightly damp sponge and elbow grease. You want the salt crystals clinging together somewhat, but not drowning in a puddle, even a little one. Whatever seasoning that might (I emphasize 'might') come off, you'll put back in a short time with use.:icon_thumbsup: As it is, don't be afraid to use a steel spatula WITH rounded corners when you're cooking. I do it all the time with my skillets. :)
 
Thanks Roland but I cooked a few hashbrowns with canola oil and it's gotten a lot worse... Am I doing something wrong? I will post a screen cap link to a new picture in 1 minute.

---------- Post added at 12:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:54 PM ----------
P.Legrand said:
Thanks Roland but I cooked a few hashbrowns with canola oil and it's gotten a lot worse... Am I doing something wrong? I will post a screen cap link to a new picture in 1 minute.
Click to expand...

http://x-v.it/yz0ydb

---------- Post added at 12:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:55 PM ----------

This stuff will not come off with kosher salt and soft sponge no matter how much I scrub. The only way would be to use steel wool and or something more abrasive. Is this just polymerized oil building up as seasoning?

---------- Post added at 01:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:56 PM ----------
Roland B. said:
:icon_scratchchin:Hmm, If it really bugs you, try the salt again, with a slightly damp sponge and elbow grease. You want the salt crystals clinging together somewhat, but not drowning in a puddle, even a little one. Whatever seasoning that might (I emphasize 'might') come off, you'll put back in a short time with use.:icon_thumbsup: As it is, don't be afraid to use a steel spatula WITH rounded corners when you're cooking. I do it all the time with my skillets. :)
Click to expand...
Perhaps the previous owner didn't thoroughly season the pan using the oven?
 
8-) Good morning, Legrand! That appears to be a stripped-down pan with uneven buildup of seasoning:ugeek:. All's well...unless you're me. That cooking surface would make me strip her down in a heartbeat, and patiently recreate my own seasoned surface. A great weekend project. Since you've tried everything else, and you're certain it was the tortillas that burnt into the bottom, try some oven cleaner. :wink:Please refer to this section - http://www.castironcollector.com/restore.php

It has many links on the bottom that will help you through the process:icon_thumbsup:
 
Christian James said:
Toss that plastic scraper and get yourself a stainless steel spatula. The spatula won't hurt anything. It's seasoning, not teflon.
Click to expand...
Thanks I use a steel spatula for cooking but do you mean for scraping off the burnt oil? I'm thinking of just scraping it all off with steel wool and starting from scratch. I just cooked a mean hashbrown in it though :chuckle:

---------- Post added at 06:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:34 PM ----------

It just looked so beautiful when I first got it. My dutch oven doesn't get the burn't oil effect like this so I think the guy I bought it from didn't do a thorough seasoning and bake routine after the electrolysis he did.
 
Make sure you keep enough of a layer of fat in the pan while you're cooking. Also, clean in out as soon as you finish cooking something, while the skillet is still hot (be careful obviously). Add a teaspoon of coarse salt, a bit of oil if the pan is dry at all, and scrub the salt around using a paper towel folded several times. Then just wipe all the crud and extra oil out in the trash.

If that doesn't work, just start over. Strip it and make sure to build at least 2 or 3 layers of manual seasoning to start it off.
 
Thanks guys I think I will strip it tomorrow and re season. I understand that the seasoning is a gradual process and the appearance will change with time. I've fried and deep fried in my dutch oven for a few months now and it looks great.
 
For the past few hours I've been wiping and buffing a light coating of Crisco into the pan and putting it in the oven at 350. I followed the guide on this site for the initial seasoning and so every 30-45 minutes I add another light coat and wipe off any excess. It already seems quite a bit more black. The pan looks quite bare in the old photos I posted compared to now.
 
Legrand, you're holding out on us - where are the pics? :lol: Don't be disappointed if it doesn't turn out black after forever-seasoning. I've got a couple that are a beautiful bronze... I got myself a full TM Vollrath No.8 for Christmas. I was so happy after unpacking it, that it went immediately into the e-tank. After a little detail work, it was ready for seasoning. I heated it up and it came out of the oven dark grey. First seasoning with PAM was coppery bronze. After another coat, I used Crisco, and out went the copper. To make a long story short, it's been cooking whenever possible, but after breakfast, it gets wiped down and tossed in the oven for an hour at 350 - 450, and it's still bronze, but getting darker. :geek:I'm almost at the point of ending my experiments with different seasonings, looking for that one fail-safe method that'll get the pans black every time, and I've two products left to go - the cast iron "toothpaste" sold at sporting goods stores and Walmart, and olive oil...hmm...should I go with classic or extra virgin?...:D
 
I am very sorry for not posting pictures or updating my post since a little while. I have so many things to show you guys! I am trying to find a good way to link the photographs because I don't think I can upload them here directly. My #6 griswold came out pretty nice but I burned tortillas in it again and the residue just won't come off so I won't fret about it. Now get this, I ended up browsing some ads on the internet in my area and saw a griswold #10 & #5 skillets included in a lot with 4 other taiwans. It was posted 8 days before and I was crossing my fingers that nobody had bought it. I ended up paying 150 canadian dollars for all 6 pans. These pans were from an old lady nearby and I finally know what well seasoned pan looks like. The #10 is absolutely beautiful and it's quite large which is exactly what I wanted. Food will not stick to it as easily as my freshly reset #6 and I understand what you guys were saying now. It takes a while to build that up. I try screencap for the photos tonight.

---------- Post added at 07:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:11 PM ----------

Ok here is the number 10 surface http://x-v.it/a4oxi7

---------- Post added at 07:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:15 PM ----------

Here is my budding Griswold collection: http://x-v.it/hnvfl4

---------- Post added at 07:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:16 PM ----------

Bottom of #10 which I haven't even tried to scrub with steel wool. It has a bunch of built up oil and residue from cooking on there. The grandson of the lady who owned these pans said they were used for decades and well taken care of.

http://x-v.it/nfq8xc

---------- Post added at 07:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:19 PM ----------

Potatoes I cooked in the #10 last night. I thought I died and went to heaven.

---------- Post added at 07:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:21 PM ----------

http://x-v.it/sa2r9z

---------- Post added at 07:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:22 PM ----------

The first photo I took of the #10 surface was taken post potato after I cleaned, dried, heated and oiled the skillet.

---------- Post added at 07:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:25 PM ----------

I just saw an Ebay ad for the same #10 pan fully restored and the winning bid was 500 CAD or 398 USD. I'm not selling mine though. I want to use it. The pan I have is a 716 C and it's small block logo with Erie, PA and No 10 at the top just like my #6 previously posted. Here is the Ebay ad for reference it was for a 716B but I'm not sure what the difference is if there is one.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/372186838280?ul_noapp=true

---------- Post added at 07:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:30 PM ----------

I forgot to mention the pan has zero wobble whatsoever on the glass stove top. :mrgreen:

---------- Post added at 07:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:32 PM ----------

I also bought a 11 inch vintage Findlay skillet made nearby in Canada for 35 bucks. It has a very slight wobble though but entirely usable. Buying it made me appreciate that much more how the large #10 Griswold is perfectly flat. :geek:

---------- Post added at 07:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:35 PM ----------

And Roland I would go with the classic but I have no idea what I'm talking about so take it for what it's worth haha. :glutton:
 
I'm a new collector (addict) and have been aggressively building a rather large collection.
Everything I get goes to the lye tank for awhile, then the etank. After a good scrubbing with soap and water, into the oven raising temp from 200f to 475 over about 45 minutes for the initial cook off.
Cool to handling temp (300f +-), Apply very light layer crisco, back into oven at 450 for 90 minutes.
Two coats of initial seasoning has turned everything but the nickel plated items consistently black with a nice smooth feel. The user pans are getting better every use as far as nonstick goes, but the black color is holding very well on even the stuff I'll prob never actually cook with.
Just my $.02
 
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