Seasoning not up to my standards

N

NLevine

Member
Hey team,

I need a new seasoning technique. I've been using crisbee, which i really like as it leaves a nice black, non sticky texture on the pan, however the seasoning isn't holding up over time. My current method is this:

Heat oven to 200
Put pans in 200 oven for 30 minutes
apply crisbee with a dry paper towel
wipe away crisbee with a clean cloth towell (often a hand towel)
heat oven to 400
allow cast iron to bake at 400 for 1 hour
repeat this process 2 more times and then its ready.

I always use a generous amount of oil when i cook and i'm still getting food stuck on the bottom of some pans. Even greasy stuff like bacon leaves a way stickier/bigger mess than a properly seasoned pan should have.

I like my skillets to be black and not sticky to the touch. What do you guys use? PLEASE HELP!!

Thanks CICers!
 
I think, for pans used for actual cooking, that Crisbee and flaxseed oil try to fix what ain't broken. Canola and grapeseed are better choices. The black will come in time and with patience. I would say if you're being generous with the oil in cooking, there's something else at the root of the sticking. Heat, sugar, something.
 
I've heard of grapeseed due to it's high smoke temp. I often cook with peanut oil as it as a nice high smoke temp. Would peanut oil be okay to season with?
 
NLevine said:
I've heard of grapeseed due to it's high smoke temp. I often cook with peanut oil as it as a nice high smoke temp. Would peanut oil be okay to season with?
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If you're cooking with it, you're building seasoning with it. I cook with it above 400 and usually use a light (refined) olive oil or canola for more moderate temp cooking. For just applying a manual seasoning, I lean toward refined grapeseed, after trying it as an alternative to Crisco. I don't have much use for Crisco otherwise anyway, so it worked out well. I suppose peanut for a manual seasoning would be fine, but probably more odor than grapeseed.
 
Try seasoning at 475 instead of 400. Might make a difference, might not. MarkH mentioned sugar in bacon. I don't know of any commercially prepared bacon that doesn't have sugar in it. Even if it says "hickory cured/smoked," it still has sugar in it. Sugar will be in the list of ingredients somewhere.
 
The honey in Crisbee makes soft seasoning. The oils mentioned here and the higher baking temp will help make harder seasoning. Then comes cooking technique. If you don’t keep some oil or fat between the food and the pan it will stick. Meats, even bacon should be moved just a little within a minute of going in the pan and then every two or three minutes. Potatoes suck in the oil & need to be moved or broken loose often & other veggies need to be moved until coated. Experience will tell how long to let something sit before being moved.

Also, starting with a pan not preheated correctly is asking for food to stick.

Hilditch
 
As mentioned above, I think preheating the skillet is critical. I put mine on the eye for at least eight minutes before cooking. I used to start them out on medium low heat and then move them up from there. Now I don't worry about that. But I don't cook anything above medium heat. I haven't found anything yet that needs more than that.
 
I have noticed that the initial seasoning that I bake on has been flaking off after a few months of use. I was normally doing 5-6 coats of canola at 400 for 30 minutes each round. As it flaked away though it just took on the dark gray coloring that they would take on if I hadn't done the 5 cycles at high heat. Last night I did some new pieces that I picked up last week at 425 for 45-60 minutes they came out a whole lot darker than previous methods. I also did the last cycle at 500. I'm interested to see if it holds up
 
I will say I use Crisbee due mostly to the reduced odor while seasoning. It has always stuck fine and been durable. I saw some comments about being a "soft" seasoning. I haven't had any experiences with it that woukd lead me to believe it's worse than Pans I've seasoned with grape seed oil or crisco. I've enjoyed the product. No issues with sticking either. Just my thoughts about it.
 
I think you should try stripping the pan again and before you begin your seasoning process try heating that pan up to 400 and then letting it cool down enough to season. Since you have had success in the past using this method I think it might have something to do with the prep work.
 
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