Re: Basic Cleaning Questions
I need some help. I hope that I am not doing this wrong. I just became a member, and cannot figure out how to post a new question. Therefore, I am just replying to a random post. So now I have two questions. 1. How do I post? and 2. my original question about reseasoning my pan. I have a pan passed down from my mom that I cleaned, coated with oil and put into a 325 degree oven for an hour. It came out mottled and sticky in some places. I have done this twice with the same result. What am I doing wrong?
1. There may be a waiting or approval period for new members, I don't remember. But, if you open the forum itself, before all the existing posts, there is a button for New Posts. (Also, Doug D. can move this to a new post if he feels it's necessary)
2. You are using too much oil. For seasoning, you want the absolute thinnest coat imaginable. So, with a clean pan, wipe on a small amount of your oil of choice. Then, get a clean cloth, and try to wipe it all back off. You won't be able to wipe it all off, but you want to wipe aggressively like that's your goal. That will leave a very thin layer behind. Then, after it's been in the oven for 15 minutes, take it out and wipe it down again with a clean cloth. Then let it season in the oven for the rest of your time.
Also, I don't know what oil you're using, but I suspect 325 may not be hot enough. Usually seasoning temps are 400 and above.
The above works well on bare iron. Since you have a pan that is mottled and sticky now, I would try to get that smoothed out. Maybe a good soap and water scrub with some hard elbow grease will do it. Might need some steel wool to go along with that to cut through what's on it now. The mottled sections won't really hurt it in the long run, as seasoning fills in and repairs itself with use. But, the smoother it is to start, the easier time you'll have cooking with it from the beginning.
