recently inherited these cast irons that are at least 40 years old. they were sitting in a cabinet for a few years and nasty with rust and crusty, old seasoning. i scrubbed the shit out of them with steel wool and lots of soap, then applied 4 coats of new seasoning! feel free to roast my seasoning, i have no idea if it’s good since it’s my first cast iron and would like to know.
for each coat of seasoning i just wiped the pan with peanut oil then set the oven at 435F for 20 minutes, then 460F for 10 minutes
ive been using only stainless steel for a couple months and im abt to give away my nonstick cookware. nonstick cookware is counter-revolutionary
it’s polymerized oil, not burned. it’s kept below the smoke point for 20 minutes, then brought slightly above the smoke point for 10. when it’s polymerized it acts as a nonstick coating. the polymer of the oil can take much higher temperatures than the oil itself. also, seasoning prevents rust
I certainly don't understand the science, but fair enough. Reading about it leaves me feeling the topic is confused and conflicted.
As I say, not had any stick or rust issues without any seasoning anyway, maybe different humidity or something matters to make it important for others.
I mean maybe? I definitely scrub it with real steel wool each time, but I do rarely use soap. I am also careful never to go past smoking point so I'm definitely not seasoning it as in the way people recommend.
If I am accidentally seasoning it, then even more argument that it's not necessary for me to actually season them I guess. But I struggle to see how anyone wouldn't be doing the same unless they're never using oil to cook with.
The true point is cast iron is great.