Seasoning a griddle

[Ol Timer]

Originally Posted by aerovette

This is what I did and it was successful. I do wish it was blacker. It's more like the color of black coffee, but it seems to have a varnish coat on it so I'm going to see how it performs.

It willl continue to darken with use.

[GTOguy]

Originally Posted by aerovette

This is what I did and it was successful. I do wish it was blacker. It's more like the color of black coffee, but it seems to have a varnish coat on it so I'm going to see how it performs.

The more you use it the darker it gets. Doesn't happen with one use.

Agree that these are not non stick. However, the antique ones are as smooth as glass and are excellent, the new ones like a Lodge I have take about a year's worth of cooking and steel spatula wear to smooth out. I use a dab of lard or olive oil or sometimes bacon grease. And mine gets use pretty much every day. My 80-90 year old 12" is a favorite. The great thing about cast iron is heat retention for even cooking. And you really can't pan broil with a teflon pan. It won't hold up.

[04 commemorative]

I remember my mom making waffles on a waffle iron that was so freaking old and perfectly seasoned....one day the German woman across the street asked if we had on she could borrow.....next day shr brought it back and she must have worked for hours with steel wool etc to get it looking like new !
My mom was polite and told her that she had removed soooo many years of seasoning but she would just do it again
Never loaned out anything like that again.

[Aerovette]

Originally Posted by GTOguy

The more you use it the darker it gets. Doesn't happen with one use.

Agree that these are not non stick. However, the antique ones are as smooth as glass and are excellent, the new ones like a Lodge I have take about a year's worth of cooking and steel spatula wear to smooth out. I use a dab of lard or olive oil or sometimes bacon grease. And mine gets use pretty much every day. My 80-90 year old 12" is a favorite. The great thing about cast iron is heat retention for even cooking. And you really can't pan broil with a teflon pan. It won't hold up.

It takes some practice. Any changes in heat that are needed, don't happen fast. Up or down.

[Unsuspicious]

A lot of the new cast iron stuff you buy now does have the rough texture to it, I've seen people recommending actually sanding down to 80 grit before seasoning.
I have some brand new cast iron stuff I won in a giveaway but I've not had the occasion to use them yet. I get all my cooking done with my stainless all clad and one non-stick dedicated to eggs. But I might give the sanding stuff a try just out of curiosity and because I just bought a couple of palm sanders.

[Aerovette]

Originally Posted by Unsuspicious

A lot of the new cast iron stuff you buy now does have the rough texture to it, I've seen people recommending actually sanding down to 80 grit before seasoning.
I have some brand new cast iron stuff I won in a giveaway but I've not had the occasion to use them yet. I get all my cooking done with my stainless all clad and one non-stick dedicated to eggs. But I might give the sanding stuff a try just out of curiosity and because I just bought a couple of palm sanders.

I started using a flapper wheel on it when it was rusted and it was smoothing the finish. I took it as a bad thing since I figured that texture is part of the bonding process for the grease layer.

I guess I should have kept going.

[Unsuspicious]

Definitely, you don't need the texture to grab grease. Texture you can see is way bigger than the seasoning layer that is microns thick. If anything the little pits holding more oil than you expect is why it's sticky.

[Onebadcad]

Easier to drive to Waffle House,,,

[Rodnok1]

Two smaller pans I got new were rough inside. Roloc discs until smooth as I could get them before seasoned them. Razoor blade can scrape them clean if needed smooth

[GTOguy]

Originally Posted by Onebadcad

Easier to drive to Waffle House,,,

That's ghey. We like to cook up in here. I even cook my marinated tri-tips in a skillet and my ribeyes on a 95 year old Axford Broiler (iron skillet with ribs on the bottom). 6 minutes per side for the tri-tip and then rest covered for 15 minutes, and for the ribeyes, 3 to 4 minutes per side and done to perfection.

**** going out for inferior food that is 8 times more expensive than my excellent home cooked stuff. And having to smell and taste fat women's perfume as I'm trying to eat.

[Louie Detroit]

Originally Posted by Onebadcad

Easier to drive to Waffle House,,,

Easier to survive the next big chimpout at home though.

[Onebadcad]

Originally Posted by GTOguy

That's ghey. We like to cook up in here. I even cook my marinated tri-tips in a skillet and my ribeyes on a 95 year old Axford Broiler (iron skillet with ribs on the bottom). 6 minutes per side for the tri-tip and then rest covered for 15 minutes, and for the ribeyes, 3 to 4 minutes per side and done to perfection.

**** going out for inferior food that is 8 times more expensive than my excellent home cooked stuff. And having to smell and taste fat women's perfume as I'm trying to eat.

I need to dine at your place before making my next trip to WH.