Lodge Cast Iron Skillet - about ready to give it up!


 
It took me awhile to learn how to use my skillet. When cooking bacon, dont preheat the skillet. Put the bacon in when the skillet is cold. Hash browns will always stick because of the starch. My eggs dont stick after i cook the bacon in it. When i wash, let it cool, use very hot water, and a lodge nylon brush, some people like the chain mail. Rinse, dry, put on stove until warm,then apply a thin layer of crisco. I use a clean paper towel to wipe off any excess or pooling oil. Most cast iron questions can be answered at www.castironcollector.com
 
Honestly the only thing I get a little sticking with in my CI stuff is cod fish. I make a cod picata and no matter what I do, how much or what type of oil cod sticks. Floured, unfloured doesn't matter. The only thing I have not tried is making it with butter and never will because the smell of cooking butter makes me nauseous. I see on TV all these chefs and what not singing praises of "brown butter" just point me where to puke. I have nothing against butter BTW. I cook with it but I cannot get it hot i.e. to saute or fry something in. I will fix my scrambled eggs in it. and they don't stick i my CI pans though for convenience sake I tend to simply use my All Clad non stick stuff. Easy to work with, easy to clean, non toxic (no PTFE) and rugged as all get out. I can even use metal spatulas in them with no problem.
I like a good assortment of pans. I have everything from full tri ply stainless (both from All Clad and Tramontina), heavy anodized aluminum commercial (actually made in USA), my All Clad non stick collection and of course my cast iron stuff including dutch ovens both raw CI and porcelain LeCruset and of course my bare carbon steel wok
 
LMichaels, I watched a clip from Cooks Country today on frying eggs - they used a non-stick skillet but they heated up the vegetable oil, then just before the eggs went in they put in just a little butter for richness. (then they covered the pan, removed the pan from the heat, & left the eggs covered for I don't remember how long)

To the OP: watch some of Larry Wolfe's videos - he cooks in cast iron all the time & the seasoning on his pans are always bad (nothing against Larry - I forwarded the video to a friend). Don't overthink CI.
 
I've done that method Clint but I find it hit/miss (mostly miss) and I mostly get these rubbery whites. I've gone back to "conventional" cooking mostly on my Lodge "Breakfast Skillet" (12" or 14") square flat CI skillet/griddle. Because I am a type II diabetic things like toast, cereal and what have you are out for breakfast so I stick with more just protein (eggs in some form and a meat of some type) I have taken to buying these utility grade thin ribeyes tossing them on my screaming hot griddle, or if I have leftover steak of some kind it gets a quick warm on it. Another thing I like is grabbing a package of tenderloin steaks at Sam's Club. I then take one and I'll slice it "across" so it's half the thickness. One of those on the griddle. I use a VERY thin film of grapeseed oil and just about when the steak is done I'll turn the heat down splash some EVOO on the opposite side of the griddle and put a couple eggs on. They pop and sizzle I let them go about a minute and then I slide a metal spatula under them flip them and then go another minute and I have perfect over easy. They come off with the meat and it's chow time. I'll do the same thing with sausage patties, sometimes I make my own chopped beef patties (hamburger) and so on. Trying to not use as much bacon (much as I love it).
Kind of drives me nuts though this type II thing. Some of the things the nutritionist says are good to eat just totally "slams" my blood sugar into stratospheric levels. I really would like a break from the protein actually would like a bowl of oatmeal for instance but nope. my glucose readings say no no no .
Sorry for the digression of CI cooking lol
 
I am right there with you.... Type II Deficient (not Resistant.) Does make cooking & meal planning just a bit challenging.
 
LMichaels said:
I don't have a clue what that means. Never heard the terms
Click to expand...

I'm not producing enough (or any) insulin. Resistant diabetics are producing insulin, but but aren't utilizing it effectively. Type II Deficient diabetics are only about 15% or so of the Type II population, and are closer in treatment to Type I (juvenile onset) diabetics than the usual Type II diabetic (I was diagnosed at 35 years old, and went on insulin injections at 50.)

One of the more difficult issues I do face is that while I'm apparently still making my own insulin, it's not always a predictable function. My pancreas will occasionally crank out a little more, and my blood sugar will crash out overnight.
 
I have quite a few. I started using two skillets for breakfast. One just for eggs, (over easy scrambled, any style even omlettes) and the other for stuff I know will stick. I got a chain link scrubber I use quickly with warm water to remove stick on stuff. I found the rough texture let's seasoning stay untouched under where the metal scrubber can't get to.

I could cook eggs without sticking on either one, however I don't have to scrub during cooks.

I can't stress enough to use low heat. That was a key I had to master.

(Used grape seed oil to season 3-4 coats when new). Every 10-20 uses I apply some and let it smoke off after a cook
 
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Yeah just did a couple over easy this morning. Pan was up to about 400 deg. Perfectly hot enough to give a nice sear crust on the steak. Once it was turned over just put a little EVOO dumped 2 hen fruit no sticking at all. Flipped them right over to do "over easy" and they were perfectly cooked. The whites were not rubbery, yokes perfectly cooked just runny enough without being watery. Good seasoning, and good heat control are key, not necessarily low heat or high heat just the right heat for the food you cook.
I know I did once want to make smashed burners on my large double burner Lodge Cast Iron grill/griddle. I was going to do them on the gas grill and I did get the tar thing. I think because I had foolishly seasoned that cast iron with canola.
I got that thing screaming hot, scraped off all the gooey s&*t scrubbed it in hot water with a brillo pad. Then reseasoned it with grape seed oil voila no more gooey s^7t.
I got suspicious of canola when I noticed that if it got hot it smelled like fish. Or if it was in the bottle over a month it stunk. I figured if it could get that stinky it was not doing me or my pans any darn good.
Could be the OP's issue too
 
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