HI everyone.

I'm planning to get my first cast iron pan. Any particular brand which you recommend.
I heard Lodge is the best and also can you all give some advise what i should do when i get it. Do i need to season it before using it for the first time

thank you ah!!

Yes, season it before using for cooking. Nicely seasoned pan will give some sort of non-stick coating to your pan and prevent from rust

How to season a new cast iron pan ?

Can to share please

Tower69For first try, wash with warm water and only little bit of soap.

Usually coat with a thin layer of cooking oil then heat it till it smokes. Let it cool... and you're ready to use.

After this, don't wash the pan with soap.


When its time to coat again you'll find your pan is not that shiny anymore, start to rust and begin to stick when cooking.

This post has been edited by mywingame: Feb 21 2017, 05:47 PM

Lodge already pre-seasoned, no need do yourself, problem with cast iron is its ridiculously heavy, recommend u get the Carbon Steel ones instead

Thanks for sharing

The key to a longer lasting iron pan is to keep it well oiled

IMO there's really nothing special about cast iron brands, it's a piece of iron that's all so the branding is just that, branding. Lodge is fine, but my friends would buy used ones sometimes decades old, clean it up and they'd be as good as new. They're literally bulletproof. The key is to use them.

Having said that, there are now a number of kickstarter projects making high end cast iron cookware. They look the same but are far more expensive

i just got my first cast iron pan...going to cook my first steak after season it!!

Any brand of cast iron pan will do. important is the size and weight. Cast iron is supposed to feel heavy.

I bought a 12 inch pan while holidaying in Melb for only AUD 20 which is a steal considering the prices here.

to season it... for first use, wash it thoroughly with hot water, soap and zip as normally new cast iron product contain lubricant, left over chemical from the casting process. This is not applicable for Lodge or orther pre-seasoned products.

Heat it up on the stove or oven. coat the whole pan (inside and out, including handles) with a light coat of oil (use those with high smoke point such as palm oil). i use a light cloth to do it evenly cos tissue will disintegrate and mess things up due to rough nature of the pan.

Turn up the heat until it starts to smoke. Make sure your hood is on full blast and open window. it's gonna smoke. be careful when moving it as it's gonna be hot. once i see smoke, i turn down the heat to minimum and keep it there for about 10 mins.. once smoke gone, i normally give it one more blast and that's it. leave it to cool.

If you cook with it, remember not to use soap to wash it as it'll remove the coating. just use a steel wool and warm water to wash will do. You'll need to re-season if wash with soap or after cooking acidic stuff such as tomatoes. My wife like to make shakshuka with it and i always have to re-season the pan... @.@

Carbon Steel has a different taste.

although i season it, the pan still stick when i grill my steak.

I think the trick is to use the pan more often.
the only thing is my wife complains that the pan not clean each time i finished. she did not knows that i re season the pan each time i cooked

Did you sear the steak when the pan is smoking hot? Because putting in the meat while it wasn't hot enough will stick... and yeah you still need some oil to sear the meat even you have seasoned it

This post has been edited by Jingle_bubbles: Mar 4 2017, 12:35 PM

Where do you get your cast iron pans from here in Malaysia? Been looking for one for a while now.

Perhaps try 11street? Seems pretty good deal

You can buy Lodge cast iron skillet at Ace Hardware. Bought mine at IOI Mall outlet last week.

Ah, thanks. Never thought of looking for it there. Will note that for my next trip.

how much?

Can't remember the exact price. Around RM150 for a 8 inch skillet

just a humble opinion, use pure linseed oil if you want to season the pan, as most other vegetable oil does not season as well. make sure apply very very little. if you can see the oil, means too much already. make sure you have an oven that can heat up to 250C and smoke everything out. i normally do 2-3 coating (leave to cool overnight after heat treating it) before using it. remember to wash it with rough salt and hot/warm water after each use, and heat the pan up to dry and apply a layer of oil over it.

for me, unless you are cooking everyday with the cast iron, get a carbon or stainless steel...too much maintenance

I almost bought a cast iron, until I realised it is so much easier to cook with high grade stainless steel instead. The pros of Stainless Steel cookware: No rust, no need to wipe it dry totally before storing and it is a very clean and safe cookware to use. It is way lighter than cast iron.

saw Ikea selling these Enamel coated cast iron, is this works same as normal cast iron pan?

https://www.ikea.com/my/en/catalog/products/70232841/

Just got one from a friend who is a kitchen supplies man.
It was cheap way less than Lodge in malaysia.
F up the seasoning so it looks ugly but fried an egg this morning and it didn’t stink at all.

I am also looking for iron cookware, any local shop where I can get these? Branded stuffs are too expensive

(Patel, 2020).
Referenced from https://examine.com/nutrition/are-cast-iron-pans-unsafe/

Bought a Ikea Vardagen cast iron pan. Based on the manual, there's a protective coating that I need to remove first before seasoning.

So I just wash it with soap and sponge for a few times, and it came out with uneven colour as in the picture below.



Does it means that the darker shade part is still with the coating and needed to be removed until all is clear like the lighter shade side? Then might need to use the stainless steel wool or Scotch pad to scrub it off.

Thanks


This post has been edited by lowyat101: Sep 16 2021, 01:22 PM

Looks destroyed. You shouldn't remove any coating

looks like just uneven oxidation... nothing to worry about...

protective coatings probably just means light oil layer...

continue with seasoning and frequent using will darkened it