# Picture of my pan. What's happened?



## g23 (Jul 16, 2007)

hi everyone,

i ask a question last week regarding what's happened to my pan and someone said to post a picture up. i tried to clean it with salt like someone suggested but it didn't get rid of the splotches. does it look like the factory season is coming off. is it safe to cook with and why am i still able to use it without food sticking on it if the seasoning is coming off. thanks


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## AllenOK (Jul 16, 2007)

Ok, easier to understand now.

Yes, some of the seasoning is coming off, but not all of it.  Even in the "blotchy" areas, there is still some seasoning, which is why the pan doesn't stick.

My big 12" skillet looks about the same.  Yours is perfectly safe to cook with.

I would suggest that each time you clean it, dry it over the heat, and once it just starts to smoke, wipe it down with some shortening.  I do that to all my cast iron after every use.


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## Barb L. (Jul 16, 2007)

Hey that looks like mine too !!


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## g23 (Jul 16, 2007)

AllenOK said:
			
		

> Ok, easier to understand now.
> 
> My big 12" skillet looks about the same. Yours is perfectly safe to cook with.
> 
> I would suggest that each time you clean it, dry it over the heat, and once it just starts to smoke, wipe it down with some shortening. I do that to all my cast iron after every use.


 
yes, i do dry over heat and try to look after it well like always warm up on low then turn heat higher, always oil after washing and dry well so how come the pan's seasoning is coming off?


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## g23 (Jul 16, 2007)

Barb L. said:
			
		

> Hey that looks like mine too !!


 
your pan looks like that too. that's not normal though is it? so should i just leave it or scrub it out and reseason?


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## mudbug (Jul 16, 2007)

g23, did you cook anything tomatoe-y or lemon-y in that pan?  acidics can affect the finish of a CI pan.


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## g23 (Jul 16, 2007)

no nothing of that sort as i know i need the pan very well season to do that and pan is only 3 monts old


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## g23 (Jul 16, 2007)

but i do remember cooking a small roast and fill pan half way with stock. don't know if that might have cost the splotches


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## mudbug (Jul 16, 2007)

it might have if you didn't clean it out right away.  I wouldn't worry too much, though.  Your pan looks pretty good and will toughen up with more seasoning (rubbing fat on it and heating it).


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## keltin (Jul 16, 2007)

What about metal utensils? I know many people that prefer wooden utensils over metal ones because the believe the metal can chip away the seasoning. (it doesn’t seem to on mine though).

G23, you mentioned a “factory seasoning”? So you didn’t season this one yourself? I’ve never worked with a pre-seasoned pan, so perhaps metal utensil could chip that seasoning? 

Also, just to be sure, you never use soap to clean it right?

Either way, the pan looks fine. I’d run it through the oven a few times as if I were seasoning it for the first time, and then continue to use as normal.


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## g23 (Jul 16, 2007)

thanks mudbug! i'm so glad i don't have to scrub the pan out cos my husband already thinks i fuss over the pan too much and threatens to throw it in the bin! lol


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## g23 (Jul 16, 2007)

keltin said:
			
		

> What about metal utensils?
> 
> G23, you mentioned a “factory seasoning”? So you didn’t season this one yourself? I’ve never worked with a pre-seasoned pan, so perhaps metal utensil could chip that seasoning?
> 
> ...


 
hmmm. i have been using a metal spatula for the last month or so cos i read somewhere that using metal sometimes roundoff the seasoning and evens it out. i did season it again in the oven for second time that's why i thought
metal would be fine on it and because of second seasoning didn't think my pan would start peeling so soon

and no never soap just hot water and one time with salt and rinsed well


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## Barb L. (Jul 16, 2007)

Mine is a very old pan that I have not been nice to, but it has me.  There are times I have soak it in soap in water -  and it rusted, and had to s o s it out!  Very forgiving pan, my buddy,-- trying to be better to him though.


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## wysiwyg (Jul 16, 2007)

g23,
As a quick and dirty test, get some water in your pan and heat it up to the point of boiling.  If after cooling off, the water tastes metalic, the pan probably needs re-seasoning.
One additional tip: after cleaning and rubbing oil/shortening, leave a paper napkin on, specially if other pan will be stored on top.  The paper will prevent scratching and will also absorb any humidity.


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## Rom (Jul 16, 2007)

I have a rather stupid question. 
What is "seasoning a pan"?


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## AllenOK (Jul 16, 2007)

Rom said:
			
		

> I have a rather stupid question.
> What is "seasoning a pan"?



Rom, Cast Iron pans like this need to be coated with fat, and have the fat "baked on".  This "seasoning" seals the metal away from contact with air, liquids, acids, etc.  It also makes the surface of the pan non-stick.  The quality of the "seasoning" is a direct function of the thickness of the material that's been cooked onto the pan.  The thicker the seasoning, the more corrosion-resistant the pan is, and the more "non-stick" the surface will be.

Pans / metals that need to be seasoned:
Cast Iron
Plain Steel

Pans / metals that do NOT need to be seasoned:
Stainless steel
Teflon-coated (nonstick)

I'm not sure about copper, tin, or aluminum, as I don't use any of those at home.  I do use some aluminum at work, and we don't season that.

g23, something else I thought of.  How big is this pan, and how big is the burner you're using it on.  The pan I have problems with is a 12 inch (30 cm), and my biggest burner is not that big.  I think I have problems with the seasoning around the edge of my pan simply because when I do season it, the edges don't get as hot as the center of the pan.  The only cure for this is to get the pan screaming hot (rolling smoke), then rub it down with shortening, as well as frequently baking the shortening onto the pan in the oven.  The first option is not that viable, as my other half is asthmatic.


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## kitchenelf (Jul 16, 2007)

Rom said:
			
		

> I have a rather stupid question.
> What is "seasoning a pan"?



No question is stupid.  Check out here for tips on seasoning cast iron.  Also, if you put the phrase - season cast iron - into a Google search you will come up with lots of reading material.


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## Rom (Jul 16, 2007)

thx for that AllenOK and  kitchenelf 
i have never known anyone to do that 
My mum uses stainless seel and non stick stuff, no iron stuff. i think the only thing i have that is iron is a tawa/tava (sp) to make flat breads (my bf is indian)

might go season it tonight


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## g23 (Jul 17, 2007)

wysiwyg said:
			
		

> g23,
> As a quick and dirty test, get some water in your pan and heat it up to the point of boiling. If after cooling off, the water tastes metalic, the pan probably needs re-seasoning.
> 
> .


 
good idea! i didn't think of that


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## g23 (Jul 17, 2007)

AllenOK said:
			
		

> Rom,
> 
> g23, something else I thought of. How big is this pan, and how big is the burner you're using it on. The pan I have problems with is a 12 inch (30 cm), and my biggest burner is not that big. .


 
hi allen, my pan is 12 inch and yes my glass top ring is not quite big enough so i can actually see a ring on my pan where the electric ring is . yes i think i will have to do as you suggested and season it every now and then in the oven to build up the seasoning again.


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## Robo410 (Jul 17, 2007)

the pan is fine, keep cooking.


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## Chipotle Tom (Aug 22, 2007)

I have a quick follow up question.

When you clean a cast iron pan (either with warm water or with salt like I sometimes do), how do you know when to stop?  I've always been concerned with crust left over from what I had just cooked that by the time I get it cleaned off, there's no seasoning left on it.

So, when do you decide your cast iron is clean enough?


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## GotGarlic (Aug 22, 2007)

I've never cleaned my CI pans with salt; I don't think I'd do that unless it had been extremely neglected and was rusty, etc. I use a Pampered Chef plastic scraper and hot water to clean my pans. Remember that some of that crust is new seasoning  so don't scrub too hard.


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## g23 (Aug 23, 2007)

Chipotle Tom said:


> I have a quick follow up question.
> 
> When you clean a cast iron pan (either with warm water or with salt like I sometimes do), how do you know when to stop? I've always been concerned with crust left over from what I had just cooked that by the time I get it cleaned off, there's no seasoning left on it.
> 
> So, when do you decide your cast iron is clean enough?


 
if you clean you pan right after cooking by putting hot water in the pan, the hot water takes any crust off almost immediately. if there's still some sticking scrape it off with a wooden spatula or let the water simmer a bit more on the stove. after that i just use a kitchen sponge to wipe off remaining dirt. everything done under a minute. but if you leave your pan and come back later to clean you'll have to heat the pan up again and put hot water in, takes much longer. 

in the beginning i found it a nuisance to have to clean immediately after cooking cos the first thing you want to do is go eat  but i have since adjusted since it is so much easier to clean right after than to wait till after dinner.


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## GotGarlic (Aug 23, 2007)

g23 said:


> if you clean you pan right after cooking by putting hot water in the pan, the hot water takes any crust off almost immediately. if there's still some sticking scrape it off with a wooden spatula or let the water simmer a bit more on the stove.



This is the method I use, too - it's just like deglazing the pan, adding liquid and then scraping up the browned bits.


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## DramaQueen (Aug 23, 2007)

*First off you can't "scrape" the seasoning off of a cast iron pan. The oil or fat that is used to season it is used so that it soaks into the pores of the pan and seals the iron. Using salt and/or soap can remove that seasoning because they both will remove oil substances. The more you cook with your pan the better it will get. If food is stuck on the pan after cooking, simply soak it in very hot water til dinner is over and the food will fall right off, just as GotGarlic suggests. Letting it sit and cool with food particles will cause them to stick. But the more you use your pan, the less it will cause food to stick.*
* After washing my pans with a stiff brush and very hot water, I simple dry thoroughly, put them on the burner with a thin coating of Crisco only on the inside, then leave on the burner on high for about 60 seconds. Off the heat and let it cool on the burner. It's a constant seasoning process without having to go through the whole oven thing. I use my cast iron in the oven often - even roasting chickens in the pan makes for a beautiful crisp, mahogony colored bird and at the same time it does wonders for the pan. All of my cookeware is cast iron and the black Lodge pots and pans are a gorgeous, smooth black from the constant use and no soap ever. The splotchy look will go away once the pan gets more use. *


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