Why lard carbonized the oil??

[chueh]

In the past, I used plant based oil to season my cast iron pan. This time, I used pork lard at 375 F for an hour.

It looked ok, so I let it cool down. Then, I made omelet. The bottom was not completely stick free. Anyway, I used water to wash and clean it. I normally use my fingernails to scrap anything stuck. With water, it all came off pretty easily. This time though, my fingernails got all blackened with soft tar!!!

Maybe I forgot what the proper temperature needed to be for cast iron seasoning, and perhaps I seasoned it before with much higher temperature. What's wrong???

Thanks

 

[dcSaute]

there is this "theory of procedure" that one has a magic moment with a cast iron pan and it is suddenly "seasoned" . . . one uses a magic oil grown on the eastern slope, harvested by virgins during a full moon . . .

if you would like to season your cast iron 'the old fashioned way' - a way that actually does work . . . .

just cook fatty meats - the first couple go 'rounds things will tend to stick - good time to use something like chuck roast for stew - you'll not notice OMG something stuck....

went done cooking the fatty stuff - cool, wipe out the pan with a paper towel, that's it.

in relatively short order the cast iron will l build a carbon layer that is very non-stick.

 

[chueh]

thank you.

Before I reasoned it this time, I always only washed with warm water and wipe off everything off the pan with paper towel. However, food got stuck there more and more. That's when I decided to reseason it.

 

[Andy M.]

thank you.

Before I reasoned it this time, I always only washed with warm water and wipe off everything off the pan with paper towel. However, food got stuck there more and more. That's when I decided to reseason it.

I recommend you clean the pan thoroughly then season it using the directions from the Lodge Cast Iron website. Simple, straight-forward and immediate results.

https://www.lodgecastiron.com/cleaning-and-care/cast-iron/science-cast-iron-seasoning

scroll down to the section labeled: "How to season a cast iron skillet in the oven"

 

[dcSaute]

thank you.

Before I reasoned it this time, I always only washed with warm water and wipe off everything off the pan with paper towel. However, food got stuck there more and more. That's when I decided to reseason it.

this is a ~120 year old 10" Griswold cast iron fry pan. I got it ~20 years ago, sandblasted it to grey metal, cooked fatty stuff. it has never needed reseasoning.
took this pix because I got careless and over-heated a portion - which shows the thickness of the carbonized layer . . .