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rivermobster

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So Santa brought me a new Lodge pan for Christmas!

My question is.......................

What do I have to do before using it?

And after?

Inquiring minds wanna know what you experts do! Thanks! šŸ‘
 

pkrrvr619

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Wipe it out with paper towels when done and done use water and soap to clean it.
 

rivermobster

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It might already be seasoned...check the label....if not....season it...lol

It says it is. But I'm not gonna cook in it without washing it. What's safe to use? Do I have to season it after that?

:scratchinghead:
 

Waffles

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First lodge I had I ran with it and it sucked. Every following pan I got I stripped it and reseasoned it myself with flaxseed oil. Only one that I havenā€™t had to reseason from the factory was my FineX
 

rivermobster

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First lodge I had I ran with it and it sucked. Every following pan I got I stripped it and reseasoned it myself with flaxseed oil. Only one that I havenā€™t had to reseason from the factory was my FineX

Define stripped...
 

rivermobster

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What I Really want to know is what to do Before the first use...

Thanks
 

Waffles

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Define stripped...

ā€œBurned offā€ the stock seasoning. The seasoning on the stock stuff doesnā€™t last so I strip them in the oven on self clean mode. Youā€™ll eventually find yourself doing this if youā€™re anal about your stuff.
Stripping it ensures a clean slate. The process of reseasoning it takes about half a day.

that being said, if you want to run it the way it is, just was it with Palmolive and a soft sponge. Towel dry and put it on the stove to warm up. Once warm to the touch, lightly coat with an oil rich with fatty acids like flax seed and wipe that coat down with a dry paper towel. Let it cool on the stove and done.

the culinary fanatic on YT is a great channel when it comes to cast

 
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TITTIES AND BEER

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W
What I Really want to know is what to do Before the first use...

Thanks
Wipe it down with oil all over and put in a hot oven never let it rust but check tag to make sure itā€™s not all ready done , we bought one 12ā€ frying pan last week it was done we have 3 Dutch ovens great for cooking šŸ˜ŽšŸ‘
 

Rajobigguy

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What I Really want to know is what to do Before the first use...

Thanks
Heat your oven to it's hottest setting (probably 450-500), wipe cooking surface of pan with flax seed oil or avocado oil, dry with paper towel as best as possible, turn pan upside down and place in oven, it will smoke a bit as the oil carbonizes. After the smoking stops remove pan and let cool. Your pan is now properly seasoned. Always wipe with oil prior to heating before cooking (even if you are pan frying) . after each use it's best to to try and simply wipe or scrape the pan then wipe with a little oil. If you need to scrub the pan with soap and water to get it clean then you should wipe with oil and let it cook in again on the stove top burner. It will get better with each use.
 
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TITTIES AND BEER

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Heat your oven to it's hottest setting (probably 450-500), wipe cooking surface of pan with flax seed oil or avocado oil, dry with paper towel as best as possible, turn pan upside down and place in oven, it will smoke a bit as the oil carbonizes. After the smoking stops remove pan and let cool. Your pan is no properly seasoned. Always wipe with oil prior to heating before cooking (even if you are pan frying) . after each use it's best to to try and simply wipe or scrape the pan then wipe with a little oil. If you need to scrub the pan with soap and water to get it clean then you should wipe with oil and let it cook in again on the stove top burner. It will get better with each use.
Remember get used to Always using a mitten you will burn your hand big time šŸ¤¬šŸ˜«šŸ‘
 

highvoltagehands

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Iā€™ve been wanting to get a 12ā€ cast iron skillet and curious what you guys recommend to buy or avoid?
Iā€™ve seen the 12ā€ Lodge skillet for $55 on Amazon and the 12ā€ FineX is $275, I donā€™t see how the FineX can be worth $220 more when itā€™s just cast iron, maybe Iā€™m wrong, maybe itā€™s a YETI thing????
 

was thatguy

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Mines never stored. Itā€™s been on the stovetop for over 15 years.
(3 different houses)

34046BB2-BC5D-4CF5-85E5-068CF823B292.jpeg
 

was thatguy

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The first Lodge I had was a $5 yard sale item.
I took it to work and sandblasted that puppy completely down to virgin metal.
Then I ran it through the shot peener.

Then I baked it like all day at 350* coated in veg oil. It was awesome, better than any new one Iā€™ve had.
 

rivermobster

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Iā€™ve been wanting to get a 12ā€ cast iron skillet and curious what you guys recommend to buy or avoid?
Iā€™ve seen the 12ā€ Lodge skillet for $55 on Amazon and the 12ā€ FineX is $275, I donā€™t see how the FineX can be worth $220 more when itā€™s just cast iron, maybe Iā€™m wrong, maybe itā€™s a YETI thing????

I picked this one up at Hobby Lobby. 40% off sale just before Christmas. They had all kinna good stuff on sale!
 

Waffles

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Iā€™ve been wanting to get a 12ā€ cast iron skillet and curious what you guys recommend to buy or avoid?
Iā€™ve seen the 12ā€ Lodge skillet for $55 on Amazon and the 12ā€ FineX is $275, I donā€™t see how the FineX can be worth $220 more when itā€™s just cast iron, maybe Iā€™m wrong, maybe itā€™s a YETI thing????
Itā€™s an overall quality difference here. If lodge ended up hand seasoning their stuff with flaxseed oil, added a handle that let you hold it while itā€™s still hot, or machined thier bottoms smooth, Iā€™d tell you to get a lodge in a heart beat. Fine X and Stargazer pans are definitely worth what one pays for them

 

rivermobster

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Since this thing is brand new, preseasoned, and not jacked up at all (no dings, no rust), I washed it warm dish soap good, dried it well, and it's now in the over at 350. Gonna give it an hour or so.

That Stargazer looks bad azz...
 

was thatguy

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Since this thing is brand new, preseasoned, and not jacked up at all (no dings, no rust), I washed it warm dish soap good, dried it well, and it's now in the over at 350. Gonna give it an hour or so.

That Stargazer looks bad azz...

Did you oil it?
 

Sleek-Jet

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After use, wipe it out while the pan is still hot. If anything is left put a little oil in and a little salt and scrub off the spots that need it. Wipe it out again. Then reheat the pan till it smokes and using a clean dry cloth, wipe it all down again and let it cool. This keeps the pan from getting sticky with oil, dries it out and reseasons the cast iron.

After you use it for a while you won't need to do the reheat part, just wipe it down real well.

I'll wash mine out with water if it needs it but never soap.
 

QC22

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I'll wash mine out with water if it needs it but never soap.
Funny this came up cuz I was gonna post something. So why, since everybody agrees on this, do I have to wash any pans with soap? Thought I'd try the question here before I spring it on the decider...
 

Sleek-Jet

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Funny this came up cuz I was gonna post something. So why, since everybody agrees on this, do I have to wash any pans with soap? Thought I'd try the question here before I spring it on the decider...

Soap breaks down the grease other "stuff" so you can get something like stainless steal shinny clean. You can clean other pans the same way as cast iron if you'd like. But no one likes the look of "seasoned" stainless... LOL

I actually clean my stainless with 0000 steel wool after washing it out, works better than soap and a sponge.
 

was thatguy

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Funny this came up cuz I was gonna post something. So why, since everybody agrees on this, do I have to wash any pans with soap? Thought I'd try the question here before I spring it on the decider...

I actually use soap on my cast iron.
 

C-2

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Don't overthink it. Season it and after a couple of dozen times using the pan it will be bulletproof.

I laugh at the thought of cooking garlic in the Lodge and simply wiping it out and then cooking eggs with it...yeah give that a try and report back.

You need soap.
 

Rajobigguy

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Funny this came up cuz I was gonna post something. So why, since everybody agrees on this, do I have to wash any pans with soap? Thought I'd try the question here before I spring it on the decider...
If the pan is used exclusively for frying then you donā€™t need to clean with soap and water but S.S. Will never develop that perfect layer of pure carbon that youā€™re looking to achieve on the cast iron of cast steel pan.
 

Waffles

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Soap breaks down the grease other "stuff" so you can get something like stainless steal shinny clean. You can clean other pans the same way as cast iron if you'd like. But no one likes the look of "seasoned" stainless... LOL

I actually clean my stainless with 0000 steel wool after washing it out, works better than soap and a sponge.

I use soap on my stuff. Itā€™s a great indicator if your stuff is seasoned properly or not. If it is, it wonā€™t affect it in any way. If it isnā€™t, then that means that the oils used didnā€™t go through the polymerization and carbonization stage to harden.

For stainless, Use barkeepers friend if you donā€™t already. That shit will make your stainless looking new even with a sponge. I swear by it
 
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Sleek-Jet

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If nothing else, you can't really hurt the cast iron. If needed, reseason it and keep on using it.

About the only way to kill it is to shock cool the pan while it is hot, that will cause them to crack.
 

River Runnin

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Geeezeus Tits! All this fancy fancy stuff! -- Build a wood campfire! ... Throw some lard in and coat all insides ... let it get Smoke'n Hot! ... Let cool a bit and cook some Bacon & eggs!
Clean-up -- heat water in the pan till first bubbles, wipe out with paper towels, and put away! :)
 

bilz

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If you must use soap, use very little.. We season with vegetable oil. We have 3 skillets and a flat grill as well as a corn bread cooker. We do not use any aerosol spray oil on it. Typically butter or vegetable oil. Olive or for vegetables. Enjoy!
 

bilz

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Geeezeus Tits! All this fancy fancy stuff! -- Build a wood campfire! ... Throw some lard in and coat all insides ... let it get Smoke'n Hot! ... Let cool a bit and cook some Bacon & eggs!
Clean-up -- heat water in the pan till first bubbles, wipe out with paper towels, and put away! :)
Boy Scout method for a dutch oven
 

grumpy88

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The cast iron pans my mom use are well over 100 years old and work fine . I think there is way to much thought being put into this one .
 

ElAzul

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Not sure if mentioned but the lodge brand has a fairly rough surface some people sand them down before seasoning to help things not stick as bad. Other than that it's cast iron not rocket appliances
 
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was thatguy

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Not sure if mentioned but the lodge brand has a fairly rough surface some people sand them down before seasoning to help things not stick as bad. Other than that it's cast iron not rocket appliances

This is true.
And I think a big reason that the old one I shot peened was so good.
 

Sleek-Jet

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I'm sure his catering business has taken a huge hit with everything being shut down. Almost none of the videos he's done from the last year have been out at the camp.

Got one of his cook books for Christmas.
 

sintax

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Iā€™ve been wanting to get a 12ā€ cast iron skillet and curious what you guys recommend to buy or avoid?
Iā€™ve seen the 12ā€ Lodge skillet for $55 on Amazon and the 12ā€ FineX is $275, I donā€™t see how the FineX can be worth $220 more when itā€™s just cast iron, maybe Iā€™m wrong, maybe itā€™s a YETI thing????

it totally is a yeti kinda thing, I do have one I bought many years back. It looks very good on the table, and I mostly use it for serving, which is kind of ridiculous. i grab one of my Other cast irons, usually lodge for most heavy lifting.
 

Kachina26

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Iā€™ve been wanting to get a 12ā€ cast iron skillet and curious what you guys recommend to buy or avoid?
Iā€™ve seen the 12ā€ Lodge skillet for $55 on Amazon and the 12ā€ FineX is $275, I donā€™t see how the FineX can be worth $220 more when itā€™s just cast iron, maybe Iā€™m wrong, maybe itā€™s a YETI thing????
I scored on a box of antique stuff. Cleaned it all up sold what I didn't want a made a tiny profit. Kid I bought them from was surprised I wasn't using them for decorations. That old stuff is great.
 

redone76

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The first Lodge I had was a $5 yard sale item.
I took it to work and sandblasted that puppy completely down to virgin metal.
Then I ran it through the shot peener.

Then I baked it like all day at 350* coated in veg oil. It was awesome, better than any new one Iā€™ve had.
Haha! I scored a 20ā€ skillet awhile back when a kid plopped one down on the target line when we were shooting. I asked him what the hell he was thinking...Iā€™ll trade you for some custom steel targets I laser cut. It was a little rusty but I boiled it out with Coca Cola and scrubbed the shit out of it with a scouring pad. Itā€™s my wifeā€™s go to for breakfast. You could cook everything at one time in that big sumbitch!
 
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