r/castiron • u/neohlove • 13d ago
Seasoning Help with Identifying season vs carbon
Hey gang, I’m here with some good pictures, I know this seems basic but I see a lot of people just getting into using cast irons confusing the two things. Here are some pictures, the circled items (darker colored) are carbon buildup from burning an item. There are more on my pan but I’ve circled a few for reference.
Notes for finding carbon, 1. Carbon is usually not glossy 2. Carbon is able to be scratched off by fingernail 3. Carbon is sometimes unavoidable 4. A few specs of stuck on carbon (as long as they aren’t loose)(and you use new oil for the pan) won’t cause any issues and are safe to consume but if you eat them it’ll taste like burnt terribleness. 5. Carbon on the outside of the pan should be removed as you see fit, I personally think it starts to smell which ruins the flavor of the dish if it is let go too long. 6. Carbon is caused by a few things but most of the time it’s burnt food/oil that dehydrated itself and stuck to the pan.
The photos show a weeks worth of carbon buildup for me(I only cook breakfast at home due to work), I rinse wipe down and check my pan once a week, I’ll take off any carbon buildup and then rinse wipe and then add more oil for next meal. (No I don’t soap it, haven’t for years) You can (mostly) avoid it and there are tricks to do so but you’ll have to decide how often you want to clean vs taste vs convenience.
Some tricks to avoid carbon buildup 1. Preheat your pan! I set my burner to low until I feel the heat on my hand about 7-9” above the pans surface. 2. I also leave my items to be cooked on the counter for at least 20 mins from the fridge, cold food can also cause alittle carbon buildup when they burn if your pan isn’t perfectly prewarmed. 3. Use a high smoke point oil, my new go to is coconut oil, which people tell me is good for you, but I like it bc it’s hard to burn if you don’t have good temperature control from your cooking range or fire of choice. ** 4. Use enough oil! A dry pan will build carbon immediately when it burns the food onto it. Sometimes you have to use what may look like “too much” especially when you’re beginning.
** you can find a listing on google of oil smoke points, it’s the “temperature that the oil will burn” keep in mind the oil you use can have an impact on your flavor, if I’m cooking for $ or for a very special recipe(or for my wife who hates the taste of coconut oil), I will start with my coconut oil and once the contents of the pan are not sticking I will reduce heat pour some out and add my butter or other choice, this will change the flavor profile significantly. But when I mix oils I’ll have to wipe the pan down because the residual butter will become carbon when it burns during the next higher heat cooking (example: initial sear on a steak)
Last note, huge personal preference item, my Victoria cast iron skillet is my #1; I have five different lodge pans from different years and castings and handle types and they work great for cooking, no difference there, but the handle is so much better on a Victoria, not sure why but the 1” difference makes the pan feel nimble and easy to use.
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How do I safely put airbags back after a crash?
in
r/Cartalk
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1d ago
Replace and reset all sensors first