Why does my cast iron pan smoke?

[ElSapo]

This is basically my third time trying to cook with cast iron. And by thrid time, I mean the third time I've bought a pan. Everyone raves about cast iron - longevity, heat retention, non-stick properties, price, and so on. So I keep trying to make it work for me, and I keep running into problems and questions.

1) Is this thing really non-stick? I understand the concept of seasoning (done it), and how the build up over time creates a truly non-stick surface. But is it non-stick in the way that a teflon pan is? I can cook an egg over-easy with no oil in a teflon pan, flip it and have it come out right just about every time. The cast-iron needs oil. Will it always require oil to, say, cook eggs?

2) Why does the damn thing smoke? Two theories on this one - I bought the Lodge 10-inch, and someone's notes on Amazon mention "it smokes for about the first ten times you use it." What's up with that? Or, it could be overheating the oil. But how hot does the skillet get? I really don't think it's the smoke point of the oil - I'm getting a cast iron pan smoking mostly when I've been cooking and the pan started to need more oil.

3) How many people really cook with cast iron? I do a lot of cooking, and I feel like this is something I -should- be doing. But then again, it always seems to be a pain in the ass. I spend as much time thinking about how to season and clean the pan as I do cooking. What's the point in that?

Any advice or tips are welcome...

[SamIAm]

How well did you wash it (warm soapy water then dry it) when you first bought it? They come with wax on 'em.

What oil are you using? Veggie shortening smokes at like 360. Evoo smokes even lower, and canola even lower still. It's pretty easy to get to smoke-point on a rangetop if you're using a lot of heat.

I've been going out of my way to cook greasy things on my cast-iron, because it's sorta new. ("Well, I better cook-up some sausage. Gotta add to my pan's seasoning." [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]) I'll always use it for pan-frying chicken, since it retains heat so well. I'll always use it for searing steak, since I can sear each side for a couple minutes and then put it in the oven for a couple minutes (so the outside is brown but not black, and the inside is cooked).

I admit that I'm not a fan of cast-iron for things like frying an egg, because it's so gosh-darned heavy. I only have a 12", though. I can't really flip stuff one-handed. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
-Sam

[KyleC]

You should only ever use a metal scrubby to clean a cast iron skillet. It takes a long time to season a cast iron skillet which is why its so amazing if you ever inherit one like I did. Mine doesn't stick at all keeps heat well etc. its awesome. Start cooking bacon with your pan as much as you can...like whenever you eat bacon etc. Let the bacon fat sit in the skillet for awhile then when you clean it just use hot water and a metal scrub brush. Eventually your cast iron skillet will be your most important cooking pan if you season it properly. Never use soap when cleaning your cast iron skillet.

[edfurlong]

I just rinse mine in under hot water for a second, wipe it out, and spray a little veg oil on the inside. God bless cast iron.

[RacersEdge]

I heard a blurb about this on the radio - and I can't remember the entire procedure for seasoning the skillet - I think there was soap involved when you first get it - but one part had you putting oil in the pan and baking it in the oven for an hour at 300 degrees.

[SamIAm]

[ QUOTE ]
I can't remember the entire procedure for seasoning the skillet

[/ QUOTE ]
Coat the inside and out with fat. I used shortening. Turn the pan upside down so it can drip out instead of pool in the pan (but put aluminum foil or a sheet pan under it to catch drippings). Bake for an hour. 300 degrees sounds fine.

So pretty.


-Sam

P.S. [ QUOTE ]
I heard a blurb about this on the radio

[/ QUOTE ]
How the hell did this come-up on the radio?

[mjkidd]

Cook 15 pounds of bacon it it.

[RacersEdge]

[ QUOTE ]
How the hell did this come-up on the radio?

[/ QUOTE ]

I was surfing Sirius and checked out the Martha Stewart channel for a few minutes...

[bobman0330]

I got an infrared thermometer for xmas, and i like playing with it, so i ran the following experiment:
I heated an 8" cast iron skillet over medium (low side of what I would call medium) heat on a gas range. I then took a temperature every 30 seconds. The highest temperatures I saw were:
30 secs - 175
1 min - 220
1:30 - 255
2 min - 295
2:30 - 325
3 min - 350

If the pan cools down before I go to bed (likely) and I feel like it (maybe), I'll run it at medium high.

[SamIAm]

[ QUOTE ]
I got an infrared thermometer for xmas, and i like playing with it, so i ran the following experiment:
I heated an 8" cast iron skillet over medium (low side of what I would call medium) heat on a gas range. I then took a temperature every 30 seconds. The highest temperatures I saw were:
30 secs - 175
1 min - 220
1:30 - 255
2 min - 295
2:30 - 325
3 min - 350

If the pan cools down before I go to bed (likely) and I feel like it (maybe), I'll run it at medium high.

[/ QUOTE ]
Very cool. (So to speak.) For the record, Wikipedia has a great smoke-point chart. Notice that they don't list "Cast Iron" anywhere there. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
-Sam

<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>420°F Almond oil
520°F Avocado oil
350°F Butter
225°F Canola oil Unrefined
350°F Semirefined
400°F Refined
350°F Coconut oil Unrefined
450°F Refined
320°F Corn oil Unrefined
450°F Refined
420°F Cottonseed oil
225°F Flax seed oil Unrefined
485°F Ghee
420°F Grapeseed oil
430°F Hazelnut oil
330°F Hemp oil
370°F Lard
390°F Macadamia oil
320°F Olive oil Extra virgin
420°F Virgin
460°F Pomace
468°F Extra light
405°F High quality olive oil Extra virgin
320°F Peanut oil Unrefined
450°F Refined
490°F Rice bran oil
225°F Safflower oil Unrefined
320°F Semirefined
450°F Refined
510°F
350°F Sesame oil Unrefined
410°F
450°F Semirefined
320°F Soybean oil Unrefined
350°F Semirefined
450°F Refined
225°F Sunflower oil Unrefined
450°F Semirefined
320°F High oleic sunflower oil Unrefined
450°F Refined
485°F Tea oil
360°F Vegetable shortening
320°F Walnut oil Unrefined
400°F Semirefined

</pre><hr />