Seasoning a CI skillet - when Crisco is not an option

[Vicki Pierre-Humbert]

I’m so excited! Happy dance  :D  The postie delivered a bee-u-ti-ful Griswold #10 skillet and lid today. All the way from USA courtesy of the wonderful Stuart Lowery, who cleaned them impeccably, and packaged them up with the utmost care to ensure safe delivery.

Now, the rest is up to me. And that makes me a little nervous, as I want to look after these babies.
It is near impossible to get Crisco over here, except from one online company, which sells a 1lb tub for around $8 – and which is out of stock at the moment anyway. I need to find another oil to season them with.

So, I was hoping for advice on alternative seasoning oils? Anyone had success with olive/coconut/grapeseed/peanut/sunflower etc.?
I’ve read somewhere that coconut may not be best due to the low smoke point??

Also, is it best to have the skillet upside down when seasoning in the oven?

All advice and recommendations are greatly appreciated for this excited newbie. Thank you  :)

[Mark R. Smith]

You can use grapeseed oil check out the threads here about seasoning. Also look at PAM seasoning if PAM or similar is available. I would not use olive oil as it can become very tacky.

I learned a lot from the other WAG members about cleaning and seasoning.

[Vicki Pierre-Humbert]

Thanks Mark.  I searched for PAM here, and it's also a no go.
I'll check out the shops for grapeseed when I go today.
Thanks again  :)

[Cheryl Watson]

http://www.wagnerandgriswold.org/Attachments/CR1308030790.pdf


And this:  Scroll down to the Seasoning section:

http://www.griswoldandwagner.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1393982431

PAM is Canola Oil...

The only oil I would recommend avoiding is Flaxseed oil.  :)

[Vicki Pierre-Humbert]

Thanks Cheryl  :)

[Stuart Lowery]

Vicki,
  Glad they made it. It was a pleasure to get some our our "cast iron history" over there to a good home. I hope you didn't have to work too hard to get them out of the box ;)

  I would start with the coconut oil you have on hand. Season them up and start cooking... if it turns out that you want to try a different oil/method in a year or two, you can always strip it and start over easily enough.
  That's part of the beauty of old cast iron, as long as you don't overheat and warp it, chip it or crack it, it'll last forever. If you don't like the way turns out (either your efforts, the method, or the oil used) you can always clean and re-season again.

[Vicki Pierre-Humbert]

Thank you SO much, Stuart.  I love the absolute beauty of them. Nothing at all like them over here - unless bought in from the US.
I'll send you photos after seasoning, and of my first dish... hard to decide what I'll make first, but WAGS has some awesome recipes, so, I'll be checking them out.
The packaging was superb! A lot of care to get them here safely, and I'm so grateful.
Talk to you soon  :)

[Jeff Friend]

Vicki,

In my experience, the two best "dishes" for getting a good seasoning started are blackened fish and cornbread.  A No. 10 skillet of cornbread is a lot, so you may want to go with the fish.  I have a No. 7 that I use just for fish and it has the blackest, smoothest seasoning you can imagine.

Get some fillets - talapia and catfish work well - and dredge them in whatever spices you like.  Sometimes I run the fillets through some beaten eggs, and then use a heavily spiced mix of cornmeal.

Put about 1/4 inch of oil in the skillet.  I use peanut or canola (rapeseed) oil and get the temperature up to the smoke point.  Put in the fish and fry them on each side.  Don't cover the pan completely with the lid - you want the steam to escape.  High heat is the key so the fish and spices will get a deep brown color.  The fish will cook very quickly.

After you are finished eating and the pan is just warm, drain as much oil out as possible.  Wipe out the pan with a clean paper towel and your finished.

[Sandy Glenn]

Not trying to go off-topic, but I'm glad you mentioned this. 

After you are finished eating and the pan is just warm, drain as much oil out as possible.  Wipe out the pan with a clean paper towel and your finished.

Does this method (not rinsing the pan in hot water) leave any type of fish odor in the skillet that may carry over to the next item cooked in that skillet?

I have a #7 that I use only for frying fish and nothing else.

[Jeff Friend]

Sandy,

I also use a No. 7.  It's a National that my mom and dad bought at a flea market in the early 70s.  It has been my fish skillet for years.  I just gave it the sniff test, and there is no noticeable odor of any sort.

When I have a minute, I will post a photo of a Griswold LBHR 7 that I just finished cleaning.  It was seasoned once in the oven and used once for fish last week.

[Jeff Friend]

Here is the No. 7.  Not the best picture (cell phone), but as I said above, it has been cooked in once.

Once you season the pan a few times, you can spray out the excess oil and other residue with the sink sprayer and really hot water, and then wipe out the pan.  Note - drain the excess oil first because you don't want that stuff building up in your pipes.  When the pan has been cleaned, make sure it is dry when you put it away.

[Sandy Glenn]

I just gave it the sniff test, and there is no noticeable odor of any sort.

Jeff, My #7 fish skillet passes the sniff test, too.  However, awhile back I mistakenly used it to make cornbread and it was awful.  That was the only time I ever tossed cornbread. :P

[Vicki Pierre-Humbert]

Thanks for the suggestions, Jeff. I really would like to give cornbread a try - hubby will be set for lunches at work for a week :)

[Jeff Friend]

The problem with cornbread is that is gets stale fast, so you will want to freeze it as soon as it cools down.

Another thing I make that seems to do a good job with creating a nice seasoning is focaccia.  I usually make it in a No. 12 skillet or No. 12 New England griddle (a piece I shouldn't be using, but occasionally do).  I have a couple of Marcella Hazan's cookbooks and here is a recipe that is similar to what I make, except I usually top it with coarse salt and then rosemary half-way through baking.  The pan gets a liberal dousing of olive oil before the dough is spread out.

http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/focaccia-with-onions-genoese-style

Jeff

[Vicki Pierre-Humbert]

Now, that's awesome! I love focaccia.  Thanks for the recipe Jeff, I'll be giving that a go for sure.

[Jim Glatthaar]

Vicki, if you're going to make focaccia as an excuse for seasoning, why not up your game and make Sicilian pizza? ;)

[Vicki Pierre-Humbert]

Pizza? Even better :)