Seasoning aluminum?

[Sue Brady]

I just received this Wagner 9-cup Little Gem pan, and even though the item description said it was cast iron, it's aluminum.  Boo.  It's a cute little thing, though, and I'll keep it. 

What's the price range for these vs. the iron ones?  The writing placement is a little different from the pictures in the red book and blue book, which also don't list aluminum for the 9-cup model, only the 12-cup.  Is this maybe not even a real Wagner?

I know not to put it in the lye bath.  I just scrubbed it good with soap and water and will polish with steel wool when I get a chance, but do you season aluminum to keep things from sticking?  Or does that not help and I should just leave it bare?

[Brian Vick]

La Grande huh!
Welcome Sue we have a few other folks that are members here I'm on the S. Coast and another I just did business with is in Milwaukie.
Your Gem pan is real...Two 9 cups in iron sold recently on e-bay for @ $40.00 each so an aluminum pan would be around 1/2 that IMO. I would use a release like pam or crisco to keep muffins from sticking mabey someone else will jump in here and tell us more.
OB ;D

[Cheryl Watson]

I don't 'season' aluminum.  And caked on, accumulated grease is the enemy that builds up over time.  I use the dawn power dissolver to keep everything nice and shiny with use...

[Sue Brady]

OK, thanks!

[Tom Reisdorf]

I want to revive this thread because I had the same question. I bought a used aluminum camp oven just because, it was cleaned but you can tell it was very much more black than it is now. Why do you season cast iron and  not aluminum? Aluminum seems to get cruddy with use, if you are going to use it like your cast iron camp ovens why not season it?

[Cheryl Watson]

Because I have spent the last 3 years glaring at my Husband's Aluminum CDO, from his EAGLE scout days 40+ years ago... ???

 ;D ;D

I think I'd rather throw it out than try to restore it...  ::) ::)

I can tell you that the Boy Scouts of yesteryear definitely "seasoned" them....  8-)

[Valerie Johnson]

Why do you season cast iron and  not aluminum?

For me it is because aluminum can be washed with soap and hot water, we put some pieces in the dishwasher and it does not rust so it can be left to dry without worry of rust forming.

[Tom Reisdorf]

Cheryl,
I guess the 40+ year Eagle scouts should maybe get together and protect it from you.

Thanks, I am going to season the heck out of it.

[Tom Reisdorf]

I'm a man, so I'm just pondering!  :-/ All my life I have always scrubbed the heck out of all the aluminum cookie sheets, baking trays and pans we have ever used trying to get them back to looking new, and they always seem to get that crud on the edges you can't get clean. So if you build up that layer of seasoning on cast iron why do we scrub it off of aluminum? Other than looks?

[C. B. Williams]

I cook a lot on anodized alum. Calphalon (not to be confused with Teflon or other non-stick). It takes on a seasoning somewhat like cast iron and works better with use.

[Mark R. Smith]

I cook a lot on anodized alum. Calphalon (not to be confused with Teflon or other non-stick). It takes on a seasoning somewhat like cast iron and works better with use.

I have the old Magnalite Anodized and I seasoned it just like cast iron. Works almost as good as cast iron. The other Aluminum get a squirt of PAM and a scrubbing after use. I try not to use the dishwasher with the regular aluminum cause it tends to react with the aluminum.