Seasoning pans

[johnboy]

Hope it's ok to post this here.

I have bought a couple of 'Black iron' frying pans to make my individual curries in. These pans need to be properly seasoned. I have been told various ways to do this with some vast variations in method.

Before I go ahead does anyone here know the professional way to season steel pans please.

Cheers
John

[Yellow Fingers]

Hi johnboy,

there are several methods, but the simplest is to :

wash and scrub the pan with a good cleaner and rinse thoroughly
then dry well with a paper towel or two
put the pan on the highest heat you can and heat until it is very hot
add oil, peanut oil is good
swirl it around the pan to cover all the surface and continue to heat until it smokes, if it isn't already
continue to heat for 10 minutes on a lower heat

wipe the pan and that's it

BTW if Erin hasn't hooked up yet, tell her I'm free 

YF

[johnboy]

Thanks, I'll give that a try. How often would this need to be done?
Is it true that the pan shouldn't be washed after cooking but just wiped clean?

[John]

Thanks, I'll give that a try. How often would this need to be done?
Is it true that the pan shouldn't be washed after cooking but just wiped clean?

When used for cooking curries on high heat, they should never need re-seasoning aslong as you never scrub of wash them in soapy water as that will remove the non stick coating that you build up...oh and flavour.
Best bet is to rinse under a hot tap after use.

[Yellow Fingers]

Is it true that the pan shouldn't be washed after cooking but just wiped clean?

Yes. This is actually more important than the initial seasoning. After each dish is cooked, rinse the pan in warm water and wipe clean with a paper towel. It is the residue of the food that is left after this that gets cooked up when you use the pan next time. Eventually it forms a 'natural' non stick layer. When the pan is new you shouldn't cook anything in it that will destroy this layer. So nothing acidic.

The actual seasoning is a one time only process if you get the 'after care' right.

YF

[Chilli Prawn]

Another useful tip.  To deglaze the pan without removing the seasoned layer, use coarse cooking salt.  You can simply rub it around (not too hard), or you can heat the pan with the salt in,  any unwanted flavours and/or oils will be absorbed by the salt.  This is a standard method used by most professional chefs.

CP