Just curious. Is your cast iron skillet "scrambled egg" ready?

[momee]

I seem to have the most trouble keeping my skillet in prime condition.  I season it as best as I can from watching youtube, I use it, wash it out with only water and dry as best as my dish towel will allow. 

 

When I take it out to use again it looks awful and everything sticks.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't like futzing with cast iron.  I never quite figured it out either.  I thought you weren't really supposed to wash it out at all, but wipe it out.  But then where do I keep a greasy pan?  And what about strong tasting foods?

 

Yeah I just don't get the allure honestly. 

[Okra]

My cast iron is great with scrambled eggs, super easy. I wash with water and dry out with towel.  I don't know the difference, but maybe it's because it's really old?

[Sandragood1]

I just don't use it for frying eggs.

 

I keep a small nonstick pan for just for frying/scrambling eggs. I do consider nonstick to have risks from a health perspective but from what I understand low temperature cooking, like for eggs, is less so.

 

We keep our 4 cast iron pans in the oven when not in use. We don't bake much.

[JFSinIL]

I never do eggs in cast iron.

 

I cringe every time I see Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, use metal kitchen tools with her iron skillets - I was always told use wood to not scratch the seasoned surface.

 

I actually killed a cast iron dutch oven by using it over and over to make tomato sauce.  The acid in the tomatoes made the iron start to flake away :-(

[skimomma]

Yes, all of mine are scramble egg ready.  I have four pans, one very old, one medium-old, and two quite new and all have been fine.  I rinse my pans in very hot water and use a bamboo scraper to get anything stubborn off, then I dry the pan before storing.  Mine are stored hanging up near my stove.  

[shukriyya]

Maybe it's the size of your skillet. We have several sizes and one I use exclusively for scrambled eggs. It's small, not the smallest though I've used that, too, but maybe the next size up? I'm guessing it's between 4-6 inches. I use a lot of ghee in the pan and get it quite hot before adding the eggs. As long as I keep folding the eggs over and in etc and I remove them before they dry out they come out great.ðŸ³

[Desert Strawberry]

We have quite a few cast iron pans. We use them often. We wash them with soap. dry them with a towel, and hang them on the wall. They rarely need scrubbing. 

We use them for eggs, but I would never fry an egg without fat. Even in the most nonstick pan, that's just odd. D does it without a problem, though. 

[Desert Strawberry]

I know we have been all over this, but I just don't see how cast iron is a big deal. It's heavy. That's the only drawback I see. I need HUGE stockpots for the kind of cooking that I do. Sadly, a cast iron pot of that size would need a fork lift. For anything smaller, cast iron is wonderful. My cooking is SO much better in cast iron.

 

I don't pamper it at all. I just don't abuse it. 

[dirty ethel rackham]

Mine works great.  I use a light spray of oil before I cook my eggs (scrambled, omelet, fried over easy) and have no trouble with sticking provided that I wait until there is a thin layer that solidifies before disturbing it.  But even if I am not that careful, it cleans out really easily.   I <gasp> use soap and water on mine.  After I wash it, I dry it out with a towel, heat it up to be fully dry and then, if it looks a little dull, I lightly spray a little oil in there and wipe it out. 

[The Girls' Mom]

I have two smaller ones that I can fry eggs in and keep runny yolks intact.  I always use fat when cooking eggs.  (usually bacon grease).  My extra large cast iron skillet will stick every time.  But it is because I use it to cook everything, and the more acidic foods cook off that wonderful non-stick seasoning.  I just clean it and re-oil often. 

[Guest]

I can't use my cast iron for eggs. My dad, however, has beautiful cast iron. The bottom is black and as smooth as glass. I believe he oils it after every use.

[Serenade]

The one my husband uses is very old, like probably more than 50 years old. Maybe even 70 - 80 years old, as it belong to a great aunt of his. It is very well seasoned, and he has very little problem with stickage. He generally just wipes it out, and he'll add a little oil if necessary, but not on a regular basis, I don't think. If he does have something stuck on, I think he adds water and heats the water in the pan over the stove, and gently works the stickage off. I rarely use this skillet because it is just too heavy for me, but my boys use it, generally to make grilled cheese sandwiches.

[fairfarmhand]

The older they are the better. The older skillets have a slicker surface. My grandmother's cast iron pan is as slick as glass.

[The Girls' Mom]

The older they are the better. The older skillets have a slicker surface. My grandmother's cast iron pan is as slick as glass.

 

*nodding*

 

My best skillets are the ones that are older than dirt.  One was my grandmother's, my mother's and now mine.  The other one is a tiny one I found in a cabinet of a house we bought.  It was so old and well used!  

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Ditto the washing with no soap, towel drying and oiling before storing.   I have both older and newer cast iron and I have no problem cooking eggs in either.

 

I learned how to clean cast iron while at a boy scout training.  I was doing it wrong and was schooled by an older scoutmaster.  Since that time, I have had no problems and my cast iron looks beautiful.

 

I use cast for almost everything and have a growing collection.   Shopko has frequent 50% off sales and $10 off coupons and Lodge can be purchased for a bargain.

 

I hope you can find a method that allows you to enjoy cooking eggs on your cast.

[Pawz4me]

The older they are the better. The older skillets have a slicker surface. My grandmother's cast iron pan is as slick as glass.

 

 

*nodding*

 

My best skillets are the ones that are older than dirt.  One was my grandmother's, my mother's and now mine.  The other one is a tiny one I found in a cabinet of a house we bought.  It was so old and well used!  

 

 

Yep.  I have a few cast iron pieces that belonged to my great grandmother.  I'm pretty sure you could cook anything in them with no sticking.

 

Sadly, DH has hemochromatosis (iron overload) and his doctor says not to use cast iron cookware. :(

[HRAAB]

If you oil every time you use it, what kind of oil are you using?

 

I have several, a couple belonged to my dad. One is used almost daily for eggs, and it never sticks, but I like my eggs fried in butter.

[dirty ethel rackham]

When I am just "freshening up" after a good scrubbing, I just use a spray canola oil after I have heated it up to dry.  When I am reseasoning it, I use coconut oil. 

[Matryoshka]

I have absolutely no idea why my cast-iron pan is so nice and non-stick and seasoned, because I do everything 'wrong'.  True, sometimes it stays so clean (like if I'm just making grilled-cheese sandwiches) that I just wipe it down with a paper towel before re-use.  But if I've made dinner in there, I sometimes - and that means sometimes more than once a week - soak it, even with soapy water.  It doesn't rust.  The seasoning does not come off.  After a bit of a soak, food just comes right off without much scrubbing at all, and it's nice again.  If it's a bit stubborn I might use a scratchy sponge - even that doesn't seem to kill it.  I don't re-oil it before storing, although I do usually put oil in it and let it get nice and hot before putting stuff in it when I'm cooking (well, except for the aforementioned grilled cheese)..

 

So... I'm not sure why it stays so nice and seasoned!   Maybe I just use the thing so often?

[mamaraby]

I don't eat eggs so I haven't tried, but I doubt mine would pass muster. I always mean to do the ATK/flax oil seasoning thing, but I just haven't gotten around to it.

[justamouse]

I seem to have the most trouble keeping my skillet in prime condition.  I season it as best as I can from watching youtube, I use it, wash it out with only water and dry as best as my dish towel will allow. 

 

When I take it out to use again it looks awful and everything sticks.

 

You can't dish towel dry it, you have to set it on a burner and heat it up so that ALL of the water and moisture is out of it. 

[justamouse]

Like Dirty Ethel said, give it a swirl of coconut oil after heat drying until it's perfectly seasoned. 

[The Girls' Mom]

Also, I use salt and a dry rag to scrub it when it needs scrubbing.  If something is REALLY stuck on, I will let it sit in cool water for a few minutes, then scrub with salt.  

 

I oil it with bacon grease about half the time.  Sometimes shortening, sometimes coconut oil.  It really just depends on what is sitting on the counter.  I chuck them in the oven a lot just to get them off the stove, and will preheat the oven with them still in there.  

[nrg]

I have a tiny, number 4, cast iron skillet which we use for individual egg servings. On Thanksgiving our son made omelettes to order with it, flipping the omelettes easily. This pan is very old, dating from the 1940's, and well-seasoned. I use cast iron exclusively. Just keep everything seasoned and clean up is super simple.

[Reefgazer]

For those of you with rockin' cast iron, what oil do you use on yours?

[Desert Strawberry]

For those of you with rockin' cast iron, what oil do you use on yours?

Coconut or olive, just because that's what I keep in the house. 

[Spy Car]

The best oil for the initial seasoning sessions is flax seed oil.

 

Flax seed oil is a terrible oil to "cook" with due to the low smoke point and its nature of polymerizing to pans when heated. But this polymerized layer makes for a great seasoning.

 

The coats of oil should be really (really) light. Several sessions are far preferable to trying to do a thick layer (you will just get gunk). Also apply the oil with lint-free cotton (not paper towel) to avoid baking in lint.

 

I do not like flax seed oil smoke, and season outdoors. 

 

After the cast iron is seasoned with flax seed oil, one barely needs to do maintenance. I'll sometimes wipe with a little olive or coconut oil is the pan is looking dry. I don't use flax seed oil to maintain.

 

Eggs in cast-iron turn out much better if one lets the pan get up to heat (dry) first. Cast iron is a great distributor of heat (over time) given its thickness, but a poor conductor. Eggs in a cold pan will stick. Best to add the butter or oil to a pre-warmed pan just prior to the eggs. Doing this in a well seasoned pan will solve the problem.

 

Bill

[Mbelle]

I have several.  One is just for cornbread, and I don't wash it very often.  Another one my husband uses for cobblers.  I got two from my grandmother and they are a bit of a mess.  I somehow need to clean them and I would love to use one for eggs.

[LizzyBee]

I seem to have the most trouble keeping my skillet in prime condition.  I season it as best as I can from watching youtube, I use it, wash it out with only water and dry as best as my dish towel will allow. 

 

When I take it out to use again it looks awful and everything sticks.

 

I do it all wrong, but it works. I wash my cast iron skillets with soapy dishwater, rinse well, dry the bottom and put it on a hot burner to dry. Then before it completely cools off, I use a paper towel to season it with crisco. I just threw out the rest of our crisco because it was old, so I'll try coconut oil next time. Just don't do what my sister did - put the skillet on the stove and forget about it. It turns out they will break. :-)

[Tsuga]

No.

 

We use too much acid in cooking, is our problem. Pepper in everything. We need to stop using the skillet for that but constantly forget. We re-oil, blah blah blah but just strip it every so often on accident.

[Dory]

I always melt butter in the skillet before I do eggs. Never had a problem.

 

I wash with no soap but NEVER towel dry. Just set it on a warm burner to dry fully and then wipe it with oil and hang it up.

 

I never do eggs in cast iron.

 

I cringe every time I see Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, use metal kitchen tools with her iron skillets - I was always told use wood to not scratch the seasoned surface.

 

I actually killed a cast iron dutch oven by using it over and over to make tomato sauce.  The acid in the tomatoes made the iron start to flake away :-(

 

Maybe you could just count that as putting a little extra iron in the diet. lol