Scrubbed cast iron down to silver-- black gunk still won't come off!
I recently browned pork in my Lodge cast-iron skillet, and it left black, burnt spots over the pan (along with a few other places that arose from cooking over time). I boiled water in it in hopes it would lift it up, but it didn't. I scrubbed the spots down to silver (which I think is the exposed cast iron, where it was once black), but the black gunk is still there with the silver exposed around it. I can scrub it down to silver and it still won't lift. Help!
The black gunk feels smooth, and if I am able to scrape some away it's sooty. What can I do to get rid of this layer of gunk and get my cast iron back to normal? I don't want to re-season the whole thing with the gunk still on, and I need to use my pan again tonight for a big dinner with guest! I don't want to cause any more damage to it and am afraid to continue cooking in it!
Thanks so much!
24 Comments
1. Never use power tools or extreme heat to strip your cast iron. It destroys all monetary value of collectable pieces. Using wire wheels or sanders may make the surface too smooth for seasoning to stick. Burn off techniques may warp or crack your cast iron. Especially older, thinner, pieces.
2. Olive oil is not a quality oil for seasoning. It has a very low smoke point and will burn off easily. It also goes rancid easily.
3. Scrubbing with steel wool, brillo pads, or green scratch pads is fine. If you get down to silver metal, just reason.
4. Lye tanks and Electrolysis are the recommended methods to strip cast Iron.
"Cast Iron Cookware" on YouTube has some really solid care and seasoning videos. His cooking videos are awful. But he definitely knows how to care for cast iron.
This is Laura and I work for Lodge! I'd recommend that you use something very abrasive like steel wool to scrub the black bits completely off, then re-season your skillet. And since you'll be re-seasoning, go to town on that soap if you have to! Here's a quick video showing how to do that: https://youtu.be/Gg6S6vWyPH8
With cast iron, very high heat can cause things to stick, especially if there's little or no oil in the pan and especially if the ingredients are cold. Cast iron retains more heat than other pans, so medium/high heat is plenty high to sear meat, and veggies usually require low or medium/low heat. Here's another quick film on searing steak: https://youtu.be/7QmCVjSoY_w
Hope this helps!
-Laura
https://food52.com/blog/3547-how-to-season-cast-iron
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