Attempted to season my new cast iron pan and was left with a ring

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Is my pan ruined? I coated it evenly with vegetable oil, put it on low to medium heat, came back after about 20 and the centre where the now circle is was dry and the oil was around the dry circle. I cleaned it under hot water, gently scrubbed, the hard crumby circle away and it went down to what you see now. I reseasoned it and put it in the oven upside down but nothing changed. Help!

cast-iron

Best Answer

From the look of that, I'd say there's two possibilities.

your burner is too small, and is heating the pan in the middle only, producing the ring. The solution for this is to heat it in the oven as explained in this answer.
as Tetsujin suggests, you may be using too much oil and it's pooling in the middle and burning.

In either case, your next step is to scrub the pan to get the burned and uneven oil off. I suggest using coarse salt with a little vegetable oil as a scrubbing mix; I get my pans smooth this way. Then restart your seasoning.

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Quick Answer about "Attempted to season my new cast iron pan and was left with a ring"

your burner is too small, and is heating the pan in the middle only, producing the ring. The solution for this is to heat it in the oven as explained in this answer.

as Tetsujin suggests, you may be using too much oil and it's pooling in the middle and burning.

How do I know if I ruined my cast iron pan?

If a crack appears in your cast iron pan, it's time to ditch it. Even a hairline crack will expand and contract when heated and cooled, and ultimately the pan will split\u2014a potentially dangerous situation if it happens during cooking! Plus, cracks are difficult to clean and may harbor bacteria and rust.

What is the ring on the bottom of a cast iron skillet?

The ring on the base of the cast-iron skillets \u2014 which is sometimes called a \u201cheat ring\u201d or \u201csmoke ring\u201d \u2014 allowed the skillet to slot into the eye and lift it slightly out of the flame.

Can you permanently damage cast iron skillet?

Cast-iron pans should be treated with care since there is a chance that you could damage them permanently if you don't take the right precautions.

Why is My Cast Iron Sticky? And How to Fix It!

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Images: Pixabay, Milan, Laura James, Mikhail Nilov