Having difficulties seasoning my new cast iron pan due to the coarseness of the texture. Please help!

Having difficulties seasoning my new cast iron pan due to the coarseness of the texture. Please help! - Tasty sausages in frying pan on table

I just bought a new cast iron casserole pan that is only enameled on the outside. I tried seasoning it earlier today by pouring a tablespoon of flax seed oil on the inside and spreading it around with a paper towel. Sadly, I realized shortly after that the texture on the inside of the pan is quite coarse and it causes the paper towel to "shred" leaving very little pieces of paper behind everywhere around the pan. These pieces are obviously instantly soaked in oil and become quite hard to remove. It's almost impossible to do a good job at covering the whole pan in the oil because of this. Something similar happens when I use a kitchen towel, except rather than leaving pieces of paper behind, the coarse texture of the pan causes little "hairs" from the fabric of the towel to be left behind on every wipe.

I imagine I don't have to sand down a brand new pan just to get it to a point where I can season it properly, right? It's my first cast iron pan so any help is appreciated.



Best Answer

We have many comments, but I'm going to throw this in as an answer…

Your issue is lint, on a rough surface, so use something that is categorically lint-free.

A sponge. Any type.
A Moppet, the yellow side of a pan-scrub, anything.

It won't absorb quite so well as a cotton or paper towel & squeezing it out to mop the last bit might be a bit of a task, but it won't shed fluff all over the surface.




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How do you fix improperly seasoned cast iron?

Splotchy, patchy, or uneven cast iron is caused by using too much oil during the seasoning process. To fix it, scour the pan with steel wool to remove old seasoning. Wash and dry the pan. Apply a thin layer of oil, wipe the pan down with a towel, and heat it in the oven at 500 degrees for an hour.

Why is my new cast iron so rough?

The entire concept of seasoning cast iron, which acts as a leveling agent so the proteins won't adhere to the pan, was a result of home cooks trying to fill in this new, rougher surface. The roughness that you feel on much modern cast iron is sand, which used to be removed during the cast iron production process.

What does a poorly seasoned cast iron look like?

A well-seasoned cast iron pan should be dark black, shiny, and smooth to the touch. Unseasoned cast iron has a rough look and feel until it is properly seasoned. Here are some sure signs of damage and misuse: It's covered in rust.

How do you smooth a new cast iron skillet?

If you want an even smoother result, move up to a higher grit sandpaper and lightly sand the surface. Wash the pan with soap to remove any dust or iron debris and dry thoroughly. Your pan's seasoning has been completely removed from this process. Season thoroughly like you would a brand new pan.



How To Clean \u0026 Season Cast Iron Pans Part 2




More answers regarding having difficulties seasoning my new cast iron pan due to the coarseness of the texture. Please help!

Answer 2

You can buy lint free rags at many stores, that should fix the problem. In the mean time, you can use an old shirt (still very small amounts of lint but I find it so little it doesn't matter). And yes, someone mentioned it, make sure you wipe out all excess oil before putting in the oven or you could find the seasoning chipping after time goes by. Slow and steady wins this race.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Milan, Mikhail Nilov, Teona Swift, Ryutaro Tsukata