Once had a man who'd been head of a sommeliers guild tell me that the best way to choose a wine was 'try some and see what you like, as the "ONLY this vineyard from THIS district" and so forth was bullshit.
Odd. I've been told you shouldn't season it that hot. The recipe I heard was to put it upside down over a cookie sheet, for an hour at 250, then wipe it with a soapy sponge, rinse, dry, and put away.
I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek, so I just popped something off from memory. I haven't had to season a cast iron skillet in years (as it should be if you clean them properly)...so I looked it up in my notes (passed down from my mother along with family recipes, canning tips and other kitchen tidbits she learned over the years).
Turns out you're partially correct...450 is too high, but 250 is too low for bacon grease/lard. The object is to get the lard to its smoke point, which should be about 375.
You want it hot enough to smoke a bit, but not hot enough to billow smoke (or catch fire).
By the way...turn your vent fan on.
Oh...and the upside down thing is correct too. Not vital, but helps to keep the lard from pooling in spots.
11 comments:
The last one, that's worth killing over in The South.
And the answer is bacon grease. Only. Poo on vegetable oils. BACON!!!
a) Mobil 1 20W-50
b) Lucas Extreme Duty Gun Oil
c) Strained bacon grease or lard in a 450 degree oven.
You're welcome.
Don’t forget Dino vs synthetic. Always bound to start an argument.
My guns and cast iron still work so I must be doing something right. 😉
Ed
My answer on all of them is the same as the Whiskey Tribe on the best way to have whiskey:
The best way to have whiskey is to have the whiskey that you like the way you like to have it.
Once had a man who'd been head of a sommeliers guild tell me that the best way to choose a wine was 'try some and see what you like, as the "ONLY this vineyard from THIS district" and so forth was bullshit.
Odd. I've been told you shouldn't season it that hot. The recipe I heard was to put it upside down over a cookie sheet, for an hour at 250, then wipe it with a soapy sponge, rinse, dry, and put away.
I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek, so I just popped something off from memory. I haven't had to season a cast iron skillet in years (as it should be if you clean them properly)...so I looked it up in my notes (passed down from my mother along with family recipes, canning tips and other kitchen tidbits she learned over the years).
Turns out you're partially correct...450 is too high, but 250 is too low for bacon grease/lard. The object is to get the lard to its smoke point, which should be about 375.
You want it hot enough to smoke a bit, but not hot enough to billow smoke (or catch fire).
By the way...turn your vent fan on.
Oh...and the upside down thing is correct too. Not vital, but helps to keep the lard from pooling in spots.
Oh, and I never use soap on cast iron. Water only. I use a plastic scraper to scrape the stuck-on bits off if necessary but no soap.
How long should I leave my cast iron skillet in the dishwasher?
At least two cycles! 🤣🤣
Lard, yes. But bacon grease contains salt - do you really want to bake that into your iron skillet?
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