How to Cook an Egg in a New Cast Iron Skillet Without It Sticking 

Cast Iron FACTS and MYTHS Everyone Should Know ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DmhMEjabWZg.html

I've got my great grandmother's cast iron that been seasoned with bacon fat since day one.. The bottom is smooth as glass and nothing sticks.. People have offered to buy my pans and I tell them they don't have enough money to buy those pans!! Over 120 years of love and family history is in those pans.

When my son was in his mid to early twenties (about two years after he left home) I gave him his inheritance early: my lodge cast iron cookware (most of it). After teaching him the Ten Commandments of cooking in cast iron he quickly learn to love the pans as much as I do. He really got hooked when he cooked his first steak on his own and now preaches the gospel of cooking in cast iron to anyone who will listen, lol.

"The only time to be afraid of a cast iron skillet is when your wife is holding it over your head."

One thing that gets a lot of people about cast iron is their not patient with it at first. Cast iron cookware will get better the more you use it unlike all other non-stick cookware that gets worse the more you use it.

I have been using cast iron for around 30 years. I have seasoned many pans from new without any pre-seasoning on them and even brought a few old ones back from being totally rusted. I don't know why so many people try to scare others into not using cast iron. It is one of the best things to cook with. It really doesn't take that much to season a cast iron pan. I pretty much just use Crisco shortening. I have seasoned cast iron over a bed of hardwood coals and in the oven. As long as you put the oil on in thin layers and wipe off the excess there is no problem. A lot of people leave too much oil on their cast iron when seasoning it. I just use a paper towel to rub the oil on and it works fine. I also use metal and bamboo utensils in my cast iron without any problems. I do not like to use plastic utensils with my cast iron. Some things need to be cooked at a higher temperature and plastic utensils can start to melt. A nice thick steak is one of the finest things you will ever eat when cooked in a cast iron skillet. I like to melt pats of butter over mine and keep spooning the melted butter over the steak as you cook it. The steak will come out with a beautiful crust and be one of the most tender steaks that you have ever eaten.

I have lodge and I removed the preseason with sand papers of successive finer grits (50, 150, 250, 500, 800, 1000, 5000). After the surface appeared to shine from the finest grit, I washed it, dried, and seasoned it with Flax seed oil. You have to use an oil that has a lower smoke point so that it easily burns. After the oil burns, it transforms into a nonstick coating that has a higher temperature resistance. If you use high smoke point oils such as avocado, you need to heat your skillet to a considerable temperature before you could get the oil to burn. Heat the flaxseed oil to as high a temperature as possible. I suggest you do it outdoors because the flaxseed will catch fire. Let the fire burn all of the oil. Once the fire is out, you are left with a strong patina. The layer could be very thick. While still hot, scrape the surface with a straight spatula to level off the patina. Spread some of it on the sides. Take caution because it is very hot. Once the pan cools down, you are left with an almost indestructible patina that you could use detergent on. A good patina will not come off even if you use detergent. Just don't use anything that could scratch it much like what you would do to a teflon non-stick pan. People who don't use soap on their pans because they believe the soap will ruin the patina, are not only fools but also disgusting. If your patina does come off when you use soap, it's not a good seasoning.

My granny was actually going to TOSS her grandmother's big collection of iron, (dating from about 1870 to 1885 ) .. lucky for me, she asked me to haul them to the Salvation Army store, to donate. "Umm, may I have them?" ..."Well, sure, but why would anyone want such heavy old junk?" ... I love 'em, even the enormous kettle with its impossible-to-season interior - I use that as a winter-long humidity source, slowly steaming over a low fire

I remember my grandmother always kept her cast iron items lightly covered in vegetable shortening, they ALWAYS looked nice + new, 50 years later they still work the same, an egg will slip with ease, pork chops from them are divine, season your cast iron items on your grill, grandmother would approve of this and ALWAYS fry BACON in your cast iron items!!Carl Avon Park FL

cowboy Kent Rollins on youtube. A chuck wagon cook forever and a cast iron genius.

I always understood from my grandparents and great-grandfather that to season properly, you want to bake the pan at higher than the smoke point of the oil for the hour, then turn the oven off and let it cool in the oven as it cooled. Then you were ready to either cook early, or do it again several more times to get best results. I have pans from a 3" up to this mega one I have to get my hubby to lift for me with the drip lid. My favorite pans ever!

I know we’re talking about seasoning the cast iron, but how could you forget to season the eggs?

My camping pans are Lodges. Soon as I got them I did season them three times using grapeseed oil and I've no problems cooking with them. My pans for home are mostly antique, those one actually work better because they're smooth.

After being raised eating food in a cast iron skillet I can tell you that it is no big deal to use a cast iron skillet. I recently purchased a new 10.5" skillet, and two cast iron 12" dutch ovens for cooking indoor and outdoors. I got tired of the non stick steel cookware having the material coming off into the food and having to be thrown out in two years or less and having to be replaced. I already have one skillet which my grandmother, and mother used during their lifetime, and love it so much.

I've been using a Wagner set of three 4 almost 30 years. The set was 12 dollar at the time. I am keeping them for display now. Now I am using lodge 4 the past 2 years and have the 6, 8, 10, and 12 inch cast iron pans along with a lodge 12 inch carbon steel pan. Very rarely use my all clad stainless. Love them.

I've used Cast Iron cookware for over 50 yrs. (53 to be exact). Cast Iron is thee very best cookware to use! I was going to say: ahh, crackin the egg, in the pan, gives you eggshell pieces w/ your eggs. You can use the handle to crack the eggs, and you wont get the shell, w/ your egg. Lodge is phenomenal cookware. My husband and I ate at the Cracker Barrel often. (He's passed away now) And, I, shopped in the store. Nowdays, I have an HCA, and when a new lady comes, I always ask if she knows how to care for, cook with Cast Iron?... If she does not know, she is not allowed to touch my Cast Iron. Period! If she stays for some time, I teach her how to use Cast Iron cookware. I always season my pans, no matter what. I use Canola oil for seasoning. Sometimes, Crisco. I cook w/ EVOO. My pans, Dutch oven, skillet, and grill pan, are shiny black, slick looking, and Completely Non-stick ❤ I am one happy grandma ❤ , with my Cast Iron. Lodge, is especially well made cast iron. All my Lodge cookware except 1, I got at Cracker Barrel Store. Happy cooking n Good eating, y'all 🎉

I fry 2 eggs every morning in a 6 and a half inch Lodge cast iron frying pan. I use olive oil and butter and the eggs will slide around in the pan. The more you do it the easier it is. My pan is 10 or 12 years old. But I can put years of seasoning on a cast iron pan by doing it outside on a portable inductive burner like a NUWAVE burner in 15 minutes.

22 year old avid cast iron user here. I inherited my first lodge 8 inch skillet at 18 and I’ve used it just about everyday since I got it. The inside is pretty smooth just from cooking with it. No sanding needed. Lol

I bought my last "non-stick" skillet 6 months ago, and it's already a piece of junk after using it nearly daily. I've got 7 kids, so it saw a lot of use. I finally broke down and bought a cast iron dutch oven from Lodge to use at my skillet, because I make so much in a single serving. It didn't do eggs quite as nicely as yours at first, but 5 days in and I made up an entire egg breakfast for the kids with no stick. Wish I had gone with cast iron years ago.

OMG! So **THATS** what a clean oven looks like!😲

I agree with you, there is really no problem to using, cooking in, or cleaning cast iron skillets. It's only a matter of 'learning how to'. I have 5 of them, 3 of them I've been using for well OVER 50 years, and they were 'used' when I got them from my parents, and they're still better than new. Far too many people think you must go to all kinds of crazy extremes to season, care for, and use them. Not so, they're just wasting their time and effort, I think they're watching too many 'how to' RU-vid videos! :)

I just got a 13" lodge about three months ago. I've seasoned it three times. This just motivated me to actually use it now 😂

The reason the newer pans like Lodge have a rougher surface is so it's easier to season them at the factory. Older pans had a smoother finish, so this is where the long time to season part comes from. The smoother finish will eventually have a better non-stick surface but will take more time. A lot of people buy Lodge now because it's cheap and then sand down the surface. I did this to mine and it's far better.

For as long as I can recall, my Grandmother and Mother seasoned their cast iron fry pans so quick and easy, it was something that I took for granted! Folks work way too hard in this "seasoning" business, it's very simple and here is how its done where I come from.... Place the clean and unseasoned or washed and dryed cast iron fry pan on a large burner on your stove. Turn the burner to high. When the pan starts to smoke, pore in or place in a dollop of Crisco vegetable oil, remove pan from burner and turn the burner off. Use a folded paper towel to mop the oil around the bottom and sides of the pan. and set aside to cool. The next time you use your fry pan, eggs will not stick. I have used this method for nearly 50 years and its quick, easy and very, very effective. You can't screw it up! We always use a good vegetable oil and I have never found any reason to change to any of the new "high temp" oils. See if this method is as easy and effective as I say it is and you will be glad that you did if you are having issues with seasoning your cast iron....

I recently purchased Lodge Cast Iron set and it is just amazing. I use everyday to cook various dishes. Me and my family absolutely love it!

After reading about the negatives of nonstick pans, I carefully seasoned my Lodge pan, and made home fries in it. Loved the way the potatoes slid around without sticking. My next experiment was making refried beans. They actually stuck LESS than with the nonstick pan. They washed off right away. Love it.

Great demo! You have inspired me to invest in some cast iron, thank you!

With the avocado oil, you needed to heat the pan up to 550 in the oven because when seasoning a pan, you have to go above the smoking point. Avocado oil smoking point is 520, so heat your oven up to 550 for an hour and then leave it in the oven to cool for several hours. Works great.

That oven is spotless 😁

Great video and great points about the difficulty of cast iron. I had no idea Lodge did such a good job on their pans. I bought a Finex and it basically arrived "bare metal" and it cost about 12 times more than a Lodge. Of course we do all know that you have to heat the oil "above" the smoking point, because that's how you get the black seasoning. You need to destroy the oil, called polymerization. You can't do this below the smoke point. You have to use at least 400F. But 450F or 500F is better.

That breakfast looks great! Just received my first cast iron skillets this Christmas. This vid was very helpful. Thank you.

I took the factory seasoning off of my Lodge with a 60 grit orbital sander and re-seasoned it with Avocado oil for 3x1 hour seasonings at 375. The result is MARKEDLY BETTER than the factory finish. After a couple of weeks of daily bacon and steak (go carnivore diet!) the pan is amazing and cleans up faster than ever. There is a real benefit to taking down the rough factory seasoning and starting fresh.

Bought a 9 inch Lodge cast iron skillet today. Heated my oven to 450°. oiled my entire pan lightly with EVOO.put it in the oven for 45 minutes. Let it cool down completely.put it on the heat,added a pat of butter and crack an egg in. It fried perfectly and didn't stick at all. And I hear it only (with proper care) gets better from there.by the way,the egg smelled better while cooking and tasted better too.

The one that works best for me is just good old lard. I get the best results with that. People plop an egg into the pan and then try to flip it and make a mess, and blame the pan. But they don't let the pan do its thing. First it's going to grab the food, then sear it, then it will let go. At this point you can move out around.

I have two Wagners I use all the time, love em. You are the first and only to convince me to purchase and experiment with a Lodge. Keep it up, Good show.👍

I am so happy I found your Channel. Thank you ! My Lodge cast iron pan will be delivered today, and I was dreading spending hours seasoning it. I‘ll go with the first method you used on the small pan, and I guess in time, my pan will improve with use.

Low heat and adequate fat layer is key. The pebbling makes sense, although most people hate it, because it’s simply a matter of surface area. Race cars use slick tires because they want to maximize traction. Same applies to cast iron, more surface contact between your food and the pan equals more sticking.

I like your video. Answers a lot of questions for us “non” cast iron users.

All I use is Cast Iron for the last 15 years. I find mine at yard sales. I had a few that where so rusty I had to sand it all down. All mine are non stick at this point. Very easy to take care of. The rusty yard sale one's after sanding I oil and put on my gas grill for a few hours on low and applying oil every 15 min or so till you get a deep rich black. it is the only way to cook. You need to get a cast iron POT and use it to cook bread's or stew we use are pot a lot.

I’m glad you did this video. So many people on RU-vid are just repeating negative comments they’ve heard without ever trying it themselves. Good job.

So impressed! Just got a Lodge cast iron at a flea market. Seasoned it, and now checking videos to see if I’ve done everything right before cooking…. Thank you.. Looking forward to giving it a go….

The best part is that pan is gonna last . Don’t have to buy any other ones

Lodge also makes scrapers and handle covers you might like. The more you use your cast iron, the more you'll love it.

In the 40's, the only thing one had to cook with was an iron skillet and some iron kettles. We seasoned them with lard but didn't bake it like that. We put the lard in the pan and set it on the coal burning cook stove and let it sit there for a long time (don't remember how long), then took part of a feed sack and wiped it clean. They were rarely washed but really didn't need to be. There was no running water inside so a good wipe with whatever was handy did the job. They might be heavy but they are the best thing on the market. I use a 8" Lodge skillet to cook my steaks and they come out incredible. I put a little bit of oil in the pan along with a dollop of butter and heat over medium heat for 7-8 minutes. Toss my steak in and quickly cover with a screen. Let the steak cook 3 minutes on each side and that's it! If there is only one of you, this is a great way to fix a steak! lodge is the best brand!

I like lodge, for the price, the only thing is they're rough in the bottom, i sand that down with a da sander and reseason the pans those oils you mentioned are ok for seasoning but are trouble in the long run.. but there's nothing wrong with animal fats for seasoning. Lard though not crisco. Lodge pans are pre seasoned. Hint if you put butter or bacon grease, and wait until the pan is good and hot then leave the egg alone it won't stick. The trick is the egg never touches the pan it cooks on top of the oil...I always use butter or bacon grease on a seasoned pan. My pans never need re seasoning. I don't abuse them and I hardly ever wash i mean almost never I just wipe them out. If I do wash them I heat them up reoil with bacon grease 90% of the time then put them up. I only cook sausage, bacon, eggs, omelets, corn bread and seldom chicken or ham in my pans. I don't use olive- canola, flaxseed. Veggie, crisco, corn oil, because they have no flavor, and leave a sticky residue in the pan. Only butter or bacon grease add any real flavor to food. But that's just me. My grandma had a frying pan 50 years I never seen her wash it and she cooked on a wood cook stove. Using lard, bacon grease and butter. I watched her carefully, because she knew what she was doing. If I could see her today I'd hold her hand kiss her cheek and tell her how much I love her and what she means to me. I'd do the same for my grampa. Cast iron frying pans is what I have to remember my grand parents that and an old buck eye shotgun. And thousands of great memories.

Pro tip... Take a bit of FINE sandpaper, and sand the “Pre-Season” til the inside is smooth, but don’t take it down to bare metal. A few specks of metal showing is fine, just wanna get it smooth. Wash it with soap and water, then bake it with their directions. (Upside down, 350 degrees) Use a Lint Free rag and coat it with flaxseed oil to pre season. It’ll give you a nice layer that’ll keep your food off the nasty polymers they use to treat their pans...

You left it long enough to separate from the surface. That’s half the issue when people use Cast Iron. Too hot too quick. Low and slow wins the gold.

I have no knowledge of cast iron skillets, though I've been using my ol' hand me down for the last 10 years, just retired it recently, and as of today I bought me a Lodge Cast Iron at Target for $20.49, certainly a price most can afford, as opposed to the over priced alternatives offered by greedy corporations. First thing I did, was bought some tortillas, eggs, and hot sauce, peeled the label off, washed it, dried it, then heated my tortillas, after which I added olive oil and cooked my scrambled eggs, didn't stick at all, unlike my previous pan. Well worth the buy in my opinion.

Thanks for the info! I just bought a medium size Lodge pan yesterday and didn't know this. I'm gonna have to go check out their website now.

I use grapeseed oil for high heat cooking. It is the healthiest oil you can get, but it's expensive. It is actually healthier than olive oil is. It has a high 450 degree flash point so it's good for hot stir frying.

I took your advice on a new Lodge chef skillet and I'm convinced that sanding isn't necessary. Made an omelet with some lambs quarter and not a single spec of egg stayed in the pan. To say I'm impressed is an understatement. Previously I had sanded two other Lodges to improve the finish. I can't say I'm disappointed with those two because they are great but your advice had me intrigued and had to give it a shot. Thanks for the video.

Awesome video. Loved seeing your process. Thanks for sharing and talking us through!

I got myself a little 3-foot pot (Poitjie)- poykee, last year. Seasoned it six times over a fire, then made popcorn. One of my most happy moments. Turned out so well, that I'm now using my mom's cast iron cookware with confidence.

I have a cabinet of TEFLON NON STICK pots and pans and I have aluminum pans -- last year I purchased a LODGE Cast Iron 13 inch -- then an 8 then a Ribbed Grilling pan then 6 - 6 inch pans for individual pies and then 4 fajita skillits -- I LOVE THEN ALL AND NEVER USE THE OTHER POTS AND PANS ANY MORE

Cast iron pans are great!!! Properly seasoned and maintained they last well beyond a lifetime. Everything cook in them tastes great!!! One safety tip: NEVER crack and egg INSIDE the pan. Always use the edge of the pan, or bowl or whatever receptacle you will place the egg into. (You'll avoid getting the shell in your food that way)

Considering the pioneer folks only had animal lard (no exotic oils back then,) my guess it it's fine for use today. Thanks 4 the demo. My first egg try totally stuck on tiny skillet so I banished it 2 the pantry. I will try ur method. Tyfs.

I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless. THANK YOU for this video does not satisfy how I feel!

I restored, seasoned an old antique cast iron pan yesterday. I cooked 2 eggs. They did not stick. Making that non stick coat took me about an hour.

Fry an egg? One word for ya, BUTTER! Nice vid!

I have had nothing but bad luck with iron skillets. I've tried them over decades and have never gotten them properly seasoned. Until I tried Lodge's latest pre-seasoned pans. I bought three different sizes and they all have been a miracle. They restored my faith in iron pans. Thank you, Lodge! I'll never use anything else.

I will also testify to the fact that with cast iron the non-stick gets better and better with use. With my Lodge and also my Stansport after around 5 uses they’ve become like Teflon. However my Lodge skillet / frying pan is my better pan. Love Lodge!! I’m buying a Lodge griddle next week. 😬

I just happened to buy a small one over the weekend. I like the cast iron because you can go from the stove to the oven. I used to make a frittata or if you want to finish cooking fish or brown something. Anyway, thanks for the demonstration, I was skeptical that the pan said already seasoned and ready to use.

I have for the most part used Lodge.Which is my favorite. I have always been able to cook eggs.The key to always cook in your cast iron is to always heat 1st.Lodge always comes pre seasoned....all I have ever done with (new) is to start out by cooking Bacon in it.If you cook anything acitdy like Tomatoes, Fish with Lemon etc.is when I do then I do Re/Season process, or if I have not use the pacific pan in a while. Happy Iron Cooking....

WTF????? I'm totally shocked and impressed. i've been using cast iron skillets for decades and have prefect seasonings and have not been able to cook an egg that cleanly. i''m blown away by this video.

Just got one for our family and we cant wait to get cooking! Thank you

Even old Lodge Cast Iron pans that have been re-seasoned many times, are still good pans to cook in. I have a ten inch and an eight inch, both very old (over 20 years), and I have re-seasoned them at least six times each year. I don't heat my pans as hot during seasoning as we see here. 350 F is really hotter than is needed in my experience. I do 275 F for up to 2 hours, and then turn off the oven and allow it to cool in the oven. Seasoning the outside? Well I only do that if it is absolutely needed. One does not cook on the outside of a pan, so seasoning that part is not as necessary as the inside. Once a year or so is good enough. Once you have cooked a good many meals in one, your pan should be even smother on the inside bottom. Season it when needed, and after each time cooking in it, wipe the excess oil out, and try not to need to wash it. Water and Iron allowed to sit will begin to react as the pan cools, and then you'll be stuck with a bigger cleaning job and a two to three coat seasoning job. If you do need to wash one, dry it as soon as you get done washing it, and put it on low heat to get any moisture out of the pores of the pan. Then while it is hot, rub some oil of your choice into it, and put it in your oven on whatever heat works for you. Up side down works well, but I usually just do right side up. bake for whatever time you find effective. I find the two hour time to be best on 275 F, as it allows to seasoning to harden better. Two to three coats will add extra protection to your pan If you care for your cast iron pans actively, you will be cooking great meals in them for a lifetime, and longer.

Yes, these Lodge skillets are REALLY pre-seasoned and you can cook immediately without doing anything extra- the factory seasoning works perfect. Never had a problem with any Lodge skillet using it only after a light scrubbing like was shown on this video. No point in doing any more seasining.

Got a new lodge baked biscuits, then cooked bacon, drained most of the grease to use on next pan of biscuits, or corn bread, poured two eggs into hot skillet. I like my eggs, over medium, with brown crust, but not scorched. Slide out eggs onto plate, cover with grits, pull biscuits apart, put in bacon slices.

Avocado oil wouldn't be my go-to for seasoning; its smoke point is around 520F, which is higher than most consumer ovens can really reach. You need to go over the smoke point to get the oil to polymerize, which is where the 'seasoning' comes from. Great for frying, bad for seasoning. Flaxseed oil is a much better option from my experience; it has a relatively low smoke point, and is a drying oil which only helps the process along and develops a tougher seasoning than most other options like crisco or lard.

Wow is right! Thank you for this demo. I received a new Lodge 13 1/2 “ skillet for Christmas and these are the exact questions I had.

My grandma used 2 pans and one pot…..she kept one on the stove top, just for frying. I now only use cast iron pans, as do my 2 daughters. They are so easy to use and clean, they last a life time and then some.

Am currently going through my own new Cast Iron pan break-in. I was not so lucky as you as there was sticking. However, I used only a very thin coating of oil - wiped to a simple coating. Also, I only pre-warmed for a minute or two and then at a very low heat (a habit from using non-stick pans.) Tomorrow I will pre-heat longer and at a higher temp and see how that works.

Light olive oil actually has a really high smoke point, around 465f. It's extra virgin olive oil that has a low smoke point, and you don't want to use that for applications with much heat anyways, since it destroys the flavors you got evoo for anyways.

My great granny used lard (the only thing they had back then) to season and cook with …… like 6 decades ago and her old CI ………. still good as new

WOW thanks! Ive had a new pan for a month - but holding off/procrastinating until I season it. I'm gonna use to tomorrow!!!

The non stick effect lives and dies with traces and residues of oil, fat, soot, fixed in a matrix of iron oxide. Heating the iron fastens the process of controlled producing a more or less even nanometer layer of this amorphous iron oxide. The oil or fat penetrates the thin layer of oxides and later prevents the adhesion of foodstuff. Using unsaturated (lineseed, vergine olive, etc.) results in a more oxidative curing and more water resistant layer, animal fat or coconut oil does not polymerize. The more you use the pan the more the "adhesion preventive layer" gets a refresh, and after a while it's a mixture of fatty acids, partially catalytically cured by mineral salt kationes. Whatever you do, forget about all this chemistry, use the pan as often as possible, wash the salt out using hot water as soon as possible after use because it causes pitting or general corrosion, dry it immediatelly and once or twice a year give it some maximum heat, until slightly smoke appears. I use an old cast iron pan since 35ys, got it from my Grandma. She changed to aluminium pans because it took less effort to hit Grandpa with them. Haha. German humor...

Great video. The so called "cast iron" experts must think I am a troll as I tell them that my vintage cast iron sits in a box while I use new Lodge stuff all the time. The textured surface creates a more durable seasoned surface. The skillets are also made with a precision that didn't exist 100 years ago, so the new Lodge stuff heats more evenly. The threat of air pockets in the iron has been eliminated so the concept of the skillet cracking under high heat use is almost impossible. In other words, you hit it on the head. There are seasoning sprays and sticks available online that will allow that skillet to get even better, but the best seasoning for cast iron is just use. Great video!

I just bought my first 2 Lodge cast iron skillets 10 and 15 inch, thank you for the video. It was really interesting.

I just got the huge Lodge skillet . OMG it is wicked heavy ... omg. I love it .

350's not ideally hot enough. You want that oven high as it'll get, hopefully around 500. Or use an outdoor grill. People say their cast iron gets better with use because they did not completely "polymerize" the oil when seasoning, and the heat from using it does this gradually. Also, you're holding the egg sideways. To crack an egg with one hand put the fat end in your palm and curve your fingers around the little end in a claw grip. Now you can crack it and by pushing with your hand and pulling with your finger tips to easily separate the two halves. Learned that in Army basic training doing KP ("Kitchen Patrol") duty and having to crack about 500 eggs in one sitting. Great video!

I am using the same cast iron I had in my hope chest when I was a young girl. I am now 61. Still cooks beautifully. I run them in the dishwasher occasionally and season here and there.

Thanks for showing your efforts and results. I like Lodge products.

I've been using my first lodge pan ever for a month now ,love it it was preseasond but I've been cooking bacon ,steaks,sausage,eggs and even baked cornbread in it, I'm hooked now food taste way better.

Bro pulled out all the damn spy gadgets to cook an egg. I love it.

To pick up a piece of shell use another piece of shell.. it really works!

Great video! Thank you for doing this test, very helpful!

you can cook a chopped onion in the pan first to clean off all the black stuff that came off on your egg. but the pain is good to go after your first use. also I wouldn't use a towel to wipe out the pan bc your towels will get oily. just put it on the stove on med heat to dry off the pan. just don't forget that it's there! it's the most common way to ruin the seasoning and you have to start over which is not a big deal other than the smoky oil smell that comes with the process. enjoy your pan! also I found that the best tool for cleaning the pan is the bamboo brush used by Chinese cooks to clean their woks. it cleans without scraping the seasoning off your pan. cheers!

This is very typical of a Lodge pre-seasoned pan. They can be, and should be used immediately. This gentlemen also used a correct heat range for an egg - low/medium. If the egg hits the pan and pops and snaps, it'll likely get lacey brown and stick. Low and slow is the way to use cast iron or carbon steel to keep sticky foods from sticking. And, yes, you have to use oils of some kind - personal preference. Non-stick means easy clean up - not that foods of certain types will just slide right out with no oil used. There is no need for a smooth surface. The sand blasted pebbled surface retains cooking oil under the food better than a smooth surface, but both work well. I will only add this constructive comment that the bigger pan is the one to use for eggs as it is simply easier to get under it with the spatula.

Lodge is awesome! I got to tour the new foundry this spring - only 40 min from where I live. I love my lodge cast iron stuff. Their aebleskeiver pan never sticks, either! Thanks for sharing a yummy egg recipe!

I just got a lodge 12" and first thing I did was do a quick season with avocado (same brand) as yours, then I did sunny side eggs and it didn't stick at all. Impressed! For seasoning, all I did was clean the pan then heat it up on high heat on the stove, poured some avocado oil in it and spread it out with a paper towel all over and when it smoked, I took it off and wiped out down again. It was good to go. You seem to be cooking at really low heat. I heat my pan super hot and then turn down to medium and do all my cooking.

I sanded mine but had no choice to... My mom was given a 9.5 or 10 inch Lodge skillet many years ago and never used it, then stored it in the basement right under some leaky pipes for several years. *Facepalm* It was plenty rusty but not nearly as bad as you might imagine. She thought it was ruined (but thankfully didn't bother throwing it out) but something kept telling me there was a way to save it. About two years ago I finally did some research and sanded it down with everything I had on hand. Lots of low grit sandpaper and about a half dozen worn out Dremel bits later, LOL, I got it as smooth as I was going to and began seasoning it. Then I realized I was pregnant and so have been busy enough over the last two years and put the CI project aside. I just picked it back up yesterday and have already got a dark bronze-like finish on it, not quite black. Used Crisco @ 500*F, 1hr per coat. I think I have about 7-8 coats on it so far, including the 2 I did a while back. I'm still nervous about cooking in it...more so, cleaning it...even more, keeping hubby's hands FAAAR away from it! But I need to stop being a wuss and start frying something greasy in it ASAP! Hubby eats eggs, brats and breakfast sausage EVERYDAY, and we have bacon almost every weekend, so I feel like a dummy for waiting so long, and it will be getting used almost everyday from now on. My bday is in a few days and I just might try steaks on it too! Sorry for the novel...lol

The finish is like a truck bed liner. The first thing I did with mine was haul it to the shed and put a 4” grinder with a sanding disk to it. Slick as glass now.

If you want to know about cast iron and how to use it, learn from a master who has been cooking on cast iron in the middle of the Oklahoma prairie all his life. Watch Ken Rollings - a true master of his craft. Ken has a couple of videos on clean and seasoning cast iron as well as numerous videos on "cowboy cooking".

Thank you for sharing! It was very helpful!

Great video! We've got a Lodge 10 1/4 inch skillet w/lid. Kinda wish I had gotten the 12 inch instead. We do alot of cooking in this. 100 year old technology can hold its own against aluminum & non-stick.

Thanks for your ideas.....here are mine I just bought two Lodge skilits, ....and am going to sand off that rough preseasoning with a palm sander. So with a smooth finish I will season them in a traditional way using flax seed oil.....4 times Then I will cook up a mess of bacon...and fried potatoes.... afterwards I will clean pans with paper towels... Reheat pans and recoat with oil....that avacado oil looks good and will use that after my flax seed runs out. That is how I spend my weekend......bon appetit.....😎

2 simple general rules for cooking on cast iron, use the lowest heat needed to cook food and use ample oil. Stuff most usually won’t stick.

I now have several cast iron skillets, and dutch ovens and use them regularly for cooking in and they work just fine. Lodge does make great products and ones which people like myself can afford.

ive had my lodge pan literally for a decade, and i finally feel like its got that real non stick cast iron properties now

we prefer to buy older cast iron for less money and most have many years of use, we have many and love them. Ebay, flee market