Combekk Railway Cast Iron Fry Pan Discussions | Drop

Combekk Railway Cast Iron Fry Pan

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Gmike

Oct 12, 2017

Stargazer and Finex make high end cast iron pans, the interiors are smooth and with seasoning, they become non stick, like Teflon, without the nasties. Here is what I did to get the interior of my Lodge pans very similar and it works great. Go to a Lowe’s, or most any hardware store and buy a “3M Paint and Rust Remover“ disk, that is made to fit on the end of your drill bit. In less than ten minutes, you can smooth the inside of your cast iron pan. (Do this outdoors, and wear gloves, because you will have iron dust particles flying out of the pan). Once this is done and the pan is re-seasoned, you will have a non stick finish that will last a lifetime. I can cook scrambled eggs with cheese on my cast iron and it comes out 99% nonstick. Easily cleans with a brush and hot water, then lightly re-season with a thin coating of oil. If someone does eggs frequently, I would suggest a dedicated pan. The pans are cheap enough and it makes cleanups simpler. They stay Teflon-like with minimal effort.

Nov 14, 2017

GmikeI've always wanted to do this. Sadly neglect from friends and my better half have made my cast iron pans so bad I've got no excuse not to refinish them. I've got to get some crisco though.

immelmann

Nov 14, 2017

KilsimivUse Flax seed oil. Much better results.

Nov 14, 2017

immelmannSo, I've done a lot of research on this and seasoned pieces in my cast iron collection using only crisco, only flax, and a mix of both - flaxseed oil is great because of it's high Omega 3 Fatty Acid content, and that it's a durable hardening oil - most oils aren't. (I've always wondered how straight fish oil would season a pan). The problem is that flax is too brittle. It polymerizes smooth, like enamel-cast iron, but after awhile flaxseed's hard, brittle surface flakes off - and if it's the only thing you use to season, it will eventually literally flake off straight to bare metal. Especially if you often use your pan on high heat - I'm talking 400-500F over a fire or on the stovetop to sear, this can instantly flake off your flax-based seasoning. You need to build a good base layer of a softer, more flexible polymerized oil like what you get from (worst to best): vegetable, castor, peanut, grapeseed, lard or crisco before adding the flaxseed. The flaxseed oil will create a super hard, enamel-like coating to your cast iron, but needs to be reinforced with the flex of these softer oils. I like to swap between crisco and flax, alternating layers when I season. If you solely use flaxseed and don't believe me, try scraping or tapping hard with a metal spatula or dropping your pan a few inches onto a hard surface. Save your granite countertop, I learned this all the hard way after I noticed some flaking during high heat searing outside. I did some research, then dropped my cast iron from about 6-8" above a cinder block - half the flaxseed seasoning came right off.
But if you baby your skillets and don't do much high heat, or only use wooden tools, I don't disparage you. As with everything, YMMV.

Nov 14, 2017

Kilsimiv @Gmike Also, from what I've read, after doing the refinishing/sanding/grinding, the pores in the cast iron can get fouled up, this doesn't allow enough oil to be soaked into the pores, meaning it takes more coats to get a good season. I've read that a vinegar bath and rinse prior to first season helps the season stick and build faster. How was your experience?

Gmike

Nov 14, 2017

KilsimivWhat I have found is that the pores get clogged with layers of particles from the grinding. Think of these particles as layers of iron dust that are ground in and not easily removed, including washing with hot water and scrubbing with a brush. I tried vinegar from a spray bottle and that helped a little. I did not try the vinegar bath as you mentioned. What did work completely was to dry the pan, warm slightly on stovetop, put a teaspoon of oil in and rub with a clean paper towel. This will pick up the iron particles. Keep repeating this until your paper towels come up clean. Then season as usual in the oven. I found that the pan will take the seasoning fine if I clean it as described.

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Nov 14, 2017

GmikeYep, those iron particles are what I meant by fouled up - did you happen to read what I posted above to @immelmann? I'd like to hear your thoughts/experience on seasoning oils. I've read that 300F is sufficient to season, but in my experience I've had the best luck (no tack on the surface) at 400F, and I keep my most used pans in the oven all the time. Always upside down. I like to think it diffuses the hot spots in my oven and can be used as a warmer long after the oven cools down.

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Gmike

Nov 14, 2017

KilsimivI used alternating layers of coconut oil, then flax oil, two layers each. I did the coconut oil around 300 degrees; then the flax oil oil at 400 degrees. I agree, a lard or Crisco layer would have been preferable to the coconut oil, but I used what I had on hand. I do season the pan after each use with a light coating of grapeseed oil, in a warm pan.

Nov 14, 2017

GmikeSee that's my issue - I season it really well, it's perfect, then I clean with salt or fire, after use and re-season every time.
Then my wife gets ahold of it. or my friends 'clean' it and don't season it properly. sets me back a few coats at least.

RayF

22220

Dec 4, 2018

GmikeCan we assume you wear both suspenders and a belt to hold your trousers up? Or that buy peel and stick postage stamps, but still lick them just in case? Stop making easy things hard.

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Ramkin

Jun 2, 2019

GmikeGmike, thanks for the suggestions. We did the same with our new Lodge, then used alternating layers of avacado oil and grapeseed oil to season. (Avacado oil has a 500 degree smoke point, which makes it ideal for seasoning). Our pan now has a smooth, slick finish, similar to a well-seasoned Finex pan. This was an informative thread by all the contributors. I would pay no attention to the Nancy who had nothing to contribute but negativity.

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MrTonyD

Jun 17, 2019

GmikeI appreciate your comment too - ignore the nay-sayers. I do, however, skip the Lodge and buy my cast iron from yard sales. Ten dollars is a typical price, and I've gotten some amazing cast iron without needing to do any sanding. And I bought some "chain mail" to do cleanup - works better than a brush. Trivia: China noticed some increased illness in some regions, and they traced the problem to a move away from cast iron cooking. Apparently, cooking in cast iron provides routine low level doses of iron in the diet, and prevents iron deficiency.

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