kogun's Profile

There is new data (~Dec 2010) on the best method and oil to use for seasoning cast iron. For those of you that are put-off by using cast iron because of the maintenance and/or cleaning, or the thought of "cooking on ancient grime" then this technique is going to be especially good for you. Why? The resulting seasoned finish is tough enough to put through a commercial dishwasher and come out unscathed.

This is a game-changer for cast iron.

I have not tried it yet, but Cook's Illustrated wrote it up on their website in January and they attest to the worthiness of this technique. The process takes six hours, so I'm going to do as many pieces at once as my oven will allow. A pain, yes, but I love the results when cooking with cast iron, so I can't ignore this. It will be interesting to see how well cornbread comes out of the cornbread pan. (Cornbread has always been tricky.)

Sheryl Canter's website is the source for this technique and she has some good science explaining what is going on, too:
http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron