Non stick cast iron pans

[Phil Pascoe]

I've a decent quality cast iron crepe pan that sticks, no matter what I do or don't do to it/with it.. Any suggestions?

 

[AJB Temple]

Clean thoroughly to get rid of any crud. Season it properly at very high temperature. (Internet has various methods - they are all much of a muchness. I favour salt and oil. Ventilate kitchen whilst doing so. Make sure you get the sides. Then do it again. Use it., but get pan properly hot before adding oil or butter. Never wash with detergent or abrasives. Just wipe out with kitchen towel. It will take 2 or three usages to get it to adopt non-stick properly. It is not the same as good quality teflon non-stick but it does work. I have 4 German steel hand forged pans that I do this with and none of them stick. I also have two ridges cast iron pans and one flat one. Very difficult to make the ridged ones release food totally cleanly.

Or buy a De Ruyter non stick crepe pan for about £17. Do not use it for anything else. Bin it and replace when non stick wears out (takes years). Same approach to washing> don't.

 

[bugbear]

I've a decent quality cast iron crepe pan that sticks, no matter what I do or don't do to it/with it.. Any suggestions?

A lot of modern cast iron is too rough to ever be properly non stick.

You read a lot about how good CI is "when seasoned", especially on American forums. I found that the American enthusiasts making these claims (which I believe to be true) are using excellent CI pans from pre WWII.

They are very highly finished.

http://iacano.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/ol ... -iron.html

BugBear

 

[artie]

I bought a new Cast Iron pan off Amazon a while back, I seasoned it according to instructions I found on tinternet. The more I use it the more non stick it gets.

It won't probably ever be as good as a teflon coated one, but it fries eggs etc, without making a mess.

 

[Rhyolith]

Here are the seasoning instructions caste into the back of my "Wegnar's" Grill pan, and considering the quality of it I image they are correct... though difficult to read.. hence two photos.
Wegnar's by Rhyolith, on Flickr
Wagner's by Rhyolith, on Flickr

I cook almost entirely with caste Iron, the main reason being their longevity. They are one of the only pieces of equipment that get better over time rather than worse (within reason obviously ). I have 3 skillets, 1 Grill pan and a Casserole pot in caste iron. The skillets and grill pan don't need seasoning often as I only cook meat on them (that does not erode away the seasoning very quickly), but the casserole is a pain. The watery and acidic things I cook in there have had a fight with the iron on several occasions... the results of which are... black bolognese :? It took 3 layers of seasoning to finally seal it well enough, not to mention a really good clean before hand (it really needs to be spotless!). Now its great!

I just used vegetable oil, I think the application matters more than the oil type as its probably the same thing that reacts in all oils (i don't know this for sure) so the oil itself is not that important, just any cooking oil. Lots of thin layers seem to work well.

Once seasoned you can use detergent, the seasoning if its done properly will have formed a chemical bound with the Iron and detergents won't affect it... if they do remove it, then its not been "baked" enough or something else (like the pan not being clean enough to start with) has gone wrong. Note I am taking only about Iron pans, I imagine there are differences with steel.

Hope that helps

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Thanks so far. I tend to agree with BB. I did season this properly when I first had it - it made little difference. I had a superb ribbed skillet, but as I'm disabled (God, I hate saying that) swmbo had the job of shifting stuff when we moved house and she skipped it because she couldn't lift it with one hand. I wish I still had it as we now have an induction hob, but I have a nice Le Creuset fish skillet which I bought new on a car boot sale for £5. I thought to get a decent sized griddle but the stupid design of the hob precludes it - if a pan spans even partially the control panel (which is between the two front rings) it cuts the power off. Pity.

 

[D_W]

Bugbear is correct, the cast that is sought after here (loosely used term) is old griswold and I think Wagner.

It's best to find the stuff locally, because the nice pots and pans go for the moon (by nice, I mean never rusted and with bottoms that look like they could take a polish).

Nobody here likes the new stuff, either, though it can be used - it just takes more oil when cooking to keep things from sticking to it. I have a flat griddle that was $19 at the local target that works well enough. The first time I see a vintage version that will work on a glass cooktop (they often have a lip to go over a burner), it will be replaced, though.

(clad stainless ware is nice, too, if it's a good brand -same effect as cast, care is easy - though slightly different, longevity is practically perpetuity and heating is very even. All clad is local here, and can be had for a decent price, but I see that's not the case once it goes through distribution and ends up in a retail store).

(I do not ever wash cast, nor have any of my relatives who used it as far back as I can recall. Wipe it out with a paper towel when it's still warm).

If a crepe pan sticks after it's cooked many times (and should be seasoned), then it should be replaced.

 

[DennisCA]

I took a rotary sander to my new pan many years ago because I wasn't satisfied with it and also read that older pans where indeed finished to a higher degree. And since I did that and wore it in it's been a superb pan. Another important and overlooked aspect is metal utensils so you can scrape the pan as you are using it. The accumulated wear from this over years will produce a pan that just gets slicker. Crepes is the easiest thing in the world, eggs as well, or omelettes.

Byt yeah, metal utensils, I couldn't use my pan without them, this is my favorite spatula ever (I rounded off the edges a bit though):
http://www.amazon.com/Dexter-Russell-Tu ... AYBJEVRYYV

I also have a flexible metal spatula that is good for crepes and eggs, but this one above does that almost as well too.

Contrary to common wisdom I say you can wash cast iron, the soap isn't strong enough to remove the polymerized layer that provides the slickness. But I only wash my pan when I need to, otherwise cleanup is just paper towels and perhaps salt.

 

[Rhyolith]

Contrary to common wisdom I say you can wash cast iron, the soap isn't strong enough to remove the polymerized layer that provides the slickness. But I only wash my pan when I need to, otherwise cleanup is just paper towels and perhaps salt.

This is also what I have read, which is backup by the expierence of washing my caste iron pans with lots of detergent.

It terms of sticking with meat, find cooking at a lower temperature helps a lot coupled with moving the food round the pan persitantly. I have not expierence with crepes though, they are french are'nt they? Maybe it might be worth looking up traditional french methods of non-stick with regard to caste pans.

Re-seasoning on my more used pans needs to be done about every 4-5 months, so if yout crepe pan was last done over that time ago then it might just need it doing again.

 

[DennisCA]

I call them crepes as that's the only english name I know for them. In my own language (swedish, despite coming from finland yes) I call them "plättar" and they're a local dish here. Flours, eggs, milk, salt, pour out thin and fry quickly, been fried in cast iron pans since forever. Sounds pretty much like a crepe to me.

Difference is here they are primarily a sweet dish, served with jam and perhaps ice cream or whipped cream. Whereas you can stuff just about anything into crepes. We also have these dedicated pans for making small crepes, this is what most swedes would think of when using the word "plättar", but up north where I am we use regular pans.

I made a dozen or more a few days ago. Important to butter the pan before every crepe is poured but other than that it's easy to make. I don't ever season my pan, I just use it.

That turned into a small lesson on scandinavian cuisine...

 

[Harbo]

Crepes is French but we English often call them that but more commonly pancakes.
Shrove Tuesday also called Pancake Day is the historical day for making them (to use eggs etc up for Lent). Same recipe as yours.
I like them with golden syrup or maple syrup but the rest of my family prefer them with sugar and lemon or orange juice.
I use a shallow iron Crepe pan I bought in France years ago - thick iron (not cast), seasoned and only given a quick rinse. Works really well.
I have a few Le Cruset pans which are enamelled cast iron - I generally leave them to soak and for stubborn remains use a fine wire wool or sponge cleaning pad.

Rod

 

[bugbear]

I use a shallow iron Crepe pan I bought in France years ago - thick iron (not cast), seasoned and only given a quick rinse. Works really well.

That will be a "black iron" pan, commonly seen used in frying pans and omelette pans in restaurants. I assume
they're actually just mild steel.

e.g.

http://www.debuyer.com/en/products/carbone

BugBear