I've had this 14 inch Lodge Fry Pan since the 1990's. So many foods in a couple decades. All they typical stuff like Bacon, Breakfast Sausage, and Fried Chicken, but also many other things like Pan Pizza. Well all the diversity has left it with a really thick layer of seasoning which is kinda funky. It doesn't smell bad, but there is something I don't like about it. Maybe its the mixture of spices, or fats give it a smell I just don't like. So I decided to refinish the pan, and remove the seasoning layer.
I researched this a lot before doing it. There is an abundance of opinions about cleaning, seasoning, stripping, and then maybe polishing an iron pan. I really do not want to resurface the pan. I like the rough texture of the Lodge Iron Pan because I think it helps brown the meat in a searing process. Want I want is to strip all the carbonized fats from the surface of the iron, and then lay down a new, fresh layer of carbonized fats on the freshly cleaned iron. Easy right? LOL!
I started with this little stripping wheel. It is a Non-Woven Mesh Abrasive. You use a junior version of this at the kitchen sink, the Scotch-Brite pad. Non-Woven abrasive a popular in industry for all kinds of things. At the hardware store you find them for tasks like stripping paint. So the carbonized fats that are stuck to the pan are very similar to the polymers that are used to make paint. I had this tool available and thought I would give it a try.
The carbonized fats from the pan, the seasoning, are very sticky, and were building up on the abrasive wheel. The tool was becoming ineffective because of the buildup, and I was not able to clean the wheel very well, so I found another one. This one is considerably bigger, but that worked to my advantage.
I had removed most of the seasoning layer with the smaller wheel. The bigger wheel was more effective at getting down to the metal. I was able to make the pan bright and shiny, but not resurface the iron. I'm looking to preserve the texture of the pan, and not machine it. And I think that worked good.
Now we have to re-establish the seasoning layer. There are so many suggestions out there about what oil to use to season your iron pan. I think the two factors that are important to me are the smoke point, and the stability of the oil. I am sure I do not want to use an oil that will go rancid. So we can scratch most organic animal, and plant oils. You might want to pick an oil that is used to finish cutting boards. But there is also the heat factor, we're going to cook in the pan. So I would want an oil with a high smoke point. Other factors are cost, and availability. You picked something, does your local store have it? If they do, is it expensive? So, after all the factoring I picked Avocado Oil, cheap, plentiful, high smoke point, and resistant to rancidity.
Seasoning is a process. There is an initial seasoning, but then it keeps going every time you use the pan. You'll have to oil the pan before using it. Then wash it, and oil it again when it is waiting to be used. I like to cover the iron pans when they are not in use.
For he initial seasoning I coated the cooking surfaces of the pan with Avocado Oil, and then wiped off all the excess oil. Then I put the pan in a 450F oven for an hour. Then pull the pan out of the over, and let it cool. Then for the second coat of oil I fried a pan of Bacon. The pan looks much better now, and that weird smell is gone...
