Hello,
I recently stripped my Cabela's ( presumably made by Lodge) 10" cast iron pan down to bare metal and sanded the cooking surface down with an orbital sander down to a smooth 80grit. I also removed the embossed Cabela's logo so it would sit flat on my stove top. The pan was completely bare of all the old seasoning, I made sure of that with the use of an angle grinder and wire wheel as well as rubbing alcohol to remove any grinding dust. I then seasoned it with flax seed oil according to the directions from this link.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/the-ultimate-way-to-season-cast-iron-flaxseed-oil.137622
The only difference was I used the BBQ instead of the oven. All was well, the pan looked perfect, the cooking surface was like black glass when I was done, hard and not tacky at all.
The first problem arose when I tried cooking with it. The first run was some onions and bacon on medium heat. The surface was far from non stick, not a big deal, it was manageable with wooden spatula. The second and major problem arose when I tried to clean the pan. While I was eating I had put some water in the pan on medium heat so I could clean the pan when I was done. The water had just come to a low boil. I used the wooden spatula to lightly scrape off the food residue when the flax seasoning just came off with no effort at all. I would say 70% came off. All the seasoning on the sanded surface was soft.
At that point I just sprayed the pan with some oil to prevent any rust, poured a glass of scotch then called it a night.
What could have caused this? I know the pan was clean before I started seasoning. The final paper towel I used was so clean I could have dried it and reused it. I followed the directions to the letter ( aside from using the bbq of course). The seasoning on the bottom and sides of the pan seem to have held up. I was hoping to snap of picture this morning but never got the chance so I will do that once I get home.
Any ideas?
I recently stripped my Cabela's ( presumably made by Lodge) 10" cast iron pan down to bare metal and sanded the cooking surface down with an orbital sander down to a smooth 80grit. I also removed the embossed Cabela's logo so it would sit flat on my stove top. The pan was completely bare of all the old seasoning, I made sure of that with the use of an angle grinder and wire wheel as well as rubbing alcohol to remove any grinding dust. I then seasoned it with flax seed oil according to the directions from this link.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/the-ultimate-way-to-season-cast-iron-flaxseed-oil.137622
The only difference was I used the BBQ instead of the oven. All was well, the pan looked perfect, the cooking surface was like black glass when I was done, hard and not tacky at all.
The first problem arose when I tried cooking with it. The first run was some onions and bacon on medium heat. The surface was far from non stick, not a big deal, it was manageable with wooden spatula. The second and major problem arose when I tried to clean the pan. While I was eating I had put some water in the pan on medium heat so I could clean the pan when I was done. The water had just come to a low boil. I used the wooden spatula to lightly scrape off the food residue when the flax seasoning just came off with no effort at all. I would say 70% came off. All the seasoning on the sanded surface was soft.
At that point I just sprayed the pan with some oil to prevent any rust, poured a glass of scotch then called it a night.
What could have caused this? I know the pan was clean before I started seasoning. The final paper towel I used was so clean I could have dried it and reused it. I followed the directions to the letter ( aside from using the bbq of course). The seasoning on the bottom and sides of the pan seem to have held up. I was hoping to snap of picture this morning but never got the chance so I will do that once I get home.
Any ideas?