Tag: cookware

  • The Burner Can Only Reach Half the Pan

    The Burner Can Only Reach Half the Pan

    The short answer: yes, you can season cast iron on the hob, and it is worth understanding what you are getting. Wash the skillet, dry it over the burner, apply a very thin film of high smoke point oil to the inside only, and heat until it smokes and stops. Repeat two or three times. The important limitation is in that word inside: oiling the outside of a pan that is sitting on a burner risks a grease fire, so the stovetop method reaches the cooking surface and nothing else. The oven does the inside, the outside and the handle in one go. So this is a repair and maintenance method rather than a full substitute, and used that way it works very well.

    Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I would use in my own home.

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  • Look at the Handle Before You Turn the Oven On

    Look at the Handle Before You Turn the Oven On

    The short answer: scrub the factory oil off with hot soapy water, dry it over the burner, then heat the empty wok until the steel turns a blue-grey colour. Add a very thin film of high smoke point oil, wipe most of it away, and heat until it smokes and stops. Repeat two or three times, working up the sides. That builds the polymerised layer that makes carbon steel slick. Do it on the hob rather than in the oven, and the reason is not tradition: most woks have a wooden handle, and 450°F for an hour is not something a wooden handle survives. The single most common mistake is too much oil, which leaves a sticky surface rather than a hard one.

    Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I would use in my own home.

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