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what is the best way to take the coating off the handle of a Mineral B? on my current 12 inch, i used mineral spirits, but it took forever and made a mess. i have a 10 inch and an 8 inch incoming, and i would love to do it better, this time.

p.s. to those who know that i like the DeBuyers and the Lodges, i bought more DeBuyers only because i got a good deal due to a friend who works for the Williams-Sonoma group.
 
EdipisReks said:
what is the best way to take the coating off the handle of a Mineral B? on my current 12 inch, i used mineral spirits, but it took forever and made a mess. i have a 10 inch and an 8 inch incoming, and i would love to do it better, this time.

p.s. to those who know that i like the DeBuyers and the Lodges, i bought more DeBuyers only because i got a good deal due to a friend who works for the Williams-Sonoma group.
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Honestly the ones I bought I just left it on. I use it at work and it goes into a 500f oven sometimes for 10 minutes. I never noticed a problem. Maybe there's a tipping point though.
 
i took it off when i put a pan in an oven for prolonged periods and it started to melt...
 
Good to know because I was beginning to think it just wasn't going to happen. I don't get why they put it on there in the first place!
 
G-rat said:
Good to know because I was beginning to think it just wasn't going to happen. I don't get why they put it on there in the first place!
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yeah, no clue. i guess it's similar to the nylon knobs Le Crueset puts on their stuff. stupid.
 
EdipisReks said:
yeah, no clue. i guess it's similar to the nylon knobs Le Crueset puts on their stuff. stupid.
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I KNEW there was something wrong with the Le Crueset pots I bought vs the staubs that I use. Thanks for reminding me. Now I need to order the metal knobs online...
 
Tried the lard on one of the mineral pans and it looked great for quite a few cooking sessions...I cooked some bacon in the pan tonight and when I cleaned it (hot water and sponge) I noticed that I had a spot where the 'patina' had chipped (?) and though it is rather small I figure the rest won't be far behind. Question is will that area begin to season when I continue cooking or will I need to clean and start over? If I need to start over, how do you go about removing the rest of the finish?

Thanks,
 
chinacats said:
Tried the lard on one of the mineral pans and it looked great for quite a few cooking sessions...I cooked some bacon in the pan tonight and when I cleaned it (hot water and sponge) I noticed that I had a spot where the 'patina' had chipped (?) and though it is rather small I figure the rest won't be far behind. Question is will that area begin to season when I continue cooking or will I need to clean and start over? If I need to start over, how do you go about removing the rest of the finish?

Thanks,
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No need to start over, just keep cooking. That's the beauty of seasoning: it's constantly changing: some might chip or scrape off, but new seasoning is constantly being developed as well. It's kind of like a living thing: constantly shedding layers of skin and growing new ones.
Just a quick note though: "good" seasoning is usually a rather thin, even and smooth layer. If you let the seasoning build up in to thick crusty, uneven layers, that's when chips and big flakey layers start to fall off. I mostly clean my pan just by scrapping around with a metal spatula while it's still hot, and then a quick wipe with a wad of wet paper towel. The spatula may leave a few scratches in the patina, but it will also help to keep the buildup thin and even. The scratches will not effect sticking and will go away the next time that you cook something fatty or "refresh" the seasoning with a dab of lard or oil.
 
I don't know if anyone else has experienced this but when I've used commercial lard (Farmer John's here in CA), I've been able to get a much more consistent film and patina than using homemade lard. This last time, I used lard from a Mexican meat market (rendered from making chicharones). It didn't leave as consistent a film/patina. Maybe all that hydrogenated fat is good for something after all.
 
mhlee said:
I don't know if anyone else has experienced this but when I've used commercial lard (Farmer John's here in CA), I've been able to get a much more consistent film and patina than using homemade lard. This last time, I used lard from a Mexican meat market (rendered from making chicharones). It didn't leave as consistent a film/patina. Maybe all that hydrogenated fat is good for something after all.
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Yes. I have noticed this as well.
 
Only lard I could find locally was in a supermercado (sp?)...but it was produced by armour/conagra and maybe it is just crap. When applying it seemed to work fine and I did try to layer it as lightly as possible so will just keep cooking more pork :hungry:

If given the option, I think I would probably trust Farmer John's more than Conagra:(

Thanks for tips
 
I used lard that I got from my local co-op. Don't know how it was made, but it did seem to be very pure (very bright white and even).

I used peanut oil first (put a good 1/4 inch or so in the pan, heated it to just below smoke point, and let it sit). After that I emptied the oil and wiped down the pan. This does not create any color at all, but it does leave a very fine layer of the oil in the surface of the pan.

Then I used the lard: put a little in, wipe around, let smoke, wipe some more...

The oil seemed to form a really nice primer or base for which the lard to bind.

I got the most even and durable patina that I've ever achieved. Zero flaking or chipping and it even seems pretty tolerant of wet and acidic ingredients.
 
The typical supermarket lard like armour is hydrogenated. I would stay away from these products like the plague, they taste bad and are bad for you. Your local Hungarian butcher or farmer has the good stuff. It's easy to make your own lard by rendering it from fat back or in a pinch pork belly.
 
mhlee said:
I don't know if anyone else has experienced this but when I've used commercial lard (Farmer John's here in CA), I've been able to get a much more consistent film and patina than using homemade lard. This last time, I used lard from a Mexican meat market (rendered from making chicharones). It didn't leave as consistent a film/patina. Maybe all that hydrogenated fat is good for something after all.
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ditto on Farmer John's lard got mine at stater bros market. I had them help me find it. It was by the vegetable oil. The boxes all said Manteca facing out. Only said lard on top.
 
I'm not obsessing (LOL) but I love experimenting. The pure lard seems to be working well, but it's still not as even or smooth as I'd like, and is not "non-stick" by any known definition of the expression. I still have to use a fair amount of fat to have any release at all, about the same amount I'd use in any other pan. I'm going to try Justin's combo method next -- start the instructed way, then build up the coat with natural lard.
 
SameGuy said:
I'm not obsessing (LOL) but I love experimenting. The pure lard seems to be working well, but it's still not as even or smooth as I'd like, and is not "non-stick" by any known definition of the expression. I still have to use a fair amount of fat to have any release at all, about the same amount I'd use in any other pan. I'm going to try Justin's combo method next -- start the instructed way, then build up the coat with natural lard.
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Btw I was obsessing. :D I think it just takes time. I have made steaks, scrambled eggs, etc. I use my Big green egg so much my inside kitchen hasn't been seeing much action lately. Good luck.
 
Small heads-up that Amazon has the 10.2-inch Mineral B frying pan on sale right now for $42.77, down from $60.
 
SameGuy said:
Small heads-up that Amazon has the 10.2-inch Mineral B frying pan on sale right now for $42.77, down from $60.
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Nice find; I have some friends that I am trying to convince to use cast-iron or carbon steel so I sent them a link. I have the 12.6 and love it.
 
reminder - La Cuisine is having their 20% off summer sale through the end of August. Coupon code - SUMMER2012. They charge 10% for shipping, so in the end you only really save 10%. I'm still eyeing the pancake pans w/ cast handles...

BTW - I haven't even seasoned my new carbon pans w/ cast handles. Just threw on the stove and started whacking away at them. Simply awesome! I'm not fussy about building up a seasoning and maintaining it. I have no problems with these things sticking. For me it's more about heat management - making sure the pan is hot enough before cooking, but not too hot to burn - and using enough oil.
 
Mom's got a reasonably good patina going on her 12" crepe pan. The first few palacsinta stuck quite badly but after that it eased up. She uses a fair amount of oil to make them (usually canola or safflower) so it was self-seasoning right away.

Today I had the extra time (and nice weather) to get the little 7.9" fry pan cleaned up (again, this time using Comet as I seem to have left the BKF at mom's... boy does BKF work better than regular scouring powder!). I did the "1 cm" oil thing outside on my Weber's "sauce burner" then proceeded to use the wiped lard trick. All I can say is I wish I had a gas stove indoors. So easy! Even though the sauce burner has a tough time at low settings -- I have yet to be able to maintain a gentle simmer on it -- it was dead easy to smoke off thin layers of lard until I had a deep, dark coating on the main surface of the pan. It took about 20 passes to get a nice, even -- and dark -- seasoning going. It now looks like freshly-tempered dark chocolate, satiny and smooth. Omelet for breakfast tomorrow!
 
Clarified butter has a high smoke point, higher than pure lard or coconut oil. Any reason it wouldn't be a wise choice for seasoning my next carbon or CI pans?
 
SameGuy said:
It took about 20 passes to get a nice, even -- and dark -- seasoning going. It now looks like freshly-tempered dark chocolate, satiny and smooth. Omelet for breakfast tomorrow!
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So how'd it work? :cheffry:
 
SameGuy said:
Clarified butter has a high smoke point, higher than pure lard or coconut oil. Any reason it wouldn't be a wise choice for seasoning my next carbon or CI pans?
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for initial seasoning you want the oil to smoke and beyond. the higher the oils smoke point the hotter you have to get the pan to really burn it on. regular butter works well for seasoning because it begins smoking around 340°f if I'm remembering this correctly. after initial seasoning I just wipe down with an oil that doesn't go rancid quickly, usually coconut or high oleic sunflower oil.
 
A little more sticking than I'd have liked, but overall not bad. Eggs are probably a tough test on a freshly-seasoned pan. After scraping, I did a few more passes with lard, then added a lard wipe-down when it was almost cool. It looks even thicker now. :)
 
i bought a Paderno 12.5 inch on Amazon, used NIB, for $30, the other day (through an Amazon affiliated shop, so Prime shipping, too!), and received it tonight. i couldn't resist the deal. usually i do a lazy season, over time, but i seasoned it in the oven with alternating layers of crisco and vegetable oil, tonight. took about 2 hours. it's a beautiful even very dark amber brown, with just a tiny bit of streaking. just fried an egg,with a little butter. i was able to spread and flatten the egg, fold it, and flip, using only pan motions, with ease. best season i've gotten yet! the Paderno isn't quite as thick as my De Buyer (this is the first time i've had both at the same time, to compare), but it doesn't cook any differently, as far as i can tell.

excuse the cell phone pic, but here it what it looks like:

photogdh.jpg


it's a bit browner in person, but looks pretty good. i think i'm going to give away my Lodge. as much as i like it, the surfaces are just inferior, even after sanding.
 
Looks good, but don't you have some nice vintage stuff? What do you need this one for? (Or do you collect pans like you collect knives.)
 
Johnny.B.Good said:
Looks good, but don't you have some nice vintage stuff? What do you need this one for? (Or do you collect pans like you collect knives.)
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i have some very old cast iron (oldest being pre-Civil War, and boy is it a great piece for steak!), not very old carbon steel. i have many more pans than knives, though, so i'd say that i collect them more than i collect knives. :) i have a tendency to give away pans, so i figure that it's a good idea to have a few dozen extra, if possible. too many of my friends use crappy pans, and i'd rather use good pans and crap knives than good knives and crap pans, so the pans get portioned out. *shrug*
 
Johnny.B.Good said:
Good man to know. ;) Suppose you didn't register for pots and pans before the wedding.
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actually i did register for a few, as i didn't own very much stainless, and stainless definitely has its place (plus, the wife hates pans she can't throw into the dishwasher). i now own a couple All-Clad French skillets, and a couple Sur La Table tri-plys, and i figure i'm good for stainless for life. the al/steel ply pans are all very good, and i'm glad to have them. i don't grab them, though, unless i'm cooking acidic foods.

just for the record, this Paderno was listed as "heavy duty." the ones i had before weren't listed that way, and i remember them being a good bit thinner.
 
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