Thread: can you fry an egg in cast iron

I oil my pan better than my razors; after washing I set it back on the hot burner(off) and it dries up real quick. I do wash it as soon as I'm done cooking.

If you dont have hens buy your eggs locally from humane farmers.

Originally Posted by kevint

Unless there is another trick; I find the secret is having the right temp. The pan's gonna get hot and stay hot so you may want to start with more source to heat up quickly then turn it down, or sometimes off.

+1 on the right temp.

Start at medium heat and adjust as needed.

Bacon fat from yesterday or drawn butter is a BIG help.
Warm the egg a bit... eggs from the chiller
are hard to cook without over cooking the outside.

If it is a modern cast iron pan sand the stink
out of it once or twice.... Clean it aggressively with
a stainless scrubber or green scotch brite as
needed. Like a razor grease or oil it before
putting it up for tomorrow.

Drawn butter is not necessary but it helps a lot.
Normal butter foams at the right temp, too hot and
the butter solids burn, add the egg when it just stops
foaming.

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

What exactly does 'properly seasoned' mean? Sorry, I grew up with teflon.

Old steel pans and cast iron can get a coating of almost burnt
oil and fat that is about as no stick as teflon. The key
is that it takes multiple thin applications of oil/fat to
build up the seasoning.

The thin seasoning can be removed with modern detergents
and the bare steel/ iron will grab food so it sticks. If you watch
a cook with a Chinese wok (steel) they just add water, boil,
scrub with a bamboo brush and rinse (no soap). Same for cast
iron, soak with hot water, scrub, rinse, re-oil as needed.
Soap or burning food can render the seasoning moot at which
time an aggressive abrasive like a green scotch brite or steel
wool will clean it down to metal that then needs a fresh
application of fat/oil.

Like a strop, it is the relentless thin application of oil/fat that
then interacts with oxygen that makes it 'right'. Did I say thin....
yes thin application.

see i beg the dffer on using dish soap i use just a few drop to get the grease from the foods that get cooked in it and then re grease it as soon as im done with cleaning it. I have a lot of experience at this my chore is dishes for a family of six so the pans get used a lot.

i still have one or two of the modern lodge pans. i had a 12 and a 14 that were seasoned just as good as any griswold i have. takes a little time but they will season great and you can fry a egg on one. i sold those 2 pans on ebay and wish i would of kept them.

The way my grandmother did it, the eggs were floating in bacon grease- I don't think they ever touched iron.

Avoid sautéing acidic foods and sauces because this can strip the seasoning.

Originally Posted by Library Guy

The way my grandmother did it, the eggs were floating in bacon grease- I don't think they ever touched iron.

Avoid sautéing acidic foods and sauces because this can strip the seasoning.

i had an uncle do the same thing. he would not turn hus eggs. just scoop up the bacan greese and pour over the eggs till done.

Originally Posted by buckeye

i had an uncle do the same thing. he would not turn hus eggs. just scoop up the bacan greese and pour over the eggs till done.

The perfectly basted egg

Although, considering what one reads about one's health and the wholesomeness of today's eggs, the only option seems burned to a crisp.

I just cooked 8 eggs and 8 rashers of bacon in one of my el cheapo cast iron pans, it is well seasoned, to clean I scald it, then run some hot water over it and give it a brush, if anything heavy is stuck I just scrape it with the egg flip whilst the pan is full of boiling water after scalding it, then back on the fire to dry and put a little olive oil on and wipe off with paper towel. very rarely have anything stick to any of my old pans. Someone said the iron pans our grand mothers used were finer grain, I think you are quite right. The cheap modern stuff I use is quite course grained, I suspect sand cast in China.

Cheers

Originally Posted by buckeye

i had an uncle do the same thing. he would not turn hus eggs. just scoop up the bacan greese and pour over the eggs till done.

+1 on that , it reminds me of my oldman. The wife and i have them like that once a year,boy are they good!!