Proofing Frying Pans

[Jack Tar]

First off, I'm new here (hi!) so if this is in the wrong place please feel free to move it.

OK, onto the crux of the question.

I've heard that cooking on plain aluminium pots and pans can impart a metallic flavour into some foods which are cooked on them, and wondered if there is a way round this? (particularly frying pans)

I often use a wok when cooking at home, and one of the first things you do with a wok is to proof it (for want of a better phrase).
To do this, you smear the cooking surface of the wok with a thin coating of cooking oil, and place it on a flame.(Anyone who has done this will know how smokey it can get!)
After a while, the oil is baked hard to the surface, providing a kind of "natural" Teflon coating.

I was wondering if it is possible to do this with an aluminium frying pan, e.g. from a Trangia set? (thus preventing the metallic taste I've heard about, and making cleaning a bit easier)

I'm just starting out, and don't actually have a Trangia set to experiment on, but was hoping someone more experienced out there may have tried this, or has another solution?

P.S Cooked my first Bannock today (1 Pan fried and 1 oven baked), and am suitably impressed with such a simple recipe!

 

[led]

Aluminium should be OK, but you'll find that the more acidic the food, the more it might be tainted. AFAIK you wouldn't season aluminium in the same way that you would a cast iron pan. This is because cast iron is (relatively) more porous, and the seasoning helps to seal those holes up with fat/carbon to prevent the food sticking (well, sticking too badly!).

 

[Longstrider]

Is it as simple as getting the pan good and hot with a little oil spread around in it when you want to "proof" a cast iron pan? I've just bought a nice set of 3 cast iron pans and anything that would help prevent sticking would be useful.

I do remember being fed by an ex-forces cook for a fortnight one year (working away from home with a communal mess hut) and we had a rota for who did the washing up. The cook threw a complete wobbler the day one of the lads took a brillo pad to "his" frying pan and got it absolutely spotless. He swore that it would take days to get the thing "back to normal" so that food wouldn't stick to it!

 

[led]

I can feel his pain!!!

You're right, seasoning is a case of getting the pan good and hot and smearing a thin layer of cooking oil over the surface with a brush or some kitchen towel. Wait for that to stop smoking for a while, then repeat. You should end up with a beautiful, smooth dark surface on your pan. If it feels sticky in parts then you need to get it hotter as the oil hasn't hardened off properly.

If you find that parts are bubbling or peeling, then perhaps the cast iron had some dampness in it. You can wait for the pan to cool then use some rock salt to gently scour the area until you're back at the base metal (at least that is what was recommended to me). Then re-season the area until you have a nice, smooth, non-sticky surface again.

One tip, don't use olive oil, use something cheap as it gives a much better finish because you'll be able to get it to a higher temperature.

 

[Cairodel]

I was wondering if it is possible to do this with an aluminium frying pan, e.g. from a Trangia set? (thus preventing the metallic taste I've heard about, and making cleaning a bit easier)

Yes, you can use this on aluminium, although it may not be quite as effective as on cast iron. Also helps if you have a lid on while "conditioning".

 

[Ketchup]

Ken hom called this "seasoning" a wok.
Burning in the oil is only a start. Frequent use will finish the work in a natural way, but keep in mind NEVER to use dishwasher liquid or soaps with it. Scrub with a brush and hot water, rince and dry over the fire. Store away in a brown paper (or bread) bag (certainly if you transport your pan in a backpack, along with your clothes)

 

[gregorach]

My chef mates always said that to season a new cast iron pan, you should apply oil and salt and then smoke it off for an hour or so. However, that sort of smoking time is only really doable either outdoors or in a commercial kitchen - unless you've got really good ventilation.

I never wash my iron pans if I can help it. I find a quick wipe with clean oil and a paper towel does the job just fine.

 

[led]

A south african I met had an alternative approach to seasoning his dutch ovens. He recommended getting some very fatty cuts of meat (eg pork belly), and boiling them up in the pan. The fat was allowed to cover all of the inside surface, and then after a good few hours was just wiped clean.

 

[Ditch Monkey]

My chef mates always said that to season a new cast iron pan, you should apply oil and salt and then smoke it off for an hour or so. However, that sort of smoking time is only really doable either outdoors or in a commercial kitchen - unless you've got really good ventilation.

I never wash my iron pans if I can help it. I find a quick wipe with clean oil and a paper towel does the job just fine.

If you need to get all the proof and flavour off a pan, say for roasting spices for example, once the thing has been scrubbed clean fill it up with salt and cook the stuff dry. Give it the odd stir and the sal will absorb the residual flavour from the pan.

 

[Jack Tar]

"SEASONING"...Thank you!
That was the phrase I was after. ("proofing"?...what was I thinking!?!?)

When I get a chance, I think I'll give it a go (on aluminium) and will let you know the results. (Have you done this yourself Cairodel?)
Even if it is only moderately effective, it might be worth the preparation when "out in the field."

Thanks to everyone for what turned out to be a much more enlightening thread than I first thought!

Jack.

 

[Hawk Hawkins]

I recently bought an all aluminum mess kit at the local Army Navy Surplus. My buddy who works there said I needed to clean it really well as aluminum taints when cooked in.
So I brought the thing home and scrubbed it down with steel wool (same method I use in seasoning my cast iron). Scrubbing a pot/pan with steel wool ,hot water, and soap gets all the wax or anti-rust coating off which helps the cookware to season more evenly IMHO. I then rubbed the whole mess kit down with vegatable shortening...the old timers here used lard though, I dont have much use for it though as it turns rancid if the excess is left on.
The mess kit was baked in my home oven for about 2 hours on 400 degree heat, and then left to cool the rest of the way in the oven. It took on a brown season that feels very hard and stick resistant.
My way of testing this is to fry an egg with very little oil.
I work in a restaraunt and the pans we use to bake in are stamped heavy aluminum. After about a year of good hard use they take on a thick carbon coating on the inside and outside and they are virtually stick resistant.
Hawk

 

[Ketchup]

I agree with you, Jack Tar. Seasoning works even when it's only partially completed. And, as I said, it will improve with use. But you will have to accept a dirty looking pan for the rest of its working life. Some people just cannot live with that idea (but maybe these people don't get involved in bushcraft?)

 

[Bushwacker]

best oil for seasoning cookware I`ve used is groundnut oil (peanut oil). The chinese use it for cookoing and seasoning their woks `cos it reaches a far higher temp before burning.

 

[Cairodel]

"SEASONING"...Thank you!
That was the phrase I was after. ("proofing"?...what was I thinking!?!?)

When I get a chance, I think I'll give it a go (on aluminium) and will let you know the results. (Have you done this yourself Cairodel?)
Even if it is only moderately effective, it might be worth the preparation when "out in the field."

Thanks to everyone for what turned out to be a much more enlightening thread than I first thought!

Jack.

Yes Jack, for home use as when "out and about", I usually use S/S..