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☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → Is cast iron cookware actually porous?
Is cast iron cookware actually porous?
2010-06-29, 3:04 PM #1
For the physics people around here.

I'm finally getting around to reseasoning my cast iron cookware for use. A lot of explanations are "the oil bonds to the microscopic pores of the iron" or "the pores open up and let the grease in during the seasoning process, the pores close when it's cool"

I'm not a physicist but I am 99% sure both of these statements are completely incorrect. As far as I know, iron isn't porous. I'm sure it gets a very rough surface from casting, but not porous. Second, the pores don't "expand when hot" because that's not how heat expansion works... unless I'm wrong, the ENTIRE object enlarges, pores and all (which I'm pretty certain aren't even there). What I bet really happens is the oil polymerizes and chemically bonds to the iron. It's not "filling the pores."

Am I correct to assume this is another common misunderstanding of physics applied to the kitchen, or am I talking out of my ass?
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2010-06-29, 3:09 PM #2
Don't know about the porosity, but one seasons cast-iron cookware to make it non-sticky. One heats up and oxidizes the oil so it creates a "layer" over the iron so food doesn't stick to the cookware and burn. It also helps prevent rusting.
2010-06-29, 3:16 PM #3
Well, right. I know what seasoning is for, I'm just curious as to why it works. Because all the explanations I've found online are basically handwaving.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2010-06-29, 3:26 PM #4
Yeah the stuff you said you've heard is complete bollocks from people that don't understand physics. :P

That said I can't actually tell you why it works.
nope.
2010-06-29, 3:34 PM #5
cast iron steaks are the best steaks

that is all
"Honey, you got real ugly."
2010-06-29, 3:38 PM #6
Slow grilled over hickory.
2010-06-29, 3:38 PM #7
ur mom slow grilled over hickory
"Honey, you got real ugly."
2010-06-29, 3:41 PM #8
Originally posted by llibja:
cast iron steaks are the best steaks

that is all

Thats some powerful digestive system you've got there.
nope.
2010-06-29, 3:44 PM #9
edit: i DO get it
"Honey, you got real ugly."
2010-06-29, 3:45 PM #10
You eat steaks made from cast iron. This is impressive (to british people).
Warhead[97]
2010-06-29, 4:03 PM #11
Originally posted by Steven:
Slow grilled over hickory.

They're both excellent. Steaks are best sautéed in clarified butter.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2010-06-29, 4:04 PM #12
With sautéed mushrooms and onions.

Dammit, now I want a steak. **** you Matt.
2010-06-29, 4:05 PM #13
Braised in a fine lager.
2010-06-29, 4:05 PM #14
green onions
Warhead[97]
2010-06-29, 4:08 PM #15
I know what I'm doing this weekend!
2010-06-29, 6:23 PM #16
The real reason you use cast iron is because it can hold a lot of heat. You 'season' them mainly to protect the surface of the metal from oxidizing.
2010-06-29, 6:28 PM #17
With the wonderful side affect of non-stick
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2010-06-29, 6:53 PM #18
It can be, although when you're cooking meat you really want it to stick.
2010-06-29, 7:08 PM #19
What, like a steak? Because if I was making say, a stir fry I wouldn't want meat to stick.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2010-06-29, 7:14 PM #20
What about steak stir-fry?
error; function{getsig} returns 'null'
2010-06-29, 7:15 PM #21
That's why I use a steel wok. :smug:
2010-06-29, 7:58 PM #22
I just bought an aluminized, non-stick steel wok from Target. I guess it's coated with aluminum then anodized. I figured, anodized aluminum is pretty tough, the non-stick coating should last just about forever if I take care of it. Well, after only using it three or four times, some things are already starting to stick. The only utensils to ever touch it were a silicone spatula and a cotton washcloth. :argh:

Probably going to return it and get a carbon steel wok.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2010-06-29, 8:04 PM #23
when you say "steal wok from target", does that mean what it sounds like?
2010-06-29, 8:23 PM #24
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2010-06-29, 8:30 PM #25
:ninja:
2010-06-29, 9:49 PM #26
I get it LOL! like steal a Wok from target? :cool:
He who controls the spice controls the universe-
2010-06-30, 6:15 AM #27
I would guess that the bonding effect of the oil is what happens with simple cast-iron cookware. However, there are ways to create porous iron materials. Probably not something you'd want to cook on though. :D
Quote Originally Posted by FastGamerr
"hurr hairy guy said my backhair looks dumb hurr hairy guy smash"
2010-06-30, 6:59 AM #28
Are george foremen grills cast iron? Nothing ever sticks to them
"Nulla tenaci invia est via"
2010-06-30, 7:12 AM #29
No they're just teflon
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2010-06-30, 12:30 PM #30
Originally posted by zanardi:
Are george foremen grills cast iron? Nothing ever sticks to them

They're neither iron, nor grills.
nope.
2010-06-30, 12:48 PM #31
Originally posted by Emon:
Is cast iron cookware actually porous?


I'm most terribly sorry, but I keep reading the thread's title as "Is cast iron cockwear actually porous?" :P
幻術
2010-06-30, 12:55 PM #32
I hope not because that was the main selling point for buying this thing ;)
2010-06-30, 12:56 PM #33
[http://catmacros.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/lolcat.jpg]
幻術
2010-06-30, 1:46 PM #34
Quote:
The seasoned surface consists of a polymerized and plasticized coating.

The process of heating a pan to cause the oil to oxidize is analogous to the hardening of drying oil used in oil paints, or to varnish a painting. See drying oil for details of the chemistry of the drying process. But whereas the curing of oils is the result of autoxidation at room temperature for a painting, for a pan, the thermoxidized oil undergoes a conversion into the hard surface of the seasoned pan at the high temperatures of cooking.

When oils or fats are heated in a pan, multiple degradation reactions occur, including: autoxidation, thermal oxidation, polymerization, cyclization and fission.[1][2] Often seasoning is uneven in a pan, and over time the distribution will spread to a whole pan. Heating the cookware (such as in a hot oven or on a stovetop) facilitates the oxidation of the iron; the fats and/or oils protect the metal from contact with the air during the reaction, which would cause rust to form. Some cast iron users advocate heating the pan slightly before applying the fat or oil to ensure that the pan is completely dry and to open "the pores" of the pan.[3][4]
The surface is hydrophobic, and oils or fats for cooking will spread evenly. The seasoned surface will deteriorate at the temperature where the polymers breakdown. This is not the same as the smoke point of the original oils and fats used to season the pan because those oils and fats are transformed into the plasticized surface. (This is analogous to how the smoke point for crude oil and plastic are different).


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasoned_pan
? :)
2010-06-30, 3:13 PM #35
Ohhhhh yip yip yip yip :omg:
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2010-07-01, 9:55 PM #36
That wiki quote makes it scary to cook with cast iron! Haha
Got a permanent feather in my cap;
Got a stretch to my stride;
a stroll to my step;
2010-07-02, 12:42 AM #37
Nobody knows, it's a glitch in the matrix we have learned to exploit.

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