Crisbee Cast Iron Seasoning

Reviews

Crisbee's non-stick cast iron seasoning has been enjoyed by thousands of cast iron fanatics and casual users around the world. Here are some in-depth reviews on its use at seasoning and maintaining cast iron cookware including a review from Jeffrey B. Rogers, The Culinary Fanatic, and TOPONAUTIC Outdoor News.

Crisbee Cast Iron Seasoning Reviews



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Lodge Rust-Resistant Cast Iron (Tested) | Seasoning with Crisbee | Lodge Heat-Treated Cast Iron



Friday, October 9th 2015

CRISBEE PUCK (Cast Iron Seasoning Product)
By TOPONAUTIC Outdoor News-Events-Recipes


This is a product test and our opinions (this is not a paid advertisement).

We are starting our initial testing of one of the various CRISBEE products for seasoning Cast Iron. Check back to see updates on how we feel about the product.

We received via UPS the (2) Puck Box for testing. 2 - 3.25oz Pucks of the Original formula. On the Crisbee website it indicates the ingredients are a proprietary blend of Soybean Oil, Palm Oil, and Beeswax.

This product and others they offer (like Apple Pie scented) can be found on their website.


I want to pause here and say over many years, decades actually, I have used a wide variety of oils, lard, shortening etc. Anything someone might say works better. Years ago I stopped messing with oils, and settled on vegetable shortening.

Of course stating what you actually use then starts a whole huge debate. I rank cast iron conditioning methods right up there with talking religion or politics. You can't win no matter what sways your particular notion of things. There are also a whole pot full of ways on doing things. With that said, I keep an open mind and am open to something new that might come along. That puts me at the place I am at today testing the Crisbee product that is new to me.


For testing purposes I will be seasoning a raw cast iron Dutch Oven as one of our tests. This is an 8qt Texsport Deep Dutch Oven that was recently picked up at a garage sale. It is the only thing I have hanging around without at least one layer of season already on it. This Dutch Oven still had its tags attached. It also had its factory layer of wax or paraffin. I have since burned that factory layer off and will be proceeding with baking on a first coat of seasoning using the Crisbee product.

I normally collect vintage Cast Iron and have over 150 pieces. This Texsport is not anything special. But when you run across them at a garage sale for $5 or $10 they are hard to pass up. They are rather rough compared to some of my coveted Griswold. So if something rough seasons well, image what some of the nice vintage cast iron might do.

My other test piece of cast iron is a rectangular griddle we use over coals or a gas stove. This has been seasoned and well used. The seasoning in the center looks rather porous and worn (too many pancakes flipped from those spots). I am not removing any old seasoning on this piece. A new layer using the Crisbee product will be baked on. The true test is putting this to an egg and pancake "stick" test after a new layer or two. I am looking for this griddle to come out glossy black since the original cast iron surface is extremely smooth.


Categories to be rated:

-Ease of application
-Smoking
-Can we get black colored seasoning by the second coat?
-Slickness of the finished seasoning
-Cook Surface rating


I followed Crisbee's directions when seasoning the first piece. Used 400°F heat. The finish was a dark caramel brown. Not quite black. Same results I get on a first coat with my own choice of shortening seasoning material. I let the cast iron cool until just warm to the touch. I applied a second layer at this time in preparation of the second coat. I do like the way it adheres in this stage. I was able to rub it in as the iron cooled down. I give the product high marks for this. The piece was completely cooled.

On the second test piece (the Griddle) I upped the temperature to 450°F. That is the same temp I use for my standard seasoning choice. I wanted to compare to what I am familiar with. The Crisbee product handled the higher temperature very well. I didn't experience any smoking to note. The first coat, covering existing seasoning, came out nice and black. The smooth surface of the griddle is about 75% slick at this point. But remember this griddle had prior seasoning on it. I am impressed with the color and the slickness obtained. I also rubbed this down with a very thin coat of Crisbee when it was nearly cooled. Prepping for a second coat. It was cooled completely.

Both pieces now have had two coats of Crisbee seasoning applied.

Ease of Application: I do like that "waxy" consistency it has when handling. I feel the bee's wax may fill cast iron pores at a quicker rate. The product liquefies instantly on pre-warmed cast iron. A little goes a long way. As with other methods avoid using paper towels. They tend to leave little particles that end up in your finished seasoning. I learned this years ago with shortening and even oil products. For superior results use a lint free absorbent cloth. A horse hair/natural bristle brush can be used to work the liquefied product under handles and hard to wipe spots.

Smoking: Even at 450°F it did not set off the smoke detectors in the house with any noticeable smoking. Some oil products will cause issues not seen with the Crisbee product. High marks given for this.

Can we get black colored seasoning by the second coat? Both the cast iron pieces were a dark black at the end of the second coating. The oven temperature had been upped to 450°F. It could just be the difference in ovens though? The product gets rated high for this since some methods take longer to progress from the golden dark brown stage to black.

Slickness of the finished seasoning

Texsport Dutch Oven is a pretty rough cast pot. The Crisbee seasoning did do an excellent job of filling the pores. There is excellent slickness on the griddle. At least eye balling it. The true test to come, is frying some eggs. Also pouring out a couple pancakes onto the surface.


Summary of the Seasoning process:

Application and the pore filling ability...better than vegetable shortening. The product can handle higher seasoning temperatures than stated in its directions without excessive smoking. The amount of coats to achieve the black finish is pretty much the same as the vegetable shortening method, though Crisbee...appears to have...advantage in this category too.

Cook Surface rating: Follow-up evaluation will be done and added on.

The Texsport Dutch Oven has a rough surface from its foundry casting. The Crisbee seasoning has filled the pores and the surface looks real good. The test will be baking a sticky Dump Cake in the DO, then seeing how easy or not it cleans up.

The griddle came out with a smooth looking slick surface. Eggs and pancakes will give it a real world test. We hope to cook on the griddle this coming week.

Follow-up comments:

This evaluation is all very un-scientific. Only opinions based on a wide variety products used on my cast iron over several decades.

Our week-long camping and cooking event is over. I am happy to report the Crisbee seasoned pieces performed very well.

The pot cleaned up easily with hot water. There was no noticeable effect on the seasoning.

A loaf of bread was also baked in the Dutch Oven and the bottom came out golden brown. The bread lifted right out and did not stick.

Eggs and pancakes came off the flat rectangular griddle with the ease… in summary, I feel this product has real value as a cast iron seasoning product.




November 2015

How to Rescue Rusted Cast Iron Cookware

OR: Cast Iron Cookware Intensive Care Unit

By Lynn of Nourish and Nestle



I am a cast iron cookware devotee. I do like my stainless steel cookware, but when it comes to non-stick, a cast iron is my go-to pan. Granted, even well seasoned cast iron cookware is not as ‘non-stick’ as some other “Non Stick” labelled cookware, but I’m way too leery of all the chemicals and processes that are involved in making the ‘non stick’ feature of other non-stick cookware. I’ll always default to a low-tech, no chemical, tried and true item that’s been safely in use since the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD).


In addition to the set of 4 Lodge 5-inch cast iron skillets that I’ve written so fondly about (skillet apple crumble, skillet brownie, skillet pecan pie); I also regularly use a Dutch Oven, a 10-inch skillet, a 12-inch skillet and a 2-sided grill/griddle.


All that being said, you can’t just throw your cast-iron skillet in the dishwasher or for that matter, wash and forget it. So this is where I got stuck (no pun intended) on my cast-iron learning curve. Of course, I never put it in the dishwasher! But I know I didn’t ‘tend’ to it on a regular basis like I should have. My skillets are actually in pretty good shape, but the lid of my dutch oven became rusted on the inside because I didn’t make sure it was dry when I put it away and my grill/griddle was just a hot mess because I seasoned it poorly several years back.

I recently decided it was time to take back my cast iron and resolve to be a better cast iron owner. To that end, I need much research on how to rescue rusted cast iron cookware. I realized that I needed to take off whatever finish remained on the dutch oven, its lid and the griddle and start from scratch.

How to Rescue Rusted Cast Iron Cookware:

Now here’s where you’ll get all sorts of opinions. I’ve read about Flax Oil (which is awful expensive to be coating your cast iron with), lard, vegetable oil and coconut oil. I’ve worked with the vegetable oil with moderate success (operator error I’m certain), but this time I thought I’d try something new. I read about a product called Crisbee and decided to give it a try. Scouts honor, I am not affiliated with Crisbee at all and they don’t even know I’m writing about them.


Crisbee comes in a puck form or a stick, rather like stick deodorant. It is a proprietary blend of soybean oil, palm oil and beeswax. The company claims that the addition beeswax helps the oil bond to the cast iron better than just vegetable oil I liked that it was a solid, making it easier to get the thin coat you need on your cast iron. I think where I went astray in my past cast iron seasoning attempts was that I had too much vegetable oil and it puddled or baked unevenly. The puck is so easy to use, especially on an ongoing basis after each use. I may give the stick a try next time just to compare. The puck is $7 and the stick $10, but shipping is free.