Don´t confuse seasoning with a build-up of dirt! Your plancha plate should be clean, but you can make it non-stick in a natural way by seasoning it.
What materials can be seasoned and how do I go about it? How do I clean a plancha plate and avoid bad smells?
The TomPress editorial by Philippe. Don´t confuse seasoning with a build-up of dirt! Your plancha plate should be clean, but you can make it naturally non-stick by seasoning it.
What materials can be seasoned and how do I do it?
How do I clean my plancha plate and avoid odours?
SEASONING
Seasoning is an efficient and healthy way to make cooking materials containing iron non-stick. Look at big professional crepe pans. None of them has a non-stick coating. They are made of grey cast iron and if that material was not non-stick, then the professionals would certainly have chosen something else.
What materials can be seasoned?
Seasoning only applies to cooking plates that contain iron, in other words cast iron and steel. For all other materials, including surface enamelled cast iron, seasoning is of no benefit.
Steel Once it has been perfectly cleaned and some lemon or vinegar poured over it, when the pan is completely dry simply leave it to cook with a little oil at a reasonable temperature (250 - 270°C). A brown, non-stick varnish will appear. You can start the process of heating the oil several times to perfect the seasoning or re-season if your pan is beginning to stick. To maintain after use, once the pan has been cleaned, spray or spread a little oil and leave it to cook before switching off the heat. Once the pan is cold, simply wipe it down to protect from corrosion between uses.
Cast iron Firstly, you must identify whether the iron is raw or core enamelled or surface enamelled. If the pan appears to be shiny, it has an enamelled surface: no need to season.
On the other hand, if the pan is dull and absorbent, it is made from raw iron and it is best to season it.
Core enamelled cast iron has a silky appearance and no difference inside or out and it can also be seasoned.
Once your cast iron is perfectly clean, heat it and keep it at the right temperature to allow it to dry inside. Cast iron is porous and it will take a good ten minutes for the water it contains to evaporate. Drying is important, because the water it contains will turn to steam when it heats up and will remove the coating of seasoning.
When your cast iron is dry, spread a generous spoonful of food oil and allow it to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. A raw cast iron pan will absorb the oil and dry (absorption is less for core enamelled iron). Renew the operation several times, always allowing 5-10 minutes of ""cooking"" time. Little by little, the iron will absorb less and less of the oil and a dark brown non-stick coating will form. To maintain the seasoning, once the cooking plate is clean switch off the heat and spray a little oil on the plate while it is still hot. It should always have a thin layer of oil to avoid corrosion between uses.
CLEANING
Steel and stainless steel Nothing in particular
