A cast iron skillet sears when it is hot and seasoned. The surface you start with only changes how long that takes.
We cooked on polished and rough pans, slid eggs across them, and noticed which handles you could still hold and which had become a branding iron.
Surface and seasoning
A rough pan grabs seasoning and looks rustic. A polished pan releases sooner and shows every bare patch. Both work once the fat and the heat are right. A handle that conducts heat into your palm is the flaw you feel every time.
- Heat the pan longer than you think, on moderate heat.
- Oil the food or the pan, not a dry hope.
- A handle you can grip, or a helper handle if the pan is large.
- The willingness to wipe it out instead of soaking it overnight.
Seasoning is a habit. The factory finish is only the first day.
After searing
Pour off the fat, wipe while it is warm, and put it back on a low burner if it looks dull. Soap will not ruin a pan that is used. Neglect will.
Pick the pan whose weight and handle you want in your hand. The crust comes from heat.
