What is the purpose of using potato peels for seasoning a cast iron pan?

Question

My first ever cast iron pan just arrived. The package contains following seasoning directions.

1. Wash with clothes detergent (not soap or dish detergent) to remove the rust protection coating.
2. Wash thoroughly with warm water to remove detergent. Dry pan.
3. Fill the pan with fresh potato peels. Pour sunflower oil or rape oil on them, until it is almost full with oil.
4. Leave the pan with the potato peels and oil for an hour on the next-to-highest setting on the stove top.
5. Throw away the potato peels and oil, dry the pan with kitchen paper
6. Coat the pan with a thin layer of sunflower or rape oil.

Not only don't I want to spend the afternoon peeling potatoes and then throw away most of them (I cannot eat the amount of potatoes needed for these peels), but even the positive amazon reviews for the pan all warn before the stench the charring peels produce during the seasoning: It lingered for about three days although I changed the fume hood filters, but it is a small price to pay for such a great pan. For me, it is a big price, because I have no fume hood, and there is no door between the kitchenette and the living room/bedroom. I looked up advise on seasoning pans, hoping for some trick, and found this question where the accepted answer doesn't include potato peels (in fact, no answer mentions them).

Now I am unsure whether to use them. On the one hand, I don't want to deal with the side effects. On the other hand, a producer is supposed to know what is best for his products. I don't want to get poisoned by an anti-rust coating residue that would have been rendered harmless in a chemical reaction with potato peels. Besides, I can't use the seasoning process outlined in the question I linked, because my pan doesn't fit in my oven.

I guess it would be easier to decide if I knew of their purpose. Does any of you know of using potato peels for seasoning pans, and can you tell me why they are needed? Or is it just an urban legend the ignorant manufacturer printed in the manual (the pan is not a well-known brand, maybe some hardware manufacturer decided it will be easy to add pans to their product line and made them without gathering enough know-how).

Answer 1

I personally had never heard of it, but after doing some research online, I found another set of instructions that called for boiling potatoes in the pan before seasoning:

After boiling potato peelings for 15 minutes, the skillet had a nasty slurry of grey looking sand in the bottom Once the skillet was heated, the pores were opened, and the starchy/water mixture was able to draw out oils and dirt that I was not capable of getting to through normal washing. I fully do not understand the science behind why the starch/water mixture did this, but the experience was enough to convince me of the need to do this. So much in fact, that I did this process twice on each skillet.

I read a few too many web pages while researching this, and didn't save all of the links, but I did notice a few things:

1. Some of the posts kept switching between saying cast iron and carbon steel; both are typically seasoned, but they're different materials, so I don't know if it's recommended for both, or if people were mixing things up. (I only have one carbon steel item, a wok, which I got second hand, so had already had its first seasoning).

2. Some of the posts mentioned boiling potatoes for 15 minutes, other mentioned frying potatoes as the first thing to be cooked in the pan (in oil), some mentioned cooking them 'til they burn. The boiling potatoes ones also mentioned it works for cleaning stainless steel pans.

3. Some mentioned peels specifically, others say that you can use any part of the potato ... if it's the starch that's of interest, I'd think the middle would actually be better, but I'm guessing that the peels were considered waste, and so considered a less valuable item; I'd be inclined to just use one potato, dispatched with a peeler, if you were trying to avoid wasting potatoes you weren't going to eat.

Answer 2

I've never heard of such a thing. As one who has seasoned a few cast iron pans, I can tell you that you don't need the potato peals. Just coat it with oil and bake it. Here's one of the first hits I got on Google. That's all you need to do.

Answer 3

From what i understand, NEW pans come coated with a wax or lacquer to prevent them from rusting after manufacture. The boiled potato peel water removes this layer. You do not need to fry them, just bring them to light boil in the pan and then after about 15 mins, use the hot potato peel water to wash the pan surfaces. You then rinse the pan "in very hot water" and then dry the pan and start your seasoning protocol.

Answer 4

Check this out from Americas Test Kitchen. Instruction for season are about 2/3's into the youtube. They recommend using oil, salt and potato peels at the same time over medium heat. Once the peels have browned you throw it all out and wipe it down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suTmUX4Vbk

Answer 5

This is an old post, not willing to read every line, but first off, the coating is beeswax, so it should not kill you, at least it was on my pan. We used very hot tap water and a rough sponge. I have read others have boiled water and poured it over the pan.

Yes the salt, oil, two tater skins does smoke up a kitchen. We got no lingering smell after an hour, did have to get a fan to blow out the smoke.

I don’t know why but the oil, salt, potato skins actually worked, yes the skins turn to “carbon” black.The skins seem to help move the salt up on the sides, I’m not sure if any chemical or catalyst reaction is going on. It does simulate cooking something.

It worked out well, other then getting fussed at by the wife.

My advice too, get a small outdoor grill and do the initial seasoning.

It’s not carbon,”The seasoning on cast iron is formed by fat polymerization, fat polymerization is maximized with a drying oil, and flaxseed oil is the only drying oil that’s edible. From that I deduced that flaxseed oil would be the ideal oil for seasoning cast iron.” Source http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/comment-page-9/

Answer 6

Just wanted to confirm that in times past, such as when I was a newlywed 50yrs ago, simmering potato peelings in water and then put on a thin layer of shortening was how my mother told me to season my new cast iron skillets and it seemed to work. One thing I know from experience is that a well-seasoned cast iron skillet is as good as "non-stick" pans until you cook something that has a tendency to strip it back down (like stewed tomatoes).

Answer 7

I am the same, in that I have never heard of seasoning with potato skins. As a process I use on my omelete pans that are cast iron which will prevent sticking , is that I cover the bottom with table salt. Bring up to heat then reduce temperature not to create to much smoke. Keep moving the salt and you will find that it starts getting darker which is the impurities being drawn out. Salt for about 5 mins, pour salt into a heat resistant container as the heat will melt and scold. Wipe clean, drizzle with oil , bring to heat and wipe over the entire inside of the pan so the oil soaks in and it is seasoned. Do process regularly to maintain quality.

Answer 8

My experience has been strictly with cast iron (not carbon steel - there seems to be some intermixing of the terms here). I had also not heard of the potato seasoning method (again, there is a mix of using the potato to clean and/or season here).

I noticed that no-one actually answered the question regarding the purpose of the potato (chemical reaction to pan for seasoning) and I suspect the potato and or starch is merely a cleaning agent and NOT a seasoning agent. I personally have tried many types of oil at different temps - what I have found best: is use an outdoor grill get the pan to 400+ degrees (this will also burn off any wax or shipping coating) THEN apply the oil (flaxseed or other high smoke point) and let season for an hour at 400+ (I like 500). Please be careful the pan is HOT when you apply the oil and will smoke during seasoning.

Think about how you will apply before hand - I use a 100% white cotton towel, dip in oil, spread on pan using long tongs. wear long fireplace gives or long oven mitts). Allow to cool and you will have a shiny black 1st seasoning. This seasoning does not flake off which happens when seasoning at too low of a temp for too short a time - ironically Lodge's instructions have not resulted in good seasoning for me. Then cook with pan using coconut, peanut, grapeseed or another high smoke point oil or animal fat (think bacon, butter, steaks etc) and the pan will continue to season. FYI never fry with olive oil - this is best used as a base in dressings or drizzled on the cooked food. No need to "wash" your seasoned cast-iron pan after cooking - just wipe out immediately after cooking.

Answer 9

I had took my dog outside and forgot my skillet on a hot burner, I use oil, kosher salt, and slice the end off a potato, scrubbing with the potato then reseason in the oven upside down over a baking sheet 3 times with a layer of oil on 300 DEGREES, always works perfectly.