Red&Blue Kamado Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 Hello All, New member here - I just bought a KJ soapstone for my Classic II and have a question for you. I have done some research (including on these forums) about the soapstone and have found conflicting information regarding whether it needs to be “seasoned” similar to cast iron or not. I have found sources (not specific to the KJ soapstone though) who recommend coating it in high smoke-point oil before using it and others who say that it is ready to go from the outset, with no need of any seasoning. Could those of you who own one please let me know what I should do? To season or not to season, that is the question... Thank you, Srefano Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddyjbbq Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 i used mine right out of the box and just hit it with a bit of cooking spray first the point of the cooking spray was to aid in preventing food from sticking, not to season the stone. not sure i follow the idea of seasoning the stone, it cant rust like CI but the surface will develop (sort of) a patina. good luck cleaning it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Wagon Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 There's such misconceptions on seasoning. Not many cooking items need to be seasoned. Cast iron? Yup. Carbon steel? Yup. Ceramic Kamado? Nope. Akorn? Nope (except the cast iron cooking grate). Soapstone? Nope. Like @freddyjbbq said, hit it with some cooking spray (or oil) to aid with preventing food from sticking. I use mine for searing steaks and tuna, and cooking shrimp, halibut, salmon, and veggies. I alternate cooking sides each time to help burn off any crud from a prior cook. Bringing the soapstone up to temperature for a high-heat sear (which takes quite a bit of time, by the way) will burn off any previous seasoning. daninpd 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Setzler Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 Its non porous so it won't season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red&Blue Kamado Posted June 1, 2019 Author Share Posted June 1, 2019 Guys, thank you very much for enlightening me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 John's got the key bit; non-porous stone can't absorb oil. I scrape it to the stone with a straight-edge spatula. 8 hours ago, Chris Topher said: Bringing the soapstone up to temperature for a high-heat sear (which takes quite a bit of time, by the way) will burn off any previous seasoning. I've found that if it's hot enough to burn off oil, it's hot enough to burn food. When looking for a high-heat sear, I put the stone in the lower level, then let it heat soak at ~300-350 F for 30+ minutes. The center is quite a bit hotter, due to direct heating by the fire. This gives me golden brown in 1 minute, and won't burn if you keep turning and moving the food. HAve fun, Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red&Blue Kamado Posted June 1, 2019 Author Share Posted June 1, 2019 6 hours ago, fbov said: When looking for a high-heat sear, I put the stone in the lower level, then let it heat soak at ~300-350 F for 30+ minutes. Thank you Frank - just a clarification: when you say 300-350F I guess you are talking about temperature in the Kamado dome, not temp of the stone itself which should be way higher for searing, correct? Thank you for the helpful tips! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tex Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 On 5/31/2019 at 6:08 PM, John Setzler said: Its non porous so it won't season. Not true. I season my my carbon steel De Buyer pans and they aren't porous. As well as the Blackstone. They come a machine gray and end up a bronze/black color after seasoning. Really you can season anything ya want,it's just a matter of do you need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddyjbbq Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 On 5/31/2019 at 5:08 PM, Chris Topher said: There's such misconceptions on seasoning. .....Carbon steel? Yup. I love my carbon steel because it heats quickly and (unlike cast iron) doesn’t need to be seasoned. No fear of taking the season off on high-heat searing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 17 hours ago, Red&Blue Kamado said: ... not temp of the stone itself which should be way higher for searing, correct? Actually... I have an IR thermometer, so I can tell you the corners of the stone don't get much above 300F. The stone heats slowly, and heat doesn't spread from where you apply it. The center is a lot hotter and remains hot. Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Setzler Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 16 hours ago, Tex said: Not true. I season my my carbon steel De Buyer pans and they aren't porous. As well as the Blackstone. They come a machine gray and end up a bronze/black color after seasoning. Really you can season anything ya want,it's just a matter of do you need to. Yes. you need to season carbon steel because it will rust. Soapstone will not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red&Blue Kamado Posted June 3, 2019 Author Share Posted June 3, 2019 19 hours ago, fbov said: The stone heats slowly, and heat doesn't spread from where you apply it. The center is a lot hotter and remains hot. Thank you for the additional info, Frank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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