Conditions of use for CI Lids

[Charles_A._Burger]

I am having a particularly difficult time keeping one of my dutch oven lids from rusting.  Now in thinking about the conditions they are exposed to on regular use and I wonder how all lids don't rust on a consistent basis.  

Aren't lids essentially being steamed each time they are in use?  Can't boiling water (or steam condensate), by itself, remove seasoning?  And if the answer to those 2 questions are yes, can one ever have enough seasoning on a lid.  Are there previous threads on good lid maintainence?

I'll try and search on my own, but if anyone remembers posts they themselves have made, I'm sure it would be much faster that what I can find.

These are questions I've had since I joined this forum.  But now that i have a few, I really want to get a handle on this situation.

Thanks

[Tom Penkava]

How many coats of seasoning do you have on your lids ??
What product are they seasoned with ??
How do you clean them after use ??
Do you store them with a folded paper towel between the lid & oven ??? ( air flow )
I have not had this issue on my COs, but then I have a min of 12 coats of seasoning on my COs and their lids.  I don't do anything special other that rinse with hot water, wipe dry, spray on a coat of pam & wipe most of it off leaving a nice shinny surface.

[Ray Armstrong]

The only CI lids I have are on my DOs & COs. I have one DO that dident have a lid when I got it, eventualy I found a nice lid for it and it needed striped and reseasoned. I put about 5 seasonings on it before I started to use it. Its my most used flat bottom now and it has never rusted at all. Every time I use it I put a coat of oil on it and I make sure its dry, usually setting it upsidedown lets it dry real quick when its hot, shortly after removing the lid when taking the food out.

I'm sure theres another way but thats what I do.

[Charles_A._Burger]

I'm guessing at 4 coats of Crisco done at 550°F.  The last time it happened I just wiped off the rust until my towel was not picking up brown any more and hit it with crisco again at the same temp.  I do use the folded paper towels to let air circulate.

[Jeff Seago]

I had trouble with one of my DO lids and I finally just wiped on a thick coat of oil, put a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom of the oven, turned the oven to 250 to solidify the oil, and cranked it up until it quit smoking.  Now I don't have that problem anymore.

[Charles_A._Burger]

turned the oven to 250 to solidify the oil

Is this a kind of do the opposite.  Sounds like you wanted the oil to get sticky then really cook it on.  What oil was it?  I'm wondering if a higher smokepoint oil like Peanut would be something to try.

[Jeff Seago]

Charles it was an angry attempt to solve a problem just like you are having.  I used canola oil I think.  I wanted it to get sticky so that it would not run off the piece when I turned it up to 500 or so.  I now don't go past 500 because it increases the likelihood of those little dots all over the piece.  The piece turned out black as coal and doesn't look that bad and now we use it all the time.

Try wiping your oil on and off with only a paper towel if you don't already (this will leave, and you want it to, a thicker coat of oil).  I think I did mine so I could see my fingerprint in the piece.  Use 500 instead of 550 and you won't get those pesky spots.