Is it normal for my cast iron skillet to give off more smoke when I cook with it?

I cook with mine often, but they are well aged (antique 40–50 yr old ones).
Just make sure you follow seasoning tips and ensure you are patient with the heat changes.

If it’s new, and recently seasoned, there’s a lot of oil in the pan’s surfaces. I’d bet it would smoke more because of that.

@blueiiznh, they are brand new, but I did season them. Should this get better with more use and should I season them regularly even if I use
them regularly? Also, what do
you mean about being patient
with the heat changes?

I am sooooo not a cook! Sigh…

What type of oil are you using? Some of the lighter oils will smoke more at lower temps than olive or corn oil.

@cruisercruiser, I use mostly coconut oil, sometimes I use canola oil cooking spray. In case it matters I used lard to season them.

Here is another good one on seasoning ~take note of the comment to open the windows because it smokes a lot during initial seasoning. More than likely what you are experiencing.

The comment about heat changes simply meaning that you ensure the correct temp and being patient will help in that.

My cast iron seems to cook at a much higher temp than my other skillets, i.e., even when the flame is on the same level the cast iron seems to get hotter faster. Could it be that your cooking oil is simply getting too hot too fast and smoking? Maybe turning the flame to low once the skillet has heated up will help.

@SuperMouse change your oils as those two are among the worst offenders for burning. The lard should be just fine if not among the best for iron cookware cooking.

Cast iron retains heat REALLY well, so when it is at the temperature which you would apply the food, lessen the temp. and wait a few, then apply the food.

If I cook with my skillet on anything higher than low, I will burn the food, if I put it on medium to heat it, then turn it to low for cooking, I get the best food :)

When cooking bacon and eggs for breakfast in my cast iron on the stove, I generally turn off the heat once I have put the bacon in the pan. The cast iron will retain enough heat to crisp the bacon and fry the eggs over easy.

And new cast iron will smoke more than other cookware. But that should lessen over time as you cook with it more and the seasoning gets set into the iron.