Foo - Cast iron skilet revisited

ONce again i will say this is the best skilet ya can get i dont care what you pay the cast iron will beat it if taken care of

dont drope hamers on em

Ha never done that before worst thing i done was leave it on barbq grill to long and it removed the seasoning .now my pan is in perfect shape nothing will stick to it. i hope it some day will be like 300 years old still it even gets beter every year

Griswold! Anybody have any really valuable ones? :)

I agree, 100%. And the wife doesn't mad dog me when I scrape it up.

They are about all I cook in. Made dinner tonight in this one I picked up at a yard sale for $3.00. What I like is you can start ot cooking on the stovetop and transfer them right into the oven(or the grill tonight) to finish. When the potatoes and carrots were just about done, I grilled some pork chops next to them. I've got about 8 cast iron pans, one of them is and old waffle iron. Makes real nice waffles.
http://i482.photobucket.com/albums/rr182/oldtacomaguy/DSCN0318.jpg

Just NEVER I mean NEVER wash them with soap or any other kind of cleaner. You have to start all over seasoning them then and even then you never get them as good as they where before you washed them.

Just NEVER I mean NEVER wash them with soap or any other kind of cleaner. You have to start all over seasoning them then and even then you never get them as good as they where before you washed them.

I always wash mine with a little soap and a brush, otherwise they look/smell gross. How do you clean them otherwisE?

i use a plastic brush type thing its about 5 inches across not sure what it was amde for but it works great for my pans my pans are slick as silicon i can cook everything in it and it wont stick omleetes etec etc.I laugh at these new high tech pans that ya cant even use metal objects in them lol

I always wash mine with a little soap and a brush, otherwise they look/smell gross. How do you clean them otherwisE?

Put them on the stove with a little water in them ,bring to a boil and scrub away. You can use your brush for this after you rinse the soap out of it. Wipe out after rinsing and put back on a warm stove,no extra heat. If you put water in them immediately after taking out whatever you just cooke ,it works like a hot damn, watch out for the steam from the water hitting the pan. Wipe/dry.

What are favorite ways to season a skillet?

Just use it a lot arkansas cook freid chicken in it and bacons.It has been so long i forgot how i did the original seasoning

270596

What are favorite ways to season a skillet?
The most reliable aim is to coat the cast iron in oil (plant or animal-based is fine; just make sure it gets hot enough, but not hot enough to reach its flash point).

Have you ever seen cooking oil in a pot get way too thick and sticky to clean easily? That's what happens when the oil isn't heated enough, or for long enough. It partially oxidizes, and in many cases becomes a sort of epoxy. There's actually a discussion about this type of oxidation in the mechanics forum:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/843378-What-makes-grease-turn-into-glue

Smoking the oil is a more rapid and thorough oxidation, leaving behind a layer of nearly pure carbon, similar in nature to graphite.

I have two favorite methods: Stove top and oven. Either way, choose an oil that has a reasonably low smoke point (such as bacon fat or extra-virgin olive oil). Coat the metal enough to make it shiny. If there's some pooling in the inside, it's too much; it may become the super-sticky epoxy, or it may just take a lot longer to thoroughly oxidize. It really doesn't take a lot. Coat all sides (not the bottom if you're doing this on top of the stove -- which is why the oven method is more thorough). Place the piece onto/into the heat source and *then* turn on the heat. If in the oven, generally 350º-400º is enough. On the stove, turn it to medium so it will slowly heat up. Allow it to smoke for a while (a minimum of an hour is recommended, but I've been getting away with much less without problems).

An easy cheat method is making butter toast in the skillet: warm the skillet enough for the butter to sizzle (I'm not sure how most butter substitutes behave, but most are still oil based so this should work), place the bread into the pot or skillet until a lovely brown. enjoy the toast however you like, and let the remainder of the oil smoke away for a bit. That will at least help maintain your cooking surface. Of course a deeper piece (like pots or dutch ovens) will benefit from oven seasoning more than just bottom surface maintenance.

blinkie that sounds like great methods. i may have to do my 12 inch pan again its preety decent but no where as good as the smaler pan its like oil on ice its so slick

I love my 3 cast iron skillets but I do keep a cheapo non-stick one around for making lo mein. Those noodles will stick to cast iron no matter how well it is seasoned. Also, I don't like cooking highly acidic foods in my cast iron. My version of huevos rancheros requires me to poach eggs in a salsa-like concoction. I won't do that in cast iron unless I want to taste the iron.

An easy way to season the skillet is to make popcorn in it. You just have to find a cover that works reasonably well.

I used to have non sticks i forgot there name but it was like in 95 they was on info mercails and i got one and it was very very non stick it just didnt last to long but it was fun puting chease in it .The awesume thing about cast iron is if ya cooka steak and sear it it will stay hot for so long non sticks soon as ya add the meat the meat will take all the heat out of pan so fast so it didnt sear

I love my 3 cast iron skillets but I do keep a cheapo non-stick one around for making lo mein. Those noodles will stick to cast iron no matter how well it is seasoned. Also, I don't like cooking highly acidic foods in my cast iron. My version of huevos rancheros requires me to poach eggs in a salsa-like concoction. I won't do that in cast iron unless I want to taste the iron.

An easy way to season the skillet is to make popcorn in it. You just have to find a cover that works reasonably well.
Acidic foods may strip the seasoning from the metal. Good ideas on skipping those.

Also, if stainless is treated well, it'll handle almost everything I won't cook in cast iron. There are *some* things I'll want to use non-stick cookware to prepare, but mostly stainless and cast iron work for me.

You have to start all over seasoning them then and even then you never get them as good as they where before you washed them.

You can always get them good as ...old... but the use patterns that produced the old finish are probably impossible to replicate so it might be unlikely to steer a restarted pan to the exact place it used to be.

Cannot let my MIL near the cast iron she is not comfortable w/o a gallon of dish soap to fill the sink and splash the surrounding counter with.

My fave CI pan I broke out of a cube of rust. Tremendous payoff for the effort.

Tips straight from the folks who make them: http://www.lodgemfg.com/use-care-seasoned-cast-iron.asp#3

This is how I feel about my carbon steel wok. I can cook anything on it. Just rinse with water and a sponge to clean it and let it sit on a flame to dry then hang it until next time. I love my wok!

Griswold! Anybody have any really valuable ones? :)


I can't say if it's valuable or not, but I have a Wagner (it's the other less known collect-able brand) that has sides shaped (how do i say this?) like a sauce pan but shallow like a frying pan. Nice and sloped like a modern sauce pan, it's the only old cast iron pan I've ever seen like it. I'd take a picture of it but I just moved and everything is still in storage until I get outta this little apartment.

I have a couple of nice Griswolds too, but I don't think they have any value outside of any standard run of mill Griswold pan.

The way I season mine is pretty much like Blinkie posted, except I put mine on the grill outside. I put whatever oil I'm using on a paper towel and wipe it down just enough to very lightly coat it. Light one side of the grill, put the pot or pan on the other and close the lid.

This is how I feel about my carbon steel wok. I can cook anything on it. Just rinse with water and a sponge to clean it and let it sit on a flame to dry then hang it until next time. I love my wok!
Same here. If I could find or afford carbon steel I'd replace all my stainless!

Same here. If I could find or afford carbon steel I'd replace all my stainless!i got my carbon wok at walmart for 15 bucks a course it has to be seasoned i like it a lot used it last night

I am sure my carbon-steel wok cost less than $10 new at an Asian grocery. But that was 25 yrs ago so I can't remember the precise sticker price.

Yep Yep. I enjoy my carbon wok too. I made a ring for my side burner on the grill so I could keep using it after I got the new smooth top stove.

I ordered mine from an infomercial. "The Hand Hammered Wok from The Peoples Republic of China"

This is how I feel about my carbon steel wok. I can cook anything on it. Just rinse with water and a sponge to clean it and let it sit on a flame to dry then hang it until next time. I love my wok!

Alas, I have an electric range, but we're hopefully moving to a house with a gas range soon! I have a carbon steel wok but the electric stove limits its use.

Some of the best things in my kitchen is my cast iron but as nice as mine is my dads is nicer. it is slicker then anything i have ever seen i keep threatening to steal it lol

Some of the best things in my kitchen is my cast iron but as nice as mine is my dads is nicer. it is slicker then anything i have ever seen i keep threatening to steal it lol
Look into sanding the cooking surface, then re-season from scratch. A lot of people recommend this for Lodge.

Look into sanding the cooking surface, then re-season from scratch. A lot of people recommend this for Lodge.May buy a new one and try that id be so afraid to ruin what i already got.it is way nicer then my buddies new cast iron pan and he payed 50 bucks for it lol

If you can track down an asian food store, drop in and buy a bamboo wok scrub brush, best thing ever to clean your fry pan when just using water. Also buy a carbon steel wok and ring while you are there.

I have a couple cast iron fry pans, never use them except when camping occasionally. Too hard to clean, heavy and they don't cook THAT much better, if any better. At home I have a full set of ScanPan fry pans, they are the BOMB!! The titanium coating is far and away better than any other non-stick coating, the best!! They are well made with hi temp handles, cook perfectly even across the surface and are the perfect weight. I walked away from the 200 year pans (iron) and taking advantages of modern high technology. You get what you pay for with these babies.
http://www.amazon.com/Scanpan-Professional-12-1-2-Inch-Fry/dp/B000NI6DMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346638575&sr=8-1&keywords=scan+pan+12

What are favorite ways to season a skillet?I make a big batch of Cajun roux. Oil and flour only. Brown the flour to the color of an old penny; throw it away; repeat. Repeat again until the pan is seasoned. I've got 5 pans from garage sales and antique stores and they are all perfect, and all seasoned this way.

I can't say if it's valuable or not, but I have a Wagner (it's the other less known collect-able brand) that has sides shaped (how do i say this?) like a sauce pan but shallow like a frying pan. Nice and sloped like a modern sauce pan, it's the only old cast iron pan I've ever seen like it. I'd take a picture of it but I just moved and everything is still in storage until I get outta this little apartment.

I have a couple of nice Griswolds too, but I don't think they have any value outside of any standard run of mill Griswold pan.

The way I season mine is pretty much like Blinkie posted, except I put mine on the grill outside. I put whatever oil I'm using on a paper towel and wipe it down just enough to very lightly coat it. Light one side of the grill, put the pot or pan on the other and close the lid.

My father in law collects cast iron and would say Griswold is good but Wagner is the best quality cast iron money can buy.

I love my Wagner cast iron, pure lard that has not been hydrogenated is an excellent seasoning but can be a little hard to find.

I have a couple cast iron fry pans, never use them except when camping occasionally. Too hard to clean, heavy and they don't cook THAT much better, if any better. At home I have a full set of ScanPan fry pans, they are the BOMB!! The titanium coating is far and away better than any other non-stick coating, the best!! They are well made with hi temp handles, cook perfectly even across the surface and are the perfect weight. I walked away from the 200 year pans (iron) and taking advantages of modern high technology. You get what you pay for with these babies.
http://www.amazon.com/Scanpan-Professional-12-1-2-Inch-Fry/dp/B000NI6DMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346638575&sr=8-1&keywords=scan+pan+12

140.00 for a frying pan that is no better than a Lodge of the same size that costs 50.00. In our home we use the cast iron most of the time and have some professional grade stainless for dishes that do not work as well with cast iron.

Well seasoned cast iron is nearly impossible to beat.

140.00 for a frying pan that is no better than a Lodge of the same size that costs 50.00. In our home we use the cast iron most of the time and have some professional grade stainless for dishes that do not work as well with cast iron.

Well seasoned cast iron is nearly impossible to beat.+1

I can't say if it's valuable or not, but I have a Wagner (it's the other less known collect-able brand) that has sides shaped (how do i say this?) like a sauce pan but shallow like a frying pan. Nice and sloped like a modern sauce pan, it's the only old cast iron pan I've ever seen like it. I'd take a picture of it but I just moved and everything is still in storage until I get outta this little apartment.

I have a couple of nice Griswolds too, but I don't think they have any value outside of any standard run of mill Griswold pan.

The way I season mine is pretty much like Blinkie posted, except I put mine on the grill outside. I put whatever oil I'm using on a paper towel and wipe it down just enough to very lightly coat it. Light one side of the grill, put the pot or pan on the other and close the lid.

OK I'm curious about your Griswolds now! what do the logos look like? Here's my little Wagner that I love. It's a 1055 #5. I think it's from the 30's. I never soap it since I seasoned it, I can fry an egg in it and it doesn't stick. 271092

I got into cast iron a few years ago when we cleaned my grandmothers house. I found a nice old noname #8 skillet that I remember my grandmother using when I was a kid. It was rusty and needed reseasoning. I read up on cast iron and discovered the best way to start from scratch is to put them in the oven and run the clean cycle. They come out just like they left the factory and then you can season them any way you like, I found coating them lightly with Crisco and heating them in the oven at around 300 for an hour or works fine. I ended up scouring the flea markets for more stuff, and now I have a pretty good collection of usable pans, all af them must be over 50 years old. I have to say, though, that if you have any pet birds, be careful about seasoning them in the oven. My Amazon parrot died while I was in my cast iron restoration period and we think it might have been from the oven fumes on an almost daily basis. Using the outdoor grill would be the way to go if you have any pet birds. I've also heard about people just putting them in an outdoor fire to get them ready for reseasoning, but I've never tried that. They are just about impossible to ruin. There are a few forums dedicated to cast iron cooking, here is one link.
http://www.griswoldandwagner.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl