Cast Iron Skillet - Help!

[axxeman01]

Greetings all,

So we've inherited a cast iron skillet, this thing is huge, it must be 20 lbs. Anyway, it's got some rust spots on it, and we'd like to properly clean them and re season it. Any recommendations in terms of materials/techniques?

Thanks- Chris

[Mrdi]

Brillo pad until clean, then olive oil.

[axxeman01]

Originally Posted by Mrdi

Brillo pad until clean, then olive oil.

Just that simple? Ok, will give it a shot, thanks!

[skyedog]

Rub some cooking oil around it and put it inside your oven for 375F for about an hour Have the pan and the oven heat up together.. and wipe it down.

[subtona]

Originally Posted by axxeman01

Just that simple? Ok, will give it a shot, thanks!

simple as pie.

once you get it right....

i have a friend that cleans his with salt after using, dry rub.

or

i just run it under Hot water and wipe it out with rough side of sponge (blue) with just a trace amount of soap. i like to get the brown grease residue out. you must wipe it dry before storing or it will rust in minutes.

i also will (after cleaning), reheat it on the stove, turn off heat and wipe it with a bit of oil to let it sit until next time.

MOST IMPORTANT: do not put a hot skillet under cold water....... it will crack and bye bye inherited skillet.

[keschete]

I love my cast iron. Scrub said skillet with kosher or sea salt, bigger crystals. Get all the debris off the skillet and then dry very well.

Now you are ready to season. Olive oil has a low smoke point. Best to use Crisco or some vegetable oil to season.

You can season in the oven or on a stove or even better on your barbeque pit or fire place.

Rub crisco (the white greasy stuff) all over the pan. Then wipe with a towel or paper towel to get excess off. I like a gas stove top for this, but open your windows. Or better yet an outdoor fire on a gas grill.

Let the pot sit on the fire until it smokes. wipe up excess oil with towel. Then in some cases flip it over and let it smoke.

Let it cool and wipe down with dry towel.

After you use it warm water and plain sponge...no detergent. It basically will be nonstick if you do it right. I semi re-season after every use. A little canola oil on a paper towel, wiped around the inside of pot and high heat on gas stove until the thing smokes.

Again, olive oil doesn't have a high enough smoke point.

I use mine for roasts, carnitas, gumbos and stews.

Best piece of kitchen equipment I have!!!! I live in the heart of Cajun Country. Cast Iron dutch ovens are a must!!!

Trust me...NO OLIVE OIL!!! NO SOAP!!! Just scrub with water and good sponge and salt. Reseason and you will have the BEST skillet ever made.

PM me if you have questions. I leave my dutch oven on my stove at all times. It has a place of honor!

[chicfarmer1]

Originally Posted by Mrdi

Brillo pad until clean, then olive oil.

No soap products. Olive oil, as someone else mentioned, will burn too fast if you want to heat season it, which you do. Agree about using Crisco and hot oven after you clean it off.

[Jim232118]

Season with oil when hot.

[Lisa]

Is there a brand name printed on the underside?

[axxeman01]

Here are some pictures; grandma didn't seem to think it was salvageable. The only markings I could find are in the last pic.

[looking to buy]

Go to this web site. Lodge makes really great skillets and they are made in the US. See the use and care section.

http://www.lodgemfg.com/

[Lisa]

The skillet actually looks pretty good! There's no gunk or ick caked onto it...

I'd definitely follow the advice of many here... and also - here's a link from an antiques web site that might be useful. You might be able to skip the first few steps since the pan is already pretty clean.

http://antiques.about.com/cs/miscell...anCastiron.htm

Man, I can almost smell that chicken frying from here....

[looking to buy]

Yes, it is in very good condition. You can use it to cook up a storm or conk bad guys over the head. I only use cast iron to cook in. I love it, and it has the form of iron that your body can digest. So, the small bits of iron that come off the skillet into your food is good for you.

[George Burdell]

I LOVE cast iron. We've got one that's three generations deep and still cooking.

Unless its just coated in rust, I'd use a stiff plastic brush and a small amount of soap to wash away the rust. After that, I'd wipe it down with Crisco and put it in a low oven (325) for several hours to initially season it. You can do this as often as you like. I re-season all mine at least once a year.

For regular use, I don't let anyone else wash my cast iron. I gently wipe it out with a moist paper towel with running water, use one drop of soap if necessary (generally its not). If its seasoned well, a drop of soap won't hurt it. However, I never scrub, never use abrasive cleansers, and never use steel wool or brillo pads. A paper towel should do it, or a plastic brush if really messy. I use kosher salt with a moist paper towel if something sticks. However, if something sticks, it probably needs to be re-seasoned. I then wipe it down with a high smoke point oil (like peanut), wipe it with a paper towel, and put it up. Once you get a good black coating on the pan, it will last for ever. Everything is better in cast iron.

If you want a great way to pseudo season it between actual seasoning, fry chicken in crisco. Then just wipe it out with a paper towel.

Treat your pan well and your kids will fight over it when you're gone.

[Rbdport]

Hubby was lucky enough to inherit a Dutch oven from his grandmother...probably about 70 years old now. No water or soap...EVER!!! Wipe it out after use, pour in some kosher salt rub around. Once a year we slather it in crisco and put it in a cold oven, heat up to 350, leave for an hour, let oven cool. When we first got married I remember his grandmother coating it in crisco and putting on the edge of the fireplace. She would carefully rotate it....that was almost 30 years ago.

[Ebruner]

Do it right, lard not wimply old olive oil. Grease up with lard and put in a 375 oven. Never use soap, just water and hand dry.

Frying up some country ham or bacon with help it out also.
-Eddie

[SEK John]

For a heavy duty cleaning, here's some advice from a guy who knows what he's doing.

http://www.panman.com/cleaning.html

[Iron Dealer 1]

Water and stiff brush to clean... hand dry reseason by frying bacon or chicken. Crisco is king!

[chicfarmer1]

Originally Posted by SEK John

For a heavy duty cleaning, here's some advice from a guy who knows what he's doing.

http://www.panman.com/cleaning.html

Impregnating with toxic chemicals and then following up with soap? No thanks.

[RJK]

My wife has a bunch of cast iron pots and pans, and apparently we haven't been doing it right...this is great info.

Out of curiosity, why no soap? We've even stuck ours in the dish washer which is probably breaking every cardinal rule of cast iron care

Thanks, Ji

[threemonkeys]

Originally Posted by keschete

I love my cast iron. Scrub said skillet with kosher or sea salt, bigger crystals. Get all the debris off the skillet and then dry very well.

Now you are ready to season. Olive oil has a low smoke point. Best to use Crisco or some vegetable oil to season.

You can season in the oven or on a stove or even better on your barbeque pit or fire place.

Rub crisco (the white greasy stuff) all over the pan. Then wipe with a towel or paper towel to get excess off. I like a gas stove top for this, but open your windows. Or better yet an outdoor fire on a gas grill.

Let the pot sit on the fire until it smokes. wipe up excess oil with towel. Then in some cases flip it over and let it smoke.

Let it cool and wipe down with dry towel.

After you use it warm water and plain sponge...no detergent. It basically will be nonstick if you do it right. I semi re-season after every use. A little canola oil on a paper towel, wiped around the inside of pot and high heat on gas stove until the thing smokes.

Again, olive oil doesn't have a high enough smoke point.

I use mine for roasts, carnitas, gumbos and stews.

Best piece of kitchen equipment I have!!!! I live in the heart of Cajun Country. Cast Iron dutch ovens are a must!!!

Trust me...NO OLIVE OIL!!! NO SOAP!!! Just scrub with water and good sponge and salt. Reseason and you will have the BEST skillet ever made.

PM me if you have questions. I leave my dutch oven on my stove at all times. It has a place of honor!

Sounds like TRF needs a cooking hint/recipe thread. Wealth of knowledge here I must say.

[sherwin]

I remember my old man would get a piece of pork belly fat, and just stand there rubbing the oil in that had melted when the skillet was on the fire.