cast iron cookware

[Expatriated]

Im glad to hear you say that about the cold. I havent ever heard anyone else say that but that is my experience too. I do mine in the garage and in the winter it can take over a week to eat all the stuff off. In the summer, a day or two.

Weird. Im not a chemist but im sure there is a reason for it.

 

[HamsterStyle]

As far as the oven cleaner, everything I read says that it works better when it is warmer. I feel it's like pretty much any cleaner that works better with warm water vs cold. I went through all 3 "new" pans last night and the Lodge was pretty much clean. I scrubbed the rest of what I could off of it and prepped the vinegar bath. It was neat watching the vinegar just bubble the rust right off of the 60+ year old pan.


The center one in this pic is the lodge before picture




Out of the lye and rinsed off.








Ready for the vinegar bath. You can see the machining marks in it. It is actually kind of rough from the marks but still smoother than the new lodge pans.








Into the vinegar.





Here you can see the vinegar turning a nice rust color as it just bubbles off of the skillet.





You can see the bubbles here.




Applying the seasoning.





It's not as clean as it could have been, but way better than when I got it and I was a little antsy to get it finished up. I will get better at it as I go.

 

[HamsterStyle]

I have run this pan through the seasoning process twice now and the machining marks are still pretty rough. It looks like grain like you would see in true wrought iron. I would like to get it smooth enough to cook in but I don't want to go at it with a Sander in order to keep the original condition of the pan. Should I just try to season it another couple times? It appears to have really soaked up the shortening but looks like it still needs more.

 

[guns and groceries]

What are you using and at what temp and how long? I have some of the same type of Lodge that you are seasoning. I have three coats and the pan is still very rough. It will fill in with much time and much use. Basically you are just sealing the pan with three coats. When I used Crisco I did three coats at 500 for 1.5 hrs. Now I use a product called Crisbee. It is a mix of bees wax and shortening and it is fantastic. 450 for one hour and it is good to go. Cast Iron collector and restore guy in Florida developed it and started a small business. Now he sells it on Amazon and his own Crisbee site. Very good stuff.

 

[HamsterStyle]

I use crisco at 325 or 350 for an hour then turn off the oven and let pan cool off in the oven. I have never had a problem with that method.

 

[Expatriated]

I have run this pan through the seasoning process twice now and the machining marks are still pretty rough. It looks like grain like you would see in true wrought iron. I would like to get it smooth enough to cook in but I don't want to go at it with a Sander in order to keep the original condition of the pan. Should I just try to season it another couple times? It appears to have really soaked up the shortening but looks like it still needs more.

Season it some more or just keep using it a lot and let the seasoning build up over time. I have a new Lodge pan that I didn't sand the inside of and the seasoning is so built up, it filled in all the pitting and is now higher than the rough surface ridges and it's smooth as glass, but it's just a good build up of 5 years of seasoning. Nothing stick in that thing. It's awesome.

 

[HamsterStyle]

I did a third season tonight. I'm starting to think that I missed something in the stripping and cleaning process. I'll try one more time and see if it looks better and cook something and see how it does. If it's crap, I'll re strip it.

 

[rhino]

This seems like a lot of work!

 

[IndyDave1776]

This seems like a lot of work!

Once you get quality cast iron properly seasoned, it really is very low maintenance and is a superior product.

 

[NightFisher]

Once you get quality cast iron properly seasoned, it really is very low maintenance and is a superior product.

This is correct.

I would choose your brand / model carefully, I am a cast iron collector, and like anything cast, there are grades. Most folks aren't so worried about durability, but there are more durable brands and less. You can snap a skillet right in half if you do something stupid like put it over a fire with cold liquid in it, they aren't bulletproof. In fact I would say they are less durable than a stainless pot / skillet.

That does NOT mean they aren't totally awesome tho

 

[Thor]

Here are some other threads with discussion of the cast cookware and seasoning techniques. Me, I just use olive or grape seed oil at 350 for 20 min...

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/break-room/360522-why-i-love-cast-iron.html

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...bout-cast-iron-pans-7-myths-need-go-away.html

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...r-preparedness/384495-cast-iron-cookware.html This one has a link at post 6 on seasoning.

Supposedly flax seed oil is the best but finding that has been problematic. Maybe I should go the Amazon route...

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

How do you dispose of the lye after you clean the pan? Down the drain?

Not sure, since I still have the solution in the plastic tote. It's a little dark colored, but I'm sure I can soak more skillets in it yet.

When I'm done, maybe I'll just dilute with water until my pH meter gets at least to 9, then dump it out in the back yard.

 

[IndyDave1776]

I am pleased to announce that I had an excellent pork loin roast for dinner, for which I assign much credit to my magnificent Griswold #3 oval roaster.

I acquired it very, very inexpensively by Griswold oval roaster standards, though it was still expensive ($260, as opposed to the $750 to $2,000 I have seen them sell for). That said, it was still money very well spent. I originally bought it as my meatloaf pan--a task it serves wonderfully.

 

[Hohn]

The only way I know of to make a large LeCreuset roaster seem cheap-- compare it to a vintage Griswold.

Me, I'm thinking about ditching my cast iron skillets for carbon steel. Except the small ones.

 

[HamsterStyle]

I think I got a good deal at goodwill today. $3.99

 

[IndyDave1776]

I think I got a good deal at goodwill today. $3.99

You think you got a good deal? You won the damned sweepstakes with that one!

 

[HamsterStyle]

You think you got a good deal? You won the damned sweepstakes with that one!

when we went to check out the lady said, "whoa, I don't think we can do that." And then picked up the crappy wreath my wife had for $.99 and called a manager to verify the price. Lol. Nevermind the diamond in the rough. Hahaha

 

[IndyDave1776]

When you see vintage Griswold anything under $50 that is not rusted to the point of being all pitted up, you had better err on the side of grabbing it.

I had meatloaf for dinner--and my Griswold oval roaster proved once again that it is worth every penny I spent on it!

 

[JettaKnight]

I think I got a good deal at goodwill today. $3.99

Unbelievable.

when we went to check out the lady said, "whoa, I don't think we can do that." And then picked up the crappy wreath my wife had for $.99 and called a manager to verify the price. Lol. Nevermind the diamond in the rough. Hahaha

Talk about tripping over dollars to pick up pennies!

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

I think I got a good deal at goodwill today. $3.99

You did get a sweet deal, I've never seen one shaped like that. Looks like a cigar mold.