Cast Iron Frying Pan

[Lacunae_Matata]

Since someone has resurrected a cast iron thread, I have to share: During one of our recent visits to my husband’s father, at the old family farm, I noticed that all of the skillets and dutch ovens and the chicken fryer were all suspiciously silver-gray. Tony’s stepmother noticed that I noticed, and proudly told me that she had scrubbed and scrubbed, but finally got those old things cleaned up! (“They were just as black as tar, but I finally managed!”) Sob. Mind you, most of these pans were probably last seasoned after the old house burned down in the late thirties…

Have I mentioned that my husband’s stepmother is a moron?

[sparky_1]

@Lacunae_Matata

Since someone has resurrected a cast iron thread, I have to share: During one of our recent visits to my husband’s father, at the old family farm, I noticed that all of the skillets and dutch ovens and the chicken fryer were all suspiciously silver-gray. Tony’s stepmother noticed that I noticed, and proudly told me that she had scrubbed and scrubbed, but finally got those old things cleaned up! (“They were just as black as tar, but I finally managed!”) Sob. Mind you, most of these pans were probably last seasoned after the old house burned down in the late thirties…

Have I mentioned that my husband’s stepmother is a moron?

Meh.

The seasoning adds nothing. Just reseason and be happy.

But bring that up to her when needed :).

[Lacunae_Matata]

@sparky_1

Meh.

seasoning adds nothing. Just reseason and be happy.

But bring that up to her when needed :).

No, you don’t understand: she didn’t clean them to season them again. She is keeping them unseasoned. Trying to explain is useless. This woman is painfully dumb. (Seriously: she thinks I’m starving the baby by nursing exclusively. Everyone knows that baby needs a bottle! And - despite having worked for Goodwill in Jacksonville, Florida for a decade, she was utterly surprised to learn that “Goodwill has made it all the way up here” when they moved to the farm last year. All the way north to Waycross, Georgia.) Box of hammers dumb.

[moejoe]

Newbie question: you just season the inside of the pan, right?

[Lumpy]

@moejoe

Newbie question: you just season the inside of the pan, right?

The first time so you don’t put bare metal in the oven. After that the outside mostly takes care of itself.

[drastic_quench]

@moejoe

Newbie question: you just season the inside of the pan, right?

No. The inside is most important, but you need to cover all surfaces with oil when seasoning.

[Lumpy]

@Lacunae_Matata

Since someone has resurrected a cast iron thread, I have to share: During one of our recent visits to my husband’s father, at the old family farm, I noticed that all of the skillets and dutch ovens and the chicken fryer were all suspiciously silver-gray. Tony’s stepmother noticed that I noticed, and proudly told me that she had scrubbed and scrubbed, but finally got those old things cleaned up! (“They were just as black as tar, but I finally managed!”) Sob. Mind you, most of these pans were probably last seasoned after the old house burned down in the late thirties…

Have I mentioned that my husband’s stepmother is a moron?

No, she’s probably just used to stainless steel, which is better kept shiny.

[Lacunae_Matata]

@Lumpy

No, she’s probably just used to stainless steel, which is better kept shiny.

No, she doesn’t cook. She’s just breathtakingly ignorant.

[drastic_quench]

@Lacunae_Matata

No, she doesn’t cook. She’s just breathtakingly ignorant.

I’m right with you on that one for what it’s worth. That lady’s just dumb. Cast iron in no way resembles an aluminum or stainless steel pan - weight, texture, no bolted on handle, it couldn’t be more obviously different.

And in response to the thread: HELL NO, I wouldn’t use oven cleaner on cast iron! I won’t even use soap.

[China_Guy]

@MsWhatsit

I did this. It worked out absolutely beautifully. I took the original seasoning off the pan with oven cleaner, although in retrospect I should have just used a lye bath. It would have been quicker and easier.

Then I used the directions as indicated in that blog post. I did a total of seven coats. The first few uses, the seasoning was a bit “sticky” but after that it’s been absolutely gorgeous. The surface is very near to that of nonstick pans I’ve used, except glossier. I highly recommend this method.

Here are photos.

I did this as well a year or so ago. Pan still works really well and I’ve put it in the dishwasher once or twice. I don’t use the cast iron much though.

MsWhatsit, what’s your feedback a year later?

[MsWhatsit]

@China_Guy

I did this as well a year or so ago. Pan still works really well and I’ve put it in the dishwasher once or twice. I don’t use the cast iron much though.

MsWhatsit, what’s your feedback a year later?

The finish isn’t quite as shiny and gorgeous as when we first reseasoned it, but it’s still essentially a non-stick surface. I haven’t needed to reseason it again. We cook everything in it, including eggs, and nothing really sticks. I’ve found that when something really grody has been cooked in it, cleaning it out with some kosher salt and a damp paper towel gets the grode out without damaging the seasoning at all, but even that is only necessary occasionally.

Basically, I’m very happy with the technique we used and continue to recommend it to everybody.

[iamthewalrus_3]

@drastic_quench

And in response to the thread: HELL NO, I wouldn’t use oven cleaner on cast iron! I won’t even use soap.

Different issue. You don’t use oven cleaner to clean cast iron. You use it to completely strip off the seasoning so you can start over from scratch. Sometimes seasoning goes bad and it’s easier to start from bare metal.

That said, I found that oven cleaner was more expensive, more toxic, and didn’t work as well as the lye bath.