Cast iron skillets
- Thread starter Steve
- Start date
About 3 years ago I was talking to Grandma Littrell (wife's paternal grandma) and told her I loved my cast iron but needed to get a bigger pan. That Christmas I got a perfectly seasoned 14 inch pan chicken fryer. Gotta love grandma...
Can cast iron pans be brought back after really getting rusty? If so, how so? Thanks!
Quote:
YES!!!
get rid of the rust. if it's thick get a wire brush and get as much off as you can. If it's just surface rust, no problem just wash really well with a scrubby and go through this thread to get seasoning instructions. there are several menthods but all are basically the same. 1. clean. 2. grease. 3. get it smoking hot. 4. cool and repeat.
****I've seen a few posts about buying cast iron at the local swap meet. I recommend a word of caution.
I grew up where many people made their own lead fishing lures/weights/bullets. cast toys etc... The primary melting pot was(is) a cast iron skillet or pot.
Now, not to put fear into anyone but....follow my path here....Sometimes when old relatives die, the family gets all the stuff, some stuff ends up at the swapmeet. Do you know what that cast iron pan you found in grandpa's basement was used for?
If you make a find at the swap meet and they say "it was my grandmother's" it should LOOK and SMELL like grandma was cooking in it.
Melting lead requires quite a bit of heat so the pan won't have any of that nice balck crusty stuff on the outside and it will look way too clean.
If the sellers cant tell you what it was used for move on or buy it to hang on the wall etc...
YES!!!
get rid of the rust. if it's thick get a wire brush and get as much off as you can. If it's just surface rust, no problem just wash really well with a scrubby and go through this thread to get seasoning instructions. there are several menthods but all are basically the same. 1. clean. 2. grease. 3. get it smoking hot. 4. cool and repeat.
****I've seen a few posts about buying cast iron at the local swap meet. I recommend a word of caution.
I grew up where many people made their own lead fishing lures/weights/bullets. cast toys etc... The primary melting pot was(is) a cast iron skillet or pot.
Now, not to put fear into anyone but....follow my path here....Sometimes when old relatives die, the family gets all the stuff, some stuff ends up at the swapmeet. Do you know what that cast iron pan you found in grandpa's basement was used for?
If you make a find at the swap meet and they say "it was my grandmother's" it should LOOK and SMELL like grandma was cooking in it.
Melting lead requires quite a bit of heat so the pan won't have any of that nice balck crusty stuff on the outside and it will look way too clean.
If the sellers cant tell you what it was used for move on or buy it to hang on the wall etc...
If your pan is tacky, it might be that the oil on the outside has gone bad. In this case you put fresh oil in the pan, more than just to season the pan, heat the oil to surface of the sun hot, cool, pour out the old oil and repeat a couple of times. This will replace the rancid oil with fresh oil. This can happen if a pan was put away with too much oil in it, and left a long time.
My large camp stove was taken to a boy scout camp out and used for the veggie side dish. Because of the burn ban the scouts decided that even open charcoal fires weren't allowed so....scout leader puts my well seasoned cast iron in the barbaque pit and heaps coals over it. My dh tried to reason with the man, but no luck. Charred veggies and a severely overheated pan were the result. Dh did the reseasoning; if the guy had just put the pan under the brisket all would have been fine. ARGHHHHH
My large camp stove was taken to a boy scout camp out and used for the veggie side dish. Because of the burn ban the scouts decided that even open charcoal fires weren't allowed so....scout leader puts my well seasoned cast iron in the barbaque pit and heaps coals over it. My dh tried to reason with the man, but no luck. Charred veggies and a severely overheated pan were the result. Dh did the reseasoning; if the guy had just put the pan under the brisket all would have been fine. ARGHHHHH
Last edited:
Quote:
YES!!!
get rid of the rust. if it's thick get a wire brush and get as much off as you can. If it's just surface rust, no problem just wash really well with a scrubby and go through this thread to get seasoning instructions. there are several menthods but all are basically the same. 1. clean. 2. grease. 3. get it smoking hot. 4. cool and repeat.
****I've seen a few posts about buying cast iron at the local swap meet. I recommend a word of caution.
I grew up where many people made their own lead fishing lures/weights/bullets. cast toys etc... The primary melting pot was(is) a cast iron skillet or pot.
Now, not to put fear into anyone but....follow my path here....Sometimes when old relatives die, the family gets all the stuff, some stuff ends up at the swapmeet. Do you know what that cast iron pan you found in grandpa's basement was used for?
If you make a find at the swap meet and they say "it was my grandmother's" it should LOOK and SMELL like grandma was cooking in it.
Melting lead requires quite a bit of heat so the pan won't have any of that nice balck crusty stuff on the outside and it will look way too clean.
If the sellers cant tell you what it was used for move on or buy it to hang on the wall etc...
Thank You! I have a set that was stored in a cabinet under my gas grill and they turned quite rusty. Will give it a try one at a time. Thanx again, really appreciate it!
Tim
YES!!!
get rid of the rust. if it's thick get a wire brush and get as much off as you can. If it's just surface rust, no problem just wash really well with a scrubby and go through this thread to get seasoning instructions. there are several menthods but all are basically the same. 1. clean. 2. grease. 3. get it smoking hot. 4. cool and repeat.
****I've seen a few posts about buying cast iron at the local swap meet. I recommend a word of caution.
I grew up where many people made their own lead fishing lures/weights/bullets. cast toys etc... The primary melting pot was(is) a cast iron skillet or pot.
Now, not to put fear into anyone but....follow my path here....Sometimes when old relatives die, the family gets all the stuff, some stuff ends up at the swapmeet. Do you know what that cast iron pan you found in grandpa's basement was used for?
If you make a find at the swap meet and they say "it was my grandmother's" it should LOOK and SMELL like grandma was cooking in it.
Melting lead requires quite a bit of heat so the pan won't have any of that nice balck crusty stuff on the outside and it will look way too clean.
If the sellers cant tell you what it was used for move on or buy it to hang on the wall etc...
Thank You! I have a set that was stored in a cabinet under my gas grill and they turned quite rusty. Will give it a try one at a time. Thanx again, really appreciate it!
Tim
- Apr 15, 2008
- 1,960
- 83
- 341
I have been blessed to receive many pieces of cast iron over the years; skillets, Dutch ovens, griddles, corn muffin pans, corn stick pans, etc. It's really true that the older, very used pieces just work better. I have a few small skillets that are so slick on the interior bottom that they are like glass.
I occasionally fry country-fried venison cube steak and had been using a stainless steel pan. One day I got out one of my old, deep iron skillets and was amazed at how well it browned better and didn't stick! I won't be going back to the stainless.
I occasionally fry country-fried venison cube steak and had been using a stainless steel pan. One day I got out one of my old, deep iron skillets and was amazed at how well it browned better and didn't stick! I won't be going back to the stainless.
For even more info about cast iron cookware... http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/CastIronPans.htm
Last edited by a moderator:
Can cast iron pans be brought back after really getting rusty? If so, how so? Thanks!
Yes, burn the rust it is called black oxide when rust converts to black. Lightly remove any loose particles with steel wool. Once the rust is burned then coat the pan with oil and burn it again to seal the process.
This process has been used for ages before modern bluing to to season firearms. Guns are intentionally rusted then boiled then rusted to give a brilliant slick black surface. After that it is only a matter of building a layer of burnt oil to form that nonstick surface.
Yes, burn the rust it is called black oxide when rust converts to black. Lightly remove any loose particles with steel wool. Once the rust is burned then coat the pan with oil and burn it again to seal the process.
This process has been used for ages before modern bluing to to season firearms. Guns are intentionally rusted then boiled then rusted to give a brilliant slick black surface. After that it is only a matter of building a layer of burnt oil to form that nonstick surface.
Quote:
There seems to be a lot of great advice so far!!! People love their pans.
I'm equally fond of my Teflon and cast iron pans for different reason but there is something especially magnificent about cast iron. New iron pots and pans can take quite some time to season correctly. I recommend using an oil that solidifies at room temperature, apply the oil to the pan after it has been heated on the stove and then rub this in to the vessel. It is a good idea to coat the entire vessel as the layer of oil will help prevent rust from forming on the external surface of the pan -- but a little rust on the bottom just adds a wabi sabi sort of character.
Now you are ready to cook but keep in mind, as may be implied the very term seasoning, it can take quite some time to break in the pan and develop that non-stick surface through an almost alchemical blend of carbon, oil, and iron. May i suggest only using the pan to fry things like onions or peppers, with a liberal amount of oil, for first month or so. You really can't expect to jump right in to cooking foods that are prone to sticking... so avoid trout and things of that nature.
Always rinse with a warm/hot water and scrub with a scouring pad if necessary, but please be gentle. You don't want to remove all the oil, essentially you are just smoothing the surface and removing loose particles. After washing return the pan to the stove, heat it, buff it with oil and then allow it to cool before storing it. Heating the pan after washing facilitates thorough drying and provides a good line of defense against surface rust.
Soon enough you will have a perfectly seasoned pan that will last a lifetime (perhaps multiple lifetimes) and you will take so much pride in this cooking vessel that you will want to display it to everyone and shout from the rooftops proclaiming your undying love.... In one southern state there is actually a movement lobbying the government to extend marriage rights to include unions between humans and cast iron pans.
There seems to be a lot of great advice so far!!! People love their pans.
I'm equally fond of my Teflon and cast iron pans for different reason but there is something especially magnificent about cast iron. New iron pots and pans can take quite some time to season correctly. I recommend using an oil that solidifies at room temperature, apply the oil to the pan after it has been heated on the stove and then rub this in to the vessel. It is a good idea to coat the entire vessel as the layer of oil will help prevent rust from forming on the external surface of the pan -- but a little rust on the bottom just adds a wabi sabi sort of character.
Now you are ready to cook but keep in mind, as may be implied the very term seasoning, it can take quite some time to break in the pan and develop that non-stick surface through an almost alchemical blend of carbon, oil, and iron. May i suggest only using the pan to fry things like onions or peppers, with a liberal amount of oil, for first month or so. You really can't expect to jump right in to cooking foods that are prone to sticking... so avoid trout and things of that nature.
Always rinse with a warm/hot water and scrub with a scouring pad if necessary, but please be gentle. You don't want to remove all the oil, essentially you are just smoothing the surface and removing loose particles. After washing return the pan to the stove, heat it, buff it with oil and then allow it to cool before storing it. Heating the pan after washing facilitates thorough drying and provides a good line of defense against surface rust.
Soon enough you will have a perfectly seasoned pan that will last a lifetime (perhaps multiple lifetimes) and you will take so much pride in this cooking vessel that you will want to display it to everyone and shout from the rooftops proclaiming your undying love.... In one southern state there is actually a movement lobbying the government to extend marriage rights to include unions between humans and cast iron pans.
Last edited:
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