Rummaging around back home, found a skillet! Is it any good?

[speckledhen]

Gosh, those are so common here in the south. Most true southern cooks own them and have for years, including me. They last forever and just need to be seasoned. I won't ever have one of those smooth top stoves because of that. If bad nasties get on it, some say can actually build a fire and put it in the fire to burn the crud off, then re-season and you're good to go, though it can warp it if the fire is hot enough.

From this article: http://www.kitchenemporium.com/info/castiron.html

Seasoning Cast Iron

Seasoned Cast Iron can be considered the "grandfather" to today's "non-stick" cookware.

Cast Iron Cookware must be seasoned properly and it will last a life-time. ( I still use my Grandmother's cast iron skillets on a regular basis and they must be at least 60-70+ years old.)
New Pans

1. Heat the oven to 250o - 300o
2. Coat the pan with lard or bacon grease. Don't use a liquid vegetable oil because it will leave a sticky surface and the pan will not be properly seasoned.
3. Put the pan in the oven. In 15 minutes, remove the pan & pour out any excess grease. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for 2 hours.

Repeating this process several times is recommended as it will help create a stronger "seasoning" bond.

Also, when you put the pan into service, it is recommended to use it initially for foods high in fat, such as bacon or foods cooked with fat, because the grease from these foods will help strengthen the seasoning.
Pans needing Re-Seasoning

If the pan was not seasoned properly or a portion of the seasoning wore off and food sticks to the surface or there is rust, then it should be properly cleaned and re-seasoned.

1. Remove any food residue by cleaning the pan thoroughly with hot water and a scouring pad. I understand that heating the pan first to a temperature that is still safe to touch helps open the pores of the metal and makes it easier to clean.
2. Dry the pan immediately with dish towel or paper towel.
3. Season the pan as outlined above.

Caring for Cast Iron Cookware

Seasoning a cast iron pan is a natural way of creating non-stick cookware. And, like you cook and clean the modern non-stick cookware with special care to avoid scratching the surface, your cast iron cookware wants some special attention too.

* Clean the cookware while it is still hot by rinsing with hot water and scraping when necessary. Do not use a scouring pad or soap (detergent) as they will break down the pan's seasoning.

* Never store food in the cast iron pan as the acid in the food will breakdown the seasoning and the food will take on a metallic flavor.

* Store your cast iron cookware with the lids off, especially in humid weather, because if covered, moisture can build up and cause rust. Should rust appear, the pan should be re-seasoned.

When you purchase cast iron cookware, they are medium gray in color, but after usage, they start turning darker. (My pans are very black in color.) This is normal and should be expected.

From a blog:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/HotFire.htm

At a library I recently found an out of print book about the lives and personal experiences of people who lived in the Ozark Mountains. Many people came to the Ozarks during the Great Depression because of cheap land prices. These people had ZERO money and had to make due with what was available. They literally used squirrel skins to make their shoelaces!

Their cast iron, even back then, was from previous generations and they commonly cleaned them in the fall. While raking and burning piles of fallen leaves, they would kill two birds with one stone by putting their cast iron into the leaf piles before burning them. This method generated less heat over a shorter period of time, so their cookware did not warp or crack as they would in a full blown wood fire. They swore there was no better way to clean cast iron. The cookware came out clean as new!​

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
From a blog:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/HotFire.htm

At a library I recently found an out of print book about the lives and personal experiences of people who lived in the Ozark Mountains. Many people came to the Ozarks during the Great Depression because of cheap land prices. These people had ZERO money and had to make due with what was available. They literally used squirrel skins to make their shoelaces!

Their cast iron, even back then, was from previous generations and they commonly cleaned them in the fall. While raking and burning piles of fallen leaves, they would kill two birds with one stone by putting their cast iron into the leaf piles before burning them. This method generated less heat over a shorter period of time, so their cookware did not warp or crack as they would in a full blown wood fire. They swore there was no better way to clean cast iron. The cookware came out clean as new!
​

It's well worth it to fire it- just don't put it in cold, but get it closer to the fire gradually and put it in once good and heated.

 

[Shaun]

That's a beautiful cast iron skillet. Since you're all chatting about it here, can anyone tell me how to get some sort of stupid black paint or finish off an old cast iron deep pan and lid? I was so excited to find it at a flea market, TOLD the seller I planned on cooking with it, but it leaves a nasty smell/taste in the food. Metallic bad. I didn't use it but once.

Or if hopeless, how do I check for that sort of thing in the future?





If you have a wood stove, just let the wood burn down a bit and toss it in. Make sure the pan is warm - my friend puts hers on top of the wood stove to "pre-heat" it before she puts it in. Cleans it right up nice. Give it a good scrub, reseason, and you're in business. I always use suet to season mine.

OR, if you don't have access to a wood stove, but you have a drill, get one of those grinders that attach to the drill head, put on some goggles and have at it. That works too, but costs more and takes work

 

[Kyhen]

Love the skillet. I have several in different sizes. My two favorites are from my grandmother and my DH's grandmother. I use my skillets on top and in the oven of my gas cookstove. Makes a great pan for meat loaf and really good cornbread. Heat the skillet on top of the stove before pouring in your batter, stick the skillet in the preheated oven and have some wonderful cornbread. I simmer pinto beans and ham in my deep one. I could go on and on, but gotta go, I'm getting hungry..

 

[b.hromada]

Quote:

supposed to be better for you too. Lucky you!

 

[kathyinmo]

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I thought everybody had an iron skillet or two around. I have my grandma's skillets. Every year they would throw them in the fire (outside) when we had a big party for the kids roasting weiners and marshmallows. They come out so nice and clean. I know they seasoned them with lard, but can not recall watching them do that part. Iron skillets on gas stoves make the best fried foods, too. Love those fried taters and onions (and add scrambled eggs at the end of cooking time). MMMMmmm, I am making myself hungry! Skillet dinners are the greatest .... just toss in all the leftovers, add eggs, and your meal is made!

By the way, I read an article recently that says using lard (and real butter) is actually healthy now. Gee, how times change. First we hear all fat is killing us, now it is healthy again.

 

[justbugged]

If you have a self cleaning oven, and want to return it to new condition just put in the oven during the cycle. I learned this one the hard way. I have never voluntarily had to start over with my cast iron pans, except for the previous learning experience. I just keep them oiled and they are easy to clean. I was always told that you want the coating to build up on the pans. I love the fact that you can start a dish on the stove top and then finish it in the oven. I have also been known to take camping. The pans are great over a camp fire.

 

[Siler]

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Sandblasting is the only way I know of to get the paint off. I read somewhere about a bath in a heavy lye solution to eat off the stuff.

 

[Siler]

I have all kinds of cast iron pans. I have Warner and Griswolds. I have a glass cooktop and I never care about scratching it, but found out the hard way that the cast iron pans will warp in a heartbeat. I have a 10in Griswold that looks like a wok now from using it on my glass stovetop.

I use the small 6 inch pan to cook bacon from now on and it's never warped. It takes longer to cook, but it doesn't burn that way.

 

[StupidBird]

Aha, thanks! I will try getting it gently sandblasted if a fall leaf fire doesn't burn the paint off. Thank you!

Note: NEVER let the boys take your cast iron on a scout camping trip. Ever. What can be done on a propane stove is heartbreaking.