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Post by daylilydude on May 24, 2015 14:18:32 GMT -5
Garage sale find... We got the Lodge 10 1/2" square grill pan, 3 1/2 inch mini skillet, 8", 9", and 2- 12 " round skillets, 10 1/2" round griddle all for a grand total of ... $15, they were putting stuff away so we caught them at a great money saving time as the nice gentlemen put it... so they look dry and 2 of them have some surface rust, no pitting thank goodness just surface rust and I would like to clean them up and re-season them... how would you do it, and thanks for any help.
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Post by spacecase0 on May 26, 2015 1:06:40 GMT -5
steel wool then wash without soap then dry under heat then coat with cooking oil then heat to let that oil soak into the metal after that never let soap touch it again toss in bond fire (with wire attached for retrieval) to clean anything serious (like soap) don't ever let it be damp or wet while cold oil and wipe extra away before storing
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Post by daylilydude on May 26, 2015 18:35:25 GMT -5
Thanks spacecase0, I have a friend that uses the "easy off" oven cleaner method, have you heard of this??
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dirtguy50
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Post by dirtguy50 on May 26, 2015 19:12:53 GMT -5
Richard,I think using "easy off" is a very very bad idea. It takes all the grease off which is not what you want in cast iron. Like spacecase0 said, once you start seasoning, you don't want any detergent close. I clean with very very hot water and dry completely and then add lard or bacon grease to coat and then reheat in the oven at 400 for an hour and let dry. Let it cool and then recoat with grease and store it for the next time. My cast iron will look like a piece of glass and fry an egg like it is floating on ice without adding anything. Hope this helps.
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Post by daylilydude on May 26, 2015 19:22:44 GMT -5
Thanks dirtguy50 , it is a great help, now I have another question regarding the cast iron dutch ovens... We are a family of three, but times when my daughter and her husband have dinner with us make 5, so what size dutch oven would be recommended for feeding 5 people?
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Post by spacecase0 on May 26, 2015 20:09:19 GMT -5
depends on what you are cooking in it, are you making corn bread, french fries, or something like beans ? the size will not be the same for the first one, but the second 2 will be the same...
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tomato
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Post by tomato on May 26, 2015 22:22:55 GMT -5
1. Clean and re-season your cast iron any time you want. Seasoning instructions below. It is perfectly ok to clean and re-season as many times as you like though I recommend no more than once in 5 years for most pans. 2. You can clean cast iron skillets with easy off. You may prefer to do this outside to avoid fumes in your house. Wear rubber gloves. Spray the pan with a thick layer of easy off and put the pan in a plastic garbage bag. Wait 8 hours, then pull the pan out and spray off with water. Repeat if needed until the pan is clean. Scrub rust off with steel wool if you choose, however, I highly recommend that you don't do this to valuable antique pans. 3. If you seriously want to clean your pans the best way, set up an electrolysis bath. Mine is a plastic 55 gallon drum with a sheet of stainless steel as one electrode and the skillet as the other plus a sears battery charger. Here are instructions: www.stovebolt.com/techtips/rust/electrolytic_derusting.htm4. Once the pan is nice and clean, it should be re-seasoned. Purchase a can of bakers spray which is cooking oil with flour. You can use canola cooking spray, but it takes more coats. Put the pan in the oven and set to 450 degrees. Once the pan is up to temperature, remove it from the oven using a heavy mitt and spray it with the bakers spray. Immediately wipe off the excess with a wad of paper towels. Put the pan back in the oven and let it heat for about 20 minutes. Repeat the process of removing and spraying and wiping. Do this a third time but when you return it to the oven, turn the oven off and let the pan sit in the oven and cool. There is one huge caveat, the pan is going to smoke... a lot... I carry my pans outdoors to do the spraying and wiping to keep most of it out of the house. You will still get a good bit of smoke out of the oven. Once it is seasoned, cook cornbread in it 2 or 3 times to smooth out and harden the coating. If you want more info about antique skillets and cast iron in general, search for Griwold Wagner Skillet. You can also visit griswoldandwagner.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.plI have over 200 antique skillets many of which I use in my kitchen daily. Here is a small sample that I keep on my kitchen wall. www.selectedplants.com/miscan/wallofpans2007.10.03.jpg
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Post by coppice on Nov 16, 2015 12:59:40 GMT -5
If you leave your cast ware in the oven during a clean cycle there won't be much left on it but ash. (ask me how I know)
you can dust them and re-oil them and bake the oil in. The residual carbon is your seasoning.
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tomato
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Post by tomato on Nov 19, 2015 14:39:39 GMT -5
Just don't ever leave an antique cast iron skillet in the oven on clean cycle. It can bow and warp the pan permanently.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2017 1:30:19 GMT -5
Yes, electrolysis is the safest way. Rob did some skillets for me that I would have thought would never be good again that way, and they came out just lovely. I use bacon grease if I have it to season with, it just seems to be good for that.
I have a few more pieces than what is in your picture, Rob used to buy a lot of it at auctions for us. I kept telling him he was buying me weapons, but he said he could run faster than me if I had a big ol' skillet or dutch oven in my hand!
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Post by ladymarmalade on Aug 2, 2017 9:47:42 GMT -5
Timely bump as I have to re-season several of my pieces after our camping week. I really need to figure out a good storage solution for them when we're camping because there is moisture (and often rain) everywhere and I always come home with a few needing some serious rust removal and re-seasoning.
On the plus side, that usually means bacon a few times after camping because I use the bacon grease for seasoning. I wipe bacon grease all over-inside and out and bake at 375ºF for one hour. Then let cool in the oven. Wipe and hang back on the wall for future use. Dutch ovens go out to the garage.
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Dec 11, 2017 14:07:37 GMT -5
Coconut oil works pretty well as a seasoning oil. I have put rusty cast iron in my barbecue grill to burn the rust off. My grandmother would periodically put her's in the fireplace.
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Post by bestofour on Dec 12, 2017 0:22:52 GMT -5
Cooked chicken and rice in one tonight. Love my cast iron.
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stone
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Post by stone on Dec 15, 2017 9:26:53 GMT -5
I have another question regarding the cast iron dutch ovens... We are a family of three, but times when my daughter and her husband have dinner with us make 5, so what size dutch oven would be recommended for feeding 5 people? I have a 12 quart Dutch oven that I use when cooking a haunch of venison, or a big pot of Spanish rice.... Prolly be big enuff to feed a family. Personally, I like to eat what's in the pot 3 meals a day until its gone. Re: cleaning cast iron. Sand paper works on rust... I used to have a grindstone that worked pretty well. Personally, I'd rather not go the caustic chemicals route.... Even if the rust doesn't all come out... Burning oil into the metal is the most important part.... And even that's a little over-thought than necessary. After I cook something.... I useta just scrape the pan with a metal spatula... Any more, I just hand wash it with the rest of the dishes, and then heat it until it's dry, and then use whatever cooking oil is handy to coat the hot metal.
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ceresone
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Post by ceresone on Dec 21, 2017 18:14:25 GMT -5
for those of you who advocate the old fashioned way ofcleaning--look up some of the specific name son your cast iron,--since iam 80--i didnt stay with ehem
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aqua
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Post by aqua on Dec 22, 2017 7:29:31 GMT -5
Since this thread has popped up to the top- I'd love to know of a good cookbook for my 15" cast iron skillet and my big Lodge pot. I never use them but I know they are important! yet there they sit.
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Post by september on Dec 22, 2017 12:00:04 GMT -5
I don't have knowledge about a cookbook just for cast iron, but I hate to use anything but cast iron for pan frying fish, it just holds and distributes high heat so evenly. Other most often uses are using it "dry" for cooking flatbread, or warming up corn tortillas til they puff a bit. The dutch oven is great for making the No-Knead bread recipe. My electric crockpot has taken over most of the dutch oven's duties because it's more energy efficient than heating the whole oven.
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Post by paulf on Dec 22, 2017 12:17:28 GMT -5
My brother has a 36" (yes, thirty-six inch) cast iron skillet he uses on camp-outs. Fries eggs, bacon, hash browns, sausages and pancakes all at the same time.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Dec 22, 2017 13:43:29 GMT -5
And does he also bring a separate truck to carry that beast? Seriously, how much does a 36" cast iron skillet weigh?!?
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Post by paulf on Dec 22, 2017 14:31:02 GMT -5
My guess is about ten pounds.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 5, 2018 20:29:51 GMT -5
We use cast Iron for most our cooking, both inside and outside.
If it was me, I wouldn't use Oven cleaner. The method Imp uses is what we do when we find old rusty skillets you think are worthless, but that method will clean them like new.
I do have a tip. I've done it this way for more years than I care to remember. After cooking a meal and the skillet is empty, I sprinkle salt all over the skillet and let it set till I'm ready to clean. The salt will keep the foods from drying and sticking to the pan. When I'm ready to clean, I fill the skillet half full of water, heat up the pan and swish and rub a paper towel around to clean it out. Absolutely use no soap on my pans. Once clean and rinsed, back on the stove to to heat till dry. Before putting away, take a very small amount of cooking oil 2 to 3 drops at most in a paper towel, rub inside of skillet and put away till the next meal.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Jan 8, 2018 12:01:32 GMT -5
aqua, It's not all cooking with cast iron but there are some tasty looking recipes on their website. Hope this helps. I bake casserole/chili in the cast Dutch Oven. Meat, eggs, Pasta sauce in the skillets. Bake corn bread in the large one. www.lodgemfg.com/recipes?cat=all
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 9, 2018 0:45:02 GMT -5
bluelacedredheadThey have oh so many good recipes, but I wanted to talk about their Cornbread. They call it Moonbread. This recipe is so versatile. Let me explain how the wife and I take it to the next level. If your serving corn bread and beans, we use it just as published. If we are making a southwest dish or Texmex, here's what we add. We add 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese and depending on our mood either 1/2 can green chili's or a few chopped jalapeños. Now say you want a sweet type of cornbread like Marie Callender serves in their restaurant, you can add 1/2 cup coconut sugar. This is great sliced while hot and put you a big ol' hunk of butter on it. Anyways, this is just how we do it. I thought I would share.
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reubent
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Post by reubent on Nov 25, 2019 5:50:17 GMT -5
It'd be a crazy comedy scene to carry a 3 ft skillet on a backpacking trip. I won't do it. But it makes me think maybe I should make my own cast iron cookware someday. I have a skillet a kettle and a bail handle pot in cast iron, use then some off and on. Usually for a pot a beans or pancakes. But I should grow some lady finger corn for tasty corn meal and make up a dutch oven to bake it as a side thing when I pour an engine casting. I grew some long ago and it was the tastiest corny flavored pop corn I ever et. Should have kept growing it every year. It's tiny little kernels and pops real small, but oh the flavor!! Makes regular popcorn taste like flat nothing, like eating styrofoam or something.
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