Cast Iron Survived our House Fire and How to Fix It!

[RickN]

I use Crisco lard for seasoning. It does leave it slightly sticky. May have to try the flaxseed oil. Started using avocado oil on the Blackstone since it has a higher smoke point than olive oil. So, it holds up better.
I’ve also heard and think Ken does it, take a sander before seasoning to smooth out the surface.

If sticky you are not using high enough heat to season, or maybe not long enough. For Crisco, 400 degrees for an hour at least. Make sure the skillet is wiped like you are trying to remove all the Crisco, turn the pan upside down, and cook for an hour. Let cool and repeat at least two more times. Drops of water should bead and run off when you tilt the pan is what I was taught.

As far as sanding a skillet, most say not to as that is what the seasoning fills in and grips too. They say to season until it is smooth for the best results. Even Lodge says this. Also the more you use it, the smoother it gets.

I cook cornbread, brownies for the wife, roast chickens, saute veggies, etc to add to my seasoning layers.

 

[red dirt shootist]

I've had a love affair with cast iron also, actually anything black and heavy, but that's a story for another time. When I lived up north, while walking in the woods, I would sometimes come across an old dump, everything would be destroyed except for glass and cast iron. I would bring the cast iron home, and I had a pretty good collection, but damn it looked rough. A friend came over and told me to put those pieces in my wood stove overnight, and in the morning they would look new. I had to wait for winter, and I got the stove good and hot, outside it might be 30-35 degrees, the coldest I ever saw it was 36, that's below zero buckwheat, and I'm inside in my underwear, sipping some of Kentucky's finest, and I don't have a care in the world. Now the stove was welded up out of 1/4 inch plate, and I had come up with a way to fill it with logs and bank a fire all night, and when I turned out the lights the whole stove was glowing cherry red. But getting back to the cast iron, in the morning it would come out so clean it looked sandblasted, it was crazy, then just season and after a while it would turn black. Speaking of black, well, someday that will be "the rest of the story."

 

[Ready_fire_aim]

Wife and I use cast iron a lot. From cooking anything in a skillet on the stove, to Dutch oven charcoal cooking, to campfire cooking, etc

I’m with @Mr.Glock flaxseed oil rocks! I’ve never had it flake. We’ve also seasoned skillets with it then put them in the attic untouched for years only to find them still glossy black and gorgeous when we need them later.

Whatever method you use, seasoned cast iron is just a thing of beauty!

 

[SoonerP226]

House Fire cannot hurt Castiron!

You might want to watch the video…

 

[Mr.Glock]

You might want to watch the video…

I did. There must have some extenuating circumstances that happened, such as the pans were stacked and weight caused the warp age. I have seen a lot of home fires and cast iron cookware is mostly the only thing left. Modern Cast Iron, even the recent USA made holds nothing to the old old stuff.

 

[Droff]

Anyone try grapeseed oil for seasoning cast iron? It's supposed to have a pretty high smoke point as well. I've used it but since I'm not real experienced with the seasoning process not sure how effective it is. The pans look pretty good regardless.

What about washing?
My Mom (I'm 61, so that's a reference) always said not to wash cast iron, it would remove the seasoning. Anyone else get that memo?

After further review I think that opinion arose from older folks cleaning things with lye, which wouldn't be good for the pan seasoning.

 

[Decoligny]

I use Crisco lard for seasoning. It does leave it slightly sticky. May have to try the flaxseed oil. Started using avocado oil on the Blackstone since it has a higher smoke point than olive oil. So, it holds up better.
I’ve also heard and think Ken does it, take a sander before seasoning to smooth out the surface.

If it’s sticky, then you are either using too much Crisco, or not heating it hot enough or long enough in the oven.
After you cover every bit of the pan with Crisco, wipe it off as if it were arsenic. Then wipe it off some more. Then put it in the oven at about 400F for an hour, then let it cool in the oven. Repeat several times.

 

[red dirt shootist]

I did. There must have some extenuating circumstances that happened, such as the pans were stacked and weight caused the warp age. I have seen a lot of home fires and cast iron cookware is mostly the only thing left. Modern Cast Iron, even the recent USA made holds nothing to the old old stuff.

I think you have the answer, The older Wagner and Griswold is really good, the newer Lodge, not so much. Also the older has more non stick. The Lodge stuff has a rougher finish.

 

[SoonerP226]

My Mom (I'm 61, so that's a reference) always said not to wash cast iron, it would remove the seasoning. Anyone else get that memo?

What I was told (it may have even been on the packaging that came with one of my Lodge pieces) was to avoid using soap when washing cast iron. Use hot water on a hot pan and some salt as an abrasive if needed.

If you use soap, you need to re-season the pan, because the soap will strip away the oils that form the protective layer.

Also, Kent recommends grapeseed oil in the video.

 

[RickN]

What I was told (it may have even been on the packaging that came with one of my Lodge pieces) was to avoid using soap when washing cast iron. Use hot water on a hot pan and some salt as an abrasive if needed.

If you use soap, you need to re-season the pan, because the soap will strip away the oils that form the protective layer.

Also, Kent recommends grapeseed oil in the video.

Modern dish soap will not hurt properly applied seasoning. Even Lodge and Stargazer say to use soap. Wagner did before they went out of business. The no soap does come from the old days when they had lye soap as mentioned earlier. Your seasoning should be a hard, almost plastic coating that fills the "pores" (really the rough texture) of your cast iron.