Granny's Cast Iron

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  • phylodog

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    59   0   0
    Mar 7, 2008
    18,749
    113
    Arcadia
    I spent a lot of time growing up with my Grandparents. They lived on a small pond and had a larger lake across the street down at Prince's Lakes and I'd have preferred to fish than to eat as a kid. My Grandma was a pretty darned good cook and when she passed I inherited one of her cast iron pans. It was the one she used to fry chicken and cubed steak in, one of my favorite meals of hers. We've been using it for years and it has become one of my wife's favorite pans but I never educated myself on the proper care for it and the seasoning had become pretty rough. I decided a few weeks ago to strip it down and reseason it. It was a bit saddening because that was Granny's seasoning on there but I hadn't maintained it.

    I did a good bit of research and decided to use the aerosol oven cleaner. I sprayed it down well, wrapped it up in a garbage bad and let it sit for a few days. Most of the old stuff came off but there was still some tough spots so I did it a second time. That took most everything off and any of the remaining was filling in the imperfections and felt smooth to the touch so I didn't go any farther.

    7A8693CC-D262-4790-B359-E67BB824D52E_zpsje39pnze.jpg


    Once stripped I warmed it in the oven at 200° then wiped a light coat of flax seed oil all over it. Then I wiped as much of it back off as I could with a clean paper towel, set it in the oven, turned it up to 500° and set the cook timer for 2 hours. Once the oven shut off I left it in there until it cooled down. I did that four times and it turned out pretty nice.

    4FF2EB96-B200-44B1-944D-AF0736E0F5DD_zpslui7ulbz.jpg


    The flax seed seems to work really well. I'll be using it in the future and I'll be taking better care of my cast iron from here on out. I've got a 12qt dutch oven that I got a few years ago next, it's in really bad shape lol.
     

    Lee11b

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    16   0   0
    Apr 22, 2014
    2,591
    113
    North Webster
    my grandmother used to make salmon patties in that iron skillet....and your totally right, it's the iron that made them taste SOOOO GOOD!!!! Man, phylodog, that iron skillet looks brand, "not china made", NEW!!! :+1:
     

    phylodog

    Grandmaster
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    59   0   0
    Mar 7, 2008
    18,749
    113
    Arcadia
    I wish it was marked so I knew who made it but there's not a mark on it anywhere. Pretty sure it's good old American made cast iron but I'm not sure.
     

    IndyDave1776

    Grandmaster
    Emeritus
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    12   0   0
    Jan 12, 2012
    27,286
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    Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment. Learning to understand cast iron is not an overnight thing, and I, for one have not 'arrived'. Fortunately, unless you do something truly abusive, quality cast iron will let you start over from the beginning. I have no doubt that Grandma would be proud of you!
     

    JEDenny

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Dec 19, 2015
    82
    8
    Georgetown
    When I rework a piece of cast iron I start with throwing it in a wood fire outside. I build the fire under, around and on top. Let it burn for an hour or so then pull it out and set it aside the fire to slowly cool. Next, take some course steel wool and rub it off inside and out. Last, I use lard; covering it inside and out while heating it in the oven to 500 just as you did. Occasionally checking / recoating. Then allow it to cool slowly - wipe it off and your good to go. Looks new. I rework many skillets this way. The only problem is it dose smoke a little while in the oven.

    I wouldn't trade my cast iron for any of the new stuff out there now.
     

    Lee11b

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    16   0   0
    Apr 22, 2014
    2,591
    113
    North Webster
    I wish it was marked so I knew who made it but there's not a mark on it anywhere. Pretty sure it's good old American made cast iron but I'm not sure.

    No, if it was china made, it would have cracked already and you would be noticing signs of lead poisoning.....:flamethrower: On a serious INGO note: be careful of what you buy at Aldi's. My wife bought jarred peaches at Aldi's this last summer. They were delicious and had golden color.....HOWEVER, when I started reading the label, Product of China. I told the wife that will be the last peaches from Aldi's. I saw a show on 60 minutes, probably 5 years ago on China's pollution problems. One thing mentioned, was that a lot of the pesticides we banned here in the 1970's were bought up by the Chinese government for "research". I don't want my kids eating tasty peaches from China, sprayed with outlawed in the USA old DDT!!!
     

    IndyDave1776

    Grandmaster
    Emeritus
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    12   0   0
    Jan 12, 2012
    27,286
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    I just did a little quick research. Using a Google search by image, I found a few matches. No definite answers, but the consensus is that this is either Wagner or Lodge. Both put out product without manufacturer marks for some strange reason (my guess is that the 'bargain' line was the same pans without the logo, thus 'generic' but made the same).

    I found a couple of sale postings and then I found this pan with a story not terribly different from yours that you may enjoy:

    Caring For Cast-Iron Cookware
     

    BigBoxaJunk

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Feb 9, 2013
    7,314
    113
    East-ish
    When I rework a piece of cast iron I start with throwing it in a wood fire outside. I build the fire under, around and on top. Let it burn for an hour or so then pull it out and set it aside the fire to slowly cool. Next, take some course steel wool and rub it off inside and out. Last, I use lard; covering it inside and out while heating it in the oven to 500 just as you did. Occasionally checking / recoating. Then allow it to cool slowly - wipe it off and your good to go. Looks new. I rework many skillets this way. The only problem is it dose smoke a little while in the oven.

    I wouldn't trade my cast iron for any of the new stuff out there now.

    A friend told me that he cleaned cast iron skillets in a fire also. I decided to give it a try on a nice old Wagner that I was going to give to my daughter. I put it in a fire and got it good and hot, burning off all traces of the black coating that it had. When it cooled down, the surface was clean cast iron and looked great. Unfortunately, the heat had caused the bottom surface to bulge down, making it wobble when you set it on the stove burner.

    After some research, I found that the method Phylo used is a much safer way to clean old cast iron. It's the way I now do it and it works fine without any danger of warping your skillets. A good source of info, I found, is: The Cast Iron Collector: Information for The Vintage Cookware Enthusiast
     

    JEDenny

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Dec 19, 2015
    82
    8
    Georgetown
    A friend told me that he cleaned cast iron skillets in a fire also. I decided to give it a try on a nice old Wagner that I was going to give to my daughter. I put it in a fire and got it good and hot, burning off all traces of the black coating that it had. When it cooled down, the surface was clean cast iron and looked great. Unfortunately, the heat had caused the bottom surface to bulge down, making it wobble when you set it on the stove burner.

    Wagner is a good quality skillet. It must of got too hot in the fire. Glad I have never had this problem.
     

    bocefus78

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    39   0   0
    Apr 9, 2014
    2,023
    63
    Hamilton Co.
    Very cool of you to revive one you have memories with! I've got a pile of rusty ones I've been buying at garage sales, goodwill, etc. I'll definitely use your trash bag method once I get the rust off. Thanks!
     

    IndyDave1776

    Grandmaster
    Emeritus
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    12   0   0
    Jan 12, 2012
    27,286
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    As for that rust, I have a skillet needing some rust removal. One of the many joys of grandma with dementia is that while I wasn't paying close enough attention, she decided to wash one of the skillets I had hidden in the oven. I intend to use a potato cut in half with kosher salt to scrub the rust as abrasives are bad and wire wheels are even worse.
     
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Apr 8, 2013
    179
    18
    Indianapolis, IN
    I wish it was marked so I knew who made it but there's not a mark on it anywhere. Pretty sure it's good old American made cast iron but I'm not sure.

    My bet is Birmingham Stove and Range. Would need to see the back of the pan including the back of the entire handle to make sure. Pre 1960 because it does not say made in USA on it. Google Birmingham Stove and Range square skillet and look at the pics. Could be Lodge but the handles are slightly different I think.
     

    Scout

    Expert
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 7, 2008
    1,149
    38
    near Fort Wayne
    I have tried a number of ways to season my cast iron and none of them work the way they are supposed to. They all end up with food sticking to them. Some is new Lodge, some is vintage.
     

    JEDenny

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Dec 19, 2015
    82
    8
    Georgetown
    I have tried a number of ways to season my cast iron and none of them work the way they are supposed to. They all end up with food sticking to them. Some is new Lodge, some is vintage.

    Sounds like you need to start over. Clean it off and reseason. Once its freshly seasoned Don't wash with hot soapy water for awhile - just wipe it out clean. If necessary use soap sparingly, dry off and coat with oil. After neuromas uses washing and drying will be fine. Cast iron likes use. The more its used the better it gets.
     

    phylodog

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    59   0   0
    Mar 7, 2008
    18,749
    113
    Arcadia
    My bet is Birmingham Stove and Range. Would need to see the back of the pan including the back of the entire handle to make sure. Pre 1960 because it does not say made in USA on it. Google Birmingham Stove and Range square skillet and look at the pics. Could be Lodge but the handles are slightly different I think.

    I think you are right! It has the "V" on the backside of the handle that goes all the way to the skillet body. Thanks for posting that, I appreciate it!
     

    pitbulld45

    Follower of I AM
    Rating - 100%
    13   0   0
    Dec 27, 2012
    1,394
    113
    Terre Haute
    It is not Wagner, they have a spot for your thumb on the top of the handle. You did a great job of restoring this piece, there are several great cast iron groups on Facebook, you should check them out.
    Every major manufacturer of cast iron cookware made lines that were unmarked, they were a budget line for people that could not afford the marked lines, without compromising quality if the product.

    please, please, don't clean cast iron in the fire. There are many safe ways to clean cast iron and fire ruins to many pieces.
     
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