cast iron cookware

[BigBoxaJunk]

Flaxseed oil. Meh. It is expensive, it calls for 7+ coats if I remember correctly. It smells worse than any other oil I've ever used to season while seasoning and that's pretty bad because Crisco is gross smelling. Lol. Hanging around the cast iron community, I have talked to a lot of folks that know a lot more about it than me. The general consensus of those "in the know" is a resounding "pass" on the flaxseed oil. It just doesn't do anything better than any of the other oils. And it is ridiculously expensive.

My personal experience is that I have had 2 pans flake badly after a couple months use and had to be restripped and seasoned. I have one more that is used pretty regularly that just recently has showed some signs of needing some attention. So, yes, it worked. Kind of. But at the cost, I will take my $4 tub of crisco all day every day over flaxseed oil. Just my 2 pennies. If it works for you, great. If you're on the fence, spend the extra 10-12 bucks you save by buying crisco on amother skillet or two.

I've done most of my cast iron with Crisco or vegetable oil. We have three skillets that get used the most. The big one is used almost daily, browning, searing, sauteing, you name it. It gets cleaned the most and needs to be re-coated with vegetable oil the most.

Our smallest skillet is used almost exclusively for frying eggs, over easy in butter. That skillet is never washed, just wiped clean, and it's developed the nicest slick black surface of any of our cast iron.

 

[lonehoosier]

Here are a couple that I'm working one. These are by far the worst that I have worked on.

 

[Thor]

Picked up a Griswold #10 skillet a couple of days ago. It was a little rusty and didn't look like it had ever been cooked in let alone seasoned. A few hours hooked up in the electrolysis tank and it was good to go. Seasoned it and did up some fine hash browns.

I'd been looking for some of the larger skillets and this one booted a Chinese made Bayou Classic to the garage for camping trips. The Griswold weighs about a third of that BC hunk of manhole cover. The 10 is doubly nice because it is the same size as my Dutch Oven and the lids interchange.

 

[Thor]

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[Thor]

LoneH...that's an interesting looking cast iron bucket. Good luck with the refurbs.

 

[JettaKnight]

Here are a couple that I'm working one. These are by far the worst that I have worked on.

lonehoosier, I hereby dub thee the Mother Teresa of cast iron. You're doing God's working in saving the lost and rusted.

 

[lonehoosier]

LoneH...that's an interesting looking cast iron bucket. Good luck with the refurbs.

lonehoosier, I hereby dub thee the Mother Teresa of cast iron. You're doing God's working in saving the lost and rusted.

Thanks I need all the encouragement I can get. The only time I try and save them is if I get them for free. They have been sitting in my neighber shed for many years. Both of them still had water in them when I saw them in the shed. It is a lot of elbow grease and time to get those back in to shape. I really like this set because the lid fits both the deep skillet and pot.

 

[MRockwell]

And this, boys and girls, is what you can do with your cast iron cookware:

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[HamsterStyle]

Here are a couple that I'm working one. These are by far the worst that I have worked on.

What's the bottom of that chicken fryer look like? Is it a griswold?

 

[HamsterStyle]

Picked up a Griswold #10 skillet a couple of days ago. It was a little rusty and didn't look like it had ever been cooked in let alone seasoned. A few hours hooked up in the electrolysis tank and it was good to go. Seasoned it and did up some fine hash browns.

I'd been looking for some of the larger skillets and this one booted a Chinese made Bayou Classic to the garage for camping trips. The Griswold weighs about a third of that BC hunk of manhole cover. The 10 is doubly nice because it is the same size as my Dutch Oven and the lids interchange.

I recently picked up this Griswold 12. It's a really nice pan. It's going to be going up for sale before too long. Second pic has a #8 inside it for size comparison.

 

[lonehoosier]

What's the bottom of that chicken fryer look like? Is it a griswold?

Not a griswold. There are no markings that I can find. I think they are lodge because the lid has little spikes on the bottom just like my other ones. My neighbor said he bought them brand new. He thinks they are only maybe 15 to 20 years old.

 

[HamsterStyle]

Not a griswold. There are no markings that I can find. I think they are lodge because the lid has little spikes on the bottom just like my other ones. My neighbor said he bought them brand new. He thinks they are only maybe 15 to 20 years old.

Ah, I bet it is half of the Lodge combo cooker. The lid that came with it is actually a shallow skillet. I was drawing a blank and forgot about those.

Like this

https://picclick.com/Vintage-8-FS-Cast-Iron-Deep-Chicken-Fryer-391742549541.html

 

[Thor]

I recently picked up this Griswold 12. It's a really nice pan. It's going to be going up for sale before too long. Second pic has a #8 inside it for size comparison.

Very nice #12! Where do you sell them?

 

[HamsterStyle]

Fb garage sale sites, a couple cast iron specific pages, my Fb page.

 

[SmileDocHill]

My wife found and got me 2 5qt camp dutch ovens on clearance at Walmart for $12 each. They are the China made Ozark Trails but for the price I can't complain!

Also got a link sent to me by a friend that knows I was looking. World market with 50% off Lodge cast iron!

https://www.worldmarket.com/search....c=117068&pp=47&sortby=bestMatchesDescend&cx=0

 

[SmileDocHill]

First thing I did with the new dutch ovens was to sand them smooth on the inside. They were pretty rough, cheap post-casting processing. Cleaned, dried, and now I'm re-curing them. The first couple meals from them should be very healhy (lots of iron). Just kidding, I cleaned them well. Not easy getting all the powdered metal off.

 

[snapping turtle]

Friend has a couple of cast iron Dutch ovens and a very large flat bottom John boat. I think this John boat is 96 inches wide and 20-22 feet long. He has an old cut down drum with sand in it. The Dutch ovens go in that and we have had some wonderful meals during crappie time. Nothing like a nice hot stew or biskets when it is cold and windy on the lake.

 

[HamsterStyle]

First thing I did with the new dutch ovens was to sand them smooth on the inside. They were pretty rough, cheap post-casting processing. Cleaned, dried, and now I'm re-curing them. The first couple meals from them should be very healhy (lots of iron). Just kidding, I cleaned them well. Not easy getting all the powdered metal off.

To each his own, but it is completely unnecessary to sand them smooth. A few layers of good seasoning and they will be just as non stick as the vintage stuff with proper cooking methods.

 

[jimb1069]

To each his own, but it is completely unnecessary to sand them smooth. A few layers of good seasoning and they will be just as non stick as the vintage stuff with proper cooking methods.

I agree, My cheapo is very non stick. Just took alittle bit to get it there

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

I recently picked up this Griswold 12. It's a really nice pan. It's going to be going up for sale before too long. Second pic has a #8 inside it for size comparison.

Wow, that 12 must be a big skillet. Looking at the pic, I figured it was the same size as my wife's EDC (everydaycooker), but when I checked, her's is just a 9.

Shortly after we were married, she'd gotten a stack of iron skillets that had belonged to her great grandmother. In the early 80's nobody we knew used iron skillets, so she picked out a couple to keep and we threw the rest in the trash. She kept the Griswold 9 and a smaller Wagner and I know one of the ones we threw away was much bitter than the 9.