If you think about it, Your cast iron cook ware is no different than your wood stove.. You heat it up realitively slow and it cools down slow, You don't shock it. When you bring a pan up to say 500* with "nothing in it" then bring it to ambient air temp, weird things "can" happen. And I'm not saying they will all the time but "I'm" not willing to take that chance. I've had cast for years and been buying stuff when I see it for quite some time. I could cry to think of some of the stuff "I" had, but thats another story. Take your time, It's well worth the effort and you'll enjoy it more
After I clean mine, I dry it with a paper towel, then put it on a burner and warm it up a little to dry off any remaining moisture. I then coat it liberally with some kind of fat, leave it sit for a few minutes, then wipe off the excess. I mean wipe it all off, so there is just a dull bit of a sheen. If you have too much, it will burn on and make a sticky finish. I then put it upside down in a cold oven, turn it to around 300°, let it go for about three hours, then turn the oven off and let the piece cool down with the oven. If you've done a complete strip with oven cleaner or some other kind of lye, you'll probably get a dark residue off it when you wipe off the excess. I coat it with fat and wipe it out repeatedly until the towel comes away clean, then wash it with dish soap and recoat. I've tried a bunch of different fats. Animal fats seem to work better for me than vegetable. I have had success with coconut oil, but I think lard and bacon fat works best. Butter is my next choice.
I've used just about everything also. I generally stick with good ol Crisco, It's just cheap and easy.. But your right, bacon fat or lard is the best.
On the way home tonight, I stopped by my little local junk shop I frequent "a lot" because things turn up like this… It's a 1930's Birmingham stove and range pan, # 7 s. It's rough but flat and no cracks, It will go get the cleaning.. I just took my Wagner ware # 3 out and drying it. By the way, I paid $3.00 for the pan
Yeah, that's a beaut! I scored a #8 Griswold at the Goodwill this week for $9.99. I was stoked, you don't see them very often for that cheap around here.
Dam! That is a nice score!… Thats the fun, sometimes you get lucky. I have some real nice old stuff, alot of no name brands but still made in the USA. I have only I think, 3 griswold pieces maybe 10 Wagner ware. I got a couple "made in china" steak skillets that are pretty cool and "for china" good castings. But finding a Griswold for 10 bucks!
Larry we use cast iron almost exclusively! Ours is our cheap pan sets from TSC redstone and country cook brands. They are fantastic! We have more pans than I have pics lol... Honestly they retain heat so well I can turn the burner to low and it will cook almost as if they where on medium in a normal metal or stainless set. We switched to to health issues a few years ago and I can tell you giving up nonstick tastes better and we feel better!
Yes it is! I am a big whirlpool fan. We had very bad luck with GE two stoves in a row and a fridge that was GE. When we bought the washer and dryer both whirlpool and maytag ( same company ) they quality speaks for itself. We proceeded to by whirlpool everything lol. We haven't had a single problem with any of it yet. Now the wife wants a whirlpool gold fridge.... Ours is a cheaper double door we got used that's 13 years old and works great! We shall see... That glass top is nice and as long as you don't drag the pans around on it they don't scratch the surface at all. We have been very happy with it.
I did a couple eggs this morning, "broke one" on my griswold griddle, Thats it's whole purpose in life, eggs and grilled ham and cheese My little # 3 wagner in the back ground after a cleaning
Very nice, best part is you use them and you like them. I gave all my large pans to my son who loves to cook for a number of friends at get togethers. These pans belonged to my parents. I hated to see them sit there unused. Nothing better for grilling on. I have to admit that I often deliberately brake the yokes when I fry the eggs. I prefer them that way because I use them with a toasted English or Bagel sandwich. I cook some bacon first, then the eggs. Helps the flavor.
Well, I think I've said it in some thread somewhere, but the wife and I usually hit our local junk, antique and flea markets on Saturdays when it's nice. Well…. Got another score today.. Got the cute cast ashtray for $2.00 and the "nickel" plated # 8 Griswold for $25.00 . It's a shame; There was another gris there but it was the perfect example of shock cooled I had ever seen, cracked right through the middle …. The vendor didn't even notice it and I thought he was going to cry, "as I wanted too" when I showed it to him, I told him it was not even worth scrap metal. He said he'll have his wife paint a country scene on it for the wall and maybe get a couple bucks for it.
