SEASONING & RESTORING A CAST IRON SKILLET FOR A NON-STICK SURFACE
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- Опубліковано 16 жов 2023
- EASY GUIDE TO SEASONING & RESTORING CAST IRON I found two vintage cast iron skillets at the thrift store for $12 each!! What a deal. They were covered in carbon from decades of use and were in desperate need of restoration. I also wanted to restore my late mothers and late mother in laws skillets so I at to work to bring all of these cast iron pans back to life!!
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I used this oil amzn.to/3M43SxZ
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Maintain you cast iron cookware like a pro ua-cam.com/video/_psddiF8J1M/v-deo.htmlsi=pT_JGfYrGkVMWByU
The best way to get a pan like this clean is to put it in a gas bbq grill, turn all the burners on for about an hour and let it cool down and you’re done. It turns that crust into dust. It just falls off. Then just wash it and season it
I found the easiest way to strip everything is to build a fire and place the pan on it and then build a fire inside the pan and just leave it until the next day when the fire goes out. Pan comes out spotless and no harsh chemicals completely safe. Works every time.
That’s great when you can have a fire. In the PNW we have burn bans 😅
My method is similar. I'll put my cast-iron in my oven and run the cleaning cycle. It stays in around 500⁰+ temps for several hours. Once the cleaning cycle is done, let things cool off, and you have a stripped pan ready for a new seasoning.
Xero i have seen people do that and yeah i think it works the same. Its just easy for me to do it outside and my wife doesn't have to smell the cast iron burning. Lol.
@RowesRising i understand. i just dont like to use chemicals if i dont have to.
@katyaker8913 bless you for thinking of your sweet wife. 🥰
The most beautiful CI seasoning I have seen in 80 years.
Wow great video. I have my granddads griswold that we have used my whole life. I use it still constantly but it has the crust that you removed. I am excited to do this method. The skillet is a treasure to me. My grand father and grandmother adopted me at birth so this skillet was Daddy’s and he was the family cook. It not only warms my food but it warms my heart everytime. ❤️
That’s an amazing story and heritage of your skillet. What a treasure!! My mother and MIL have both passed so it’s b very special to me to have one skillet from each of them.🥰🌻🌻🌻
I hope by more people watching videos like this that they will start to get an understanding of the difference between seasoned and dirty. Well maintained cast iron can be both clean, and seasoned.
Exactly!! Thanks for watching.
Thank you for bringing that Wagnerware pan back to it's full glory!
It’s a good one!!
Excellent vlog! One of the best actually. Clear, concise and to the point without over speaking just to fill blank airspace. Thank you!
Thank you Susan!! I don’t like all the filler words either. Get to the point😅
I have been doing this for years -- skillets, woks etc.-- and it does wonders. Great video
It is much easier and actually faster just to put it in a backyard fire/campfire/fireplace. The only thing you have to remember is to preheat the pan before you put it right on the coals, and to let it cool slowly. Now give it a quick wash and dry and start your seasoning process
Thanks for watching!!
You are correct because it keeps
It seasoned and black but this lady was removing the actual seasoning having no idea what was on it was perfection. A black iron skillet is seasoned.
You have an excellent speaking voice and a beautiful way of explaining that you should have your own TV show thank you and God bless
I thought the same thing. I immediately thought “she should do some ASMR videos”!
@boog110 you are both so kind.
Great job. I'm glad people are thinking longevity, not catch and release.
For people curious, the seasoning is a polymerization of the oil which Dawn will not affect. The season is a hard enamel like plastic. The brown stains on a sheet pan that seem infuriating to clean is actually just seasoning and can just be left alone. I wouldn't scrub with steel wool as that will at best scratch the surface and mess up the non-stick properties. Scrubbing with a rag or plastic bristles is great though. Even Lodge says to use soap and water! Dawn is a dish detergent and real soaps were made with lye. Either of them is fine. If real soap would be a problem, it would also be melting your skin off your hands every time you use it!
Thanks for spelling it out that soap will not hurt the CI!! 🌻🌻🌻😅
Those pans turned out looking Amazing Katie. I love my cast iron... I actually have my great grandmother's pan along with other pieces 🤗🤗🙏 Kendra
I have been looking forward to this video. I am going restore my cast iron and be on the lookout for other cast iron items when I am going to thrift stores. It will be satisfying to see the process at work.
I like grapeseed oil for seasoning cast iron and carbon steel pans.. Works great. Nice job.. the pans look fantastic.
That was a very good video, you need to do more cast iron vids. I don't care if it's cooking, or cleaning, or maintenance of cast iron I'd watch it. Most cast iron channels are experts in their own mind lol. That was the most calming cast iron video of all time.
I’m glad you found it enjoyable🌻
@bingster-223 It's great that u enjoyed her presentation and So did I. I thoroughly enjoy many types of videos but I sense some resentment by ur remark of most ci channels being experts in their own minds. Why would u even say something like that? I'm sure they're not professing to be experts just as I don't. Many are my comrads or cast iron associates and we spent years upon years studying and researching the topic to be More knowledgeable. Some have even written books. Some retired from famous foundries and know cast iron backwards and forward. Many of them have an extensive collection such as myself. We're military and I've collected from several countries but an Expert..I wouldnt say but I do know enough that I could possibly be considered one.
We even have a annual convention thru out the country where we share, swap and sell really nice pieces. We have guest speakers. One associate & his wife are well known and famous for their collection in which magazines have featured them and their cast iron museum. Experts?? Maybe, maybe not...but SO darn close to it that they may as well be considered one. Don't hate the players for their knowledge just bcz U have the lack there of.
I’m not a “cast iron channel” I simply made a video about cast iron and how I cleaned the gunk off easily without damaging the cast iron. 😅🌻🌻🌻
@bingster-223 no hard feelings here🌻🌻🌻
@RowesRising
Thanks, don't worry I won't be having an argument with anyone on your platform.
Well, I know now how to properly season the old cast iron skillet I got from my mother-in-law. I have been wanting to learn how to do this for awhile now. Thanks so much for your video on this!!
I hope you enjoy the process restoring your precious heirloom. 🌻🌻🌻
Those turned out really good. I love seasoning cast iron.
I have the same Wagner - my Mothers wedding gift from 1945 - and it looks exactly like your ‘before.’ I’ve been doing a lot of research to safely restore it. Yours is the best video and my research stops here. I will be following your method to restore this family treasure.
Ps. My dad did as many here noted - threw it in a yearly campfire.
The camp fire is a great way to do it!! We have burn bans here and are limited to when we can burn. So this was the method I could do at that time. Thanks for watching!! 🌻
@@RowesRising I would never use fire to strip a pan. That could leave microscopic fissures in the pan, and you never know when the pan will split. It always happens when you are cooking.
@terrysincheff6682 thanks Terry!
I rescued a couple of cast iron fryers that were encased in grime buildup! I put them into my electric oven and set it to the cleaning cycle!
That’s awesome!🍳
Excellent video! Thank you 🙏 your video is exactly what I’ve been looking for- you explained every step thoroughly, thank you so much!
I’m so glad it was helpful!! 🌻🌻
Brilliant video, honestly.
Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!!
That worked really well.
You really found a treasure 👍
Loved this katie. Ty for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks for watching Carol!!! 🌻🌺🌻🌺🌻🌺🌻
Nice video. I too have moved to Avocado oil for my cast iron. To strip my pans, I use "Easy Off" oven cleaner and put the pan in a plastic garbage bag, for a few days. If it's rusty, I've had good luck submerging in white vinegar. My favorite pan has got to the #8 Wagner.
Thanks for the information 🥰
Very nice! I enjoy using cast iron myself.
I was quite surprised by this. Then I thought about it with respect to soap making, and it does make some sense.
Here are some smoke point for various oils.
Avocado Oil: 520°
Safflower Oil: 475 to 500°
Soybean Oil: 450 to 475°
Sunflower Oil: 450°
Peanut Oil: 450°
Corn Oil: 400 to 450°
Almond Oil: About 430°
Sesame Oil: 410 to 450°
Grapeseed Oil: About 420°
Canola Oil: 375 to 450°
Olive Oil: 325° to 375°
Coconut Oil: 350°F
Walnut Oil: 320°
Flax Oil: About 225°
U did a real good job on it
Beautiful
Thank you. 🌻
I have a 130 year old dutch oven that I will use the lie process on. The wire handle is in bad shape so I will make another handle. Really nice work you do. Thanks for the vid
Thank you for watching! I hope you enjoy the process.
Thank you! This just came across my inbox. I have collected for a couple of years and I was going to clean them (60 pieces) over the winter but got a little sick, under the weather and was not able. BUT, I plan on it this winter. Too much garden and canning during the summer. I think I will look around your channel for other videos.
Thank you Joey!
Thank you so much can’t wait to do mine been waiting for your video ❤
Yay! I know you are going to love the satisfying process😅
Beautiful restoration
Thanks for this video. I was noticing some buildup on my pans. Now I know what to do about it. Yay!
You are going to LOVE the process. It’s so very satisfying to get all the gunk off🌻😅😅
I’ve used the electrolysis method in the past. Works just as effectively. The Wagner Ware and Griswold pans are the gems at the thrift stores because they machined the cooking surfaces flat. Newer cast iron and especially the Lodge brand can’t hold a candle to the old ones. Nice video. You may have inspired me to clean mine up after a decade of use!
Thank you! I much prefer the smooth machined surface.
I used a random orbital sander to smooth out my Lodge pans. Still not completely smooth (since the surface area increases so much as you get lower it's just progressively more and more work), but mostly non-stick after seasoning. If I get any more cast iron in the future they'll be machined post-casting, whether that's one of the modern brands that does that or a vintage one.
@GrilledFishJones the Smithy’s brand is beautiful for modern cast iron😍
You did a great job restoring those pans! I have not tried avocado oil. I will have to try that. The easiest way I have found to clean cast iron is to put them in my oven and do the self clean on my oven and it cleans them then I season them.
Be careful with that you could warp antique iron.
Thank you so much for sharing this video. The pans look amazing. My husband has heard of this method but never tried it.
It’s a breeze to do!! I had to get past using a toxic substance😅
I've been looking for a method to clean my Le Creuset pan and this looks like it. Thanks.
Enjoy the process!!
Really nice. Yeah, the one thing I learned was to wipe all that excess oil off. I grew up with cast iron, so I was lucky to have a Dad that taught me alot about it. I usually do about three coats of flaxseed oil and then another three with grape seed oild or avocado oil. Nice and black. After that, I oil used olive oil for maintenance. Nice and slick after that. I stove top maintenance it with olive oil every single time I use it. Just before it starts smoking I pull it off. It works excellent. Great video. I never use soap ever. To each their own. Its important to use heat every time you oil that pan. Like I said, just medium heat.
Me too. Miss my momma and her cast iron cooking on the wood cook stove. Happy to have one of her pans. I don’t use soap typically but after I hearing cast iron rebels using it without issue I tried it. No problems. Season was still in tact. I’m like you though and prefer soapless methods of cleaning it. 🌻🌻🌻
And no matter what soap I've used, it would always end up smelling. Funny! So I just wipe them out while warm. Then scrub with hot water and plastic bristle brush. Then the stove top season just until smoke pans are awesome!
@577buttfan that’s the way I was raised to do it. This whole soap thing is new to me and I learned it doesn’t get the seasoning if done correctly. 🌻🌻🌻
@@RowesRising Yeah I used a very small amount a couple times and it won't take the seasoning off. But like I said, leaves a funny smell and that's enough to bother me. I'm sure it's fine though lol
Soap gets into the pores like with stoneware bakeware
This is such a phenomenal video! I was so intimidated and it actually looks much easier than i thought so yay. Now i need to find some treasures
You can do it!! I was intimidated for years. I am the same way with soap making and using lye for that. But now I think I can tackle it as well😅
@RowesRising you, my dear, can do anything! You are like, superwomn 🦸♂️ I learn SO much from you! I appreciate every video you make
@nicholefranklin513 thank you so much. I appreciate you watching and being here Nichole. I was thinking today, growing up I watched home improvement and cooking shows. Clearly they had an impact on my life. 😂😂🤩🤩🤩
@@RowesRisingI grew up helping my grandmother make soap. They had 18 kids as many ppl did back then. When she made soap often times it would run low and the new batch hadn't had time to fully cure before she needed to use more.😅 Sometimes it would slightly remove new seasoning but many soaps now days don't contain lye. I use Dawn. Its great even on new seasoning if u use just a tiny bit. Soap making can be fun and to me easy. I believe u can do it. If u mess up just melt it and start over. I too am a military officer's wife. My hubby retired 26 years USMC
Didn’t know you could get lye. That’s amazing
Great cleaning vlog Katie!
Thanks Sharon🌻🌻🌻
Hey Rowes Rising love the video...my jaw almost hit the ground when you pulled that Griswald out of nowhere. If you don't already know go research how much those skillets are going for. I have an 8 inch Griswald myself. Interesting story I found it buried in our backyard, cleaned it up similar to your method a few years ago, and then found out through a friend these skillets are valuable. I will be keeping mine in my family forever. I hope you have a good day, God Bless you!
Thank you so much for sharing your CI story. What an awesome heirloom to pass down to future generations 🌻🌻🌻
Wow! Thanks for sharing.😊
Glad you enjoyed🌻🌻🌻
I’m a chemical engineer. Some friendly advice. Use a face shield as well as a respirator. Also wear long sleeve lab coat. They are cheap. You are wearing good gloves. You should have a second container which can hold twice the volume in your soaking container. Put your soaking container in the larger secondary container. Finally, have about 10 gallons of water available nearby so that you can wash your eyes in the event of an accident. A second person should be standing by in case you need emergency care. Also, do not reuse the solution, dispose safely immediately after use.
That’s very detailed. Thanks for sharing your expertise. Safety first!!!
How to dispose of 5 gallons of dirty NaOH water safely? Is it OK to put down the drain as is? How much does pH change (say it's 14 initially) after 24 hours and lots of grime going into solution? (assuming probably not into a septic system) Thanks.
Add water to Lye = you die?
A cast iron pan aint worth my life…
How do you think a household product like Easy Off work compared to this method?
My cat 🐈 girlie is a chemical engineer when she goes to her litter box 😮😢
I put them upside down on an old oven rack (It will darken new shiny ones) and let them go thru the automatic oven cleaning cycle. works well! then you just have to apply several coats of re-finishing.
Great method!!
Love it had know idea how easy you can restore cast iron TY.
It’s pretty useful information if you like cooking with CI. Thanks for watching🌻🌻🌻
I now want to go buy all the gross cast iron and save it!! Buying it for my kids, this is genius. You have the best ideas!!
Do it!!! My mothers cast iron pan is so sentimental to me. I hope they feel the same way. 🌻
I also like avocado oil for seasoning, i have recently been using a crisbee stick for daily maintenance after using. I like the results so far. Beeswax palm oil and soybean oil i think. The larbee stick is good to, its lard and beeswax i think. Beautiful pans
Some of these comments are adorable. I make lye soap and my family has done so for generations. Always be safe when using lye, but don't assume it's something it's not.
Soap making is something I want to do next!! 😅😅😅🌻🌻🌻
Thanks for this. I may end up using this
It was pretty easy. If you read through the comments there are some alternative suggestions. Thanks for watching🌻🌻🌻
Really wow. Wow. What a great, to give cast iron a new life and to save for your kiddos
i have a set of cast iron pans that i know are 100 years old . granny used them , mom used them now i'm using them . i have heard online how people say never use soap and water to clean until now .. thank you .. granny used soap and water mom used soap and water and i have used soap and water and they are still non stick . but i have to admit i never heard of lye to super clean the pans .. guess who is going to buy some lye soon ? lol .. good video
I’m so glad you can attest to the fact that soap is harmless for cast iron!! Pretty sure my mom used soap too. Thanks for watching and enjoy the satisfying process!🌻🌻🌻
Keep in mind that your mom and your granny probably used soap made from fat and lye ( guess what is happening to the oils when @RowesRising soaks the pans in lye ). Most products you buy today, especially liquid ones are detergents that a re-labeled as soap (Dawn, Palmolive, Cascade, Etc.). Detergent is NOT the same as soap chemically or functionally. You can use small amounts, but it is slowly eating away the polymerized oils that are your nonstick seasoning. It is best to use hot water and a scrubber whenever possible, as that will preserve your finish longer, but using modern detergents are not harmful as long as you are mindful of what you are doing, use very little, avoid scented detergents that can leave trace flavors in your food, and re-season your pans more often. You could also buy actual soap (try homemade goat soap from a farmers market, its great for your hands too) and this will be much closer to what granny used. It will also wear at your seasoning but much slower that Dawn detergent or similar products. Hope this helps! Sincerely another 100 year old cast Iron heirloom user and maintainer.
I agree with golden kryptonite. I bought extremely crusted cast iron inside and outer pan and all i did was put some vegetable oil on them, out to the bbqer, up all the way heat, it will turn to ash and clean up nicely. No chemicals needed.
In Australia we use 2 methods,one is a molasses bath to get all the crud of then season it and the other is we use a wire wheel on end of drill and clean it that way then season it. I like to season mine on a fire i believe it just gets it hotter and smokey in my opinion the food tastes so much better from your cast iron.
I like the fire idea too. But we have burn bans here in the PNW due to wildfire dangers.
The Field Company guys did a scientific test on oils to season. They say grape seed oil is the best for polymerization.
I’ve heard flaxseed
Thank you!!
Great job
Awesome thank you 🙏
I wish I could find cast iron that inexpensive where I live. Great video
I lucked out thrifting. About a year ago, I saw a old Dutch oven at a thrift store- I regret not buying for $25😅
Great job, avocado oil is a good choice but some say animal fats like tallow or lard to season it with thin coats over and over.
Some people also use disc sanders to polish the flat bottom a bit more to make a really non stick surface.
Awesome 👍🤓👍i do mine in the grill outside so theres no fumes
Perfect!! I’ll remember that next time cause we can’t have fires here half the year, but we can grill🥴
This is the "old way" for seasoning. Nowadays we know that you dont' need to overheat your stove, you just need to be under the smoke point of the oil you are using and it will polymerize. If the pan is still sticky after 60 minutes it means that the temperature was a bit too low. Just put it back at a higher temperature.
"The smoke point of an oil or fat should not be exceeded during cooking, as potentially carcinogenic compounds can be formed and released. But the advice is often seen given to do just that during the manual seasoning of cast iron cookware. Some like to artificially accelerate the darkening of the seasoning by cranking the temp up above the smoke point of one or more layers of the manually-applied oil. Since a superior non-stick seasoning coat consists not only of polymerized fat, but also of a mixture of carbon within it, the thinking is that exceeding the smoke point will carbonize the compounds in the oil to desirable effect. While it may produce the desired cosmetic effect, this may not be prudent, and is, again, not really necessary, as the pan will darken with use and more layers of seasoning. What you may wish to do instead is, prior to applying any seasoning, heat the pan gradually to 450-500*F for an hour or so. This has been observed to darken the bare iron somewhat. You will, however, need to let it cool to a temp appropriate for your seasoning oil before continuing."
I personally use grape seed oil (smoking point: 420°F) and my oven is set at 400-410°F with a perfect result.
You can find more information on this link:
www.castironcollector.com/seasoning.php#smoke
Thank you so much!!!
What a difference !
So satisfying!!!
My mom always takes all of her pans to my uncle that has a wood stove in the winter and he burns all that junk off every few years lol. Never heard of a lye bath! Those are beautiful Katie! I'll be sharing with my mom too! I have a few slick bottom ones like yours and a couple newer textured ones. They will make a newbie wanna hurt themselves! 🤣
I have hated my newer pans even as a veteran cast iron user- they are awful! I’ve begun keeping my eye out for the oldies cause I like it slick.
@@RowesRising absolutely! I have definitely learned the difference!
Lye is essentially any basic, or caustic chemical substance. Most soaps you use are slightly caustic. Lye, as it was mostly known, I believe was a solution of Potassium Hydroxide. This used to be what people cleaned their tubs, sinks, floors and other things. Whatever chemical combo she has going she has is strong enough to tear off all of the old organic matter from the iron.
That is good information
I've never used a lye bath for really grungy cast iron. If you are handy with a drill, you can use an abrasive disk that is for rust removal. You get everything off in less than 30 minutes and I have never seen any marks left on the pan. Just make sure you season it right away because even though you didn't use any water, you are down to bare metal and even the moisture in the air will make it start to rust. So, if chemicals bother you, this is a great alternative. Go slow if you are new to using a drill, but it isn't that hard.
That sounds so satisfying!!! And like a fun way to clean it. Some folks also put it in a hot fire and burn off all the carbon buildup. So many ways to skin a cat! A way for everyone to do it with the resources they have💪🏼 Thanks for watching and sharing your experience!! 🌻🌻🌻
@@RowesRisingYes, some of us just need that instant gratification 😁😁
😊@@RowesRising
This is a great idea!
I don't want to use chemicals with cooking tools. Takes too long and possible residues. Just burn it briefly at fire place and let it cool. Nothing abrasive either. Steelwire disc is effective and gentle.
I like your cast iron 🍳 Wagner is one of the best brands
Thank you!! I love it too. 🌻🌻🌻
Did you ever mention how long you leave it in the oven? I tried finding that info a couple times but didn't.
When ours have ever gotten that way growing up we always just threw them on an outside fire and let it burn off and theen re-season it.
Today is the first day of fire season. I didn’t know that would get the carbon off. I wonder if my mom did that in our wood stove growing up? Things I wish I had a chance to ask her🥺
@@RowesRisingby
fun fact! lye is also how you create big chewy pretzels
Don’t tell the folks afraid of “chemicals” that. They will lose their minds, and if they find out lye is in their daily soap- insanity!! Just read the comments. 😆Thanks for watching!!
I have sanded them down to bare metal to where it is shiny on several occasions with different pans. I recommend it actually because you can get a really really smooth surface to start with, then you season! It is amazing the difference. If you buy a brand new lodge cast iron you almost HAVE to because they are so rough!
Yes the new lodge cast iron is so rough! I agree. I have a few lodge ones I don’t often reach for because of this. They need a good sanding😅
@@RowesRisingI used a wire wheel on a drill to get off the vast majority of the seasoning that was factory applied. It is pretty thick. Then went to sand paper first course then fine. Once it was glass smooth I cleaned well and heated it to dry. Then I started the seasoning process. It takes a good bit of time but it is Soooo worth it!
Very helpful
Good video and reseasoning job. You almost wouldn't know it was the same pan you started with. You should clarify that pouring lye down the drain may be harmful to those who are on septic systems for waste disposal. As for some of the other comments, lye is safe to use with cast iron. It does not leave any residue, it washes right off when you rinse and wipe it dry.
Thank you for clarifying!!! Some folks just pour it in a corner of the yard vs down the drain. All that gunk. And yes folks can be really fearful of “chemicals”. I know I was and that’s why I tackled this project- to face my fear of using noxious chemicals for a task. I’m no longer afraid of lye. 😅
Soda ash works just as well, but it's a little less aggessive and therefore safer to use.
You can also hook up the parts to the negative lead of a car battery charger, and add a piece of sacrificial metal to the bath, separate from the pans, hooked up to the positive lead. That'll really chew through the grime and loosen it up more thoroughly than any mechanical scrubbing, with much less risk of damaging the pan.
I saw @castironchris does an electrolysis tank for his CI. He restores pieces for folks and uses multiple methods depending on his clients preference. Thanks for the information!!
Good idea, and an electrolysis tank also removes rust, where a lye tank will not.
I must say I've gained a broader perspective on how to clean and season old cast iron. Since I have acquired several pieces from family that I didn't know they had. These pieces, were in definite need of a lye bath. easy off was not going to do it. I'm doing research on these pieces. most are Griswold from what I've found. I hope to use them in the future. Thank you much!!
@Dave-mf5fv Griswold was a top shelf high end quality line of ironwares. Plz never use abrasive tools or SCO/fire cleaning on these valuable items. U could potentially damage them. If ppl don't value their cast iron or intend to start a family heirloom then they have the right to risk damage to their pieces. So many ppl have unknowingly destroyed a $100, $200 and even $500 item by lack of knowledge and carelessness.
Electrolysis tank is another cool alternative that I have seen videos on but haven’t tried yet. It removes the gunk really well without any damage to the cast iron.
@COOKIE-2u Thank you for heads up on abrasives on cast iron. As coworker said to me, just use a grinder! I thought, no, that's not a proper way to clean cast iron
@Dave-mf5fv dudes. Haha. 🤣
@@RowesRising lol Right. Can u imagine ur hubby using a grinder on ur MIL's SBL Griswold to restore it😮?? I did watch again and saw ur hubs mom's pan looked to be a small block logo Griswold. Good quality iron. They made other lower budget lines too like Iron Mountain that was sold at Sears but the quality is Exactly the same. I love IM line too. The handle is what I really like. Ur off to a great start with family heirlooms. I never removed the inside seasonings from my heirlooms and being the eldest I'll get my mother's cast iron too especially bcz I learned at early age to cook in it. Had to cook for my younger siblings. U probably did the same if ur the eldest.
I wonder if a charcoal lye bath would work. One of these days i will also attempt to make soap with a charcoal lye.
End of August we all went on a camping trip and I took my cast iron to cook on. OMG, that wood fire was so hot that it cooked off all build up and all my oil treatments. 😂😂😂😂 I've got 1 pan that is my most smoothest, most favorite pan, but there is signs off build up happening around the outside of it. Probably needs a good cleaning. Thanks for the video, i didn't know lye would do this.
Everyone is saying the hot fire works or a hot oven on a cleaning cycle. I have yet to try and here we have burn bans most of the year😅
@@RowesRising I know the hot woodstove or camp fire will burn it off, but then I'm left with scrubbing off all the black charcoal. The griddle that got burnt up the most on our camping trip is a lot nicer to cook on now though. I say whatever works for us. Someday I'll make lye with charcoal and see if that works the same way.
What a process. We just use a wire wheel to strip them down.
Perhaps a bucket where you suspend them from the top of the 5 gal bucket with the coat hangers. Seems like the crud that stayed was on the parts where they’re making better contact with the bottom of the Tupperware?
I used 50% white vintages and water let set 5 minutes at a time scrub between with some scrub with.soft brush repeat 5 times , heat to 125 to warm the water out , lard the inside and out reheat 20 minutes let cool naturally bought a maretti co. Pa. #6 for $20 , now worth $95-110
That’s a score!!🌻
They look really great but does the lye not soak into the porous metal?
I have a lodge pan, same one you show at the beginning of the video (3 notches in the ring around the bottom), since I bought it in 1977. It has a "hardware" quality surface on the inside, relatively smooth with visible circumferential rings from the stone used to polish the inside. It has never seen soap in the last 45 years. When eggs and cheese end up stuck on the sides I just let it soak with warm tap water for a little while and then scrape it out with a spatula before applying a thin coat of oil. I have many Wagner Ware pans, some I received from a great aunt's estate, that have never seen soap. I have never needed to "Re-season" a pan.
how often do you have to reseasoning? im kinda interested in the cast iron business(have not found any second hand bargain finds yet) but i compare this process to my flattop griddle.
Thank you for showing us. Can this process work with a new unused, store bought skillet?
Yes it can although most new skillets come already pre seasoned, and it will strip all that down to just the iron for you to re season- if that’s what you are wanting to do. It will not make the cast iron smooth like vintage cast iron. For that you need to buy a brand that has a smooth surface like Smithy Ironware.
I once left a CI skillet in my gas oven by accident while running its self cleaning mode. It took out all of the gunk from the skillet.
It’s so cool that high heat gets the carbon off. 🌻
I ran some through the self cleaning oven cycle. They came out great, just a tiny bit of dust (the former grime) remained in the pan. It was down to bare metal with zero gunk left.
This is what I do also.
Thank you! Great idea!
If you have a pan with a lot of build-up, it could catch fire in the oven. Good luck on opening the oven to put out the fire.
@terrysincheff6682 this is what I have heard and many folks have killed their oven using the oven clean function so that’s why I don’t recommend it. And we can’t always have outdoor fires here in the west with the burn bans😅
Love this video. After the lye bath do you wash them with soap and water before you start seasoning them?
Yes!!
Soybean oil. It puts the laquer-like coating better than any oil except flaxseed oil. Linseed oil, used in furniture finishes, is a non food grade type of flaxseed oil. The problem with flaxseed oil is that most people, including me, don't care for its smell or taste. Many oils will not crosslink to provide a non-stick finish at all. If you leave a small dish of soybean oil out for a few weeks, it will develop a hard layer on top from oxidation caused crosslinking. Heat greatly speeds up this process, giving you a great non stick surface. I have my grandmother's 1921 Wagner 10 inch frying pan, and it is so non-stick I make omelettes in it.
Yer pans look great. My family has always just used bacon grease, or lard. Also never ever use soap.
Soap is harmless. I used to think like you.
Thanks for the video and clear instructions.
Does the lye need to be neutralized with vinegar or just use water?
I am going to experiment on sanding a Lodge 12" I bought to 60 grain smooth vs your method on recycled heirloom pan.
My eggs stick too much in the Lodge
Soap and water is fine for cleaning g the pan after lye. The vinegar is for removing rust if it exists. 🌻
great video..one question : cast iron pans can have enamel coating on the back, sides and handle.. can this method still be used to remove seasoning on the inside of these types of pans with enamel coating on the back and handles ?
Lye should not be used to clean enameled cast iron pieces; it will dull the finish. Thanks for watching!!
Thank you for the video. I have a question. At minute (15:41) , is the silver color on the fabric iron? Is it safe ?
That’s black carbon from the pan. The oil is picking up the carbon from the oil in the previous season. It’s safe.
Use the self cleaning oven feature to clean your pans. Better than chemicals, and no scrubbing. Removes all of the carbon build up and your ready to season.
That’s a great idea!!
Does a gas oven, like the OP is using, have an oven clean cycle?
Love this video, how do you wash them after they come out of the lye bath?
Cold water!! And unscented dish soap if you like the extra cleanse. 🌻
My grandmother used to burn hers from time to time. No chemicals, just place them in a wood fire.
We can’t have fires where I live. So I had to find an alternative.
I just build a wood fire n toss them in for a while. They come out clean as a whistle. Let them cool slowly b4 reseasoning
Thanks for the tip! That seems to be a favorite method amongst the comments. Here in the PNW we can’t always have fires with the bans. Thank you for watching!!
I have my mother’s cast irons. My skillet is sticking when cooking. It’s getting the thickness on the bottom. I’m going to do this. I have the Dutch oven also and a tiny one egg skillet. TY
Enjoy the process! It’s so satisfying 🌻🌻🌻
Now that you have done this I do not wash with soap and water. May boil some water in them for heave oil residue, then wipe them down. When dry should I get blackness on a dry white paper towel ?