I have been collecting and restoring cast iron now for well over a year. I am not a professional, but feel I have a broad base of knowledge to talk about some common fallacies of cast iron as shown by comments I've received on my videos over this past year. Many people offered helpful tips in which I learned a few things myself, but some comments are based on opinions and not fact. Here I attempt to dispel some of these myths that confuse those of you new to cast iron so you can proceed here with this information and web site resources without unnecessary worry! Thanks for watching and I hope this helps! :-)
I don't usually use the Easy Off Oven Cleaner method, so I just grabbed a mask close by for demo purposes to make this video. Your point is noted for the viewers - thank you.
I've been collecting quite a few years and haven't gone through the excessive processes you've put your iron to and everyone is fine here. I've gifted iron and they are all ok. The one thing I guess could be said is you don't have to buy every piece of cast iron cookware you see.If it doesn't look right don't buy it. It's a waste of your time time to restore it. Do not restore anything gate marked...leave that to the real collectors.
I have a modern lodge 12", I use to have problems with fried eggs sticking until I scrubbed it good with soap. I had seasoned is about 10 times with coconut and also veg oil. I now scrub it well with soapy water after every use and my food does not stick. I know it goes against what most videos say to do, but it has worked for me for the past 8 months.
Hey, if it works for you and if your pan isn't rusting, then go for it. As long as you make sure to dry it thoroughly after each use so it doesn't rust, then you are good to go. All rules are made to be broken under the right circumstances! lol And another thing, pans with a lot of seasoning can take a little bit of soap without worry. :-)
You are basically re-seasoning your skillet when you use it. My mother in law soaps her cast iron (oh, to inherit one of her old pieces), she says she has always cleaned it that way. In my home, we scrub with hot water and heat on the stove to dry.
I always enjoy your videos and learn so much from both you and Steve Strong’s videos (“Cast iron cookware” channel). I realize that this is one of your older videos and I think you updated the info about Wagner ware making some nickel plated skillets while Griswold made some with chrome plating for a period of time. I have a Wagner 9 inch nickel plated chef’s skillet. Unfortunately it has some pitting inside and outside where the nickel plating was worn through due to severe longterm rust. When I cleaned that off with several vinegar solution soaks, I discovered that it was a nickel plated skillet, much to my great surprise! I have gently hand sanded down the heavy pitting to even it out just a bit. I am hoping it will take seasoning well, but have a feeling the that nickel plated areas will not accept seasoning very well. However, when my daughter found it at a small thrift store, it was a totally black skillet, but I knew it was something special. It may no longer be considered “collectible”, but it’s going to be a very nice “user.” 🙂 Thanks for being so generous with sharing your journey and posting very interesting videos! I would gladly pay for one of your carefully restored skillets if I knew how to find you online!
Thank you so much for your kind words! There are been health issues with my husband, so I haven't been on my website for a few weeks. As far as I am concerned, any skillet which can be turned into a good user from serious damage like pitting is good in my book. You and I both know they are not collectible and we would never pass them off as such, but to be able to use them to make favorite dishes is a treasure and a part of history! When they are so seriously flawed, I see no greater pleasure than leaving them out on trash day for the metal pickers. If I can help those folks who are pounding the pavement, I am happy to do so! Take care and God Bless!
For seasoning i use a mixture i made with melted 1/3 beeswax and 2/3 lard. I do 4 seasoning and after that i only use lard or grapeseed oil for cooking.
Great video LLS! I have about 6 pieces of Griswold and Lodge to strip and season myself. I still kinda like building a semi-campfire and heating the stuff until red hot to burn off the old crud. Then Vinegar wash before seasoning. I suppose it fills my need to be a firebug! LOL I hope you are doing well! Good Luck and God Bless!
Glad you stopped by my friend! By golly, I think you actually have more Griswold them me! lol As to the fire, be careful about sudden heat changes, it actually can damage the skillet if it gets too hot. I forgot to mention that in my video when I use my self clean oven setting. It can happen in there too! The problem with heat damage is that it won't hold seasoning in those spots. It appears more of a bright reddish color as opposed to the orange color that rust is. I think the best bet is a lye bath, but that requires a lot of patience! ;-) Anyway, good luck and God Bless to you as well Pops!
Wao great video LLS👍🏻👍🏻 I have been using a cast iron skillet for a short time and these types of videos for me are very important to really grasp what is reality from all the myths involving CI use and care. I have been using Crisco after seeing one of your videos a while ago a definitely it has improvved the appearance and it is no longer sticky and gummy(before I was using olive oil). Thanks for sharing🍳
Thank you cristian! And you're right, there's a lot of incorrect information floating around on RUclips - either in the comments section or in other videos that aren't necessarily correct. I try and research most of what I show on RUclips. I may not be 100% correct all the time, but that is the standard I adhere to. I am so glad that my techniques have helped you keep your cast iron non-stick in more ways than one and not gummy! :-))
I think those non collectable modern lodges, will be collectable in another 75 years. I think by then, all cast iron skillets will be collectable. thanks for this video.
Yes, you're probably right, but by then I will most certainly be long gone! lol With any luck maybe my kids' children will be around and can inherit their parent's cast iron from me! lol Anyway, thanks for watching!
Well maybe. Organizations following industry standards recommended first soaking in lye to soften the old seasoning and to remove crud followed by an electrolysis tank which is baking soda with water with the electrical set up between the positive and negative hookups using a manual battery charger. The cast iron is NOT porous at this stage so one is NOT ingesting drain cleaner by following this cleaning method. You didn’t elaborate on your answer to your question. What do YOU think is less toxic?
White vinegar multiple times for a few hours each refreshing with clean vinegar with hand cleaning each time using simple proper hand scrubbing materials & even a circular brush & drill that could save u time on more larger difficult Skillet's Vinegar mix has proven to work considerably better than ELECTRALISYS. This is sometimes a slower process due to various stages of cast irons condition & quality of design plays apart, manufacturers materials are better than others but this process is sort of separating the need to use harsh cheap chemicals for faster results verses slow methodical repeating vinegar washing accomplishing 100% the results sought after without toxic chemicals. Between u & I regarding whether or not noticeable traces of lye, draino liquids & other self cleaning chemicals are not being detected on the cast iron skillet I'm certainly not relieved that this determination is argued with out 100% scientific & metallurgic testing on all forms & phases of cast iron skillets. My point primary is that vinegar is a process which time & repetitive simple vinegar washing & repeatedly with different layers of basic scrubbing materials are a SAFE way to insure that your risk regardless of how small is non existent in this method. There are a number of good videos showing the difference of the method tested side by side with favorable results with vinegar. Example: I use the same vinegar to clean the saltwater build up on my Acrylic & glass aquariums. 300g aquarium get 5+ GLN of white vinegar mixed in. I can not use lye, bleach, or any heavy chemical design do to the attachment of these harsh products to the walls of the tanks any sort of residuals left behind will inevitably kill any aquatic & many soft corals reintroduced later. After 2-3 days of soaking the hardened salt released from the acryluc & glass allowing me to repeat the process if beneficial or move to sanding with wet sand paper 1000 grid & a grinder using water/soap sprayer removing all imperfections leaving Acrylic/glass like new aquariums. It works but it takes patience. Learning to use homestead principals that use a more safely proven method. safety beats the rush to using very toxic chemicals to achieve the basic same results without the 1% remote chance your ingesting chemicals. Be blessed. Thanks for your help in offering options with results we can all be pleased with.
Kurt Cooper After using a brief soak in the lye tank to soften the crud, I then use a 50/50 white cleaning vinegar water combo cto finish the job. I soak in the vinegar bath for several hours at a time followed by a scrub with an SOS pad or Brillo pad, then rinse with water. If the carbon residue is still not removed, back in the vinegar it goes until cleaned off, I actually do not use an electrolysis tank due to space constraints so this method works just as well for me in comparison to an electrolysis. After the vinegar gets too dark and dirty it is switched out to a clean solution and it works great. This is the method I used recently to strip my cast iron pieces acquired within the last several weeks. The pans look as good as new in most cases.
Myth: modern Lodge is not as good. The "pebbly" surface is made that way so that it can be sold pre-seasoned. I have modern Lodge and vintage. Both are equally nonstick if properly seasoned. Lodge must have done something right as they have survived and the rest are out of business
You know, I agree with everything you said. Modern Lodge is good, it's just so HEAVY and I have a hard time lifting the bigger skillets with my arthritis in my right hand. I do have a #10 & #8 modern Lodge in my collection and use them occasionally. I do like the assist handle on the #10, otherwise I would be unable to use it. And yes, modern Lodge works just fine if they are property seasoned. That said, the vintage Lodge is the only Lodge that has some collector value simply because it is old and has survived the test of time.
I kept only one arc logo lodge and donated the rest. Only pre 1900 will do for me. I own the Pans shown in the following link. www.pinterest.com/pin/440719513532135770/
Lodge is good, it gets the job done. My motley CI collection is mostly Griswold pans, a Griswold griddle, one Butter Pat Estee pan, an enameled Cocinaware pan for acidic things, a couple of Cocinaware dutch ovens (large and small), a Staub pot, a Griswold waffle iron, and an unidentified enameled cast iron baking dish. But my bundt pan and my pizza pan are Lodge, and they never fail me. :)
"The "pebbly" surface is made that way so that it can be sold pre-seasoned." No, they are that way because it's far cheaper to skip the step of machining the interior of the pan smooth on a lathe than it is to _not_ skip that step, and if they can dupe people into believing that the rough as-cast cooking surface is a feature, then that's a bonus for them. Note that Lodge has owned Finex for a couple of years, and Finex pans have a machined-smooth cooking surface and are pre-seasoned. They cost about 10 times as much as a typical Lodge pan though.
You said lodge was a newer cast iron. Actually lodge started making cast iron cookware in the 1890s. And there the only cast iron cookware company that was made in the 1890s that is still in business today. A lot of it was unmarked back then. And lodge actually bought out bermingham stove and range. I’m a big fan of the bermingham stove and range I collect it. But you are right about the new lodge cast iron being rough. It can be made smoother with enough seasoning.
Yes, I realize that Lodge is not newer, as it was first made in the late 19th century first under Blacklock, then Lodge. I am not sure exactly where in this video you are referring. If you could be so kind as to tell me where, I could explain what I did say. It has been awhile since this video was uploaded. Have a good one.
I'm curious as to what you found out about the #8 at 16:23 of this video? I can't identify it either. The Blacklock and early Lodge (same people) had the raised numbers but the solid heat ring and handle isn't Lodge. I've never seen a BSR with raised numbers or a handle like that. My best guess would be to go with the handle design. I'm not as familiar with Wagner and Griswold because I seldom see them in southern Tennessee. That might be a UFO, unidentified frying object. :)
No one knows for sure, that is why it is often referred to as the Southern Mystery Skillet. It seems like a Wagner/BS&R hybrid or a rare Blacklock which is EXTREMELY RARE! That said, it is a great piece, so I really don't care - I'm just happy that I have it in my collection! 😊
@@ladylibertystacker2014 I've inherited a #8 Blacklock with the straighter sides and the heat ring on the outside edge. (This was the skillet that got me started). It doesn't have a handle like that. Blacklock was produced from 1898 to 1910 when the foundry burned if I'm not mistaken. I live less than 70 miles from the Lodge factory and I rarely see a Blacklock skillet. That piece looks newer than 1910, maybe late 1930s to 40s? It's a quality piece whoever made it. These older pieces had to survive the metal drive of WWII. It says something about the people that owned it. They were more concerned about having food to put in it than who made it. Some of these old timers would crap if they saw their skillet on eBay for hundreds of dollars. Sometimes I can't believe it myself. Thanks for the videos, I never miss one.
Nice video. Wow, that Griswold #10 is a beauty. I'm sure you know this but your slant logo heat ring without the EPU dates from 1906-1916. Beautiful piece. If it were mine, I'd still cook in it......Thanks for the video!
Thank you Scott! I still have this gorgeous piece and I don’t cook in it! Instead, I pull it out just to look at it every now and then. lol. To date, it’s been one of my best finds! 😊👍
I was momentarily distracted by your four-quart Revere. One of my favorite sauce (spaghetti, lasagna, chili...) is a vintage thick bottomed Farberware. I love old and vintage American stainless. My Lodge griddle is wearing smooth from use, I really do not mind the seasoned ("pebbled") surface of modern Lodge. My Griswolds (small logo 5 and 9) are satin smooth inside. My go-to skillets are an unmarked number 8 (3-knotch, handed down through my husband's family), my number 5 Griswold, and great grandma's 3c Wagner (the "grilled cheese pan"). Flaxseed oil creates a laquer when heated, yikes, not for cooking in my kitchen.
The only thing I didn't realize was that this pot doesn't hold a magnet and can't be used on an induction stove which is my next stove when this one dies! I think you will really appreciate my next video which is a new unboxing for a Dutch oven that allows me to use cast iron for tomato based chili, soups, and sauces. I think the small logo Griswolds are the smoothest pans ever. My #7 is my go to skillet for omelettes and eggs and my #5 is great for small breakfast sandwiches! Your 3 notch sounds like a Lodge made in the 50s unless there is a Made in USA stamp on it! Thanks for watching!
That's OK if the piece isn't super collectible like a vintage Griswold with thin sidewalls. You take a chance on warping it because you can't really control the temperature in a self clean oven. I will use it on occasion, but stick mainly with my lye and vinegar baths with a little elbow grease and it works great.
@@ladylibertystacker2014 I totally understand. I have been looking at ebay to get a good Griswold or Wagner 8 in pan, but I am very leery of buying on ebay.
Try shopping yard sales and thrift stores. Sometimes cast iron has deposits baked into the logos, or you can ID a vintage piece by heat rings or number logos.
'Aluminum is not safe' - Substantiate? Aluminum holds about twice as much heat as cast iron or stainless steel at the same weight. Even if you're scared of aluminum; tri-ply clad fixes all issues with aluminum. Aluminum distributes heat much better, and heats up faster than cast iron. Stainless / clad can also be seasoned for the same food release properties. All-Clad no longer is the only producer of clad pans so the price has gone down on tri-ply. Tri-ply are competitively priced, are smooth, better at everything, are much lighter, much less maintenance, and don't require so many chemicals / heat energy / maintenance. Do the world a favor and use the cast iron as displays; not cooking vessels.
You have a right to your opinion and so do I. I love cast iron cooking and it is the best non stick surface I have used. As for aluminum, it can leach into your food and aluminum has been linked to dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and a whole host of other diseases, so I will stick to cast iron and stainless steel or copper clad stainless steal. Thus far, we've been real healthy, so why change what works. I don't mind gradually heating up cast iron because I prepare my ingredients while it is doing so so not a waste of time. Despite the risks and if you can accept them, continue cooking with aluminum. I myself like cast iron.
Ill-informed post on many levels - she was too kind in her response. Your second sentence is fundamentally wrong. Aluminum does not hold twice as much heat as cast iron or stainless - nothing holds heat better than cast iron. Aluminum does CONDUCT heat faster, which gives you quicker heat response, and that's exactly why it is used as the middle layer of a clad pan, to offset the poor conductivity of stainless. But aluminum is not durable, doesn't stand high heat, and the biggest problem - it reacts with acidic food, which is why it is always either anodized or coated with PTFE, both of which have their own drawbacks. Clad pans are expensive if they are well made, don't retain heat well, and stainless steel sticks - a "seasoned" clad pan is disgusting. Any good cook will tell you different pans have different strengths and different applications. And by the way, NOTHING sears a good steak like cast iron.
"Aluminum holds about twice as much heat as cast iron or stainless steel at the same weight." So? An aluminum pan that has the same volume as a cast iron pan would weigh about 1/3 as much, so even if it holds twice as much heat for a given amount of weight, when talking similarly sized pans, cast iron still holds more heat. "All-Clad no longer is the only producer of clad pans" They never were the only producer; they aren't even the original producer. They invented the "tri-ply" material but they sold it in sheet form to others for various uses, and some companies such as Saladmaster made cookware out of it before All-Clad ever made their own cookware. "Tri-ply are competitively priced, are smooth" Cast iron pans can be smooth as well, obviously. Some are smooth when new, and the ones that aren't can be made smooth. "better at everything" No, they aren't. Aluminum core tri-ply cookware doesn't have the heat retention of a typical similarly sized cast iron pan. Also, tri-ply pans can delaminate if they get too hot or for other reasons (such as imperfect manufacturing).
I hesitate to use a self cleaning oven due to potential damage to skillets like Griswold, etc. It is also too much wear and tear to my new oven. I rarely season cast iron unless it is for maintenance purposes as I had an issue with my new oven. If it works for you, then go for it!
I like the lye baths better because it's drop and forget about it until you get them out. I used to take my angle grinder and mouse sander, but I have 45 pots and skillets so that's a lot of work.
I totally agree with you. I am going to be taking a wire wheel to a couple small noncollectable skillets when I make my next video and they've been in the lye tank for a month now as I have been too busy to get to them. No harm done! lol
Don't forget to never ever put chrome plating or even stainless steel (which has chromium in it) in an electrolysis tank. I have had great success removing anything on regular cast iron by putting it inside a self cleaning oven on the clean cycle. I'm not sure if it works on rust though having never had that problem yet.
That is good to know John. At least I don't have an eletrolysis tank! I only use a lye bath followed by a vinegar soak on most pans. If it isn't collectible and has a lot of build up, then a self clean oven will remove almost everything. Any rust can be safely removed by vinegar solution 60/40 vinegar/water. Thanks for chiming in.
@@ladylibertystacker2014 I just remembered that muriatic acid will remove rust. ( I tried it in a different application) You can find it in the pool section at Walmart. Just don't let it sit too long, because after the rust it starts removing the metal. Not sure why you say self cleaning oven method works if it's not collectible, I think it works great on collectible or not.
Save yourself a lot of time find a local Sand Blasting Company, call them to see if they have baking soda blast. They charged me $10 per pan and worth every penny. Take cast iron to them when there are going to be several days of low humidity so there will be less chance of rust before you reseason. When you get skillets back they will be bare metal grey colored. No rust or anything they look like they just took them out of sand cast at factory when they were first made.
Do you sell them or are they for your own collection? The thing that concerns me is that when they are sand blasted, you could be removing the original metal from the skillet and thus ruining the integrity of the skillet. True collectors won't buy those or wouldn't if they knew the skillet had been sand blasted. I actually enjoy doing it, so it isn't a waste of time. What I am thinking is putting together a electrolysis tank (easy peazy after it is set up) and stripping them that way. Then all you need do is to re-season them after cleaning up.
Choctawhatchee Kid Got it. That said, I might consider it under a time crunch. I should try it for a pan I plan to keep just to see how it works. It might be worth it for reselling, otherwise doing it myself is a hobby of mine. Thanks for the tip.
I have a large video playlist all about cast iron. They date back to July 2017 when I first got started in my efforts. Please feel free to browse any of the videos which you think would help you best. It takes a long time to learn what I have learned, but what got me started was watching other people's videos and deciding which ones gave me the best information. Best of luck!
I think that #10 is my pride and joy! I could't believe it when I found it and for the price that it was marked. I didn't think twice and grabbed it. I had a lot of fun restoring it, although the condition was pretty good to begin with. Thanks for watching!
I agree. The large skillets really are wonderful. I have a number 9 Griswold that I was going to sell until I stripped and re-seasoned it. It is one of my favorite skillets.
@@ladylibertystacker2014 it does not matter...ive been collecting for quite a few yrs . I always u soap . It wont harm your seasoning at all. But u know y'all can use whatever . It is your cast iron .
Yes, if your skillet is well seasoned, soap won't harm it a bit. If it is newly seasoned, I wouldn't recommend anything other than hot water and a non-abrasive scrub brush! Just my two cents.....
I guess it depends on which ones from the 70s you are talking about in comparison to the ones today. The Field Company makes a #8 skillet today that is fairly light. That said, most Lodges made post 1960 through today are very heavy. I know I have several!
If that is vegetable oil which is solid at room temperature, it will work great. The reason I say this is because it will not go rancid on your skillets if you don't use them all each day. There are some oils that need refrigeration or those that go bad within 6 months of purchase (think olive oil or extra virgin olive oil-EVOO) and because of this, for those with substantial collections, the oil would turn rancid on the skillets over time if they aren't daily users. Does this make sense? So go ahead and use your sane/cookeen! :-)
Yep, that's definitely a way to clean them up! I just warn people to use other methods when it comes to possible collectible skillets like a larger Griswold to avoid a self cleaning oven as it may cause warping due to excessive heat. Griswold vintage pans are thinner by the way they were made that they were subject to warping etc. FYI....
my 12" iron skillet is a classic CHINA MADE SHIT he hee who cares its cast iron > May or may not out last the best> they call it Mainstays 12" Cast Iron Skillet for 7 bucks
I never get anything CI from China or Taiwan. I just don't trust it. There's so much good CI here in the states, both old and new. Caution, you will pay up for the new high end cookware, but it is very much like the old vintage well tooled cast iron.
@@ladylibertystacker2014 sorry they call it Mainstays 12" Cast Iron Skillet> i think its made in CHINA inside surf face is rough Not real bad > but i still got to grind it down some polish it out. Then season. I HATE THIS NEW STUFF, there not made out of good steel any more
If you want to pay up for some new stuff, you can check out The Field Company. They make two skillets, a #8 10 inch skillet and a #10 12 inch skillet and use techniques similar to how they used to do it years ago. I believe they also recycle cast iron in the making of these new skillets. They are smooth and much lighter than the new stuff of today like the Lodge skillets which can be found at Walmart.
I have been collecting and restoring cast iron now for well over a year. I am not a professional, but feel I have a broad base of knowledge to talk about some common fallacies of cast iron as shown by comments I've received on my videos over this past year. Many people offered helpful tips in which I learned a few things myself, but some comments are based on opinions and not fact. Here I attempt to dispel some of these myths that confuse those of you new to cast iron so you can proceed here with this information and web site resources without unnecessary worry! Thanks for watching and I hope this helps! :-)
I'd like to point out that the mask you were showing is for particulates and is not designed to protect against fumes.
I don't usually use the Easy Off Oven Cleaner method, so I just grabbed a mask close by for demo purposes to make this video. Your point is noted for the viewers - thank you.
I've been collecting quite a few years and haven't gone through the excessive processes you've put your iron to and everyone is fine here. I've gifted iron and they are all ok.
The one thing I guess could be said is you don't have to buy every piece of cast iron cookware you see.If it doesn't look right don't buy it. It's a waste of your time time to restore it. Do not restore anything gate marked...leave that to the real collectors.
I have a modern lodge 12", I use to have problems with fried eggs sticking until I scrubbed it good with soap. I had seasoned is about 10 times with coconut and also veg oil. I now scrub it well with soapy water after every use and my food does not stick. I know it goes against what most videos say to do, but it has worked for me for the past 8 months.
Hey, if it works for you and if your pan isn't rusting, then go for it. As long as you make sure to dry it thoroughly after each use so it doesn't rust, then you are good to go. All rules are made to be broken under the right circumstances! lol And another thing, pans with a lot of seasoning can take a little bit of soap without worry. :-)
You are basically re-seasoning your skillet when you use it. My mother in law soaps her cast iron (oh, to inherit one of her old pieces), she says she has always cleaned it that way. In my home, we scrub with hot water and heat on the stove to dry.
Sprinkle some salt on the pan when cooking eggs.
I always enjoy your videos and learn so much from both you and Steve Strong’s videos (“Cast iron cookware” channel). I realize that this is one of your older videos and I think you updated the info about Wagner ware making some nickel plated skillets while Griswold made some with chrome plating for a period of time. I have a Wagner 9 inch nickel plated chef’s skillet. Unfortunately it has some pitting inside and outside where the nickel plating was worn through due to severe longterm rust. When I cleaned that off with several vinegar solution soaks, I discovered that it was a nickel plated skillet, much to my great surprise! I have gently hand sanded down the heavy pitting to even it out just a bit. I am hoping it will take seasoning well, but have a feeling the that nickel plated areas will not accept seasoning very well. However, when my daughter found it at a small thrift store, it was a totally black skillet, but I knew it was something special. It may no longer be considered “collectible”, but it’s going to be a very nice “user.” 🙂 Thanks for being so generous with sharing your journey and posting very interesting videos! I would gladly pay for one of your carefully restored skillets if I knew how to find you online!
Thank you so much for your kind words! There are been health issues with my husband, so I haven't been on my website for a few weeks. As far as I am concerned, any skillet which can be turned into a good user from serious damage like pitting is good in my book. You and I both know they are not collectible and we would never pass them off as such, but to be able to use them to make favorite dishes is a treasure and a part of history! When they are so seriously flawed, I see no greater pleasure than leaving them out on trash day for the metal pickers. If I can help those folks who are pounding the pavement, I am happy to do so! Take care and God Bless!
For seasoning i use a mixture i made with melted 1/3 beeswax and 2/3 lard. I do 4 seasoning and after that i only use lard or grapeseed oil for cooking.
Sounds like a solid plan to me!
can you put a barebones cast iron pan in the easy off? does easy off contain water that will cause it to rust out if i leave it on there for a while?
Great video LLS! I have about 6 pieces of Griswold and Lodge to strip and season myself. I still kinda like building a semi-campfire and heating the stuff until red hot to burn off the old crud. Then Vinegar wash before seasoning. I suppose it fills my need to be a firebug! LOL I hope you are doing well! Good Luck and God Bless!
Glad you stopped by my friend! By golly, I think you actually have more Griswold them me! lol As to the fire, be careful about sudden heat changes, it actually can damage the skillet if it gets too hot. I forgot to mention that in my video when I use my self clean oven setting. It can happen in there too! The problem with heat damage is that it won't hold seasoning in those spots. It appears more of a bright reddish color as opposed to the orange color that rust is. I think the best bet is a lye bath, but that requires a lot of patience! ;-) Anyway, good luck and God Bless to you as well Pops!
Agree with LadyLibertyStacker, you can see the damage that gets done in this video! ruclips.net/video/ESeZcp-NbqU/видео.html
Always love using my cast. Taco's tonight. Thanks as always Lady !
You are welcome Tomoko and thank YOU for watching as always! :-)
Wao great video LLS👍🏻👍🏻 I have been using a cast iron skillet for a short time and these types of videos for me are very important to really grasp what is reality from all the myths involving CI use and care. I have been using Crisco after seeing one of your videos a while ago a definitely it has improvved the appearance and it is no longer sticky and gummy(before I was using olive oil). Thanks for sharing🍳
Thank you cristian! And you're right, there's a lot of incorrect information floating around on RUclips - either in the comments section or in other videos that aren't necessarily correct. I try and research most of what I show on RUclips. I may not be 100% correct all the time, but that is the standard I adhere to. I am so glad that my techniques have helped you keep your cast iron non-stick in more ways than one and not gummy! :-))
I think those non collectable modern lodges, will be collectable in another 75 years. I think by then, all cast iron skillets will be collectable. thanks for this video.
Yes, you're probably right, but by then I will most certainly be long gone! lol With any luck maybe my kids' children will be around and can inherit their parent's cast iron from me! lol Anyway, thanks for watching!
My son has already picked out the modern Lodge of mine that he wants.
Very cool info about the bransds and types of Cast Iron cookware. That number 7 Griswald rocks! ":)
Thank you Sal! Yes, that #7 was a real bear to do and took forever, but it is my go to pan for omelettes! :-)
Would there be a safer non toxic additive for cleaning instead of soaking with drain cleaner for days? Answer---- yes.
Well maybe. Organizations following industry standards recommended first soaking in lye to soften the old seasoning and to remove crud followed by an electrolysis tank which is baking soda with water with the electrical set up between the positive and negative hookups using a manual battery charger. The cast iron is NOT porous at this stage so one is NOT ingesting drain cleaner by following this cleaning method. You didn’t elaborate on your answer to your question. What do YOU think is less toxic?
White vinegar multiple times for a few hours each refreshing with clean vinegar with hand cleaning each time using simple proper hand scrubbing materials & even a circular brush & drill that could save u time on more larger difficult Skillet's Vinegar mix has proven to work considerably better than ELECTRALISYS.
This is sometimes a slower process due to various stages of cast irons condition & quality of design plays apart, manufacturers materials are better than others but this process is sort of separating the need to use harsh cheap chemicals for faster results verses slow methodical repeating vinegar washing accomplishing 100% the results sought after without toxic chemicals.
Between u & I regarding whether or not noticeable traces of lye, draino liquids & other self cleaning chemicals are not being detected on the cast iron skillet I'm certainly not relieved that this determination is argued with out 100% scientific & metallurgic testing on all forms & phases of cast iron skillets.
My point primary is that vinegar is a process which time & repetitive simple vinegar washing & repeatedly with different layers of basic scrubbing materials are a SAFE way to insure that your risk regardless of how small is non existent in this method.
There are a number of good videos showing the difference of the method tested side by side with favorable results with vinegar.
Example: I use the same vinegar to clean the saltwater build up on my Acrylic & glass aquariums. 300g aquarium get 5+ GLN of white vinegar mixed in. I
can not use lye, bleach, or any heavy chemical design do to the attachment of these harsh products to the walls of the tanks any sort of residuals left behind will inevitably kill any aquatic & many soft corals reintroduced later.
After 2-3 days of soaking the hardened salt released from the acryluc & glass allowing me to repeat the process if beneficial or move to sanding with wet sand paper 1000 grid & a grinder using water/soap sprayer removing all imperfections leaving Acrylic/glass like new aquariums. It works but it takes patience.
Learning to use homestead principals that use a more safely proven method. safety beats the rush to using very toxic chemicals to achieve the basic same results without the 1% remote chance your ingesting chemicals.
Be blessed.
Thanks for your help in offering options with results we can all be pleased with.
Kurt Cooper After using a brief soak in the lye tank to soften the crud, I then use a 50/50 white cleaning vinegar water combo cto finish the job. I soak in the vinegar bath for several hours at a time followed by a scrub with an SOS pad or Brillo pad, then rinse with water. If the carbon residue is still not removed, back in the vinegar it goes until cleaned off, I actually do not use an electrolysis tank due to space constraints so this method works just as well for me in comparison to an electrolysis. After the vinegar gets too dark and dirty it is switched out to a clean solution and it works great. This is the method I used recently to strip my cast iron pieces acquired within the last several weeks. The pans look as good as new in most cases.
Myth: modern Lodge is not as good. The "pebbly" surface is made that way so that it can be sold pre-seasoned. I have modern Lodge and vintage. Both are equally nonstick if properly seasoned. Lodge must have done something right as they have survived and the rest are out of business
You know, I agree with everything you said. Modern Lodge is good, it's just so HEAVY and I have a hard time lifting the bigger skillets with my arthritis in my right hand. I do have a #10 & #8 modern Lodge in my collection and use them occasionally. I do like the assist handle on the #10, otherwise I would be unable to use it. And yes, modern Lodge works just fine if they are property seasoned. That said, the vintage Lodge is the only Lodge that has some collector value simply because it is old and has survived the test of time.
I kept only one arc logo lodge and donated the rest. Only pre 1900 will do for me.
I own the Pans shown in the following link.
www.pinterest.com/pin/440719513532135770/
Lodge is good, it gets the job done.
My motley CI collection is mostly Griswold pans, a Griswold griddle, one Butter Pat Estee pan, an enameled Cocinaware pan for acidic things, a couple of Cocinaware dutch ovens (large and small), a Staub pot, a Griswold waffle iron, and an unidentified enameled cast iron baking dish.
But my bundt pan and my pizza pan are Lodge, and they never fail me. :)
Modern Lodge is much heavier than my Griswold, for what it's worth.
"The "pebbly" surface is made that way so that it can be sold pre-seasoned."
No, they are that way because it's far cheaper to skip the step of machining the interior of the pan smooth on a lathe than it is to _not_ skip that step, and if they can dupe people into believing that the rough as-cast cooking surface is a feature, then that's a bonus for them. Note that Lodge has owned Finex for a couple of years, and Finex pans have a machined-smooth cooking surface and are pre-seasoned. They cost about 10 times as much as a typical Lodge pan though.
You said lodge was a newer cast iron. Actually lodge started making cast iron cookware in the 1890s. And there the only cast iron cookware company that was made in the 1890s that is still in business today. A lot of it was unmarked back then. And lodge actually bought out bermingham stove and range. I’m a big fan of the bermingham stove and range I collect it. But you are right about the new lodge cast iron being rough. It can be made smoother with enough seasoning.
Yes, I realize that Lodge is not newer, as it was first made in the late 19th century first under Blacklock, then Lodge. I am not sure exactly where in this video you are referring. If you could be so kind as to tell me where, I could explain what I did say. It has been awhile since this video was uploaded. Have a good one.
I'm curious as to what you found out about the #8 at 16:23 of this video? I can't identify it either. The Blacklock and early Lodge (same people) had the raised numbers but the solid heat ring and handle isn't Lodge. I've never seen a BSR with raised numbers or a handle like that. My best guess would be to go with the handle design. I'm not as familiar with Wagner and Griswold because I seldom see them in southern Tennessee. That might be a UFO, unidentified frying object. :)
No one knows for sure, that is why it is often referred to as the Southern Mystery Skillet. It seems like a Wagner/BS&R hybrid or a rare Blacklock which is EXTREMELY RARE! That said, it is a great piece, so I really don't care - I'm just happy that I have it in my collection! 😊
@@ladylibertystacker2014 I've inherited a #8 Blacklock with the straighter sides and the heat ring on the outside edge. (This was the skillet that got me started). It doesn't have a handle like that. Blacklock was produced from 1898 to 1910 when the foundry burned if I'm not mistaken. I live less than 70 miles from the Lodge factory and I rarely see a Blacklock skillet. That piece looks newer than 1910, maybe late 1930s to 40s? It's a quality piece whoever made it. These older pieces had to survive the metal drive of WWII. It says something about the people that owned it. They were more concerned about having food to put in it than who made it. Some of these old timers would crap if they saw their skillet on eBay for hundreds of dollars. Sometimes I can't believe it myself. Thanks for the videos, I never miss one.
Nice video. Wow, that Griswold #10 is a beauty. I'm sure you know this but your slant logo heat ring without the EPU dates from 1906-1916. Beautiful piece. If it were mine, I'd still cook in it......Thanks for the video!
Thank you Scott! I still have this gorgeous piece and I don’t cook in it! Instead, I pull it out just to look at it every now and then. lol. To date, it’s been one of my best finds! 😊👍
I was momentarily distracted by your four-quart Revere. One of my favorite sauce (spaghetti, lasagna, chili...) is a vintage thick bottomed Farberware. I love old and vintage American stainless. My Lodge griddle is wearing smooth from use, I really do not mind the seasoned ("pebbled") surface of modern Lodge. My Griswolds (small logo 5 and 9) are satin smooth inside. My go-to skillets are an unmarked number 8 (3-knotch, handed down through my husband's family), my number 5 Griswold, and great grandma's 3c Wagner (the "grilled cheese pan"). Flaxseed oil creates a laquer when heated, yikes, not for cooking in my kitchen.
The only thing I didn't realize was that this pot doesn't hold a magnet and can't be used on an induction stove which is my next stove when this one dies! I think you will really appreciate my next video which is a new unboxing for a Dutch oven that allows me to use cast iron for tomato based chili, soups, and sauces. I think the small logo Griswolds are the smoothest pans ever. My #7 is my go to skillet for omelettes and eggs and my #5 is great for small breakfast sandwiches! Your 3 notch sounds like a Lodge made in the 50s unless there is a Made in USA stamp on it! Thanks for watching!
Where did you find the chainmail scrubber? Yours is the first I've seen. Loving your videos btw. :)
Thank you Mark! I believe it was either eBay or Amazon.
@@ladylibertystacker2014 Thank you!!
Amazon sells a kit with the scrubber, a Silicon handle and 2 scrappers for like 11 bucks!
I got one on amazon years ago and it's still like new. The trick is not to get a cheaper one- those fall apart.
I all ways use self clean in oven to strip seasoning because it's the easiest way, I Use lard or crisco shortening.
That's OK if the piece isn't super collectible like a vintage Griswold with thin sidewalls. You take a chance on warping it because you can't really control the temperature in a self clean oven. I will use it on occasion, but stick mainly with my lye and vinegar baths with a little elbow grease and it works great.
Thanks for the video! Do you sell on ebay and if so what is your link?
Thank you for watching! I don't give out my store link for security reasons and analytics. I don't have much cast iron in stock now anyway! lol
@@ladylibertystacker2014 I totally understand. I have been looking at ebay to get a good Griswold or Wagner 8 in pan, but I am very leery of buying on ebay.
Try shopping yard sales and thrift stores. Sometimes cast iron has deposits baked into the logos, or you can ID a vintage piece by heat rings or number logos.
Very god information ,thank you
Thank you for your nice comment! Glad you liked the video!
'Aluminum is not safe' - Substantiate? Aluminum holds about twice as much heat as cast iron or stainless steel at the same weight. Even if you're scared of aluminum; tri-ply clad fixes all issues with aluminum. Aluminum distributes heat much better, and heats up faster than cast iron. Stainless / clad can also be seasoned for the same food release properties. All-Clad no longer is the only producer of clad pans so the price has gone down on tri-ply. Tri-ply are competitively priced, are smooth, better at everything, are much lighter, much less maintenance, and don't require so many chemicals / heat energy / maintenance. Do the world a favor and use the cast iron as displays; not cooking vessels.
You have a right to your opinion and so do I. I love cast iron cooking and it is the best non stick surface I have used. As for aluminum, it can leach into your food and aluminum has been linked to dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and a whole host of other diseases, so I will stick to cast iron and stainless steel or copper clad stainless steal. Thus far, we've been real healthy, so why change what works. I don't mind gradually heating up cast iron because I prepare my ingredients while it is doing so so not a waste of time. Despite the risks and if you can accept them, continue cooking with aluminum. I myself like cast iron.
Ill-informed post on many levels - she was too kind in her response. Your second sentence is fundamentally wrong. Aluminum does not hold twice as much heat as cast iron or stainless - nothing holds heat better than cast iron. Aluminum does CONDUCT heat faster, which gives you quicker heat response, and that's exactly why it is used as the middle layer of a clad pan, to offset the poor conductivity of stainless. But aluminum is not durable, doesn't stand high heat, and the biggest problem - it reacts with acidic food, which is why it is always either anodized or coated with PTFE, both of which have their own drawbacks. Clad pans are expensive if they are well made, don't retain heat well, and stainless steel sticks - a "seasoned" clad pan is disgusting. Any good cook will tell you different pans have different strengths and different applications. And by the way, NOTHING sears a good steak like cast iron.
"Aluminum holds about twice as much heat as cast iron or stainless steel at the same weight."
So? An aluminum pan that has the same volume as a cast iron pan would weigh about 1/3 as much, so even if it holds twice as much heat for a given amount of weight, when talking similarly sized pans, cast iron still holds more heat.
"All-Clad no longer is the only producer of clad pans"
They never were the only producer; they aren't even the original producer. They invented the "tri-ply" material but they sold it in sheet form to others for various uses, and some companies such as Saladmaster made cookware out of it before All-Clad ever made their own cookware.
"Tri-ply are competitively priced, are smooth"
Cast iron pans can be smooth as well, obviously. Some are smooth when new, and the ones that aren't can be made smooth.
"better at everything"
No, they aren't. Aluminum core tri-ply cookware doesn't have the heat retention of a typical similarly sized cast iron pan. Also, tri-ply pans can delaminate if they get too hot or for other reasons (such as imperfect manufacturing).
Self cleaning oven and then vinegar scrub after if rusty
I hesitate to use a self cleaning oven due to potential damage to skillets like Griswold, etc. It is also too much wear and tear to my new oven. I rarely season cast iron unless it is for maintenance purposes as I had an issue with my new oven. If it works for you, then go for it!
I love my cast iron skillet, only thing I cook on.
BeachBum Silver I think you know how I feel about it! lol. Thanks for checking it out.
I like the lye baths better because it's drop and forget about it until you get them out. I used to take my angle grinder and mouse sander, but I have 45 pots and skillets so that's a lot of work.
I totally agree with you. I am going to be taking a wire wheel to a couple small noncollectable skillets when I make my next video and they've been in the lye tank for a month now as I have been too busy to get to them. No harm done! lol
Don't forget to never ever put chrome plating or even stainless steel (which has chromium in it) in an electrolysis tank.
I have had great success removing anything on regular cast iron by putting it inside a self cleaning oven on the clean cycle. I'm not sure if it works on rust though having never had that problem yet.
That is good to know John. At least I don't have an eletrolysis tank! I only use a lye bath followed by a vinegar soak on most pans. If it isn't collectible and has a lot of build up, then a self clean oven will remove almost everything. Any rust can be safely removed by vinegar solution 60/40 vinegar/water. Thanks for chiming in.
@@ladylibertystacker2014 I just remembered that muriatic acid will remove rust. ( I tried it in a different application) You can find it in the pool section at Walmart. Just don't let it sit too long, because after the rust it starts removing the metal.
Not sure why you say self cleaning oven method works if it's not collectible, I think it works great on collectible or not.
I have a #12 unmarked Wagner pre 1960s found in my mother’s stove along with a 3 and 8. A bs&r 5. A three notch lodge 10 all pre 60s.
I'd say you have a lot of pieces to use or to restore! I never inherited any, so you are truly blessed!
Save yourself a lot of time find a local Sand Blasting Company, call them to see if they have baking soda blast. They charged me $10 per pan and worth every penny. Take cast iron to them when there are going to be several days of low humidity so there will be less chance of rust before you reseason. When you get skillets back they will be bare metal grey colored. No rust or anything they look like they just took them out of sand cast at factory when they were first made.
Do you sell them or are they for your own collection? The thing that concerns me is that when they are sand blasted, you could be removing the original metal from the skillet and thus ruining the integrity of the skillet. True collectors won't buy those or wouldn't if they knew the skillet had been sand blasted. I actually enjoy doing it, so it isn't a waste of time. What I am thinking is putting together a electrolysis tank (easy peazy after it is set up) and stripping them that way. Then all you need do is to re-season them after cleaning up.
Read the reply again they did not use sand they used BAKING SODA. There is absolutely no metal is removed.
Choctawhatchee Kid Got it. That said, I might consider it under a time crunch. I should try it for a pan I plan to keep just to see how it works. It might be worth it for reselling, otherwise doing it myself is a hobby of mine. Thanks for the tip.
I did not know what i.d I am suppose to have can you help show me guide me please thank you godspeed
I have a large video playlist all about cast iron. They date back to July 2017 when I first got started in my efforts. Please feel free to browse any of the videos which you think would help you best. It takes a long time to learn what I have learned, but what got me started was watching other people's videos and deciding which ones gave me the best information. Best of luck!
Gosh that #10 griswold is gorgeous. I want
I think that #10 is my pride and joy! I could't believe it when I found it and for the price that it was marked. I didn't think twice and grabbed it. I had a lot of fun restoring it, although the condition was pretty good to begin with. Thanks for watching!
I agree. The large skillets really are wonderful. I have a number 9 Griswold that I was going to sell until I stripped and re-seasoned it. It is one of my favorite skillets.
@@ladylibertystacker2014 When you flipped it over and I saw the slant logo, my jaw literally dropped. LOL.
U can use soap.. wont hurt your seasoning
Yep, as long as the skillet has been well seasoned.
@@ladylibertystacker2014 it does not matter...ive been collecting for quite a few yrs . I always u soap . It wont harm your seasoning at all. But u know y'all can use whatever . It is your cast iron .
Yes, if your skillet is well seasoned, soap won't harm it a bit. If it is newly seasoned, I wouldn't recommend anything other than hot water and a non-abrasive scrub brush! Just my two cents.....
I've been hit over the head with old cast iron pans over the years. The old ones from the 1970's hurt more than the newer ones.
I guess it depends on which ones from the 70s you are talking about in comparison to the ones today. The Field Company makes a #8 skillet today that is fairly light. That said, most Lodges made post 1960 through today are very heavy. I know I have several!
LadyLibertyStacker Will look at them. They belonged to my mom!
Another good video :-)
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! :-)
For this from uk or Ireland crisco is the same as cookeen:) vegetable oil or coconut
If that is vegetable oil which is solid at room temperature, it will work great. The reason I say this is because it will not go rancid on your skillets if you don't use them all each day. There are some oils that need refrigeration or those that go bad within 6 months of purchase (think olive oil or extra virgin olive oil-EVOO) and because of this, for those with substantial collections, the oil would turn rancid on the skillets over time if they aren't daily users. Does this make sense? So go ahead and use your sane/cookeen! :-)
Hola Miss LLS ♥️
Hola Mr. Food Stamp!
I only buy crutty pans and they clean up to bare metal in my cleanning oven
Yep, that's definitely a way to clean them up! I just warn people to use other methods when it comes to possible collectible skillets like a larger Griswold to avoid a self cleaning oven as it may cause warping due to excessive heat. Griswold vintage pans are thinner by the way they were made that they were subject to warping etc. FYI....
U can use your cast iron for everything .. tomatoes wont harm them
Yep, as long as the skillet has been well seasoned with many layers.
25, jeeez I got more than that...😁 👍
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my 12" iron skillet is a classic CHINA MADE SHIT he hee who cares its cast iron > May or may not out last the best> they call it Mainstays 12" Cast Iron Skillet for 7 bucks
I never get anything CI from China or Taiwan. I just don't trust it. There's so much good CI here in the states, both old and new. Caution, you will pay up for the new high end cookware, but it is very much like the old vintage well tooled cast iron.
@@ladylibertystacker2014 sorry they call it Mainstays 12" Cast Iron Skillet> i think its made in CHINA inside surf face is rough Not real bad > but i still got to grind it down some polish it out. Then season. I HATE THIS NEW STUFF, there not made out of good steel any more
If you want to pay up for some new stuff, you can check out The Field Company. They make two skillets, a #8 10 inch skillet and a #10 12 inch skillet and use techniques similar to how they used to do it years ago. I believe they also recycle cast iron in the making of these new skillets. They are smooth and much lighter than the new stuff of today like the Lodge skillets which can be found at Walmart.
It's not a heat ring it's a shea ring meant for old wood cook stoves God-bless everyone
Yep, but many refer to it as a heat ring. Same church different pew! lol