Cast iron pans

[moparedtn]

I've got a set of three skillets that are easily three quarters of a century old, passed down from my mama -
who in turn got them from her mama, etc.
I learned how to cook in those as a teenager - but I haven't used them in years, due in no small part to
the advent of glass top stoves (and a lack of anything but electric appliances up here on the ridge).

I know you can use them on those glass top jobbers, but it will destroy in short order the finish on them -
and I ain't having any of that, so....
We own a set of pricy American-made stainless pans with non-PTFE nonstick, but mostly I just use my
commercial type griddle (think: Waffle House griddle).
I miss cast iron though. Stuff is just better out of them.

 

[halfafish]

Hunny Bunny has suggested I have a problem with cast iron. I disagree. I find good cast iron, I buy good cast iron, no problem! I'm up to 22 and happy to add to the club.

These are all Griswold and Wagner except the 13" which is a Lodge. The oldest is the dutch oven on the bottom shelf. It's over 100 years old and was my great grandmother's.

 

[F4R/T]

Cooking on cast iron is also good for women’s health as it absorbs the iron they lose naturally. Or so I was told.

 

[33 IMP]

I've got an old cast iron pan we've been using to hold down a blanket in the wind. This thread made me curious, so I investigated. I buffed off enough of the shmutz off the bottom to find a Griswolds,Erie PA. logo. My guess is this pan has been neglected/abused for decades.
So, I'm asking for opinions. Do I do the work necessary to bring this poor thing back from the dead,.... or not?

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I've got an old cast iron pan we've been using to hold down a blanket in the wind. This thread made me curious, so I investigated. I buffed off enough of the shmutz off the bottom to find a Griswolds,Erie PA. logo. My guess is this pan has been neglected/abused for decades.
So, I'm asking for opinions. Do I do the work necessary to bring this poor thing back from the dead,.... or not?

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You can see the last of the seasoning on the sides near top and bottom. I would clean (heavy rust) and use it for sure. They are a different commitment compared to modern pans. Way better rewards IMO, taste, cooking enjoyment, environmental, economic, and just reverting back to less tech, more thought.

 

[RR Fan Dan]

Do I do the work necessary to bring this poor thing back from the dead,..

Heck Ya, here’s @nitro_rat method

If you ever get a chance to use an antique pan like a Griswold you will hate Lodge...

What I do to salvage a Lodge is:

1. Take a 4" angle grinder with a "tiger paw" and grind the inside slick. Get rid of all the "grain." This will also get rid of all the seasoning.

2. Throw it out back behind the shop and forget about it. Why? It will be slick and silver and it won't season worth a damn. Got to let it rust up good first.

3. After stumbling across it sometime later, toss in in the oven on "broil" to kill the rust. This will stink up the house. You should use the shop oven or just build a fire, let it coal up, and bury the damn thing in the coals.

4. Now it will season. Use your favorite method or ask your grandma. It will still be 2x heavier than an old pan but it will work 80% as good. If you dress the edges on the handle during step 1 it will feel a little better in your hand.

 

[33 IMP]

@nitro_rat
Saw your recommendation for a Lodge.
What would you do with this Griswold? (Post#24).

 

[440 4 speed]

I've got an old cast iron pan we've been using to hold down a blanket in the wind. This thread made me curious, so I investigated. I buffed off enough of the shmutz off the bottom to find a Griswolds,Erie PA. logo. My guess is this pan has been neglected/abused for decades.
So, I'm asking for opinions. Do I do the work necessary to bring this poor thing back from the dead,.... or not?

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Yes.

 

[440 4 speed]

We have pans that have been in the family since the early 1900’s. My father found one on some land that they bought in the 1950’s. It had been in the ground from about 1915 all that time. He rescued it and I just used it the other day.

 

[RR Fan Dan]

What would you do with this Griswold?

He’s probably going to tell ya just wipe it off with a paper towel and it’s good to go.

 

[nitro_rat]

@nitro_rat
Saw your recommendation for a Lodge.
What would you do with this Griswold? (Post#24).

It's definitely worth saving. Clean it up, season, and use!

 

[ESOXER]

I've got an old cast iron pan we've been using to hold down a blanket in the wind. This thread made me curious, so I investigated. I buffed off enough of the shmutz off the bottom to find a Griswolds,Erie PA. logo. My guess is this pan has been neglected/abused for decades.
So, I'm asking for opinions. Do I do the work necessary to bring this poor thing back from the dead,.... or not?

View attachment 1789297

View attachment 1789298

 

[33 IMP]

I think I may still have the iron pot/ashtray/cat bed floating around my ca house. Maybe I'll see if I can restore em both. (Wish I had the lid for the pot. It's about three times the capacity of the skillet).