RE: Cleaning a Cast Iron Skillet to Re-season
When the seasoning was completely ruined on one of my Grandmothers iron skillets or iron Dutch oven, when she moved off the farm she would build a fire in her fireplace & burned them for an hour or so. I have done the same thing using my outdoor grill & firewood instead of charcoal. After burning, you are going to have to wash with soap & water to remove the black residues from the old seasoning & the burning wood.
I never throw away bacon grease because I season my iron skillets with it. I store it in the refrigerator in a small jar with a lid. After burning & washing the iron skillets, wipe dry & put on the stove to reheat. Put a little bacon grease on a folded paper towel & brush a very light coating all along the inside of the skillet. Put it back on the stove & heat just til it starts to smoke & wipe with the bacon grease again. Then put in the oven at 250 degrees F & 'bake' for several hours all the while wiping it down with a light coating of bacon grease several more times. When done to your satisfaction, remove from the oven & wipe with a clean paper towel to remove any excess.
Also, as for washing an iron skillet with soap & water, my grandmother always did & so do I--you just can't scrub it! If the seasoning is good enough hot soap & water won't hurt it. Just remember to wipe it completely dry after washing. Myself, after washing, whether or not it needs it, I dry the ironware, add a very thin coating of bacon grease, heat for a minute on the stove, wipe it out & allow it to cool before putting away. I store my ironware with the lids on & a clean, dry paper towel inside the pot or pan to keep down the moisture.
Also, nothing wrecks a good seasoning on ironware like recipes with tomatoes or tomato-based products or a recipe that you have to add just a little bit of vinegar or lemon juice to.
Posted on 07/10/2009 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Cleaning a Cast Iron Skillet to Re-season
It wasn't the crisco that made it sticky, it was the amount of time it stayed hot. You can clean it now with a rotary wire brush down to the metal, and then follow the steps to reseason the pot.
Posted on 07/09/2009 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Cleaning a Cast Iron Skillet to Re-season
I have no idea why this is the way my Mom (and other family members) cleaned their iron skillets when I was a kid: they simply NEVER washed the skillets. They wiped them out thoroughly but claimed that the build-up of various layers is what kept it "seasoned". Make sense to anyone?
Posted on 07/09/2009 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Cleaning a Cast Iron Skillet to Re-season
I don't know what your local area laws and restrictions are, but if you are in a place where you are allowed to burn your fall leaves and twigs, I have read in more than one place that people sometimes place their skillet into the pile of leaves and such, set the whole thing ablaze and let it stay til it has cooled off, and it comes out looking new and unseasoned, so you can start over. If all else fails it could be worth researching.
Posted on 07/08/2009 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Cleaning a Cast Iron Skillet to Re-season
Thank you! I will check out the link & give it another try. I've wanted one for years & can't believe I can't quite get it right, haha!
Posted on 07/08/2009 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Cleaning a Cast Iron Skillet to Re-season
If it's truly cast iron without the enamel (I know nothing about Bobby Flay other than his name) use hot or warm water and steel wool to remove the gunk. Never use detergent or soap on cast iron.
Reseason it (Lodge Cast Iron has some great tips on their site: http://www.lodgemfg.com/ ) and for the next several uses, try cooking fatty foods (don't use tomato or other acid based foods until it has a good seasoning going on).
Only clean with water and reseason after use and be sure to keep all parts of your cast iron exposed to air as much as possible. IE: don't store them with lids on.
Posted on 07/06/2009 | Report Spam or Abuse
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