A new to me cast iron skillet!!!

tarheelmatt · April 2014

I was looking around a some new Lodge CI skillets and told my Mom I was looking to get one. She said "well you can just have my other one I don't use". Naturally, I said, "Awesome". I knew she had two or three but never thought to ask if she would let me have one. So last night for Easter dinner, she brought it over to me and gave me a history lesson. The bottom is very hard to make out from the years of gunk so I do not know what kind it is. Anyways, my Mom told me she inherited the skillet in 1967 from her Aunt. Her Aunt gave my mother a stove that they had and the skillet was left in the stove by mistake. She told my Mom to just keep the skillet too. What I find interesting is to know how old this skillet is and what it has cooked in its years. I am looking forward to cooking on it soon. Thinking about doing a steak or chops in it. Its a 10 inch skillet that should pair nicely with the Egg and stove.

TexanOfTheNorth · April 2014

That's a great story.

If you didn't mind re-seasoning it you could do a clean burn in your egg with the skillet inside. A fews hours at 700* and that skillet should come out as "clean" as the day it was made; might then be able to make out the name of the manufacturer.

NPHuskerFL · April 2014

Seared steak, fish etc in c.i. is perfect combination. Not to mention a well seasoned skillet that's got some family history behind it. Very cool! You'll get great enjoyment using this.

tarheelmatt · April 2014

Thanks @TexanOfTheNorth and @NPHuskerFL.

Didn't think about a clean burn in the Egg. Thought about doing a clean cycle in the oven, but I cannot decide if I do or not. My Mom has not used this skillet in a long time and the inside of pan was glossy still with no rust. I would like to know the make and possibly the era.

TexanOfTheNorth · April 2014

Yes, the oven clean cycle would work too. I know it's a hard call to make... preserving the "history" of the skillet versus knowing the manufacturer.

fishlessman · April 2014

if its still glossy black after all those years, i would just cook with it and buy a second lodge for searing the steaks. that way you have one good nonstick pan and one pan for searing

Eggcelsior · April 2014

Post pics of the bottom and the handle. There are a few sits that go over identifiers and @travisstrick posted a very good video on this subject last week.

tarheelmatt · April 2014

@fishlessman great advice! My first fathers day is approaching and I smell a nice new CI pan!

@Eggcelsior I will snap a few pictures of it tonight when I get home.

Carolina Q · April 2014

Congrats on the piece of family history!

A clean burn or self-clean cycle may well warp or even crack the cast iron.

http://panman.com/cleaning.html

Big_Green_Craig · April 2014

Awesome history! That is a keeper piece for sure.

NPHuskerFL · April 2014

@tarheelmatt‌..I have 2 Pans that date back to the 1950s. Both are well seasoned and I use on the egg on a regular basis. I have got them upwards of 600℉-700℉ and have had no issues. I let them cool naturally, hit with plain water and a nylon brush to clean and lightly coat with oil before putting it away. Enjoy your pan you should be fine using it on the BGE IMHO. +1 on what @Carolina Q‌ said wouldn't run a "clean" burn (I define a "clean" burn as wide open 1000+℉) with the pan in there (really no need for it anyways).

tarheelmatt · April 2014

@NPHuskerFL thanks. I do not think I will do a clean burn. I will try and inspect it more clearly tonight and I could possibly make something out of its origin. If not, oh well... I am itching to get something on it though it may be a couple days before I get the time.

NPHuskerFL · April 2014

@tarheelmatt‌...like I said enjoy it. Pick up some nice steak fillets for you and your SWMBO and you'll wonder why you waited. :-)

SenecaTheYounger · April 2014

I personally would not do a clean burn with a cast iron skillet, especially one that has been in the family for a long time. Too much risk of cracking it, and it is overkill for reseasoning.

Ktim · April 2014

Please do not do anything to burn that seasoning on that pan, it took many years to get it that way,which is great. Wash it with water to remove the dust, then put in the oven at 350 for 1 hr. then wash it again with no soap it will be the best non-stick pan you have ever cooked on.

yzzi · April 2014

Post a few pictures. Sometimes the handles give away the manufacturer. Since you know the history of the skillet, I'd just keep the pans seasoned as is. When I get vintage skillets second hand I usually strip and reseason so I know whose crud is on there. You could do a self clean cylcle, but your house will STINK. If you're wanting to strip I suggest 45 minutes in the egg at 700+ or doing the easyoff method where you spray the skillet down with easyoff oven cleaner and seal it up in a trash bag for a week. Then get some 0000 steel wool and have at it. Or a few sears of steaks on the egg will most likely burn off the seasoning on the bottom on the pan eventually. Enjoy it!

NPHuskerFL · April 2014

@yzzi‌... It's family seasoned crud so I'd say he's safe to roll with it as it sits. ;-)

yzzi · April 2014

NPHuskerFL said:

@yzzi‌... It's family seasoned crud so I'd say he's safe to roll with it as it sits. ;-)

But that's what I said in my 3rd sentence! #:-S

NPHuskerFL · April 2014

@yzzi...oops 8-} my bad. Lol

td66snrf · April 2014

It takes a long time to to make a skillet shiny glossy black on the inside. Why would you want to get Rid of that ?

uheep · April 2014

I clean my cast iron skillets with this, a little oil, and some warm water. That's all! Please don't ruin your smooth surface people would love to have a pan like that..

SenecaTheYounger · April 2014

Same here.

When it is still hot, I rinse with hot water, a scrubber sponge (or copper scrubber if there are stuck bits), and then wipe dry with a paper towel, leaving plenty of fat behind. That's it.

Don't let it cool before you clean it. It will virtually wipe clean while hot.

Ktim · April 2014

Please,please please do not remove all that wonderful seasoning, it took years to get it that way.

fletcherfam · April 2014

@uheep‌ where did you pick that up at and for how much?

yzzi · April 2014

Do you use a mace to tenderize meats? That think it straight up chain male. I like it.

Focker · April 2014

@fletcherfam,

It's called The Ringer, can be found on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Ringer-Stainless-Chainmail-GURANTEED/dp/B00FKBR1ZG/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1398133481&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=cast+iron+pan+steel+scrubber

@tarheelmatt,

All the CI I buy gets stripped regardless of condition, including our personal family heirloom skillets. Even the new Lodge pieces I have purchased, like the Sportsman Hibachi and 5qt Double Dutch, get stripped and recoated with Grapeseed.

If you decide to restore, please do not use the "aw hell just throw it in the fire" method.

Cookinbob · April 2014

If you are interested in knowing what you have, there was a thread here a couple of weeks ago with a youtube video on identifying old cast iron skillets. I cannot find the thread, but here is a link to the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hmDBvgTWFE

Not real exciting, but a lot of good info here if you can sit through it - i did, and am ready to go scrounging. There are also lots of good videos on restoring old CI. Have fun!

tarheelmatt · April 2014

Thanks everyone for the help and input. I had intentions of doing a photo shoot with my new CI pan, but my 5 week old baby girl had other intentions....

I will try to get to it tonight.

Gator_Man · April 2014

Like the others have said please don't clean with high heat you could be very sorry!!! If you really want to know if the outside bottom is marked with the maker like Wagner or Griswold just spray outside bottom with oven cleaner and let it sit for a few days (not in plastic bag ) and wipe it off then rinse in hot water upside down to keep it out of the inside of the pan. You might have to do this several times but you can get it all off the bottom. I have done this many many times back when I bought and sold old CI pans as I did not want to spend the time to clean what I call a no name pan because I could not sell them for much of a profit. If it turned out to be a Griswold it got completely cleaned with oven cleaner or Drano crystals dissolved in water and soaked for days. The active ingredient in oven cleaner/Drano is lie! Never use oven cleaner on a porcelain coated pans it will make the porcelain dull and not shiny but will clean all baked on black crud of, I ruined a very nice porcelain Griswold pan this way.

That wonderful seasoning that is in your pan will be hard to get back, not imposable though.

Good luck with what ever you chose to do. G M

500 · April 2014

So my cast iron question is this; How do I sear a steak without loosing the precious years of seasoning? The high heat will kill the seasoning, correct?

SenecaTheYounger · April 2014

It won't.

You don't need your cast iron at 700 to sear, for one thing. You want something you can control and manage, not to go from raw to cinder in 60 seconds.

You remember how there is advice to lightly coat a steak in oil for searing? This is not for a grill, because the oil would be a hinderance. But it is good advice for searing in a pan. This will transfer the heat better, as well as provide a little non-stick insurance.

If you kept the cast iron in the egg for an extended period of time at high heat, it would burn off the seasoning.

A new to me cast iron skillet!!!

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