Old Cast Iron Cookware

[dmccarty]

The wifey's grandmother gave us the huge, old cast iron skillet and lid a good 5-10 years ago. The skillet had not been used in decades before she gave it to us. We stored it away. A few years a go I decided to clean it up and use it.

There was very little rust, mainly just dirt. I washed an scrubbed it with a cleaning pad we use in the kitchen sink. Nothing special. Worked just fine.

I put some cheap Canola oil in the pan and lid and seasoned it in the oven. Worked just fine.

If the pan is not real rusty the drill and wire brush may not be needed. If the pan is still seasoned the wire brush is going to get rid of that seasoning.

We wish we knew the age of the skillet. It very well might be 50-60 years old. Perfect size of frying chicken. The wifey don't like chicken.

Later,
Dan

 

[om21braz]

I have used the bed of coals method for rust removal. It works well, but I got one smaller pan too hot - it's nice and flat on the bottom when cool, but develops a radius on the bottom when heated. I guess it's now a camp-fire pan. I'm still on the lookout for a cast-iron bundt dish - makes pound cakes like nothing else. My wife just bought a new Staub pan w/ the raised ribs for grilling. It really makes a nice grilled steak on the stovetop.

 

[AchingBack]

The wifey's grandmother gave us the huge, old cast iron skillet and lid a good 5-10 years ago. The skillet had not been used in decades before she gave it to us. We stored it away. A few years a go I decided to clean it up and use it.

There was very little rust, mainly just dirt. I washed an scrubbed it with a cleaning pad we use in the kitchen sink. Nothing special. Worked just fine.

I put some cheap Canola oil in the pan and lid and seasoned it in the oven. Worked just fine.

If the pan is not real rusty the drill and wire brush may not be needed. If the pan is still seasoned the wire brush is going to get rid of that seasoning.

We wish we knew the age of the skillet. It very well might be 50-60 years old. Perfect size of frying chicken. The wifey don't like chicken.

Later,
Dan

If the skillet is Griswold, it is at least 60 yrs. old. Here is a cool website. Undersatnding Griswold

 

[GGB]

Years back I knew a guy that made a roast in a dutch oven and cooked it in the ground. It was the tastiest piece of meat I ever had.
He rubbed the beef roast with what appeared to be a mix of salt, pepper and such and then wrapped it in aluminum foil and put it in the dutch oven.
I do not recall what else went in and I'm not sure if it was anything.

He dug a hole in the ground, started a big fire and when it burned down to coals put the dutch oven in.
He then put a thin piece of steel over it and covered with dirt.
The next day he dug it up and you never had a better tasting sandwich than that.
I wasn't paying attention back then so that's all I know.
Does anyone have any ideas on this?

Now that I am retired it's on my short list for this summer.

Sixdogs, back when I still lived near where I grew up, the local Lions Club would prepare sides of beef on the coals in the ground, and it was fabulous!

We would simply wrap the sides in burlap, wet it, then place them on the bed of coals burned down from wood piled in a pit dug out of the ground. Then we covered the sides with barn tin, and covered the barn tin with dirt, and left it alone for 24 hours. The meat was tender, moist, and almost dropped off the bones.

Got me thinking about doing this at home this summer! Probably won't need a whole side, but a quarter might be a lot of fun to try. May need to season it a little for fun, but I'm not sure that wouldn't just be overkill....

GGB

 

[N80]

My wife just bought a new Staub pan w/ the raised ribs for grilling. It really makes a nice grilled steak on the stovetop.

We have a Lodge griddle that is flat on one side and ribs on the other. The ribbed side is great for steaks and searing a tuna fillet.

We also have the little cast iron 'mold' pans for cornbread. The molds are in the shape of an ear of corn.

I noticed that the banner over this thread was advertising Le Creuset (spooky). I have two of their Dutch ovens, one standard, one large. They are incredible. Both of mine are factory seconds purchased from Tuesday Morning and TJ Maxx. They were still a bit pricey but nowhere near the price of new ones. The flaws on these are cosmetic only. I'm wondering if the Lodge enameled cast iron is any good or costs any less than the Le Crueset. I'm not a kitchen snob, I don't care who makes it or what it looks like as long as it works.

 

[N80]

Years back I knew a guy that made a roast in a dutch oven and cooked it in the ground. It was the tastiest piece of meat I ever had.

Does anyone have any ideas on this?

Now that I am retired it's on my short list for this summer.

Check out this book:

Amazon.com: Extreme Barbecue: Smokin' Rigs and 100 Real Good Recipes (9780811853187): Dan Huntley, Lisa Grace Lednicer, Layne Bailey: Books

The author and the photographer are friends of mine.

 

[dmccarty]

If the skillet is Griswold, it is at least 60 yrs. old. Here is a cool website. Undersatnding Griswold

I will check the pan tonight but I am pretty sure it is a Lodge with a heat ring. :laughing: I did not know what the heat ring was until I read the link. I thought the ring was to keep the pan from sliding off the burner. :laughing:

Thanks,
Dan

 

[Transit]

Now you got me looking at my fry pans. I have a set of four skillets. I think they are not a true set from one manufacture, they all have different marking. Mom probably bought them as needed when she had the cash. Two have a Z logo and a heat ring, one no id or heat ring and one is a Ware # 0 and Sidney stamped on the bottom. They may not be collectibles but they do work and that is what counts.

 

[sixdogs]

Good idea on the book. I also searched the net and found many recepies for dutch oven in-ground cooking and such.
Thank you. Beats me why I never thought of looking there.

Also, all this talk on old cast iron gets me thinking about all the cast cooking stuff I see at auctions around here. It goes cheap.
Now that I am certain it cleans up and others have done it too, I'll take a second look.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Also, all this talk on old cast iron gets me thinking about all the cast cooking stuff I see at auctions around here. It goes cheap.

Anything I've seen at auction around here goes for near new prices if not more. It takes time and effort to get a good seasoning on a cast iron pot. People know that and will pay a little for it.