general Cast iron pan

Posted August 3, 2007 • Comments Off on Cast iron pan

When Lisa and I were on our way to Bethany Memorial Day weekend we stopped at a really good yard sale in Bridgeville, Delaware. Had we had the van we probably would have left with some wood and glass storage furniture (all of which, by the way, looked brand new), but all I bought was a small Lodge cast iron skillet for $3.

Today I finally got around to seasoning it!

I followed the instructions found here:
http://www.curbly.com/Chrisjob/posts/1673-Salvage-and-Season-Cast-Iron-Cookware

with a few exceptions. For instance, I used a trash bag, not a grocery bag, to soak it in the sun (and overnight) outside covered in oven cleaner. I couldn’t find any fine sandpaper in the house and I’m out of Brillo pads, so I used my trusty brass wire brush to get the minimal rust out. I coated the pan with butter instead of the other solid fats listed; I refuse to buy a whole tub of shortening for such a tiny job, and I couldn’t find lard in the store.

Here are some things I learned from this process.

  • A cast iron pan left in the sun all morning will be hot to the touch. Wear oven mitts.
  • Oven cleaner kind of stings a little. Wash your hands thoroughly and try not to think about lye. You’re scared of lye ever since you saw Fight Club.
  • When they say “put the exhaust fan on high” before you burn a bunch of salt and oil on the stove, they really mean “turn off the smoke detectors, open windows, bring the air cleaner downstairs, turn on the air conditioner, and put the exhaust fan on high.” You and your cat will freak out otherwise, as the house will fill with smoke and there will be a lot of beeping.
  • Kosher salt soaked in canola oil can, in fact, catch on fire, and will do so spectacularly.
  • I want more cast iron pans.

I just realized I haven’t even defrosted anything to cook in the damn skillet for dinner, so when it comes out of the oven in a couple of hours I won’t even be able to use it right away. Maybe Sunday.