SEASONING & RESTORING A CAST IRON SKILLET FOR A NON-STICK SURFACE
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ย. 2024
- EASY GUIDE TO SEASONING & RESTORING CAST IRON I found two vintage cast iron skillets at the thrift store for $12 each!! What a deal. They were covered in carbon from decades of use and were in desperate need of restoration. I also wanted to restore my late mothers and late mother in laws skillets so I at to work to bring all of these cast iron pans back to life!!
I used this Lye amzn.to/3PXT2L6
I used this oil amzn.to/3M43SxZ
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Maintain you cast iron cookware like a pro th-cam.com/video/_psddiF8J1M/w-d-xo.htmlsi=pT_JGfYrGkVMWByU
I'm 70 and have my grandma's, my aunt's, my mom's, my own cast iron pans and Dutch ovens. I have always just burned my pans overnight in our fireplace. Best nonstick cookware ever.
That’s awesome!! Wish I had a wood stove😅
My maternal grand parents bought a 9 piece set of cast iron pans when they got married. When they passed away they were handed down to my mother and father. When my mother and father passed away they were handed down to me. When my wife and I pass my daughter will receive the 9 piece set. That will be four generations the cast iron set were handed down to family members. Those cast iron pans mean a lot to me.
That is amazing and so special. A gift to last generations🥰
My mom and aunt would take our cast iron camping. After dinner or the next morning we would take the oldest pan and build a fire. When we had coals in the fire spot cover the cast iron pan in the coals to burn the crud off. Now you had a pan that you could season all over again. Good times, good times.
Wonderful memories!!🌻🌻🌻
I am 69 and have my grandmother's deep fryer and 8" CI pans, I can tell you she would have had a heart attack if I ever cleaned her pans to that brand new look. When she gave them to me her lecture was "I don't ever want to see or hear of you using soap or scrubbing my pans, it took me years to get rhem rhis way and that is how they better stay". So the only time I use soap is on the outside and then only if there is grease on it that I'm afraid may flame up, I'm sure she would get on me about that too. Interesting video though, I enjoyed it. Oh yea, grandpa told me to throw it in the fire and let it stay there until the fire burned out if I ever wanted to really clean them, but that I should never let grandma know he told me that, then he told me how to reseason them.
Very cool story, they gave you some awesome tribal knowledge 😊
@@D9P323Tribal? Lol
@@D9P323 don't use any soap, detergents, etc. Chip off big chunks. Other than that oil & put in oven 500 degrees , can do these steps as many times as you want, when ever you want after your 1st original season.
But, the whole purpose of cast iron is because it's easy to clean, because there's no true cleaning.
I know people who just after cooking once pan cools, they just wipe it down with damp or dry cloth. Literally
You don't ever want to throw your cast iron pan into a fire because the fire is so hot it changes the molecular structure of the cast iron which is only about 800 Degrees and fire usually Burns at 12 to 1400 ° your seasoning will never stick to it... you will see when you look at the pan the pan will have an orange tint to it you might as well just throw it away
That was fine advice back when dish soap contained lye. No so much now. Dawn dish soap is perfectly safe to use on seasoned cast iron.
I’m a chemical engineer. Some friendly advice. Use a face shield as well as a respirator. Also wear long sleeve lab coat. They are cheap. You are wearing good gloves. You should have a second container which can hold twice the volume in your soaking container. Put your soaking container in the larger secondary container. Finally, have about 10 gallons of water available nearby so that you can wash your eyes in the event of an accident. A second person should be standing by in case you need emergency care. Also, do not reuse the solution, dispose safely immediately after use.
That’s very detailed. Thanks for sharing your expertise. Safety first!!!
How to dispose of 5 gallons of dirty NaOH water safely? Is it OK to put down the drain as is? How much does pH change (say it's 14 initially) after 24 hours and lots of grime going into solution? (assuming probably not into a septic system) Thanks.
Add water to Lye = you die?
A cast iron pan aint worth my life…
How do you think a household product like Easy Off work compared to this method?
My cat 🐈 girlie is a chemical engineer when she goes to her litter box 😮😢
I found the easiest way to strip everything is to build a fire and place the pan on it and then build a fire inside the pan and just leave it until the next day when the fire goes out. Pan comes out spotless and no harsh chemicals completely safe. Works every time.
That’s great when you can have a fire. In the PNW we have burn bans 😅
My method is similar. I'll put my cast-iron in my oven and run the cleaning cycle. It stays in around 500⁰+ temps for several hours. Once the cleaning cycle is done, let things cool off, and you have a stripped pan ready for a new seasoning.
Xero i have seen people do that and yeah i think it works the same. Its just easy for me to do it outside and my wife doesn't have to smell the cast iron burning. Lol.
@RowesRising i understand. i just dont like to use chemicals if i dont have to.
@katyaker8913 bless you for thinking of your sweet wife. 🥰
I hope by more people watching videos like this that they will start to get an understanding of the difference between seasoned and dirty. Well maintained cast iron can be both clean, and seasoned.
Exactly!! Thanks for watching.
A cast iron fry pan, well maintained, it the best non stick pan ever. First time I flipped and egg the way the chefs do, not using a tool, but a flip of the wrist, was in a cast iron skillet. First thing to remember, DO NOT WASH IT. Rinse it with clean water. DO NOT USE SOAP. Never put in the diswasher. Use a clean sponge with no soap to wipe. Then follow directions for seasoning it, and do not cheat, or leave out any steps.
Stuck an old lodge full of caked on whatever in my solo stove one night and after a few beers all i did was let it cool scrape the whatever off super easy and started seasoning
I want a solo stove!! We have a burn ban currently and there are fires all over Southern Oregon. But it would be fun to have a solo stove in winter for when we play outside in the snow- have a solo fire to warm up.
Wow great video. I have my granddads griswold that we have used my whole life. I use it still constantly but it has the crust that you removed. I am excited to do this method. The skillet is a treasure to me. My grand father and grandmother adopted me at birth so this skillet was Daddy’s and he was the family cook. It not only warms my food but it warms my heart everytime. ❤️
That’s an amazing story and heritage of your skillet. What a treasure!! My mother and MIL have both passed so it’s b very special to me to have one skillet from each of them.🥰🌻🌻🌻
Please, don't ruin the history of your pan!!!
This is the "old way" for seasoning. Nowadays we know that you dont' need to overheat your stove, you just need to be under the smoke point of the oil you are using and it will polymerize. If the pan is still sticky after 60 minutes it means that the temperature was a bit too low. Just put it back at a higher temperature.
"The smoke point of an oil or fat should not be exceeded during cooking, as potentially carcinogenic compounds can be formed and released. But the advice is often seen given to do just that during the manual seasoning of cast iron cookware. Some like to artificially accelerate the darkening of the seasoning by cranking the temp up above the smoke point of one or more layers of the manually-applied oil. Since a superior non-stick seasoning coat consists not only of polymerized fat, but also of a mixture of carbon within it, the thinking is that exceeding the smoke point will carbonize the compounds in the oil to desirable effect. While it may produce the desired cosmetic effect, this may not be prudent, and is, again, not really necessary, as the pan will darken with use and more layers of seasoning. What you may wish to do instead is, prior to applying any seasoning, heat the pan gradually to 450-500*F for an hour or so. This has been observed to darken the bare iron somewhat. You will, however, need to let it cool to a temp appropriate for your seasoning oil before continuing."
I personally use grape seed oil (smoking point: 420°F) and my oven is set at 400-410°F with a perfect result.
You can find more information on this link:
www.castironcollector.com/seasoning.php#smoke
Thank you so much!!!
The most beautiful CI seasoning I have seen in 80 years.
Thank you!
For people curious, the seasoning is a polymerization of the oil which Dawn will not affect. The season is a hard enamel like plastic. The brown stains on a sheet pan that seem infuriating to clean is actually just seasoning and can just be left alone. I wouldn't scrub with steel wool as that will at best scratch the surface and mess up the non-stick properties. Scrubbing with a rag or plastic bristles is great though. Even Lodge says to use soap and water! Dawn is a dish detergent and real soaps were made with lye. Either of them is fine. If real soap would be a problem, it would also be melting your skin off your hands every time you use it!
Thanks for spelling it out that soap will not hurt the CI!! 🌻🌻🌻😅
I had someone “clean”my best cookie sheet😢 now it’s rusty
@Wendyholzinger2224 ahhh that’s the worst. Like the time my husband put the cast iron in the dishwasher. I fixed it with a vinegar bath but man was I nearly a mess to find it in there. 😅
Glad someone else said it. I constantly see this repeated myth that you can't use soap and just mentally roll my eyes every time.
I totally agree with everything you said, except polymerization It’s carbonization, burnt oil turns into carbon.
Excellent vlog! One of the best actually. Clear, concise and to the point without over speaking just to fill blank airspace. Thank you!
Thank you Susan!! I don’t like all the filler words either. Get to the point😅
I restored one with a drill and wire wheel. It did not take 48 hours, and I did it outside. After de-scaling the skillet, I put it in a 400 degree oven, got it hot and rubbed oil on it, put it back in the oven and turned off the heat. I was searing steaks the next day.
That’s awesome.
I have the same Wagner - my Mothers wedding gift from 1945 - and it looks exactly like your ‘before.’ I’ve been doing a lot of research to safely restore it. Yours is the best video and my research stops here. I will be following your method to restore this family treasure.
Ps. My dad did as many here noted - threw it in a yearly campfire.
The camp fire is a great way to do it!! We have burn bans here and are limited to when we can burn. So this was the method I could do at that time. Thanks for watching!! 🌻
@@RowesRising I would never use fire to strip a pan. That could leave microscopic fissures in the pan, and you never know when the pan will split. It always happens when you are cooking.
@terrysincheff6682 thanks Terry!
That was a very good video, you need to do more cast iron vids. I don't care if it's cooking, or cleaning, or maintenance of cast iron I'd watch it. Most cast iron channels are experts in their own mind lol. That was the most calming cast iron video of all time.
I’m glad you found it enjoyable🌻
@bingster-223 It's great that u enjoyed her presentation and So did I. I thoroughly enjoy many types of videos but I sense some resentment by ur remark of most ci channels being experts in their own minds. Why would u even say something like that? I'm sure they're not professing to be experts just as I don't. Many are my comrads or cast iron associates and we spent years upon years studying and researching the topic to be More knowledgeable. Some have even written books. Some retired from famous foundries and know cast iron backwards and forward. Many of them have an extensive collection such as myself. We're military and I've collected from several countries but an Expert..I wouldnt say but I do know enough that I could possibly be considered one.
We even have a annual convention thru out the country where we share, swap and sell really nice pieces. We have guest speakers. One associate & his wife are well known and famous for their collection in which magazines have featured them and their cast iron museum. Experts?? Maybe, maybe not...but SO darn close to it that they may as well be considered one. Don't hate the players for their knowledge just bcz U have the lack there of.
I’m not a “cast iron channel” I simply made a video about cast iron and how I cleaned the gunk off easily without damaging the cast iron. 😅🌻🌻🌻
@bingster-223 no hard feelings here🌻🌻🌻
@RowesRising
Thanks, don't worry I won't be having an argument with anyone on your platform.
I was quite surprised by this. Then I thought about it with respect to soap making, and it does make some sense.
Here are some smoke point for various oils.
Avocado Oil: 520°
Safflower Oil: 475 to 500°
Soybean Oil: 450 to 475°
Sunflower Oil: 450°
Peanut Oil: 450°
Corn Oil: 400 to 450°
Almond Oil: About 430°
Sesame Oil: 410 to 450°
Grapeseed Oil: About 420°
Canola Oil: 375 to 450°
Olive Oil: 325° to 375°
Coconut Oil: 350°F
Walnut Oil: 320°
Flax Oil: About 225°
Seed oils like corn, canola, etc. are literally the absolute worst product you can put into your body or on your pans, worse than sugar. Personally, I'm unshockingly more old fashioned......Crisco.
I bought a brand new cast iron skillet and it came with some kind of seasoning on it! It remains very sticky! How can I remove this sticky coating? They are unusable at present! Help!
@sandrapowers6099 you can try seasoning it more- maybe it needs a few more coats, or stripping it by heating in your oven at a high heat and see if you can burn that seasoning off. Then re- season it yourself. Or you could do this method in this video.
I like grapeseed oil for seasoning cast iron and carbon steel pans.. Works great. Nice job.. the pans look fantastic.
I so wish you had a cast iron playlist. Your skillets look beautiful 😍
Nearly all of my older meal prep videos feature cast iron. I should make a specific playlist. Thank you🌻🌻🌻
Great job. I'm glad people are thinking longevity, not catch and release.
You have an excellent speaking voice and a beautiful way of explaining that you should have your own TV show thank you and God bless
I thought the same thing. I immediately thought “she should do some ASMR videos”!
@boog110 you are both so kind.
Well done video. Quick and to the point. So many others waste time by telling personal stories and wandering from topic. I learned much from this presentation.
I’m so glad! I tried to keep it all about the process. Thanks for watching!!
I am in the middle of the first set of Lye bath and it is amazing. So much gunk came off! Can't wait for more. I have very old pots, skillets etc., from my family farm and I can't wait to show everyone the finished product. Very cool process and video! Thanks!
It’s so satisfying isn’t it!! Glad you are enjoying the process. It’s so fun!
In Australia we use 2 methods,one is a molasses bath to get all the crud of then season it and the other is we use a wire wheel on end of drill and clean it that way then season it. I like to season mine on a fire i believe it just gets it hotter and smokey in my opinion the food tastes so much better from your cast iron.
I like the fire idea too. But we have burn bans here in the PNW due to wildfire dangers.
not allowed to own lye in your little communist haven?
Excellent job and great video. I remember as a kid growing up, I had a friend who lived with his grandparents. His grandmother used a large cast iron skillet for almost everything. She made bacon, eggs and biscuits almost every morning for us when we were over there. Hers looked about like these before you cleaned them! They worked perfectly and she always made amazing food. I often wonder where that old skillet wound up now that all three of them have passed.
I would be wondering too!! My mother’s cast iron holds so many memories for me. It’s very special to me. I bet you would have cherished that skillet if it would have been in your possession. So special!
Really nice. Yeah, the one thing I learned was to wipe all that excess oil off. I grew up with cast iron, so I was lucky to have a Dad that taught me alot about it. I usually do about three coats of flaxseed oil and then another three with grape seed oild or avocado oil. Nice and black. After that, I oil used olive oil for maintenance. Nice and slick after that. I stove top maintenance it with olive oil every single time I use it. Just before it starts smoking I pull it off. It works excellent. Great video. I never use soap ever. To each their own. Its important to use heat every time you oil that pan. Like I said, just medium heat.
Me too. Miss my momma and her cast iron cooking on the wood cook stove. Happy to have one of her pans. I don’t use soap typically but after I hearing cast iron rebels using it without issue I tried it. No problems. Season was still in tact. I’m like you though and prefer soapless methods of cleaning it. 🌻🌻🌻
And no matter what soap I've used, it would always end up smelling. Funny! So I just wipe them out while warm. Then scrub with hot water and plastic bristle brush. Then the stove top season just until smoke pans are awesome!
@577buttfan that’s the way I was raised to do it. This whole soap thing is new to me and I learned it doesn’t get the seasoning if done correctly. 🌻🌻🌻
@@RowesRising Yeah I used a very small amount a couple times and it won't take the seasoning off. But like I said, leaves a funny smell and that's enough to bother me. I'm sure it's fine though lol
Soap gets into the pores like with stoneware bakeware
I use oven cleaner with lye. Nice job you did there with the drain cleaner!
Great video. I am 64 years old and have my grandmother’s cast iron.
So its old.
It has the same grime on it and gave up trying to get off.
I will be doing your method this weekend. Thanks
Put it in the oven on self clean if it has that setting.
I have never used lye on cast iron before that was amazing to watch. I use avocado oil on my cast iron and it works awesome. A couple of years ago I brought two of my cast iron pieces one griswold skillet griddle and a Favorite ware number 7 skillet on a week long fishing trip. To this day my friends are still talking about how non stick my cast iron is and how the over easy eggs were the best they have ever tasted. 😊😂 I will share this video to everyone in the future so I don’t have to explain it to them over and over again.there is no excuse anymore for them.And yes I did subscribe to your channel to show my appreciation for sharing your knowledge about making CAST IRON GREAT AGAIN 😂
Make cast iron great again! Love that😀
I love vintage cast iron and restoring them, but stopped due to seeing a lot of people using them for melting lead then tossing them… only buy new now sand off the factory season and season them the way i like. That being said these came out amazing
This is so encouraging!! I bought my cast iron new over 30 years ago and my steel wool treatments haven't been good enough! And other restoration treatments I've seen involve electrodes and big vats that seem out of reach for a home cook with one little pan!!! I'm definitely trying this!!!! 🍳
It’s really simple and satisfying🤩Happy restoring! It’s gonna look great!
Thank you for bringing that Wagnerware pan back to it's full glory!
It’s a good one!!
I ran some through the self cleaning oven cycle. They came out great, just a tiny bit of dust (the former grime) remained in the pan. It was down to bare metal with zero gunk left.
This is what I do also.
Thank you! Great idea!
If you have a pan with a lot of build-up, it could catch fire in the oven. Good luck on opening the oven to put out the fire.
@terrysincheff6682 this is what I have heard and many folks have killed their oven using the oven clean function so that’s why I don’t recommend it. And we can’t always have outdoor fires here in the west with the burn bans😅
Well, I know now how to properly season the old cast iron skillet I got from my mother-in-law. I have been wanting to learn how to do this for awhile now. Thanks so much for your video on this!!
I hope you enjoy the process restoring your precious heirloom. 🌻🌻🌻
I used 50% white vintages and water let set 5 minutes at a time scrub between with some scrub with.soft brush repeat 5 times , heat to 125 to warm the water out , lard the inside and out reheat 20 minutes let cool naturally bought a maretti co. Pa. #6 for $20 , now worth $95-110
That’s a score!!🌻
Those pans turned out looking Amazing Katie. I love my cast iron... I actually have my great grandmother's pan along with other pieces 🤗🤗🙏 Kendra
Really useful information. I have four frying pans I've bought recently at garage sales, and they all need the lye treatment. Thanks for posting!
I’ve used the electrolysis method in the past. Works just as effectively. The Wagner Ware and Griswold pans are the gems at the thrift stores because they machined the cooking surfaces flat. Newer cast iron and especially the Lodge brand can’t hold a candle to the old ones. Nice video. You may have inspired me to clean mine up after a decade of use!
Thank you! I much prefer the smooth machined surface.
I used a random orbital sander to smooth out my Lodge pans. Still not completely smooth (since the surface area increases so much as you get lower it's just progressively more and more work), but mostly non-stick after seasoning. If I get any more cast iron in the future they'll be machined post-casting, whether that's one of the modern brands that does that or a vintage one.
@GrilledFishJones the Smithy’s brand is beautiful for modern cast iron😍
I have a newer lodge that works equally as good as my old wagner stuff. The texture doesn't affect the cooking one bit
@@vinceruland9236 mine was a lot more non-stick after I made it smooth. Cooking itself wasn’t improved particularly, just my interest in using it to cook more often and with a wider variety of food.
Good video. I use a method taking a maximum of 2 hours. I make a fire outside with hardwood. NOT pine wood. Pine will deposit resin on your skillets. OR you can just burn the pans in a charcoal BBQ. Put the pans on top of the burning charcoal briquets and fill the pans with burning briquettes. Yesterday I did some that had more build up than yours and 2 hours in the fire cleaned the skillets with no scrubbing needed.
That’s awesome and similar to how my parents and grandparents did it. I have as well done the fire method, but we have a burn ban at the time and I wanted an alternative method.
It is much easier and actually faster just to put it in a backyard fire/campfire/fireplace. The only thing you have to remember is to preheat the pan before you put it right on the coals, and to let it cool slowly. Now give it a quick wash and dry and start your seasoning process
Thanks for watching!!
You are correct because it keeps
It seasoned and black but this lady was removing the actual seasoning having no idea what was on it was perfection. A black iron skillet is seasoned.
Why does the outer part of the skillet need to be seasoned? Genuinely curious.
@Tim_Hicks_89 to help prevent it from rusting, and to make it look awesome.
if you like taking a risk of cracking your cast iron, thats great.
These videos are so therapeutic. I just love watching them
I’m so glad!
Nice video. I too have moved to Avocado oil for my cast iron. To strip my pans, I use "Easy Off" oven cleaner and put the pan in a plastic garbage bag, for a few days. If it's rusty, I've had good luck submerging in white vinegar. My favorite pan has got to the #8 Wagner.
guess whats in oven cleaner......... LYE, works like a champ.
@@darrenc3439 I'm aware.
That’s a great way too!
This is a good idea. Very practical and inexpensive method. I make my own soap and use lye for that process. The only caution that I would suggest is to make your lye solution in a well ventilated area. The fumes that are produced when mixing lye and water can be overpowering.
Thank you Dale.
Soda ash works just as well, but it's a little less aggessive and therefore safer to use.
You can also hook up the parts to the negative lead of a car battery charger, and add a piece of sacrificial metal to the bath, separate from the pans, hooked up to the positive lead. That'll really chew through the grime and loosen it up more thoroughly than any mechanical scrubbing, with much less risk of damaging the pan.
I saw @castironchris does an electrolysis tank for his CI. He restores pieces for folks and uses multiple methods depending on his clients preference. Thanks for the information!!
Good idea, and an electrolysis tank also removes rust, where a lye tank will not.
Hey Rowes Rising love the video...my jaw almost hit the ground when you pulled that Griswald out of nowhere. If you don't already know go research how much those skillets are going for. I have an 8 inch Griswald myself. Interesting story I found it buried in our backyard, cleaned it up similar to your method a few years ago, and then found out through a friend these skillets are valuable. I will be keeping mine in my family forever. I hope you have a good day, God Bless you!
Thank you so much for sharing your CI story. What an awesome heirloom to pass down to future generations 🌻🌻🌻
I've never used a lye bath for really grungy cast iron. If you are handy with a drill, you can use an abrasive disk that is for rust removal. You get everything off in less than 30 minutes and I have never seen any marks left on the pan. Just make sure you season it right away because even though you didn't use any water, you are down to bare metal and even the moisture in the air will make it start to rust. So, if chemicals bother you, this is a great alternative. Go slow if you are new to using a drill, but it isn't that hard.
That sounds so satisfying!!! And like a fun way to clean it. Some folks also put it in a hot fire and burn off all the carbon buildup. So many ways to skin a cat! A way for everyone to do it with the resources they have💪🏼 Thanks for watching and sharing your experience!! 🌻🌻🌻
@@RowesRisingYes, some of us just need that instant gratification 😁😁
😊@@RowesRising
This is a great idea!
I don't want to use chemicals with cooking tools. Takes too long and possible residues. Just burn it briefly at fire place and let it cool. Nothing abrasive either. Steelwire disc is effective and gentle.
Thank you! This just came across my inbox. I have collected for a couple of years and I was going to clean them (60 pieces) over the winter but got a little sick, under the weather and was not able. BUT, I plan on it this winter. Too much garden and canning during the summer. I think I will look around your channel for other videos.
Thank you Joey!
I have a lodge pan, same one you show at the beginning of the video (3 notches in the ring around the bottom), since I bought it in 1977. It has a "hardware" quality surface on the inside, relatively smooth with visible circumferential rings from the stone used to polish the inside. It has never seen soap in the last 45 years. When eggs and cheese end up stuck on the sides I just let it soak with warm tap water for a little while and then scrape it out with a spatula before applying a thin coat of oil. I have many Wagner Ware pans, some I received from a great aunt's estate, that have never seen soap. I have never needed to "Re-season" a pan.
Great job, avocado oil is a good choice but some say animal fats like tallow or lard to season it with thin coats over and over.
Some people also use disc sanders to polish the flat bottom a bit more to make a really non stick surface.
I put them upside down on an old oven rack (It will darken new shiny ones) and let them go thru the automatic oven cleaning cycle. works well! then you just have to apply several coats of re-finishing.
Great method!!
This is the way. Just be safe.
Good video. My cast iron is usually ok on the outside. It's the inside that often needs attention (when it gets flakey) . I have one pan that is 23 years old and the outside is still beautiful. I use oven cleaner (it's lye) on the inside of the pan. Works great. I'm not so much on looks as I am on performance/function of the pan.
You care for your skillet really well and I can tell it’s a cherished part of your cooking collection🍳
I promise I will do better from here forward. Thanks for the tips Michael!!
I rescued a couple of cast iron fryers that were encased in grime buildup! I put them into my electric oven and set it to the cleaning cycle!
That’s awesome!🍳
Work good? And last?
Have white distilled vinegar nearby. It neutralizes the lye if in case it gets on your skin. I make soap using lye all the time and always hve some close by.😊
Thank you for the safety tips!!
I have been doing this for years -- skillets, woks etc.-- and it does wonders. Great video
A Few hints, Use SOS cleaning pads to clean your CI, My dad and I both sand the inside of the pan to make it smooth as can be, wipe clean with oil, The we use animal fat to season it and don‘t use your oven use your gas grill. Just remember to place your pan upside down so all of the hot oil will drip down and off of the pan.
Geese just use oven off. It’s so much easier. Put them in a trash bag with oven off all over them. Come back the next day and clean them up. If you don’t want to use chemicals, just put them in a bed of hot coals in your fireplace for a while. works just as good and burns everything off.
500 degree for one hour, 5-6 times, doesn’t it use lots of electricity? Is it better to do this in winter time? It’s amazing how you bring back the lives of these pans.
You did a great job restoring those pans! I have not tried avocado oil. I will have to try that. The easiest way I have found to clean cast iron is to put them in my oven and do the self clean on my oven and it cleans them then I season them.
Be careful with that you could warp antique iron.
Great results. I’ve not done this. But I will keep it in mind next time I walk by a pot or pan that I think is gonna be too stubborn. By the way. Those Wagner pans are amazing.
Thank you!!
Awesome 👍🤓👍i do mine in the grill outside so theres no fumes
Perfect!! I’ll remember that next time cause we can’t have fires here half the year, but we can grill🥴
I agree with golden kryptonite. I bought extremely crusted cast iron inside and outer pan and all i did was put some vegetable oil on them, out to the bbqer, up all the way heat, it will turn to ash and clean up nicely. No chemicals needed.
Some of these comments are adorable. I make lye soap and my family has done so for generations. Always be safe when using lye, but don't assume it's something it's not.
Soap making is something I want to do next!! 😅😅😅🌻🌻🌻
Adorable? I find them infuriating. Lye deserves plenty of respect, but people's fear of lye, as if it witchcraft in 1600 Salem is ridiculous. Its an OMG "chemical", Public education is the ruination of our country. Our ancestors harvested lye out of ash, to make their soap.
i have a set of cast iron pans that i know are 100 years old . granny used them , mom used them now i'm using them . i have heard online how people say never use soap and water to clean until now .. thank you .. granny used soap and water mom used soap and water and i have used soap and water and they are still non stick . but i have to admit i never heard of lye to super clean the pans .. guess who is going to buy some lye soon ? lol .. good video
I’m so glad you can attest to the fact that soap is harmless for cast iron!! Pretty sure my mom used soap too. Thanks for watching and enjoy the satisfying process!🌻🌻🌻
Keep in mind that your mom and your granny probably used soap made from fat and lye ( guess what is happening to the oils when @RowesRising soaks the pans in lye ). Most products you buy today, especially liquid ones are detergents that a re-labeled as soap (Dawn, Palmolive, Cascade, Etc.). Detergent is NOT the same as soap chemically or functionally. You can use small amounts, but it is slowly eating away the polymerized oils that are your nonstick seasoning. It is best to use hot water and a scrubber whenever possible, as that will preserve your finish longer, but using modern detergents are not harmful as long as you are mindful of what you are doing, use very little, avoid scented detergents that can leave trace flavors in your food, and re-season your pans more often. You could also buy actual soap (try homemade goat soap from a farmers market, its great for your hands too) and this will be much closer to what granny used. It will also wear at your seasoning but much slower that Dawn detergent or similar products. Hope this helps! Sincerely another 100 year old cast Iron heirloom user and maintainer.
When ours have ever gotten that way growing up we always just threw them on an outside fire and let it burn off and theen re-season it.
Today is the first day of fire season. I didn’t know that would get the carbon off. I wonder if my mom did that in our wood stove growing up? Things I wish I had a chance to ask her🥺
@@RowesRisingby
I use avacado oil for seasoning CI also and for most of my cooking too. To restore,, i use a power drill with an abrasive disc (do not use metal),, it works fast and ive even used that method to literally strip lodge texturing off so my surface is smooth. No harsh chemicals.
Thanks for sharing your tips!
That grime is good! It protects the pan, forms a better non-stick coating the thicker it is, and reduces leaching of iron into your food. Using dangerous chemicals negates the point of using a cast iron pan in the first place. The grime eventually firms a super tough non stick coating free of dangerous teflon.
lol no… the GRIME is NOT GOOD! 🤣
The SMOOTH non stick surface IS GOOD. The grime and buildup that is thick and hard and bumpy is NOT part of the “non stick desired effect.
Cooking on a thick bumpy and uneven “GRIME” is not NON STICK, and it’s DEFINITELY not going to allow the food you are cooking to cook EVENLY.
For this skillet, the removal of the GRIME was the right call.
But we all have our opinions.
⭐️Non stick surface… GOOD✅
⭐️Chunky bumpy burnt
buildup AKA “GRIME”…NOT GOOD 👎
@JessRaeEth precisely!
We use cast iron exclusively to cook unless it's a pot or casserole pan. I've never done a restoration but I take my pan when it's still hot, hit it with hot water, gently scrub out any food, which comes right off when the pan is still hot. Never use soap of any kind, immediately wipe the pan and hit it with cooking spray before it can flash rust, let it cool and put it away. 20 years and our pans still look brand new and I've never had to reseason them. I would like to try a rescue though, it sounds like fun.
Get a sand blaster from harbor freight and use glass beads to blast your pans and they’ll be perfect when you’re done.
Sweet tip!! Thanks!
Lye can create pinholes in pvc pipes. Especially if it was installed in the 1960's. Having PH test strips you can add first baking soda to bring it up a bit and then vinegar before putting it in a drain.
Thank you for clarifying. Our home was built in the 80’s and I poured it down the drain.
@@RowesRising My father learned this the hard way.... had to replace ALL the drain pipes from the sink he used out to the city pipes. Costly mistake.
Another reason to neutralize high or low PH is it affects both septic tanks and city water treatment. Those with septic tanks really do need to pay attention, it can kill the bugs that eat "stuff"
I used to work in a small lab, we learned to adjust acid or alkaline chemicals that otherwise would be non harmful.
Water is around 7, sorta in the middle. Lye would be 12 or higher alkaline, battery acid would be around 0. CAREFULLY adding SMALL amounts of either vinegar (mild acid)or ammonia (semi mild alkali) will bring it towards neutral. If you add too much at a time it will actively react and can splash, foam and make a mess, and possibly hurt you.
I hope you don't mind me offering un-asked-for-advice ie, kinda rude but it is good for folks to know.
Thank you for all of this great information!! Hope this helps others as well. 🌻🌻🌻
The Field Company guys did a scientific test on oils to season. They say grape seed oil is the best for polymerization.
I’ve heard flaxseed
here come the cork sniffers debating which oil is best. Its not rocked science guys, our ancestors figured out the best way to season and care for your cast iron is to just use it.
@@darrenc3439 I agree with you to a certain extent but our ancestors didn't have microscopes.
@@itmeurdad Microscopes were invented around 1600, cast iron began in the early 1700 and became a dominate form of cookware during the industrial revolution which began in earnest in the 1830 or so. Microscopes have been around 200 years longer than the common use of cast iron cookware. Maybe you grew up in the middle east where people still live in the dark ages, but my ancestors culture definitely had microscopes before the common use of cast iron cookware.
Thank you
So many videos with people destroying cast iron with power tools & fire.
I have a lye tank & an e-tank too.
The E tanks are so cool!! It takes a few days but the grime comes off so clean in an e tank. 😅
my grandmothers cast iron has over 150 years of what you call grime I call seasoning, cast iron is very porous and I have no desire to have lye sucked into the middle of the metal to eat later. more overkill, this was kinda interesting to watch but I'll do what Grandmother says
Thanks! Now i am gonna look for cast iron cookware in thrift stores.
Happy thrifting!
I don't know why, but I found this video oddly satisfying.
I also like avocado oil for seasoning, i have recently been using a crisbee stick for daily maintenance after using. I like the results so far. Beeswax palm oil and soybean oil i think. The larbee stick is good to, its lard and beeswax i think. Beautiful pans
i seasoned mine with bacon grease .. Grandma used Crisco
I like to use lard myself but I was trying to use something more common that everyone has. There are a few comments about polymerization and what fats do this best. I’m not an expert by any means.
We used lye to clean the oven grills/grids and conveyors in restaurants. Stuff does wonders on baked on food that's been on there for weeks/months.
It’s so much easier than elbow grease! So glad I tried it out. Definitely not afraid of it. 😅
It is totally unnecessary to use the caustic chemicals. Put the pans in a self-cleaning oven for about 2 hrs and all the baked on gunk will turn to ash, then you just wash the pan and proceed to season. I have 6 cast iron pots and pans and never had to use dangerous chemicals to clean one.
Lol. My question is why get rid of it anyway. I thought we wanted all that stuff on the pan .
Let’s use modern day caustic trash to strip decades of seasoning so I can hand these down to my kids lmfao . Femoid brain activated.
Why risk warping your pan?
Guess it slipped your mind that muriatic acid is used to help balance the pH in many commercial and private swimming pools. The next time your neighbors invite you over for a swim you might want to check and see what process they use to keep their pool bright & shiny. You’re welcome
This was her way. Remember that.
Those turned out really good. I love seasoning cast iron.
A 2 hour oven clean cycle works great without the harsh chemicals... I almost pulled my hair out watching you struggle with the lye.
I’m sure you did. Thanks for watching!!
Does a gas oven, like the OP is using, have an oven clean cycle?
Mixing lye into water will generate a ton of heat and fumes, do this in a place with great ventilation. Considering replacing a portion of your water with ice to keep it from getting too hot
Brilliant video, honestly.
Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!!
Thank you! For showing the lye and water portion...
Of course! Safety first! 🌻
What do you do for the rust treatment?
You do 1:1 vinegar bath being sure to have enough soliciting to submerge the pan. 20-40 minutes ONLY! Anymore can ruin and put your pan. Then rinse and scrub and if it needs more time put ut back in for a few more minutes and repeat.
@@RowesRising thank you! You made it look so easy.
Old school is so cool 🎉🎉❤❤
Easiest way is to put them in the bbq, full heat and leave it. All that ‘grime’ will turn into ash and are easily cleaned off.
It amazes me how mean and cruel people can be. She is helping us to take care of our cast iron pans! Thank you for sharing this video Mrs. Rowes, it has helped me very much. I appreciate you!
Thank you for watching Renaudio!!
Why a seed oil instead of animal fat?
Last time I used lard someone got mad about lineolic acid being unhealthy. Can’t win.
@@RowesRising Vegan/Veggies are wrong. LOL.
@toddgriffin3037 as a fellow meat eater I agree😂 So wrong! We raised pigs and I render lard from their fat. But you would be amazed how mad people get about that- heaven forbid I mention their slaughter. 👀
Linseed oil or grape seed oil have a higher smoke point than animal fat. For the initial seasoning one of those should be used, since it can be heated to a higher temperature, which makes for a better initial seasoning. After that yes, animal fat all the way.
Animal fat rots, remember that .
That worked really well.
I wish I could find cast iron that inexpensive where I live. Great video
I lucked out thrifting. About a year ago, I saw a old Dutch oven at a thrift store- I regret not buying for $25😅
Horrible way to do this.. DO NOT DO THIS!!!!! Chemicals are the worst thing you can expose cookware to.. DO NOT DO THIS!!!!!! If you can't touch it with your hands why would you cook your food with it..
Good video and reseasoning job. You almost wouldn't know it was the same pan you started with. You should clarify that pouring lye down the drain may be harmful to those who are on septic systems for waste disposal. As for some of the other comments, lye is safe to use with cast iron. It does not leave any residue, it washes right off when you rinse and wipe it dry.
Thank you for clarifying!!! Some folks just pour it in a corner of the yard vs down the drain. All that gunk. And yes folks can be really fearful of “chemicals”. I know I was and that’s why I tackled this project- to face my fear of using noxious chemicals for a task. I’m no longer afraid of lye. 😅
NEVER USE SOAP AND WATER TO CLEAN A CAST IRON SKILLET! Use a real copper or real stainless steel scouring pad (not the cheap plated pads) and some grease to scrub any stuck on foods loose in the pan and then use a couple paper towels to wipe out the inside of the skillet. Next add a little clean cooking oil (bacon grease preferred) to the skillet and wipe it out again with a clean paper towel to make sure the inside is clean. If the paper towel still has black on it repeat with new grease and wipe it again. Your frying pan is now clean, seasoned, and ready for storage or for cooking. Do not cook tomato dishes in your skillet, and if you cook food that doesn't stick to the pan still give it a light scratch with the pad and some grease and wipe it out and it is good to go again. You can wash the scouring pad (not the skillet), in hot soapy water then store it to clean your pan the next time. My granny taught me this in the 1950's and it has worked for me for going on 75 years. I've got 2 of grandma's skillets I still use I'll bet are more than 100 years old and they have never been washed with soap and water, ever. Just scrubbed with a scouring pad and grease and wiped clean. Any germs that may live on the grease in the pan dies once the temperature of the pan rises above 160 degrees if you are a germophobe. If you clean your skillet this way it will always be seasoned perfectly. Also "smoke point" of the grease is a moot point because who just heats up a dry pan? Bacon grease works just fine to season the skillet. If you plan to cook with high heat add olive, coconut, or avocado oil to the pan before heating it.
I must say I've gained a broader perspective on how to clean and season old cast iron. Since I have acquired several pieces from family that I didn't know they had. These pieces, were in definite need of a lye bath. easy off was not going to do it. I'm doing research on these pieces. most are Griswold from what I've found. I hope to use them in the future. Thank you much!!
@Dave-mf5fv Griswold was a top shelf high end quality line of ironwares. Plz never use abrasive tools or SCO/fire cleaning on these valuable items. U could potentially damage them. If ppl don't value their cast iron or intend to start a family heirloom then they have the right to risk damage to their pieces. So many ppl have unknowingly destroyed a $100, $200 and even $500 item by lack of knowledge and carelessness.
Electrolysis tank is another cool alternative that I have seen videos on but haven’t tried yet. It removes the gunk really well without any damage to the cast iron.
@COOKIE-2u Thank you for heads up on abrasives on cast iron. As coworker said to me, just use a grinder! I thought, no, that's not a proper way to clean cast iron
@Dave-mf5fv dudes. Haha. 🤣
@@RowesRising lol Right. Can u imagine ur hubby using a grinder on ur MIL's SBL Griswold to restore it😮?? I did watch again and saw ur hubs mom's pan looked to be a small block logo Griswold. Good quality iron. They made other lower budget lines too like Iron Mountain that was sold at Sears but the quality is Exactly the same. I love IM line too. The handle is what I really like. Ur off to a great start with family heirlooms. I never removed the inside seasonings from my heirlooms and being the eldest I'll get my mother's cast iron too especially bcz I learned at early age to cook in it. Had to cook for my younger siblings. U probably did the same if ur the eldest.
For all the comments about using a fire, that's hit or miss. I have Griswold's that go back to the 19th century, many handed down through family, but doing pre-1840 Rendezvous, I also pickup Griswold's people are selling. A really rusty one (no pitting), a fire won't do a thing and won't always get buildup. It already needs to be reseasoned, so I do it the easy way - A circular wire brush attachment for my drill. Pull the trigger and it strips the thickest rust right off with no harm done to the CI. It's more hands on and uses more of your time than dropping it into water for days at a time, but if you lack the patience to wait, you can do it all in the same day.
If you have a self cleaning oven toss them in and run it through a clean cycle and they are clean and ready to season, no dangerous chemicals no toxic waste to dispose of. It looks like she looked for the longest ,hardest , most inconvenient way to get the job done.
Accidentally “cleaned” my two prized cast iron skillets that way… it works great! I almost cried when I realized my skillets were in there, and there was no way to stop it. It took some time to reseason, but great lesson learned.
I have sanded them down to bare metal to where it is shiny on several occasions with different pans. I recommend it actually because you can get a really really smooth surface to start with, then you season! It is amazing the difference. If you buy a brand new lodge cast iron you almost HAVE to because they are so rough!
Yes the new lodge cast iron is so rough! I agree. I have a few lodge ones I don’t often reach for because of this. They need a good sanding😅
@@RowesRisingI used a wire wheel on a drill to get off the vast majority of the seasoning that was factory applied. It is pretty thick. Then went to sand paper first course then fine. Once it was glass smooth I cleaned well and heated it to dry. Then I started the seasoning process. It takes a good bit of time but it is Soooo worth it!
I've been looking for a method to clean my Le Creuset pan and this looks like it. Thanks.
Enjoy the process!!