So I have a very old (from great great grandmother) cast iron skillet that was passed down to me.

I know that my grandmother never cleaned and reasoned it. I use it several times a week, which led my wife to try it. Unfortunately, she decided to scrub and then put it in the dishwasher. Ruined.

I scrubbed, then Oven Cleaner soak. Came out fairly well, except for stuff on the bottom so thick that it can't be scraped off. Baked it at 200, then rubbed Veggie Oil on it, then rubbed off lightly. Cooked at 500 for an hour, smoked out the house, and then let cool for two. I repeated after this. Then moved to the grill outside after the wife got back.

It now is ashy and grey, not slick or shiny. What did I mess up? Food gets an ash on it now.

You burned out all the oil... Try again at 350 degrees.

from what I read, the goal was to get the oil PAST the smoke point

All the old oil is is burned ash thats on the pan, you need to wash and scrub that off. After that reseason at 350 or so.

I'll try it tomorrow evening. Thanks.

Just fry up something greasy. After you're done, wipe out the pan, leaving some grease. Repeat.

Everytime you use it oil it. Wash only with scrubby and hot water. Try to wash directly after cooking if possible as the water will evaporate quickly, wipe with lightly oiled paper towel. My wife will try to dry it by placing it on the burner and walk away. After she burns off all the seasoning she wonders why it wont cook an egg well.

DO NOT wash directly after cooking unless you want to have a cracked skillet.  Ask me how I know

They'll do that on the grill if you get them too hot, too. I did get kind of carried away burning off the old seasoning, though.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1645356_The_Skillet_O__Truth___Live_Blog.html



20

game. thanks.

Here's how I do mine, and I have two skillets that've been in the family over 100 years!

Bacon or crisco type grease is best, followed by spray on oil!


When done using, rinse in hottest tap water, with a light scrubby side of sponge gently  "wipe down"!

Finally give it another rinse and all food particles should be gone by now! If not put about 1/4 inch of water and put on stove, on high until it starts to simmer. Using a serving spoon, or wooden, or similar. Scrape lightly any residue. Immediately dump and rinse in hot water.

Now put on high heat and wipe any residual water or moisture away. When dry, but still over high heat. Add some grease! It can be bacon, spray on oil, or vegetable oil. Using paper towel, rub around entire pan working it into everything, including underside!

Leave on high heat but continue rubbing in the grease until it gets to the smoking point!

Transfer to preheated 400f oven. Turn off heat and leave cast iron for a few hours.

When nearly cool transfer to its normal storage!



Never ever

Soak in water! Run in dishwasher, or store near sink faucet!
Nor Scour, or scrub with abrasive media...




If you need to remove rust or other deformity

1 part oil to one part salt! Scrubbed around with paper towel until scaling is gone! Then simply re season as above!

This has worked for me for many years now.



ETA:

If there is ever a screw up, and the nonstick seasoning has been worn down! Just clean it, and cook a few batches of bacon! Then season as above, and that will start the restoration process!

There is an incredible amount of horsepuckey that surrounds the care of cast iron cookware.

I cook almost exclusively on cast iron.  It's been so long that I don't even remember how we initially seasoned it (20+ years for some pans), but all we do is cook in it, let it cool, wash it (with dish soap, mind you ), wipe it dry, warm it up on a stove burner to evaporate any remaining moisture, the wipe/buff with a paper towel with a dab of Crisco on it.  It works, and has for years and years.

For those who think a quick dunk & scrub with detergent is going to remove a years-old layer of carbonized oil and fat... I wanna buy some of that soap. Kinda funny how some who will advise stripping a pan for re-seasoning by soaking in hydrochloric acid, placing in a smelting furnace for three days, then belt-sanding off the remaining crust will next suggest not storing the pan in the same room with a bottle of dish soap for fear the seasoning will slump from the pan and fall to the floor in a wasted, blackened mass.

Flame on, boys.

I kind of felt that way about mine. It hasn't been seasoned in 50+ years for sure. It was PERFECT. One run through the dishwasher left it dry and a little rusty. Apparently dishwashers actually do a pretty good job.

I believe that.  Modern dishwashers get pretty hot, and it probably is a pretty good combo of heat, soap, soaking and agitation for stripping seasoning from a pan.  I have never had a problem with a quick dunk in the sink and a light scrubbing with one of those green plastic scrubbie pads, though.

One of the reasons I like cast iron is that I don't have to baby it.  I like metal cooking utensils, which are generally a no-go for any kind of non-stick cookware.  And I've got a huge cast-iron skillet that just sits out on the deck all year that I use to cook fajitas (the smoke from all those peppers sizzling at high temps makes my wife look like this-> ).  It doesn't even rust, sitting out there 365 days a year.  When I get ready to use it, I just hose it off, wipe it down, and toss it on a blazing hot grill.

Damn now I'm hungry for fajitas.

Well, first off, let's get rid of the bullshit in the thread.  

Probably already well dealt with by now.  But ruined???  Is it cracked, warped or in pieces?  If not, "ruined" is bullshit.

No Offense.

Ok, now that you're in the proper frame of mind, do what has already been suggested in this thread and reseason your cast iron and go to town.  Might I suggest bacon?  Unless you have some sort of fetish against bacon; in that case, I highly recommend bacon.  

Good luck!

OK I saw this thread a few days ago and didn't have time to respond then..  This is what I do and it has worked for many many years as it was passed down from my grandmother to my father to me..  With the same skillet..

Once you have it clean and rust free,  use a fire source outside.. Coals,  fire,  propane turkey fryer works too.  Use some lard,  Crisco,  and smear a reasonable amount on all the surfaces you want to season.  Set that sucker on the hottest part of the fire.  Wait until it starts to smoke,  then pour off excess if its there.. Once that is done use some bacon grease and repeat those same steps above.

Once complete,  an egg will slide around in it,  like those green pans on TV..  No shit..  Once finished,  a slight heat and some olive oil on exposed surfaces will keep it nice and tidy..

Anyway a friend of mine kept telling me how skillet would rust at the drop of a hat if he forgot to oil it after cooking. This went on for a few weeks until I was at his house and saw his cleaning method.   He used rock salt as the abrasive..  Cast iron/salt=iron oxide.. I still give him hell..

No fucking shit. Here, on arfcom, seasoning of cast iron has taken on the aura of voodoo.

 

Unfortunately I've been on a health kick lately so no greasy shit gets cooked in my house. I don't even have a real egg, just cartons of egg whites. seriously.

I am going to buy crisco and trying this tomorrow.

Few things are healthier than eggs and bacon, despite what you may have heard.

300 for an hour with a neutral tasting oil.