Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire How to season a cast iron skillet?

the same way you would season the bore of a match grade rifle barrel

Lead and gun powder? Rem oil? Hoppes?

You do what you want Geno! Free country.


This cast iron debate strikes me kind of like a person who buys a new motorcycle.

Naturally you want to take care of it, but eventually its going to get dirty.


You can polish your motorcycle all day long....or you could ride the damn thing!

Not that we could tell Geno.

Those seeds are pretty well impossible to get to until you thresh it out.


Good armor too. See deer running along like jerks......they slow right down when the enter a field of safflower.


Most times they turn around.

Correct.

Isn't the polymerized oil comprised of long chain hydrocarbons? Shouldn't that count as a carbon buildup?

I just use a little kosher salt and a paper towel on a warmed up piece of CI and wipe around. That takes off any gunk. Let cool and wipe into trash.

The griddle I used last night to sear some left over prime rib for the beef, cheddar and onion melt sandwiches last night.

What brand of griddle is that, and did you grind it smooth or was it that way out of the box?

This guy is fun to watch - and IMHO, knows his stuff:

Lodge. Nope just washed it with soap and hot water out of the box about 10 years ago and started using it. Hasn't touched water since.

FatCity67,

Believe it or NOT, my grandmother had her mother's deep/16 inch skillet (It came to TX from MS in 1896, by oxcart..) & it has NEVER been washed since my G-Grandmother received it for a wedding present at Christmas of 1894. She passed it on in 1917 to my grandmother. = Wiped out, "swirled with grease", heated to near "smoking" & stored away, after each use.
(My kid sister now "has custody of" the skillet until my 28YY niece gets custody of it & then, in turn passes it on to another generation of ladies in our family.)

yours, tex

Very cool

I have the same griddle and have been smoothing it a little at a time with this disk.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Avanti-...Quick-Strip-Disc-PNW040100D01G/202830913

Got the idea from one of the cast iron guys on YouTube. No danger of harming the surface after using it a few times and there's a noticeable difference on the surface performance.

Check this guy out.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=culinary+fanatic+cast+iron+seasoning

To All,

I really "started something", when I said that I would share my husband's "antique recipe" for Mississippi-style CORNBREAD.

As of 110PM CST today, 14 people have asked for/received the recipe.

Sincerely, DarlaG

Why don't you just post it in the food forum?

Late addition to the thread. It works but buy a jug of elbow grease. Easy to control.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGLV7fd0-fQ&t=109s

Thanks for the dispensation Jim,

I just didn't want to go to CI hell for violating some commandment about the orientation of my skillet in the oven.

Now that you mentioned it, I kinda remember them dang safflower plants, they were a bit prickly.

Geno

Thanks. It looked smoother than the Lodges I’ve seen but those were probably all recent production.

Addenda to post # 13481231:

"The family cast iron skillet" likely cost about 15 cents in 1894 from (likely) the Sears & Roebuck's catalog.

Money, in 2019, won't buy it.

Note: I usually hunt for antique cast iron kitchen pieces at Salvation Army & Goodwill stores, as well as at estate & garage sales. = MANY over a century-old & "better than new" cast iron, pots, skillets, griddles, muffin pans, etc. can be found in those places, often for less than 10 dollars each, by the way.
(My latest "iron treasure" is a 3 gallon stew-pot with lid. - It has 3 two-inch long feet on the bottom for cooking in a fireplace or campfire & likely is PRE-Civil War, from the company's marking on the bottom. - The price was 5 dollars cash, from a garage sale in Bandera, TX.)

Sincerely, DarlaG

Hah!

I have two, so there.



This morning's pancakes, non-stick version. Paper towel with a bit of butter rubbed on griddle between cakes and I have no issues. The one on the left is probably 15 (?) years old, the one on the right has more of a curved handle and I think is about 10. They're still a bit rough, as I haven't gotten after them with the disc yet. No real need mostly, just a preference to have them smoother.

I still cannot understand why, in this day and age, these things are sent through a machine grinder for a few minutes. Cost of set up might be a drag on the profit margin for Lodge, but finished product would not require gyrations by the consumer to get a finish like granma's skillet. Charge me and extra $1 or two.

Geno

PS, no seasoning was harmed in the making of these pictures.