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

You da man Geno.

Yeah the rough surface has never bothered me, most of it has been filled in. I have two of my Great Grandmothers CI skillets stashed somewhere that are smooth. Been meaning to pull them out and use them

ironbender,

I would have been "smarter" to have done that, I realize now. - I still may do that.

For what it's worth, I "collect & squirrel away" ANTIQUE family recipes of the 19th & earlier centuries. - IF any member wants to share, I would love to receive a copy, with any family "knowledge" of when/where the recipe(s) came into the family.

Sincerely, DarlaG

Our family skillet. Story I recall from my mother (born +/- 1930) was that this was either her mother's or more likely her grandmother's skillet. Mom would wash it on occasion with some soap (she was that way, germs were BAD), but mostly it was just rinsed out and dried on the stove. The sides have a nice crust of burnt dripping on them, the bottom somewhat also.

I had possession of it for a few years after mom went in the Alzheimer's facility, but, since I have no children to pass it on to, I passed it on to my sister to give to one of hers. They use it frequently still. Not bad for something well over a century old.







Next trip over the hill in the spring, when the farmers' market starts back up, I need to get to one of the shops over there that has a lot of older stuff. Need a Dutch oven. Besides the two griddles, I have a newer (rough) Lodge skillet with a lid I found at a friend's place when he lived in MT. No idea what brand, or when that one started its existence, most importantly it fit my skillet perfectly!

Geno

Wanna sell one?

Geno

PS, yeah, I think over time the "polymerization" thing tends to fill in some (most?) of the roughness. Mine aren't too bad now. And getting better with every pancake, grilled cheese sammi, and quesadilla!

They are just the hard working common Wagners nothing worth much. All sentimental because Grandma had them and then I got them by default as no one cared but me.

NICE!

Seems even the Wagners are going up in price all the time. The internet has done that, like it has with firearms on Gunbroker.

I'd likely tell you to keep them and give them to one of them children in your life. Sentimentality means bunches to an old fool like me.

Geno

Bear fat works well too.

Thats the plan. Daughters have already placed first right of refusal claims on them.

TO ALL,

To save my fingers, Tex's family antique, Mississippi-style, cornbread recipe is now in the FOODS section of the forum.

It is our hope that everyone who tries it, enjoys it with their family, as much as we do.

Sincerely, DarlaG & Tex

People tend to over think some things. This is one of them.

sweet lookin pan

To All,

My husband had Lion's Club this evening in North San Antonio & came home to tell me about a "real treasure" that one of the club's members, (an 88YO widower,) is giving me. - his G-G-G-Great Aunt's favorite cast iron skillet that she brought to South Texas in about 1830 when she & her husband were new emigrants from KY.
(Mr. Thomas has no females in the family, who have any interest in the skillet at all, & offered it to us because he knows that we "like really old stuff" & he has no interest in selling items that his late wife used.)

Like most skillets of that early era, this one is "footed" for use in the coals. = In those long ago frontier Texas days, because of a well-founded fear of fire, most cooking was done out of doors & often in a separate building or shelter. - In Texas, due to the relative mild climate, many family meals each year were eaten at plank tables with benches, "out of doors, under the trees".
(
Note: The HOT Texas Summers were the primary reason that most of our oldest frontier homes were "dogtrot houses", which was a house with 2/3/4 rooms on each side of an "open at both ends passageway", which was called a "dogtrot'".
In clement weather, adults & children slept IN the dogtrot or on the wide/shady covered porches.

Sincerely, DarlaG

This thread shows that there are lots of ways to season CI and few of them are wrong.

ironbender,

NICE COLLECTION, imo.

yours, tex

I have a few. Wagner and no-name hand me downs of moms but mostly Lodge.




Got these two for Christmas.....the oval serving dish makes a great bachelor sized casserole.



I also have an old wagner chicken fryer out in the garage that a friend gave me.
It's in pretty rough shape but it's coming around.

I know it's popular among the CI snobs to hate on Lodge but I get along just fine with Lard, Lodge, hot water, and a good stiff cleaning brush.



IMO.....using the dam things is far more important than "seasoning" procedures.

PS....eggs fight to get in line to get cooked in that 8" carbon steel pan.

Antique shops are great places to buy cast iron cookware

I hope you got some 2x6 joists in the ceiling of that trailer? haha

Just use it.

Settle down slumlady. Trailer has a short run of 2x4 in the double wide. Got a blue tarp over it though. New one each year, so no leaks!