[Locutus]

440 F: Peanut Oil†
: Sunflower Oil†
450 F: Corn Oil, Refined
: High-Oleic Sunflower Oil,
Refined
: Peanut Oil, Refined
(Good Eats)
: Safflower Oil, Ref.
(Good Eats)
: Sesame Oil, Semi-Refined
: Soy Oil, Refined
: Sunflower Oil, Semi-Refined
460 F: Olive Pomace Oil**
468 F: Olive Oil, Extra Light*
485 F: Grapeseed Oil**
495 F: Soy Bean Oil?
500's
510 F: Safflower Oil†
520 F: Avocado Oil, Refined

 

[Locutus]

i use avocado oil for seasoning only. I cook in bacon grease mostly.I will use EVOO in certain situations. i save it all. if you run it thru a coffee filter a few times to get out all the debris, it won't need refrigeration

FYI when you get rust again use a brillo pad and water to remove. hand dry and put in a 500 degree oven to dry completely. the heat will open any pores in the pan. Remove and coat with oil and put it back in for an hour. after an hour shut off the oven, leaving the pan in till its cool [the oven]

 

[Locutus]

1) Made of Iron. This thing is sturdy. You can drop it and it won’t be damaged. You don’t have to worry about scratching it or discoloring it (it’s black already you see). It’s possible that it can rust, but you can easily clean it. Cast iron skillets will take any and all abuse and still last forever. In fact, your skillet will probably outlast even you.

2) It Can Take The Heat. Most cookware comes with heat warnings. Even most stainless steel cookware isn’t supposed to go over 450/500 degrees in an oven. Cast iron? I mean… yea… eventually it’ll melt. But seriously you can cook on an open campfire with this thing. Try that with a nonstick pan. Oh wait. Don’t. I don’t want any lawsuits.

3) It’s Nonstick. Speaking of nonstick, cast iron skillets are nonstick if you season them correctly. Season your skillet by wiping it down with a thin layer of canola oil and then baking it in a 250 degree oven for about 90 minutes. Let it cool and wipe it down and this will be as good as any nonstick pan out there. Go ahead. Try a fried egg on it.

4) It’s a Grill. For us city folk, having a yard is not always an option. But because you can get a cast iron skillet really hot, it can effectively be used as a grill. For example, I cooked this steak in my cast iron and it was just as good as if it’d been cooked on a grill. Perfectly medium rare with a really nice crust.

5) It’s Economical. I think some people are actually turned off by cast iron because they think it’s cheap as in low quality. But the reality is that they just happen to be cheap to make which makes them economical, but not cheap. If you pay more than $40 for one, you are getting super-screwed. Not to mention that a lot of people sell perfectly good cast iron skillets at yard sales just because they don’t know how to season them.

6) It’s Versatile. You can make hundreds of completely delicious things in this one pan. For starters, you can make the best biscuits and gravy. You can make really good french toast. You can brown chicken in it for a salad. You can even fry in it (donuts). I’d guess I’ve easily used it for a few dozen recipes on Macheesmo.

7) Save on Soap. Once your skillet is seasoned, it actually hurts it to wash it with soap. The soap will break up the tiny oil molecules that are embedded on the pan and make it not-so-nonstick. It’s also possible that the next thing you cook it will have a slightly soapy taste to it! So save on the soap. If you need to scrub your cast iron pan, use salt!

8) It’s Vitamin Rich. This is a stretch, but since it’s made out of iron, a little bit of mineral iron does get transferred over during cooking.

9) Heat Distribution. This is maybe one of the most important reasons you should own one of these guys. People spends thousands on pots that evenly distribute heat. A cook’s nightmare is a pan with a really bad hot spot on it so half of your food is burned and the other half raw. Cast iron does such an amazing job of evenly distributing heat that you’ll never have this problem.

10) It’s Sexy. Call me crazy but I find these things kinda hot. There’s something rustic about them. Like a guy with a great beard. When you see someone working with a big heavy pan, it’s a turn on. Or at least… that’s

 

[Locutus]

Put it in a self cleaning oven for a good cleaning

 

[Locutus]

what is the big one in the fire? Who made it and what size? looks like a 12 or 13

 

[Locutus]

Some CI i have found at flea markets and yard sales

Here are some more i just finished

#11 unmarked Griswold NES Pan

Made before 1920

Before





After





#8 Griswold Sm. Logo
Very minor wobble, pitting on cook surface at 2 oclock
Made between 1939 and 1957
Before



After







#2 Wapak Scotch Bowl Slight wobble and minor pitting inside

made between 1903 and 1910

Before





After

 

[Locutus]

I agree. I love CI as it looks good, will not break and can go from stove to oven to table
See my above comment about thrift shops. You dont need to spend alot.

Here are my users



#6 #7 #8 Chicken fryer unmarked Wagners from the 60s

2 skillets were $10 for both at a flea market. The chicken fryer was bpought with another pan at a flea market. Both for $45. The other pan is worth about $250

#5 Wagner from the 50s..... $2 yard sale
#5 BSR from the 50s $6 yard sale
#4 Unmarked, believe its a Wagner...... free with other yard sale purchase
#8 with hammered sides, believe its a CHF from the 20s-30s.....$8 flea market
#10 Lodge very new model....... yard sale for $5
#8 Sidney Griddle from 1897-1903..... craigs list $15
#10 Favorite Piqua Smiley from 1916-1935.......craigs list $20

Also have a #8 Dutch Oven by BSR made in the 40's. Paid $20 off Craigs list

I use the griddles for pizza

I also have about 20 pieces that are collectable and are on eBay or about to be listed.
If anyone is interested in seeing those, let me know

As yp can see, you don't need to spend a lot of money for quality cookware

 

[Locutus]

Bacon is always a tough one for me. I've pretty much just started cooking it in the oven on parchment paper in a cookie pan. I'm too impatient when cooking it on the stove. If I cook it nice and slow I don't overheat the grease on the bottom of the pan and it stays nice and slick. If I cook it fast enough to not lose my mind I end up with overheated sticky grease adhered to the bottom of the pan which means I have to clean the pan before I can cook eggs in it without it sticking. Pretty much negates the benefit of using only one pan.

FYI
Any pan that is hot enough to cook bacon, is too hot to cook eggs. That's why they stick. Either let it cool with the heat at 3-4 or use 2 pans.

 

[Locutus]

i can only cook over charcoal.

FIFY :wink2:

Best comment I've read/heard all week

 

[Locutus]

Fired up the charcoal weber and did a massive 44 ounce bone in ribeye and some fresh sweet corn that came out of the field this morning!

.

 

[Locutus]

These are not my words. they were taken from a CI site i frequent. These are the words of a guy that's been cooking/collecting CI for 65 years


Although this whole thing may only be 5 mm thick including the iron, this is how I picture a cross section of the seasoning on my well seasoned iron.



I think the pic portrays a surface that is as non-stick as possible with natural seasoning and that is built with cooking over time - from the top down. Just like the earth. The leaves on top (slippery when wet) of last years leaves which are turning to dirt. Then dirt to clay & on to stone or coal with pressure and heat.

The top layer is fragile. This can be seen when one washes an enameled skillet after use and the surface is then clean. A little dishwashing soap is normally all one needs to remove the polymerized oils and get it clean.

Now imagine how hard it will be to build seasoning if every time you use a pan that you remove that layer of polymerized oil or fat with dish washing soap or serious scrubbing even with just hot water.

In the days of cast iron stoves the skillet was not washed after every use. No wonder the seasoning built up so thick, strong and non-stick. Want to build seasoning? Use it, wipe it out and leave it on the stove. The old fashion way without silicone in your cooking spray.

 

[Locutus]

If that griddle is a 911 pattern #, its worth north of $150. Also what size is that skillet? #12? depending on the maker, same price

also that real small one is an ashtray. before you put food in it, you should do a lead test

 

[Locutus]

****! that 14 is worth north of $200. the ashtray is a BSR? correct?

 

[Locutus]

Got this at an estate sale today

 

[Locutus]

its enormous!!!

each paddle is 4 5/8" x 8"

the base is 11 x 11 5/8"

 

[Locutus]

.

 

[Locutus]

Wow, those turned out very nice, good job Sir .

How did you strip/clean them and what oil did you use for the coating ?

Are you putting them in your personal collection or selling them ?

Thank You.

I put them in a lye bath for 2 days. Then a 50/50 vinegar/water soak to loosen rust. I used Crisco for 60 mins at 500deg. I am selling it. I have a round waffle iron for personal use. This thing would mar my stove and would have to be heated/reheated in the oven, as i have electric.

 

[Locutus]

Just picked up 2 more waffle irons

 

[Locutus]

I got pie hungry last night about 9 went in the kitchen and absolutely threw a little peach pie together maybe took 15 minutes plus cooking time and bam! Cast Iron Cooking 4th of July Cover! My wife had last year I got this year not bad out of a group close to 250k

that's you? i saw that its awesome

 

[Locutus]

I have a lot of CI on eBay. locutusofborg is my ID if link does not work

https://www.ebay.com/sch/locutusofborg/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=