r/castiron Jun 24 '19

The /r/castiron FAQ - Start Here (FAQ - Summer 2019)

998 Upvotes

This is a repost of the FAQ. Since reddit archives posts older than 6 months, there's no way for users to comment on the FAQ any longer. We'll try to repost the FAQ every 6 months or so to continue any discussion if there is any. As always, this is a living document and can/should be updated with new information, so let us know if you see anything you disagree with! Original FAQ post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/5rhq9n/the_rcastiron_faq_start_here/


We've been working on a new FAQ for /r/castiron that can be updated as the existing one is no longer maintained. Please let us know if you have any additional questions that you'd like to see addressed here


What's Wrong with my Seasoning


How to clean and care for your cast iron


How to Strip and Restore Cast Iron


/u/_Silent_Bob_'s Seasoning Process


How to ask for Cast Iron Identification


Did I Ruin/Is This Ruined?


Enameled Cast Iron Care and Cleaning

The rest of the FAQ is fairly bare iron specific so /u/fuzzyfractal42 wrote a nice primer on enameled cast iron


We'll be making this a sticky at the top of the subreddit and will continue to add onto it as required!


r/castiron 8h ago

Newbie Is this a good deal?

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91 Upvotes

Found this at Costco, wondering if it's actually a deal


r/castiron 37m ago

Food Just use it

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Upvotes

r/castiron 9h ago

Corn bread in the Gris

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77 Upvotes

Made a pot of nice three sister's soup this weekend, roasted poblanos, fresh corn off the cob, black beans, and a roasted cherry tomato sauce. Figured it deserves some corn bread to go with it!


r/castiron 8h ago

Fancy handle #8

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35 Upvotes

I found this 1800s single pour spout, fancy handle skillet for $25 at my local antique store. Its in great condition for its age. Only markings are the VIII on the bottom of the handle, which im guessing is the size since its about 10" across the top.

It has the slightest tick on my glass top, which is really surprising given the gate mark and no heat ring. The cooking surface looks really smooth, with just that one pock mark.

Im really excited to clean it up and reseason it. Its my first skillet with this handle style. I like the rolled lip and its amazingly light!


r/castiron 5h ago

Made some chicken breast

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18 Upvotes

Seared on the stove top, then oven @400. Came out great. Would like a tad bit juicier. Maybe pull them sooner and let rest.


r/castiron 16h ago

Newbie Made fondant potatoes in cast iron for the first time.

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130 Upvotes

I’ve had this cast iron pan for years and have only used it for meat dishes. I decided to try a potato dish in it. Game changer.


r/castiron 2h ago

Looking for Smart pan information

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4 Upvotes

I really didn’t need another number 8 pan but this one was under $15, Canadian, and in pretty good shape.

Is there a way to find out the approximate age of this pan?


r/castiron 21h ago

Cast irons unsung hero. If you dont have one of these, youre working way harder than you need to.

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156 Upvotes

r/castiron 9h ago

Food putting all 3 to work last night

14 Upvotes
as usual, i made too much for the ratatouille so i did the stew kind and the sliced kind

r/castiron 2h ago

We see lots of pretty or post-cleanup cast iron. What does your daily driver look like?

3 Upvotes

What does your daily driver look like?


r/castiron 45m ago

My lucky Thrift

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Upvotes

Still need to lead test, worth the gamble?


r/castiron 1d ago

Humor Best $1 ever spent.

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160 Upvotes

I feel like I wouldn’t be too far off by saying that many in this sub share a common interest in having a sort of DIY style attitude with a certain amount of frugality running alongside it.

That would describe me anyway.

Which is why when I began replacing more and more of my cookware with cast iron I found myself having a hard time finding something suitable for dealing with the heat transfer cast iron presents.

Sure, there are cookie cutter solutions for this. Everything from silicone to custom made handle covers all made from the finest fire resistant materials known to man.

At a premium of course.

Which is why I present to you the best solution I’ve come up with which will cost you a grand total of $1 and five minutes of your time.

Go to your local dollar store and by yourself one of their basic oven mitts. Wrap it around your largest handle, poke a couple of pins through it to hold the form, and run a few stitches through the seam with a needle and thread.

Easy peasy no more burnsy.

I made sure to position the seam on the one I made to show off my sewing skills for anyone interested.


r/castiron 5h ago

Identification Help

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5 Upvotes

Hi all. Does anybody know who made this flat griddle? Diameter is about 9".

Also, any suggestions on what I can make with it?


r/castiron 11m ago

Fair price

Upvotes

“Could anyone give me an idea of a fair price for a Wagner Ware Sidney -O- 1109E round griddle?”


r/castiron 9h ago

Handle repair, can't wait for next 30 years!

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4 Upvotes

Repaired an old friend! Lucky me, the old handle mounts had rotted out after decades, so a couple of months ago I got a cheapo MIG welder and YOLO new handle with a pretty interesting, cheap and practical design.

A n00b, I “welded” 20x20x2 mm square tubing from hardware store right on top of the cleaned up old handle metal. Grinded the weld smooth.

Then I drilled four large holes at the root to create a heat break. For better heat dissipation i cut long wide slot on the bottom, from hole almost to the end of the handle. Added two more holes at the end for looks and handling.

Can confirm, it works GREAT! I can absolutely handle it with my bare hand!


r/castiron 1d ago

Food Peach cobbler.

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220 Upvotes

No need for words, the peach cobbler speaks for itself. What other desserts can I make in this?


r/castiron 3h ago

How to deal with light rust to pan?

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1 Upvotes

Working on recovering an old pan I found at my father-in-laws. It was sitting outside for who knows how long and had pretty significant rusting on the inside. After scraping the pan with steel wool and vinegar for a while I’ve gotten to this point where there are clearly a few spots with a bit of damage on cooking surface. Will this be noticeable after a good layer of seasoning is down or should I keep working on it? They each have a clear rough texture on and otherwise pretty smooth surface.

I got all my other pans new so I haven’t dealt with this before.


r/castiron 4h ago

What’s next?

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0 Upvotes

Step 1. 10 days with yellow cap over cleaner in aplastic bag.

Step 2…

What do I do now?


r/castiron 17h ago

Buy or no buy?

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8 Upvotes

I absolutely do not need it but my local thrift store so rarely prices cast iron reasonably that I kind of want to grab it. But…the bottom is definitely a bit rounded and thin, so I definitely should not get it, right?


r/castiron 1d ago

Banana Bread Baked in a Cast Iron Loaf Pan

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47 Upvotes

r/castiron 3h ago

Next steps?

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0 Upvotes

Grabbed this lodge at a thrift store. Should I just cook on it as is? Or is it worth doing some work to it. Thoughts?


r/castiron 23h ago

Just a clean or restore?

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14 Upvotes

I picked up this number 28 whole wheat stick pan from an estate sale not long ago for $35. Originally I bought it as a kind of memento of the person who died who I happened to know. But now I am thinking about using it to bake cornbread with.

How would you recommend proceeding with a pan like this?

Should I completely strip it and reseason or do you reckon a good scrub would do?


r/castiron 5h ago

Salvageable?

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0 Upvotes

Is this salvageable in any way? I assume I could use without handle on a grill (or even in the oven). But a little bummed the handle broke off.


r/castiron 1d ago

Maple Pecan Knots in my 12-inch Skillet

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68 Upvotes

There was a post recently talking about uses for larger skillets. People were saying how great it is to use one like a griddle and make your breakfast in it, like the eggs and bacon cooking together, which is so intriguing to me, but I keep finding that this size comes in so handy for baking!

Also these maple pecan knots are my first time making knots and they were surprisingly easy to assemble! Happy to share the recipe if anybody wants it.