Quote:
Originally Posted by Botnst
Clean off the rust. Start a fire in the fireplace. When you’re down to coals stick it in. All carbon will oxidize, inside and out. When the coals go out and the pan cools then wash it, dry it, and wipe the inside with your favorite cooking oil. Bacon grease is good.
Put it on the stove and let it heat until it just starts a little smoke then put it on the oven to cool.
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I have a number of pans that cannot be seasoned, because prior owners used this method...the seasoning techniques are useless once the pan is too hot. I learned this the hard way by putting one in the oven and setting it on the cleaning cycle. I ended up ruining a nice hammered #9.
As far as seasoning goes, basic flax seed oil will do fine in creating a good seasoned coat.
Clean the pan after cooking when hot...water and nothing stronger than a plastic pot scrubber. If you have stuck on food, simmer some water in the bottom and repeat the cleaning with water and plastic scrubber. After it's cleaned, wipe dry and place on a burner to heat back up. Olive oil, Crisco (or off brand) or olive oil are great to wipe on...just make sure it's a thin coating and not heavy. Wipe again...and again. Once cooled, wipe one more time.
When storing the CI pans, I use Dollar Store wooden spoons in between pans if stacking to allow air to circulate, keeping the seasoned coating from going sour.
I have a National branded pan, it's dated to pre-1924, that is my daily driver...thin walls, perfect seasoning, extremely non-stick, and lightweight. I fry eggs in it nearly every morning. A newer Lodge, 12", is used quite often for meats, hash, fried taters, etc. It's not a smooth pan, since it's modern, but the seasoning has built up enough to be smooth now. It's also a great pan for eggs, as it's also non-stick now.
I taught my wife how to use my Wagner Dutch Oven for roasts. I can make the toughest cuts of meat super tender. She's all but tossed out her Crockpot now, choosing to use the CI DO.
My collection of CI, the pans and pots I either hold dear, or know the value is high enough to NOT sell cheap, is nearly 65 pans big. Some are used often, while others are set up on a large set of shelving in the kitchen, on display. The wife has about 100 CI trivets, mostly from Wagner or Wilton, that are hung in the kitchen along the walls.
I've got a number of broken CI pans, and pans that cannot take a seasoning due to high heat damage. I've slowly come to the realization that they are junk...or material to make other things with. I've made a number of them into clocks, with one now hanging in a restaurant in PA, and the other here in Dayton. It's just a way to turn junk into treasure, and make a few bucks.
Over heating will kill a CI pan faster than neglect will...so don't use fire to clean a pan. Oven cleaner is safe to use, as it rinses clean and is neutralized when you put it in a vinegar bath to stop the flash rusting after cleaning. It's been used for years, and when done properly, is quite safe.
There is another method, where the pan is set in a lye bath with a trickle charger sending current through the pan. This method is mainly for those that restore old pans on the side to make money. I don't use that method, mainly because I'm set in my ways and haven't made the leap yet. It works well, takes longer than the oven cleaner method, and is the easiest and less labor intensive method.
Also...only use the oven cleaner with the yellow cap. The other stuff doesn't work.