Cast iron cookware

I've read some concerns about lye in cast iron,but after the lye treatment comes a good scrubbing,followed by baking in an oven.Another good scrubbing,then seasoning.I think whatever lye might be absorbed by cast iron would be an infinitesimal amount removed by the baking and scrubbing.And with some of the chemicals in food nowadays,a little lye might be an improvement,reckon?

 

Pressure washers seem to work as well for removing crud... if you heat up the pans first...

 

Sorry guys, but I got no problem using power tools. A cordless drill and a fine, brass cup brush will clean out every detail without damage to the iron. At least, I have never damaged anything that way. You will need to re-season, but that is no big deal, but make sure to do this outdoors, or the wife will make you clean the walls.

 

Black Iron Blog: Easy Cast Iron Skillet Reconditioning

Easy Cast Iron Skillet Reconditioning


The "finished" skillet. Ready for use and continuous improvement.

The purpose of this post is to demonstrate how one can recondition a piece of cast iron cookware using items you probably have in your house or apartment. This process uses no specialized equipment (like an electrolysis tank) or large amounts of a nasty chemical (lye). It also does not require power tools or very much elbow grease.

You will need:

• 1 can of aerosol oven cleaner
• plastic bags
• ordinary white vinegar
• a scrub pad or #0000 steel wool
• olive oil and/or Pam cooking spray
• patience

The skillet we are dealing with is a Wagner Ware 1056 {1935 -1959} that is in neglected condition.
There is abundant surface rust and lots of crud and gunk (if I get too scientific with these terms let me know).
I paid 9 dollars for this skillet at an antique store. I'm sure you could buy one just like it for less. Even after spending the time and money required to restore this skillet I still think it was a bargain compared to some crude, "Made in China", abomination endorsed by a bonehead celebrity chef. {See here for exhibit B.}

If you are lucky enough to inherit some cast iron this may be similar to what you receive. Thousands of similar pieces are probably sitting in basements, unused and unloved for decades. Hopefully this post will spur a few people to restore their heirlooms and give these fine old pans some more stovetime.
The first step in getting this Wagner #6 cleaned up is to remove the old ruined seasoning. To do this use a heavy plastic bag and the aerosol oven cleaner. Spray the skillet and coat heavily with the oven cleaner and then place the pan in the bag and wrap it up. I'm using a sandwich bag to keep the cleaner off of my hands as it can burn your skin.The bag will keep the oven cleaner from evaporating so it can work longer. I reapplied oven cleaner every 2 days and it took a week before the old seasoning washed completely away. This is where you need patience. Let the oven cleaner do the work, it will remove all the caked on seasoning and no damage will be done to the piece being cleaned.Once the old seasoning is removed you can wash the piece in hot water and lots of soap.

The next step is rust removal. I used vinegar and hot water to soften the rust. Some people like Coca-Cola for this task.I used a quart of generic white vinegar in 2 gallons of hot water. The skillet sat in this mix for 30 minutes after which I lightly scrubbed the entire piece with 0000 steel wool. Some collectors like the Chore-Boy brand of non-metallic scrubbing pad for this job.
Whether you use steel wool or a scrub pad the point is to merely remove the surface rust. You are not trying to buff or polish the skillet. After washing towel dry the skillet.

At this point the skillet was ready to be seasoned. If you live in a humid environment (I don't) you may need to begin the seasoning process as soon as you have removed the rust. Untreated cast iron begins to rust immediately in a damp climate.

For this skillet I used the same method I wrote about here . The skillet was placed in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes to dry completely. After this I turned the oven up to 550 degrees and let the Wagner #6 heat up for 45 minutes. The blazing hot pan was removed from the oven and rubbed with a medium coating of olive oil. The hot cast iron absorbs the oil and a decent dark brown patina is visible on the iron in just a few minutes. Keep rubbing the oil into the metal until it begins to build up. At this point grab some new paper towels and rub the oil off the skillet until it just looks wet. Put the piece back into the oven but turn the oven off. If the cast iron has a rough finish you can leave it alone until it cools. If the piece has a smooth finish wipe it down every 5 minutes to prevent the oil from forming droplets on the surface. After 30 minutes prop the oven door partially open to cool. Keep wiping the cooking surface with the oiled paper towels.

I hope I don't need to mention that cast iron heated to 550 degrees is extremely hot to handle so don't burn yourself. I use my cooling rack so I don't need to hold the iron.

After this one seasoning the skillet is smooth, clean, rust free, and a nice dark brown that will become shiny & black with use. (see the picture at the top of the post)

For other seasoning methods I like see this post. LINK

To clean the iron after cooking I follow these steps. LINK

A New Zealand reader used this method to restore a skillet that was in horrible condition. Take a look at the process. LINK

Do you have some old cast iron you need to recondition?

Another easy iron stripping method that some use is to put the cast iron piece into a self-cleaning oven and run it through a cleaning cycle. I think this is a fine method provided you can replace the piece easily. In other words, if the cast iron is modern and you can easily buy another identical piece, use the oven. On old pieces from makers that are no longer around I won't use the oven as I know of several people who have cracked older pieces. (The old pieces tend to be thinner walled.) My own brother cracked a Victor #8 skillet with the oven method. I've been told the self cleaning cycle on electric ovens can go from 800 degrees F to over 1200 degrees F. 1200 degrees F doesn't hurt cast iron but going from 1200 to 70 degrees too quickly causes the thermal shock that does the damage.

 

has any one every tried blasting them with crushed walnut?

 

I have used the self-cleaner to clean cast iron that had a good 1/8th of inch of old grease. Smoked out the house but they came out clean and ready to season. I have been working on my cast iron collection for years now and am quite proud of it. Still a couple of items i want but i am close to what i think is a complete outfit.

 

Nothing like finding a nice, rusty piece of Griswold or Wagner cast iron or old made in the U.S.A. axe head at a yard sale for a few bucks.

This guy . . .

 

Never heard this, but thought I would pass along. Sources seem legit.

Think Cast Iron Pans are Safe? Why You May Want to Reconsider a natural living site

Think Cast Iron Pans are Safe? Why You May Want to Reconsider
November 4, 2012 by Susan Vinskofski 85 Comments





Is Cast Iron Safe?

Anyone who has used a well seasoned cast iron pan knows how wonderful they are for cooking, especially for braising and for stews. And knowing how toxic it can be to cook with most non-stick pans, cast iron again looks like a good choice. Article after article touts the added benefit of increased iron in your foods. But, are cast iron pans as safe as they have been made out to be, and are they really a good way to increase our iron intake?

Organic vs Inorganic Iron

To answer these questions we must first understand the different forms of iron and how our body utilizes them. Iron, like all minerals, has two forms – organic and inorganic. Both forms of iron have the same chemical composition (Fe) but how they are utilized by our bodies are not at all the same. Iron which is found in the soil is inorganic. Plants are very efficient at transforming this inorganic iron into organic iron, a form which our bodies can more easily use. The meat from animals which eat these plants contains organic iron, and is even better utilized by humans than plant sources.

It’s Proven that Cast Iron Increases Iron in Food, But Can We Absorb It?

In 1986, a test was conducted where foods were cooked both in cast iron and non-iron pots. 90% of the foods cooked in the cast iron had significantly more iron in them (up to 20%) when analyzed than did foods cooked in the non-iron cooking utensils. Foods high in acid contained the most iron when cooked in the cast iron. Most articles that promote the use of cast iron proclaim this increase in iron in the food as a benefit. What the study did not address was whether the iron was able to be absorbed into the blood stream in a functional way.

Problems With Inorganic Iron

When inorganic iron is ingested the best case scenario is that it will be eliminated in the stool. This is why inorganic iron supplements turn the stool dark and often cause constipation. Our bodies cannot easily break down this form of iron because it is a metal. Organic iron, on the other hand, does not darken the stool.

Any inorganic iron that is not assimilated or eliminated will remain unused in the body’s tissues. These deposits can lead to disease such as kidney or gall stones, arthritis or hardening of the arteries. While studies show that inorganic iron can be absorbed into the blood stream, this process is not without side effects and cautions. It is extremely important that the stomach contain acid to dissolve the iron. Iron supplements may interfere with other medications and many foods inhibit the absorption of the iron. The supplements are toxic to children and extreme care must be taken to keep them away from little ones. Gastrointestinal side effects are common and can cause irritation and make colitis or Crohn’s disease worse. Excess iron from supplementation can even cause organ damage. Remember, the form of iron in these supplements is inorganic, the same form of iron found in cast iron pots and pans.

But I Love My Cast Iron

I have been a huge fan of cast iron for years. We were given old pans years ago and they are so well seasoned that nothing sticks and clean up is a breeze. I also enjoy cooking in our cast iron Dutch oven outdoors at our cottage. I have been wondering, for too long, if this is really a good form of iron for our body and if using the pans as much as I do is a good idea. So I have finally been researching and have asked my nutritionist about it. She says that “inorganic minerals displace organic minerals at receptor sites and must be detoxed before being replaced with organic minerals”. Yes, I’m groaning. Asking me to give up my cast iron is like asking me to quit coffee. (Yes, my nutritionist thinks I should do that, too. She otherwise heartily approves of my food choices).

So, what will I do? Will I totally give up cooking in cast iron? The 1986 study I mentioned earlier had one bit of good news. Foods cooked in well seasoned cast iron increased in iron at a much lesser amount than those cooked in cast iron that was not well seasoned. Phew! So, I will use these pots less. I’ll still use our Dutch oven at the cottage once or twice a year. And I’ll stop using cast iron if the food has tomatoes in it (I liked to make chili in my cast iron), or anything else acidic since the highest amount of iron was found in acidic foods. I’ll wean myself. Baby steps, right?

I do have stainless pots and pans and I’ll be researching what else I can use. I like the idea of enameled cast iron. What kind of pots and pans do you use?


Sources:
Iron content of food cooked in iron utensils. - PubMed - NCBI
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/120/2/141.full.pdf
Efficacy and Acceptability of Two Iron Supplementation Schedules in Adolescent School Girls in Lima, Peru
Iron Disorders Institute:: Supplements
Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Iron — Health Professional Fact Sheet
Iron: The Most Toxic Metal
Iron and Carcinogens in Cast Iron, Techniques for Restoring an old Cast-Iron Skillet, Whats Cooking America
Sources updated 9/27/13

 

I am going to have to do some reading on this before i make up my mind. But if that is the case then damm. I guess i would give them up

 

Something else to consider. MS is believed to be caused by high deposits of iron in vessels at the base of the brain. These blockages cause the immune system to attack the host.