OK, cast iron, many of you want some and many have them sitting in the garage because of rust or more. We have to admit, it’s been awhile since we have used cast iron. Part is because we bought ‘new’ cast iron and it was a bear to keep it up and definitely wasn’t what our grandparents’ used. Not too long ago we were very fortunate to find some, honest to goodness, ‘old’ cast iron.
What do we mean by old? 1920’s and even older......... YEAH!!
OK, first we shouted YEAH, than reality hit………they were in very bad shape……years of build up, rust, and who knows what else clung to our ‘hopeful’ treasure trove.….could they be saved?
Cast iron made in Taiwan, etc. isn’t the same as the ‘old school’ cast iron. One clue is weight; older cast iron is heavier than the newer ones. Our ‘hopeful’ treasure trove was abused, misused, and then abandoned to a wet garage. Not such a pretty sight to be sure. Just dreaming of a dinner made using cast iron that our great-grand parents used, or even older, was something we definitely wanted!!!
Cast iron has the advantage of getting hotter, faster than the pots and pans you find today. Old time cast iron holds the heat longer than anything! They also are just as easy to clean and maintain then those found today. If you have never used cast iron, you are definitely in for a treat………well seasoned cast iron adds a whole new dimension to the taste buds.
So, what do you do if you find rust and worse on your gramma’s cast iron? Do you try to save it or throw it away? Definitely save!!!! So let’s talk about how……….
What do we mean by old? 1920’s and even older......... YEAH!!
OK, first we shouted YEAH, than reality hit………they were in very bad shape……years of build up, rust, and who knows what else clung to our ‘hopeful’ treasure trove.….could they be saved?
Cast iron made in Taiwan, etc. isn’t the same as the ‘old school’ cast iron. One clue is weight; older cast iron is heavier than the newer ones. Our ‘hopeful’ treasure trove was abused, misused, and then abandoned to a wet garage. Not such a pretty sight to be sure. Just dreaming of a dinner made using cast iron that our great-grand parents used, or even older, was something we definitely wanted!!!
Cast iron has the advantage of getting hotter, faster than the pots and pans you find today. Old time cast iron holds the heat longer than anything! They also are just as easy to clean and maintain then those found today. If you have never used cast iron, you are definitely in for a treat………well seasoned cast iron adds a whole new dimension to the taste buds.
So, what do you do if you find rust and worse on your gramma’s cast iron? Do you try to save it or throw it away? Definitely save!!!! So let’s talk about how……….
Salvaging ‘old school’ cast iron is a work in progress, it takes a few steps to do it right…….so if you aren’t up for the work you can stop reading here………..but if you are like us, wanting to save that family treasure and enjoy the benefits of the cast iron tradition………than here’s what you can do to save even the worse.
Before we start though, we are going to apologize. It was a case of ‘he thought I took pictures’ and ‘I thought he took pictures’, so we don’t have photos of how bad they were to start………………and they were BAD!
First, here’s what you will need:
Fire (good old fashioned wood stove is perfect)
Fine grade steel wool, ‘OO’ works great
White Vinegar
Olive oil or Lard (we used olive oil to start)
Old clothes or towels
Good old fashioned ‘elbow’ grease
Extra thick, heavy duty foil
Before we start though, we are going to apologize. It was a case of ‘he thought I took pictures’ and ‘I thought he took pictures’, so we don’t have photos of how bad they were to start………………and they were BAD!
First, here’s what you will need:
Fire (good old fashioned wood stove is perfect)
Fine grade steel wool, ‘OO’ works great
White Vinegar
Olive oil or Lard (we used olive oil to start)
Old clothes or towels
Good old fashioned ‘elbow’ grease
Extra thick, heavy duty foil
Fire………..cast iron was made to use over a fire……..fire is the first step we took to clean it. Making sure we had nice coals in the wood stove we placed each and every cast iron pot, pan, and griddle in the wood stove (a few at a time though) for 30 minutes, then turned them over for another 30 minutes. What this step does is literally burn off all the years of build up and left behind cooking. With all the old cast iron we found, it took a day or two to do them all. Find a safe place to let them cool. Our fire poker worked great for removing the cast iron from the wood stove. CAUTION: It will be extremely HOT!!
Fine Steel Wool………..this isn’t the steal or copper scrubbers you find in the kitchen gadget isle at your local store. You’ll find steel wool at your local hardware store. This is the longest phase and takes time…..DON’T skimp on this step!!!! Using the steel wool, scrub the pots to remove all the chard chunks remaining from the first step, also this is where you scrub out all the rust spots that you can find. Don’t panic if you seem to get down to the original cast iron……that’s exactly what you are trying to do. Here are some before and after shots.
Fine Steel Wool………..this isn’t the steal or copper scrubbers you find in the kitchen gadget isle at your local store. You’ll find steel wool at your local hardware store. This is the longest phase and takes time…..DON’T skimp on this step!!!! Using the steel wool, scrub the pots to remove all the chard chunks remaining from the first step, also this is where you scrub out all the rust spots that you can find. Don’t panic if you seem to get down to the original cast iron……that’s exactly what you are trying to do. Here are some before and after shots.
Vinegar………if there are any spots that aren’t coming out no matter how hard you try, than you go to this step. In the sink, mix one gallon of white vinegar with 8 cups water. Be prepared to mix a new batch, because this will only assist in cleaning around 3 cast iron pots or pans. Don’t over soak!!! If you let it sit in the vinegar mix too long it will ‘pit’ the cast iron and damage them. We only had the pieces in there for around 15 minutes of so. We used a steel scrubber (very lightly) to remove any stubborn spots, rinsing the cast iron completely, than setting them by the wood stove to dry.
Fine Steel Wool………..yuck, after the vinegar and drying, the rust really shows up!!!! So, it’s time for more ‘elbow grease’! Keep scrubbing each pot and pan, inside and out, until you don’t see any more rust. At this stage, the rich black look of the cast iron should look slightly gray and metallic because you have stripped it down to the original cast iron. Wash the cast iron with a very mild detergent, rinsing well and make sure you completely dry it with a cloth or towel. At this stage, you shouldn’t see any signs of rust or build up. If you do still see rust………….you need more fine steel wool and elbow grease. Here are a couple more before and after shots.
live oil/Lard………finally, the final step in rescuing grandma’s cast iron!!! Seasoning time!!! With a paper towel, cover the entire pot or pan with olive oil, don’t worry about too much, it’s easy to wipe out any excess (as in dripping spots). We recommend lining the lower shelf of your oven (gas range), or bottom of your oven (electric range) with a sheet of heavy duty foil.
Set your oven at 250 degrees if you’re using lard, or 300 degrees if you’re using olive oil. Place your clean cast iron in your oven for 1 to 2 hours to season your ‘new’ cast iron. You can then, pull it out of the oven to cool, or just turn off the oven and let it cool for an hour or so.
Now time to treat yourself after all the hard work!!!! Just before using your ‘new’ pride and joy, lightly season with a thin coat of lard on the inside. Now, it’s time to cook!
Remember: Cast iron heats up fast, so turn your burner down. Also remember it holds its heat longer, so turn it off a little earlier than you would otherwise.
Remember: Cast iron heats up fast, so turn your burner down. Also remember it holds its heat longer, so turn it off a little earlier than you would otherwise.
Now to keep it looking new and WONDERFUL…… here are a couple of tips. Don’t wash in dish soap. Stubborn food…………you can add water and let it soak while it’s still hot or our favorite trick is to use kosher salt and a wet wash rag to scrub. Rinse in clean water. Dry immediately. If you are having trouble with sticking, you need to lightly season with lard after you dry it. Remember, it takes time to get it seasoned properly, so adding a very light coat of lard after you wash and dry is to be expected from time to time.
Finally, enjoy your cast iron!!!! Cast iron was made to last a lifetime, not just yours, the cast irons’ life time!!! Cast iron cooking is a treat not a CHORE!
Homemade flour Tortillas anyone????
Blessings
Brenda Lee
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