Anyone Ever Polished a Cast Iron Skillett??

[Shiloh]

I am considering my cast iron skillet gone. Haven't seen it since we moved 19 years ago.
I looked at the Lodge skillets and they are rough as cobbs. There are YouTUbe vids of folks who have polished them with good results. Any first hand results to share??
Mine was pretty darn smooth to begin with and after seasoning food didn't stick.

Shiloh

[44man]

I would not make smooth. Just season. I think you will be happy.

[725]

Noticed the same thing on my "newer" cast cookware. Don't have an answer for you. Kind of interested, myself. I did have a wok & a cast iron fry pan that had curved or "domed" bottoms. Didn't make for a good heat / contact transfer from the electric range. It was the devil grinding them flat so they would sit in contact with the heating surface. My old stuff is much better.

[dragon813gt]

Yep, polished one new Lodge. I've been fighting sticking ever since. Tried one new out of the box, works great. I regret polishing it up.

[bubba.50]

never felt the need or saw a reason to. as long as it's cleaned right & seasoned good it'll be fine. and that rough inside finish will be smoothed out before ya know it. the she-griz's cheapo Chinee skillet was rough enough to use for a rasp when it was new & now with just a little nudge and a shake eggs just slide right around in it.

[country gent]

Its the roughness that holds the oils and greases as it seasons. As it seasons the low areas fill in with the seasonings and it becomes smoother and much slicker. Doing away with the hills and valleys takes away the oil holding capabilities making it stick with foods.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I use the old stuff daily (Griswold).

A few years ago, My Dad bought a new Lodge pan with Ribs (to create grill marks), besides the Ribs, it had the lodge bumpy finish. He gave it to me, after he decided, he didn't like it. I used it once, and let me tell you, that thing was a bugger to clean, I suspect my Mom cleaned off the seasoning? I seen no real use for it, for my type of cooking, so I donated it the local thrift store with a bunch of other stuff.

[waksupi]

I won two new cast iron fry pans last summer at a shoot. One, I smoothed up, the other was left rough. I seasoned both exactly the same, and have used them equally. The rough one definitely has seasoned best.

[Shiloh]

There is one called a Stargazer that is smooth and expensive. Same with Field Company. Smooth as a modern pan. Caries the price tag.

Shiloh

[mcdaniel.mac]

Electric drill, some polish paste, and a polishing ball. Mother's is a brand of wheel polish, works well. Afterwards, clean well and season.

[William Yanda]

Yep, polished one new Lodge. I've been fighting sticking ever since. Tried one new out of the box, works great. I regret polishing it up.

Sorry to hear that. Just doesn't make sense to me, but I guess you can't argue with experience. Why should polishing work if done by the manufacturer, but not by the owner?

[MaryB]

I have one of those grill pans with the ridges... PITA(Pain in the....) to clean and everything sticks and I never took the factory seasoning off.


I use the old stuff daily (Griswold).

A few years ago, My Dad bought a new Lodge pan with Ribs (to create grill marks), besides the Ribs, it had the lodge bumpy finish. He gave it to me, after he decided, he didn't like it. I used it once, and let me tell you, that thing was a bugger to clean, I suspect my Mom cleaned off the seasoning? I seen no real use for it, for my type of cooking, so I donated it the local thrift store with a bunch of other stuff.

[DougGuy]

I have both new and old, rough and smooth. I have lots of vintage nice old Griswold and Wagner pans, old 3 notch Lodge, Wapak, National, Puritan, among others. New Lodge works best if left alone and just cooked on. I have a new Lodge griddle that I have stuck over the 135,000 BTU Bayou Classic gas burner until it was gray and dang near red hot, to blacken salmon on. Afterwards, cleaned it up even with soapy water and a stainless scrubbee, then oiled it and put it away. I used it tonite for cooking some Indian flat bread, no sticking, no evidence it has ever been that hot, it's best used just like it came from Walmart...

[Nueces]

I bet the makers polished with coarser abrasives, leaving the surface more open. Metal polish or buffing tends to "wipe the pores over", for lack of a better term, which could interfere with retaining seasoning. Just a theory, though.

[jcren]

The older quality iron had higher nickle content than the new stuff, making it more machinable and filling in the pores in the iron. I think that machining modern iron just opens more pores for things to stick to.

[NavyVet1959]

I wish I had a lathe big enough to mount my cast iron skillets in to smooth / flatten the inner surface of the bottom.

Not that I think it would necessarily work better for cooking, but I just wish I had a lathe that big. :)

[6bg6ga]

I've never run across a pan that was new that was worth anything. You need one that 40 or 50 years old. I won't agree with polishing because from what I have seen it has been a hindrance instead of a help. Keep em old keep them rough and keep them seasoned.

[Bulldogger]

I have sanded a Lodge recently, and it is working well. I used an orbital sander with 6" disc, 100 grit. Didn't go totally smooth, just what felt right. I wanted a few large pores left, but the surface was too sharp and pointy as delivered.

I then seasoned with peanut oil in the oven per usual methods, except I did it twice and the second time got distracted and left it in there about 2 hours.

It works well, better than the original seasoning and no fingers on a chalkboard sound when moving something across it to turn food.

I would do it again, it worked for me.

Bulldogger

[Shiloh]

I've never run across a pan that was new that was worth anything. You need one that 40 or 50 years old. I won't agree with polishing because from what I have seen it has been a hindrance instead of a help. Keep em old keep them rough and keep them seasoned.

Absolutely. The Lodge that I had was a LOT smoother than the ones I ran my hand over at Fleet Farm.


I have sanded a Lodge recently, and it is working well. I used an orbital sander with 6" disc, 100 grit. Didn't go totally smooth, just what felt right. I wanted a few large pores left, but the surface was too sharp and pointy as delivered.

I then seasoned with peanut oil in the oven per usual methods, except I did it twice and the second time got distracted and left it in there about 2 hours.

It works well, better than the original seasoning and no fingers on a chalkboard sound when moving something across it to turn food.

I would do it again, it worked for me.

Bulldogger

Still deciding. Like you, It won't be mirror smooth, just take the pyramid sharp spots down a bit.

Shiloh

[Shiloh]

I never made stew or chili in my old pan. I used it for frying. Breakfast, porkchops and steaks in winter, and a lot of home fries with onions.
Advice on making chili or stew. Does that dissolve the seasoning layer??

SHiloh

[NavyVet1959]

I never made stew or chili in my old pan. I used it for frying. Breakfast, porkchops and steaks in winter, and a lot of home fries with onions.
Advice on making chili or stew. Does that dissolve the seasoning layer??


I've heard that you should not cook acidic foods in cast iron (e.g. tomato sauces). I use anodized heavy aluminum cookware (Magnalite Professional) for that. I do not use anything that has Teflon coating on it though. After may years of pre-scrubbing the anodized pots with a stainless steel scrubber, the anodized coating starts to wear off. After 25+ years of that sort of misuse, the inside of my pots are starting to get a bit lighter colored. The same type of abuse to cast iron doesn't seem to make a difference.

Chili is a slow cooking type of endeavor, so although I would have no problem with browning / searing the meat and onions in a cast iron pot, I would probably use one of the larger aluminum pots for the slow cooking of the chili.

[mcdaniel.mac]

Yeah, tomato-based sauces will eat at cast iron. I have a giant skillet just for chili and pasta sauces because of the acidity. It won't hurt you unless you're iron-sensitive. Not a bad idea if you have a family member that's anemic.

[dave roelle]

All of my old cast iron have machined bottoms. They are completely non-stop when properly maintained
The new stuff isn't finished because of cost
The vintage pieces simply WORK 😉

[ghh3rd]

I cooked 2/3 cup of sugar in mine last night :-) ... I decided to try making Flan (desert) and melted the sugar in my small pan... worked great.

[Char-Gar]

With use, the new skillet will become slick on the bottom. Carbonized food will make it way into the pores of the iron filling them up. Take a look at the bottom and outside of a vintage skillet. They are not smooth, just the cooking surface on the bottom.

When I them through cooking, I wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and scrape the bottom with a paint scraper. I don't wash them, unless things are really bad and then I don't use soap, just hot water and a coarse plastic brush.

[Boaz]

I got little to offer but... Cast iron Was about all we used when I was growing up , mom has a few 'jet age' aluminum stewers/pots . We washed the cast iron like everything else but it was seasoned when bought . Mom would put lard in it and heat it up to near smoking several times dump the lard and just let it sit a few days ...it was seasoned far as sticking right off . Daily use finished the seasoning pretty quick , frying pans were used every meal back then .

Periodically every say...every 3-4 years dad would burn em off and start over again with the seasoning . Wood fire , heat em up dull red for a good while , let em cool .

[6bg6ga]

If you loose the seasoning layer can't you simply heat the pan and coat it with oil again? I don't own one but have watched my 92 year old mother use hers in the past.

[NavyVet1959]

If you loose the seasoning layer can't you simply heat the pan and coat it with oil again? I don't own one but have watched my 92 year old mother use hers in the past.

The more you use it, the better the seasoning layer becomes. It gets pretty non-stick after awhile. If you burn it off and have to season it again, you're starting over from scratch and it might take some time to get back to where you were.

Still, as long as you're not trying to reuse a pot that was used for melting lead, that's an option. Most of us would avoid using a cast iron pan for food if it had ever been used for casting / smelting lead.

[SteveS]

If the Lodge cast iron seems a little crude for anyone, American Culinary sells some really nice Wagner. Made in USA.

http://www.wagnerware.com/PLineCat.asp?Filter=PL&PLine=4

[dragon813gt]

If you loose the seasoning layer can't you simply heat the pan and coat it with oil again? I don't own one but have watched my 92 year old mother use hers in the past.

You can build it back up. I seem to always have trouble doing this. It takes a long time until it becomes nonstick again.

[handyman25]

Fry a pound of bacon and let it cool while you enjoy the bacon. Save the grease and wipe down with a paper towel. repeat. Now it is almost their. The more you fry in it the better cast iron gets. I NEVER use soap, If wiping with a paper towel will not get it clean just fill with water and bring to a boil then wipe down with a paper towel.

[dbarry1]

Grandma's cast skillets were all smooth as glass. (Wonder who ever got those...) Anyway, all the Mrs has in frying pans is cast iron. We never polished, but I've wanted to. Guess after reading this, I'll leave well enough alone.

[Nueces]

My nearly century old Griswold 8 was clearly smoothed, if not polished, from the factory. It also weighs much less than a similar sized modern Lodge.

[MaryB]

For acidic things like chili and spaghetti sauce I use enameled cast iron, Lodge makes a nice sized dutch oven that is perfect for that. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lodge-Color-Enamel-and-Cast-Iron-6-qt.-Dutch-Oven-Green/8803041

[Shiloh]

For acidic things like chili and spaghetti sauce I use enameled cast iron, Lodge makes a nice sized dutch oven that is perfect for that. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lodge-Color-Enamel-and-Cast-Iron-6-qt.-Dutch-Oven-Green/8803041

Going to look at one at Macy's tomorrow.

Shiloh

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Grandma's cast skillets were all smooth as glass. (Wonder who ever got those...) Anyway, all the Mrs has in frying pans is cast iron. We never polished, but I've wanted to. Guess after reading this, I'll leave well enough alone.
"Wonder who ever got those?"

Today, at the gunshow in Wells, MN ...which is about 25% fleamarket, A fella had 2 cast iron skillets marked $5 each. They both looked pretty cruddy, but not too rusty. Normally I wouldn't even look at them, but because of this thread, cast iron skillets were fresh on my mind. The top one was a 8" Lodge, I asked what the other one was, as my hands were full. He tipped it over and all he could read through the crud was EIRE PA. I could faintly make out the circled Cross trademark of a Griswold through the crud.
"I'll take it", I said.
Wahoo, a Griswold! I probably should have taken the Lodge also, it looked like an older one, but I had a lot of the show yet to see, plus a long walk back to the car (I had to park 6 blocks away) and I didn't want carry two skillets.

I got home, and heated it up, to smokin' hot, on the kitchen stove, scrapped off the crud, then scrapped it some more, wiped it down as it cooled a bit, added some pork fat and heated it back up to smokin' hot, wiped it off...Then cooked my supper. I had some leftover pizza, I heated it right-side-up, then I remove it, and put some shredded cheese in the skillet and put the pizza slice up-side down on the sizzlin' cheese...cut the heat, and put the pizza on a plate. The (new-to-me) Griswold works as good as the one I've been using for 2 decades.
..
..

[Shiloh]

Yep,
Lodge is made in Tennessee. No location given other than USA.

Shiloh

[ghh3rd]

Still, as long as you're not trying to reuse a pot that was used for melting lead, that's an option. Most of us would avoid using a cast iron pan for food if it had ever been used for casting / smelting lead.

That's what scares me about getting used iron ware, that someone may have done something 'crazy' and used it to melt lead, like me with my Lodge pot.

On a similar note, my wife told me not to use a nice cooler I found on the road cause some maniac may have had body parts in it (too many movies [smilie=1:).

[NavyVet1959]

That's what scares me about getting used iron ware, that someone may have done something 'crazy' and used it to melt lead, like me with my Lodge pot.

I suspect the risk could be minimized quite a bit with a few cycles of cleaning with a sand blaster followed by a high psi pressure washer. And if you wanted even more confidence that it was lead free, there are lead test strips available.

[ambergrifleman]

Yep,
Lodge is made in Tennessee. No location given other than USA.

Shiloh Lodge is made in South Pittsburg,Tn. About 12 miles west of Chattanooga,Tn Been to the Factory Store Before.

[oldblinddog]

If the Lodge cast iron seems a little crude for anyone, American Culinary sells some really nice Wagner. Made in USA.

http://www.wagnerware.com/PLineCat.asp?Filter=PL&PLine=4

Wagner has been out of business for years. For new stuff, if it isn't Lodge it is from China.

For foods that are acidic like tomatoes, I use 18/10 stainless steel.

[rondog]

Interesting thread, glad I found it. I'm not a cast iron user, but I've got a hankerin' to try. I have two of my mom's old skillets, but they're very small, not big enough for any real cooking. But they're as smooth as a baby's butt.

I've looked at new skillets & such, and they look rough enough to rasp wood with. So I'm also wondering about smoothing down some with a DA sander or similar. Not polishing smooth, just knocking down the really aggressive, sharp peaks.

Reading this, it seems folks are divided - some say smooth them, some say don't. I won't use these for lots of cooking, I don't DO lots of cooking. It'll just get casual, occaisional use.

So, smooth up a new skillet or dutch oven just a bit and then season it? Or leave it rough and just season it?

FWIW, I'm not going to buy anything high dollar, a $20 cheapo from WalMart will do for no more than I'll use it.

[jim147]

I have a lot of old pans. The real old ones we used for camping back when I was a kid, not sure how long ago but dad can't remember what day it is anymore. We washed them in the river with the river rock and it cleaned and smoothed them in one step.

i also use enameled cast for high acid food. It just works out better.

I have a couple newer newer cast pieces that are rough and I like to put lard in them and sit them on the wood stove all day several times a year to help with the seasoning.

[Shiloh]

I did take 80 grit paper to mine followed by 180.
Did it by hand for about 15 minutes. Took the pointy high spot down and leveled the surfac a bit.
The pores are filling up nicely now.

I have seasoned it several times on the charcoal smoker. Soot and polymerized grease really gave it a head start.
I can do scrambled eggs in it now without sticking. I used coconut oil and bacon grease for seasoning. Stuck food was removed with kosher salt on a slightly damp sponge. No soap.

SHiloh

[FredBuddy]

I got a pot a long time ago (not a frying pan) and the old folks said first put potato peels in and fill it with water then boil it for a while. It seemed to give it a finish like bluing a rifle barrel. Then I made a swab and put lard in it and cooked that for several hours while moving (basting) the inside. It makes a pretty good batch of ham & beans or fried fish and potatoes. All this over a wood fire, outside, hanging from my tripod.

Hmmmm. Best get that pot out and get busy, company coming !

[Sur-shot]

9/10 of the time if you want the last word on anything old, how to, go to Mother Earth News and look it up. A good bit of the stuff I read here about curing cast iron and caring for cast, made no sense to me, the cast in my family right now goes back to the turn of the century, the Georgia 19th century that is..... My wife says she is going to be buried with it. It is a treasure. My grandmother died at 96 in 2001, her grandmother, whom died at 100, gave the cast to her, my grandmother gave the cast to my mother, then just before my mother died she gave it to my wife.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/cleaning-and-seasoning-cast-iron-cookware-zmaz99djzgoe

Make sure you read the fast cure process using an outdoor hardwood fire, it is the only true authentic way southern families cured cast iron pots and pans in the country and what I saw all my young life growing up in the country. My family never used a stove indoors for curing any cast iron and they did use rendered hog lard and bacon grease to cure it and to cook in it. It is smooth as glass.
Ed

[charlie3tuna]

I took a basic machine shop class at the local trade school. The old (experienced) machinist told us to never breathe the fine particles from dry sanding any iron. When I asked what would happen, he asked if I knew what black lung disease was. And here I thought only coal miners got it....charlie

[randyrat]

Fry a pound of bacon and let it cool while you enjoy the bacon. Save the grease and wipe down with a paper towel. repeat. Now it is almost their. The more you fry in it the better cast iron gets. I NEVER use soap, If wiping with a paper towel will not get it clean just fill with water and bring to a boil then wipe down with a paper towel.
This seems to be the best method of cleaning; Boil or bring water to almost boil and scrap if needed, cool and wipe out with a cloth or paper, I never use soap.
I looked at the new ones also and am thinking about trying one just to see if I can season it like the old pans I have, they sure are rough looking.

[Jack Stanley]

My used to clean up nasty looking cast iron with stone of about 200 grit . It was a lot of work but when done it looked a lot like a Griswold finish .

Jack

[rondog]

I took a basic machine shop class at the local trade school. The old (experienced) machinist told us to never breathe the fine particles from dry sanding any iron. When I asked what would happen, he asked if I knew what black lung disease was. And here I thought only coal miners got it....charlie

Jeeze, no telling how many pounds of cast iron dust I inhaled when I was a machinist in the 70's & 80's. Didn't hurt me none.....

[Kawgomoo]

Just treat it like any other grey cast iron and away you go. Sand it with DA and work your way up from 80 grit. Once you get to 600 it'll start taking on that polished sheen........

[Shiloh]

I can do scrambles eggs without sticking. Meat still leaves a crust, but comes clean with kosher salt rubbed with a moistened sponge.

Shiloh

[spruce53]

I have seasoned cast iron with this method and found it to work good. It's from the Wagner & Griswold collectors group.

Seasoning Cast Iron

You know we all have our own ways and methods to season, but the method below has been used by many collectors and cooks alike and it appears to be the BEST for seasoning.

Take the extra time to actually season in the oven as makes a world of difference in the end result.

Once a piece is fully cleaned and dried put it in the oven "naked"; no oil of any kind and heat it to 450°F. Leave it in long enough to just reach that temperature. Be careful and remove the piece from the oven and let it cool to where you can just handle it. This step works great for slightly darkening the peice and giving it a uniform appearance. No one likes a spotted or zebra stripped piece. Use Crisco shortening only and use a cotton rag (t-shirt) to apply a thin/very light coat on the entire piece. If there are tight nooks and crannies to fill in, use a Q-tip.

Once completely and lightly coated (note: we stress a LIGHT coat), put it back in the oven at 400°F for 30 (use a timer) minutes and at that point turn off the oven and leave it in the oven till it cools on it's own.

When you remove the piece it will have a nice dark brown uniform pantina that shines brightly.

You can repeat with one or more coats of Crisco, if you like, but you'll be happy none the less.

[DerekP Houston]

Yep...I tried a lodge once....now I have a collection of antique griswolds, wagners, and a piquaware skillet. Mirror smooth on the inside compared to the lodge and rarely does anything stick. They just aren't made like that any more, to me it was worth the extra price tag. My lodge grill pan and skillet are with the camping gear and they get used for that.

Flaxseed oil or crisco have given me the best coatings.

[Shopdog]

The only Lodge here is one of those rectangle stove top griddles',and we only use the ribbed side.Not a Lodge fan but have to say,this griddle has really come in nicely.

To begin with,I do 90% of the cooking in our house.Even have a cpl years of culinary schooling.There's a graduated stack of C.I. skillets next to the range.Some have been in our family over 100 years.A mix of "labels" that honestly means nada to me.The only thing that matters to me is whether or not,can you see your reflection in the business side of the pan?It needs to be slick as glass.The new Lodges are just frustrating.Probably fixable?

I'll keep the care and feeding to my self 'cause it goes against everything you've ever heard and would get burned at the stake as a heretic for even considering.Ya'll have a great day.SD

[DougGuy]

Once a piece is fully cleaned and dried put it in the oven "naked"; no oil of any kind and heat it to 450°F. Leave it in long enough to just reach that temperature. Be careful and remove the piece from the oven and let it cool to where you can just handle it.

There is absolutely no need to heat and then cool a skillet before seasoning.

A "naked" pan, if it's REALLY naked, as in fresh from an e-tank, will rust just from the humidity in the air before you get it warm. If you stick a "naked" pan at room temperature in a warm oven, it will immediately flash rust from the condensation that forms instantly when you put a cooler object in a higher temperature air.

What you want to do and this is my method, it kills flash rust before it has a chance to form. Wash the "naked" iron in hot soapy water, use a cold rinse. Preheat the oven to 450F. Have a burner on high on the stove. Immediately after turning off the cold rinse, dry the iron all over as fast as you can and set it on or over the hot burner, IMMEDIATELY wipe on Crisco, spread it as fast as you can to coat the whole pan. This kills the chance of flash rusting. Don't worry about how thick it goes on, worry about 100% coverage in the shortest amount of time possible.

DON'T take the time to dry the pan all the way, the water that's left on it will evaporate through the crisco just fine. The time you take trying to dry all the moisture off the pan will let it flash rust. Just wipe it down and slather the Crisco on it and start warming it over the hot burner.

Now wipe as much of it off as you can while the pan warms up. As it warms keep wiping, if you leave enough Crisco or lard or oil on the metal to see it shine? It will "puddle" when it cooks and leave a mottled appearance. Put the pan in the hot oven and leave it for about 2-3 minutes, remove it and wipe it down again because you can get more oil off after it is hot. Let this cook at 450F for 45mins or so, take the pan out using oven mitts or welding gloves, and wipe it again with whatever seasoning fat you are using, soaked into a Scott blue shop towel, these are lint free. Cotton is the worst thing you can use for seasoning because lint will get stuck to the pan and it will get cooked into the seasoning. Repeat 5-6 cycles then leave iron in the oven and turn it off, allow to cool.

[texasnative46]

To All,

Fwiw, I'm "the current custodian of" my G-G-G- Aunt Leticia's cast iron skillets/pots that came to TX by ox-cart long ago. - My ancestor's cast iron cookware has NEVER "seen soap" in over 150 years & nothing sticks to it, either.
(Upon my passing, my niece Tara gets to preserve our family cast iron treasures for another lifetime.)

IF you want excellent cast iron, HAUNT the Salvation Army, Goodwill stores & garage sales for OLD cast iron. = I've found any number of American-made pieces for <5.00 in those places.
(Btw, my 18" "heavy-gauge steel" commercial-grade wok with lid was 5.99 plus tax at a VA Salvation Army store about 5 years ago. - TREASURES are out there, if you look about for them.)

You may also want to check the stores that cater to the Latino population. = I'm currently looking for a "commercial weight" COMAL of at least 14" diameter, that was cast in Mexico.
When I find a good one, it will get washed ONCE with boiling water/soap, put into the fireplace for the day, followed by sanding/polishing to smooth it down & then it will be thoroughly seasoned.

just my OPINIONS, tex

[DerekP Houston]

Dougguy thats pretty much how I treat my pans after every use. I don't use the soapy water but instead kosher salt and a scrubber. Straight on to a burner to dry then a light oiling to maintain the coating. Has yet to fail me and I cook almost everything in cast iron. I just got tired of replacing "non stick" skillets every year and these will last for decades.

Nice tip on the blue shop towels! Will have to try that next time.

[fivefang]

Shiloh, the Lodge cast Iron skillets are pre seasoned, however not paying attention to what the wrapper said I polished my 10"using a3.1/2" side grinder with a sanding disc then with a Scotch Brite disc, my 12" I used as off the shelf, Fivefang

[fivefang]

Chargar Right on! Fvefang

[gbrown]

I own about 50 or 60 pieces of cast iron cookware, some older, some newer. I use about 10 pieces regularly. 2 #10 skillets, 1 is Mom's, a Griswold from the '40s, my Lodge from the '70s. Both cook like teflon pans, soap never touches them. One of the things you never see is the glass lids that were sold with them--I found 2 at an antique store. For smothering cabbage, kale or simmering chili they work great. Lodge makes a little plastic scraper sold in a 2 pack. http://shop.lodgemfg.com/indoor-accessories/grill-pan-scrapers.asp
I have a Lodge #8 pot from the '30s with lid. Bottom of the pot has scallops where a smoke ring would be. Makes really good chili, spaghetti or stew. Clean cast iron? Run hot water in it, hot as you can get it. If it has food stuck to the bottom, let it sit for a while to soften. Then use a plastic scraper and wipe the pan dry. Both my grandmothers saved their newspapers. That's what they wiped their cast iron with. Here's a site you can refer to for anything cast iron. Its interesting reading. Shows how to restore and season cast iron. I've done this process a hundred times for some of mine and resurrecting friends and neighbors cast iron. At the camp, I have a 10 quart stew pot, a 14 inch spider, 2 quart bean pot and a #10 Lodge I picked up off the curb and restored. I love cast iron and rather use it than my $1000 Nutristahl stuff.

http://www.castironcollector.com/

[Shiloh]

I've done three now with 80# abrasive followed by finer grit. 15-20 minutes total time by hand with a block. Just took the points off the surface. They are non stick and getting smoother every time I use them.

Shiloh

[Shiloh]

Got a NEW 10" Lodge gifted to me 10-5-17. Makes four now. 8, 9, 12, and now a 10"

Shiloh

[texasnative46]

To All,

One of my recent "finds" at Goodwill is an antique 4" diameter piece of USA-made cast iron, that looks like a small saucepan. - I was told, by a curator at The Witte Museum, that it was made (probably about WWI) for making sauces & melting butter.
(The only markings are: USA & what looks like the figures 44.)

The price was 89 cents, less a 20% veteran's discount. = "Color me" pleased, clear down to the ground.

yours, tex

[Artful]

Got a NEW 10" Lodge gifted to me 10-5-17. Makes four now. 8, 9, 12, and now a 10"

Shiloh

Your cooking is evidently much appreciated! Congratulations

[MaryB]

My Lodge 10" skillet is finally getting a good surface after a year of use. Made fried ham for supper and made a little gravy in the cast iron pan to get the nice caramelized bits up. After putting gravy on the mashed potatoes I added water to the pan and let it soak until I was done eating. Poured water out, wiped pan out with a paper towel, rinsed with hot water, dried it then heated it and rubbed bacon fat on it to season it more.

[Shiloh]

Your cooking is evidently much appreciated! Congratulations

Need a glass lid for the 9".
I'll take it to the second hand store and find one.

Shiloh

[Tom W.]

My wife has some cast iron that used to belong to her grandmother. They are smoother and lighter than my Lodge. One skillet she uses just for cornbread, nothing sticks. I almost had another heart attack when I saw her clean hers in the dishwasher. It works for her. I had a nice skillet that looked exactly like one my son cooked with when he was living with me. I will always believe he moved out and inadvertently swapped pans....

As mentioned earlier, an enameled cast iron pot works great for chili. Mine somehow got ruined and I had to retire it.

[MaryB]

My enamel cast iron is wearing on the inside bottom where the spoon scrapes(yes even plastic will wear the enamel eventually) but it is pushing 15 years old... still works fine, enamel isn't chipping, just getting thin.

[Iowa Fox]

If my wife ever caught me messing around with any of her cooking stuff that would be the end of me.

[MaryB]

Mom gave dad a set of pots and pans for days he was going to cook... when dad died they were still in the box, he took the easy way out and they would go out to eat!

[Lance Boyle]

I use the old stuff daily (Griswold).

A few years ago, My Dad bought a new Lodge pan with Ribs (to create grill marks), besides the Ribs, it had the lodge bumpy finish. He gave it to me, after he decided, he didn't like it. I used it once, and let me tell you, that thing was a bugger to clean, I suspect my Mom cleaned off the seasoning? I seen no real use for it, for my type of cooking, so I donated it the local thrift store with a bunch of other stuff.



Lol. I bought one of those pans for steaks and chops when I was grill less
In an apartment. I hate that pan. The most tedious thing to clean. If you leave too much oil gunk to fill the pore it'll Smoke you out with or without anrange hood.

And the first grill mark is easy, after that the pan is too cool. I suppose you could pull the steak until the bars reheat.

Back to the OP. I did take a sander to a chicken fryer pot. I knocked the tops off the high spots
But didn't go totally smooth.

[Shumkles]

I remember an old cowboy out where I live that used to take his pots and leave them outside in the sand storms. He swore that it made them better to cook with over an open fire.

I did eat his cooking once...........but just once.

[Shiloh]

My wife has some cast iron that used to belong to her grandmother. They are smoother and lighter than my Lodge. One skillet she uses just for cornbread, nothing sticks. I almost had another heart attack when I saw her clean hers in the dishwasher. It works for her. I had a nice skillet that looked exactly like one my son cooked with when he was living with me. I will always believe he moved out and inadvertently swapped pans....

As mentioned earlier, an enameled cast iron pot works great for chili. Mine somehow got ruined and I had to retire it.

They were smoother and lighter. Some of them were processed with machines or grinders to start out a lot smoother.
Wagner, Erie and Griswold were the vintage makers and there are a lot out there.

Shiloh

[AllanD]

What is often misunderstood about "seasoning" cast iron skillets is that you are trying to create a layer of applied nearly pure carbon.

The traditional way of accomplishing this is to reduce a high smoking point oil, say Peanut oil, Lard (more traditional)
or what I consider "Best" is "bacon grease" and almost literally burning it onto the Iron but you may have varying results with a fine (smooth) surface on the Iron parent material.

The best way I've seen to polish a cast iron skillet is by a century or more of daily use cooking bacon & eggs