SEASONING & RESTORING A CAST IRON SKILLET FOR A NON-STICK SURFACE

Maintain you cast iron cookware like a pro https://youtu.be/_psddiF8J1M?si=pT_JGfYrGkVMWByU

I found the easiest way to strip everything is to build a fire and place the pan on it and then build a fire inside the pan and just leave it until the next day when the fire goes out. Pan comes out spotless and no harsh chemicals completely safe. Works every time.

I was quite surprised by this. Then I thought about it with respect to soap making, and it does make some sense. Here are some smoke point for various oils. Avocado Oil: 520° Safflower Oil: 475 to 500° Soybean Oil: 450 to 475° Sunflower Oil: 450° Peanut Oil: 450° Corn Oil: 400 to 450° Almond Oil: About 430° Sesame Oil: 410 to 450° Grapeseed Oil: About 420° Canola Oil: 375 to 450° Olive Oil: 325° to 375° Coconut Oil: 350°F Walnut Oil: 320° Flax Oil: About 225°

Wow great video. I have my granddads griswold that we have used my whole life. I use it still constantly but it has the crust that you removed. I am excited to do this method. The skillet is a treasure to me. My grand father and grandmother adopted me at birth so this skillet was Daddy’s and he was the family cook. It not only warms my food but it warms my heart everytime. ❤️

Great video. I am 64 years old and have my grandmother’s cast iron. So its old. It has the same grime on it and gave up trying to get off. I will be doing your method this weekend. Thanks

I hope by more people watching videos like this that they will start to get an understanding of the difference between seasoned and dirty. Well maintained cast iron can be both clean, and seasoned.

For people curious, the seasoning is a polymerization of the oil which Dawn will not affect. The season is a hard enamel like plastic. The brown stains on a sheet pan that seem infuriating to clean is actually just seasoning and can just be left alone. I wouldn't scrub with steel wool as that will at best scratch the surface and mess up the non-stick properties. Scrubbing with a rag or plastic bristles is great though. Even Lodge says to use soap and water! Dawn is a dish detergent and real soaps were made with lye. Either of them is fine. If real soap would be a problem, it would also be melting your skin off your hands every time you use it!

The most beautiful CI seasoning I have seen in 80 years.

I restored one with a drill and wire wheel. It did not take 48 hours, and I did it outside. After de-scaling the skillet, I put it in a 400 degree oven, got it hot and rubbed oil on it, put it back in the oven and turned off the heat. I was searing steaks the next day.

This is the "old way" for seasoning. Nowadays we know that you dont' need to overheat your stove, you just need to be under the smoke point of the oil you are using and it will polymerize. If the pan is still sticky after 60 minutes it means that the temperature was a bit too low. Just put it back at a higher temperature. "The smoke point of an oil or fat should not be exceeded during cooking, as potentially carcinogenic compounds can be formed and released. But the advice is often seen given to do just that during the manual seasoning of cast iron cookware. Some like to artificially accelerate the darkening of the seasoning by cranking the temp up above the smoke point of one or more layers of the manually-applied oil. Since a superior non-stick seasoning coat consists not only of polymerized fat, but also of a mixture of carbon within it, the thinking is that exceeding the smoke point will carbonize the compounds in the oil to desirable effect. While it may produce the desired cosmetic effect, this may not be prudent, and is, again, not really necessary, as the pan will darken with use and more layers of seasoning. What you may wish to do instead is, prior to applying any seasoning, heat the pan gradually to 450-500*F for an hour or so. This has been observed to darken the bare iron somewhat. You will, however, need to let it cool to a temp appropriate for your seasoning oil before continuing." I personally use grape seed oil (smoking point: 420°F) and my oven is set at 400-410°F with a perfect result. You can find more information on this link: https://www.castironcollector.com/seasoning.php#smoke

Excellent vlog! One of the best actually. Clear, concise and to the point without over speaking just to fill blank airspace. Thank you!

Great job. I'm glad people are thinking longevity, not catch and release.

Old school is so cool 🎉🎉❤❤

You have an excellent speaking voice and a beautiful way of explaining that you should have your own TV show thank you and God bless

I have the same Wagner - my Mothers wedding gift from 1945 - and it looks exactly like your ‘before.’ I’ve been doing a lot of research to safely restore it. Yours is the best video and my research stops here. I will be following your method to restore this family treasure. Ps. My dad did as many here noted - threw it in a yearly campfire.

Well, I know now how to properly season the old cast iron skillet I got from my mother-in-law. I have been wanting to learn how to do this for awhile now. Thanks so much for your video on this!!

Those pans turned out looking Amazing Katie. I love my cast iron... I actually have my great grandmother's pan along with other pieces 🤗🤗🙏 Kendra

I have been looking forward to this video. I am going restore my cast iron and be on the lookout for other cast iron items when I am going to thrift stores. It will be satisfying to see the process at work.

I like grapeseed oil for seasoning cast iron and carbon steel pans.. Works great. Nice job.. the pans look fantastic.

I am in the middle of the first set of Lye bath and it is amazing. So much gunk came off! Can't wait for more. I have very old pots, skillets etc., from my family farm and I can't wait to show everyone the finished product. Very cool process and video! Thanks!