How to clean and restore a cast iron skillet?
Oct 30, 2019 · Restoring Cast Iron Once you have your cast iron, there are generally two things you'll likely need to do: remove the old layers of seasoning and also get rid of rust. Once a pan is beat up enough, it's not worth trying to salvage the seasoning that's on it.
How to refurbish cast iron skillets?
Nov 27, 2013 · How to Revive Old Cast Iron If it has rust that won’t just rinse off, sticky stuff, or baked-on crusties, use a steel wool pad to scrub all of the... Now that you have a clean, rust-free surface, it’s time to re-season it. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and bake the... Remove it and apply a thin ...
How to clean and season a cast-iron skillet?
Having that not-smooth finish with the seasoned patina is what gives them that non-stick surface you want with cast iron. The best way to resurface them is to place them in your oven, upside down, and set the oven to self-cleaning cycle. After it is done and completely cooled.
How to refinish cast iron skillet?
Stay up-to-date with auctions, sales & offers to sort the pieces. Contact forums, community & experts to make an exact valuation. The value for an old/vintage/antique cast iron skillet can start from a mere $50 to reach $1500. As you can understand, the range of possibility is incredibly wide to say without facts.
These are the best methods for stripping off old seasoning, getting rid of rust, and making old, damaged, and vintage cast iron skillets, pans, and cookware as good as new
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
Tips for Buying Vintage Cast Iron
The first step is getting your hands on a piece of vintage cast iron. Books can probably be written on this subject alone, and it can take some time to familiarize yourself with the landscape of the many brand names from America's cast-iron heyday.
Restoring Cast Iron
Once you have your cast iron, there are generally two things you'll likely need to do: remove the old layers of seasoning and also get rid of rust. Once a pan is beat up enough, it's not worth trying to salvage the seasoning that's on it.
How to Find Quality Cast Iron
I absolutely love this part – I have 6 different pieces of cast-iron cookware and I only bought one of them new. I found each of the other pieces at yard sales and junk stores.
What to Look For
The good thing about cast iron is that even if it’s got some surface rust, it’s usually redeemable. What you want to watch for, though, are integrity issues.
How to Revive Old Cast Iron
Now that you’ve got your gem at home, it’s time to bring it back to life! What I’m about to tell you may earn me some frowns from “those who say so,” but I’m speaking from 30 years of experience finding, reviving, and using cast iron cookware.
Step 1: Assess the Situation
Look at the rough surface on a new store bought pan. We are going to fix that today.
Step 2: Safety First!
Get your dust mask or respirator and put it on. You don't want to breath in the fine metal particles produced by your sanding efforts.
Step 3: Sort Out Your Sand Paper
We are going to use 40 grit, 60 grit, 80 grit, 120 grit and 220 grit. We will use 40 grit the most and also for the longest time. On this pan I used 4 sheets of 40 grit until I felt I removed enough of the metal to progress on to the higher grits. I also used , 2 of the 60, 2 of the 80, 2 of the 120, and 2 of the 220 grit sheets.
Step 5: Keep Sanding With the 40 Grit
You will be using the 40 grit the most. This first grit of sand paper is removing the most metal and takes the longest time. Keep at it.
Step 6: To Better See Progress Use a Sharpie
If you have a sharpie available make some marks on the pan to watch the progress of the sanding process. Once the sanding stops removing the markings then is is time to replace the sheet with a new one that will cut better. This trick works for all of the sanding grits.
Step 7: Time to Switch to the Next Higher Grit
Once the pan looks mostly leveled out, switch to the next higher grit. In this case we are moving to 80 grit sand paper. Keep going until most of the scratches from the 40 grit have been removed. For me this took 2 sheets of 60 grit. Also use the sharpie trick to gauge progress.
Step 8: Step Up to 80 Grit
Next move on to the 80 grit sand paper. I also used 2 sheets of this grit during the process.
Texture
Older pans have a smoother and less pebbled surface than newer ones. Newer cast iron skillets contain a thick and pebbled surface; then, it may be newer.
Weight
Apart from the texture, the weight of the pans also differs based on their age. Newer cast iron skillets tend to be heavier.
Gate Mark
Another type of mark that cast iron skillets can have is a gate mark. This is a raised slash or a scar on the bottom of the pan.
Made in the USA
Another easy sign that you can use to determine the age of your pan is the Made in USA mark that you can find on the bottom of the pan.
Manufacturer Logo
If the pan has a manufacturer logo, you can see it at the bottom of the pan. It’s usually just a small logo of the company name, which you can then use a reference.
