re-season iron skillet?

[Tom Anderson]

I have a neglected iron skillet that's had spaghetti sauce and stuff left in it on several occasions that has resulted in the nice black finish flaking off.  What's the best way to re-work that thing?  Sandpaper? Sandblast?
Best way to reseason it afterwards?

Tom

[B.O.D.]

Tom, pour a big glass or small bottle of coke in it, let it sit overnite, will lift everything out and leave it in a raw state. Then heat skilet apply crisco let smoke off the excess, repeat until it won't smoke the excess off, let cool, wipe with a thin coat and  DONE, will work good then. Big Dog  :D

[Matt E]

You can also put water in it and bring it to a boil. This will deglaze a pan and you may not have to reseason it. If it has been neglected long enough to cause pitting you will have to resurface it.

[Tom Anderson]

It's not pitted, but all the nice black coating has mostly flaked off.  I'm not so sure it was ever seasoned properly anyway.  I'm going to try both methods this weekend and see what happens.

Thanks,
Tom

[Woodduck]

After cleaning, you just keep reseasoning it, don't wash it real 'hard', so the coating will build up. Some folks (make sure to use a grease or oil and don't let it cook dry) just wipe 'em out real good instead of scouring. Let the seasoning build up...no problems.

[Matt E]

woodduck,s method of caring for cast iron pots and pans is the way I care for mine...... If you have peeling off of the surface ,I would suggest putting you pan in a fire and removing all traces of the finish and starting over from scratch with the seasoning process. I do this to all my cast iron cook ware when I see an accumulation of scale start to form on the sides of my iron pans. Your coo ware will come out of the fire looking brand new, regardless of the age. It will last several life times.... I love cast iron cook ware, nothing else cooks like cast iron.I just wish it wasn't so darn heavy.  

[Bill Turner]

I do a lot of chuck wagon type cooking, especially over the open fire at my deer lease, but also at home and some in competition. I have cast iron open fire dutch ovens ranging from 8" to 16", not to mention quite an assortment of frying pans. Care for your cast iron properly and it will last several lifetimes. Cleaning up promptly, while the pans are still warm, solves a lot of problems. Never scour, especially with brillo type soap pads. Heat water in pan and use wooden utensals to scrape out the residue immediately after each use. For burnt or caked on residue you might need to soak a little longer. Foods that are high in sugar content are often the biggest culprit. Foods that are highly acidic will eat away your seasoning and cause flaking. The idea of using the acid in coke to eat away the residue is probably a good one. Once clean, just heat and re-season. The burn it off in the fire method has been used for years. I just don't want my cast iron cookware to ever get to that point. If it does, do any of the above, re-season and get after it. You'll work hard enough during the process that you will never want to do it again. That is a good thing. My friends don't understand why I am so diligent about taking care of my black pots until they have to help. Good luck and good cooking.  

[Matt E]

Bill, I have my great grand mothers iron ware. The  gridle is the type that spans two openings on a wood stove. I also have a couple of her knives.One is stamped (Stewarts handmade 1845) The metal is excellently tempered. I use it and the cook ware.I am in my sixties, I wonder how old the iron ware might be.It seems to be of a better cast , finish wise, than what I see on the market today....... Fried chicken cooked in my frying pan can't be beat.
If I ever get to Texas again ill stop by and let you teach me a thing or two. Of course you have to cook supper.  

[Bill Turner]

Matt, are there any identifying marks on the cookware. First American casting of metal has been traced back to 1642. Griswold started producing cookware in the late 1800's in Erie, PA.
Wagner bought Griswold in or about 1968. Wagner is still in existance today. My campfire dutch ovens are all made by Lodge. My frying pans are a combination of Griswold and Wagner. I prefer Griswold but it is quite expensive and hard to find. There is a good chance that your griddle was made by the maker of your Grandmothers cookstove. Check for identifying marks. Send me a private message if you like. The moderators might not like the direction this is going. By the way you are right about the finish. Old is far better than the new. There is a reason why. Let me hear from you.

[Curtiss Cardinal]

Get a bamboo wok scrubber to not off big chunks. NEVER use soap with cast iron. Finer scrubbing that will not remove the carbon build up aka seasoning can be done with salt and a paper towel and canola oil. The use of salt an oil is how the term "seasoning a pan" came to be.To re-season a pan if you do not have an exhaust fan hood over your stove in your kitchen do this outside with a high BTU burner. Get the pan very hot, pour a quarter cup of canola oil or crisco or lard(your choice) if the pan is hot ebough the oil will smoke very quickly swirl the oil around VERY carefully to coat all interior surfaces. dump the burnt oil let the pan smoke die out and add another quarter cup of oil and repeat smoking oil dump burnt oil again remove pan from heat and add a few tablespoons of oil and a few table spoons of salt and let it cool. when it is warm too the touch but now comfortable to touch wipe the oil and salt out with paper towels. Too keep food from sticking in cast iron always add food to the pan after it is fully heated to desired temperature. and place a few teaspoons of oil first to the hot pan and swirl it for coverage. Even though the pan is seasoned it will keep seasoning when you fry in it but will lose seasoning if boiled in or high acid foods like chili are made. Burning them out to clean them helps maintain seasoning.

[LoneWolf]

Burn them in a hard wood fire,cleans them up like new.  Re-Season with hog lard in the oven at about 400 for an hour or so.  Just don't let it cook dry

[deserthare]

Where would one get a pitted iron
skillet re surfaced to remove pits?
Deserthare

[Matt E]

Deserthare, if the pits are not to deep I wouldn't worry much. I would use it as is. If the pits are so deep that it creates a problem useing it as is. I would check the distance between the deepest pit and the bottom ,with a pair of calipers, to determine if there  is enough metal to warrant resurfacing. A machine shop could help you but the cost may be excessive.If you try to grind it smooth yourself with a power grinder, I would keep the work flushed with water. The heat generated may cause your iron ware to crack otherwise.

[Frank V]

My Sister In Law passed this tip to me. She puts her cookware in the regular oven, put the oven on clean cycle, & after 2-3 hours, depending on how bad the peice is, it's shiny new looking. Then just reseason. I place it in the BBQ after greasing it with white Crisco, & let it go till it stops smoking. Not too long or it will cook the new seasoning off. Works ok.