Check out all my web pages on cast iron pots, kettles, and Dutch ovens (just click on the underlined topics):

Main Page: 
The Irreplaceable Cast-Iron Skillet
 

Question & Answer Pages:

Ammonia for Cleaning Cast Iron

Ceramic Top (Flat Top) Electric Range and Cast Iron Pots

Hot Fire for Curing & Cleaning

Iron and Carcinogens in Cast Iron

Misc. Questions & Answers

Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Pots

Salt for Cleaning Cast Iron

Sanding Cast Iron Pots

Self-Cleaning Oven for Cleaning & Seasoning

Warped or Cracked Cast Iron Pots

Washing Cast Iron Pots

There has been a resurgence in the use of cast-iron cookware in the home.

Most people tend to think of cast-iron skillets and fry pans, but there is an cast-iron pos or kettles designed for just about any cooking chore. You can bake in Dutch ovens, make stew in a kettle, stir fry in a cast-iron wok. Then there are griddles for making pancakes and French toast, pieces for making corn sticks and muffins, and baking pans, etc.

Cast iron also provides more even heat distribution than today's lightweight aluminum pans. It cooks evenly, cleans up easily, and holds heat longer. Cast iron also has medicinal qualities. In fact, many medical authorities believe that there are health benefits to cooking in iron since food may absorb and pass onto us traces of the essential mineral.

NOTE:  All new (not old pots) cast-iron pots and skillets have a protective coating on them, which must be removed. American companies use a special food-safe wax; imports are covered with a water-soluble shellac. In either case, scrub the item with a scouring pad, using soap and the hottest tap water you can stand.

Remember - Every time you cook in your cast-iron pan, you are actually seasoning it again by filling in the microscopic pores and valleys that are part of the cast-iron surface. The more you cook, the smoother the surface becomes!

Cooking With Cast-Iron:

You can use a single cast-iron skillet for just about any cooking task: Bake a cake, sear a filet, roast or fry a chicken, fry potatoes, stir-fry vegetables, etc. One skillet is all you need, but because cast-iron cooking is lot of fun and makes the food you cook taste great, you'll probably going to wait more than one cast-iron pan.

With a cast iron pan, you can begin your recipe on the stovetop, and then move it to the oven to finish.

NOTE:  Do not use a cast-iron pan in your microwave. If you do, you will ruin your pan and also your microwave oven. The fireworks display that will result will not be worth the cleanup and replacement cost.

My existing cast-iron pans came to me in bad condition (they were very old frying pans from my mother and one from a rummage sale).  My husband hand sanded them until smooth and removed the burnt coating and rust. I then seasoned the pans.

They are now my favorite frying pans and I wouldn't trade or loan them to anyone! They are especially great for "searing" meats and seafood. - Linda Stradley
 

Using a wire wheel brush on a drill to clean cast iron pans from Wes Chitwood of Atlanta, GA.

Just a quick note about cleaning cast iron frying pans. Using a wire wheel brush on a drill or other tool will clean rust and other "nastys" of the skillet very well. I use a bronze wire wheel, but brass works just as well. You can't damage the pan as with sand paper or sand blasting.  The wire wheel will flex if you attempt to put too much pressure on it and brass or bronze is softer than the iron. Of course, the pan will need to be re-seasoned.

I found some very old iron skillets in a barn at a friends farm. They were hanging on nails for who knows how long and were pretty rusty. He said they were there he bought the place and I could have them as they were no good anymore. ( I just grinned and took the "junk" off his hands.) Trial and error led me to the bronze wire wheel on my grinder. Those pans, one 18-inch, one square 12-inch, and one 10-inch looked like new ones when I finished with the wheel. 

Question:  
I have a couple questions pertaining to seasoning cast iron pans. First I was wondering if it would be a good idea to use oils with a higher smoking point than Crisco shortening? For example avocado oil has a smoking point almost 200 degrees higher than Crisco. I'm not entirely sure what the advantage to using a fat with a higher smoking point would be, but I was thinking maybe if you were baking with your pan or cooking with it, it'd be less likely to smoke then and add unwanted bitterness to the food.

Then again, I came across another site where somebody claimed to have called Lodge and gotten a recommendation for using a 500 degree oven to season their pans. The smoke is actually said to help in the seasoning process. If this is true, couldn't you just use a bbq outside to prevent having to vent your kitchen? Do you know what exactly the seasoning process consists of? Is it fat, or the smoke and cooked fat that helps make a pan non stick?

About the bottom of the inside of the skillet, is it unwise to sand it smooth with 80 grit sandpaper before seasoning? I just can't help but feel that a smoother surface would be more beneficial for cooking things like eggs. Anyways, thank you very much for your time. I appreciate any answers you can offer. - Rick (12/7/05)

Answer:  
I see no reason you couldn't use avocado oil when seasoning your cast iron pan. I have even used coconut oil. Let me know how your pan turns out.

The seasoning process is a combination of the fat and the high heat. I have never tried using my barbecue, but since some people season their cast iron pans in a wood fire, I would think a bbq would also work.

My husband sanded my old cast iron pans with 80 grit sandpaper to remove the crud and make it smooth. It worked wonderfully!

Question:
Hello…. I just purchased some cast iron fry pans and I an having a problem seasoning them.  No matter what I use to apply the solid shortening to the pan… it leaves lint with the shortening.  Any suggestions?  Do I have to smooth them out first?