Recently, I inherited a cast iron skillet that belonged to my grandparents. I have fond memories of them using it to cook obscene amounts of bacon for me when I was a little kid...which explains a lot about me and my dietary habits...but that's a topic for another post. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif Needless to say, I'm glad to have acquired this skillet and hope to use it for many years to come.
Just one problem...there are many years of "seasoning" on this sucker, especially on the vertical surfaces inside. There are some spots where the seasoning is so thick that it is blistering and flaking off. I wonder if the pan got overheated during one of its last uses? There are also a few minor rust stains on the bottom of the pan, almost as if the bottom wasn't seasoned well enough.
In any event, I'd like to whip this skillet into shape. My dad says that my Grandpa used to occasionally put the skillet in the fireplace to burn it out, then he would reseason it. I have a little gas log fireplace, so that's not an option. Someone said to put it in the self-cleaning cycle of the oven, but I don't know if that's such a good idea. I thought about trying to burn it off in the gas grill or in a very hot oven, or maybe just having the sucker sandblasted.
Any thoughts on how I should proceed? I'm not sure I can bring myself to cook with it until I've eliminated the flakes and blisters.
Regards,
Chris
Just one problem...there are many years of "seasoning" on this sucker, especially on the vertical surfaces inside. There are some spots where the seasoning is so thick that it is blistering and flaking off. I wonder if the pan got overheated during one of its last uses? There are also a few minor rust stains on the bottom of the pan, almost as if the bottom wasn't seasoned well enough.
In any event, I'd like to whip this skillet into shape. My dad says that my Grandpa used to occasionally put the skillet in the fireplace to burn it out, then he would reseason it. I have a little gas log fireplace, so that's not an option. Someone said to put it in the self-cleaning cycle of the oven, but I don't know if that's such a good idea. I thought about trying to burn it off in the gas grill or in a very hot oven, or maybe just having the sucker sandblasted.
Any thoughts on how I should proceed? I'm not sure I can bring myself to cook with it until I've eliminated the flakes and blisters.
Regards,
Chris