What kind of cookware do you use?

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

I avoid none stick cookware like the plague.
A properly season steel pan is very none stick.

The de Buyer is my favorite.
View attachment 48971

This one took about 8 or 9 runs through the oven with peanut oil at around 400 degrees,and yes it was once silver.
Polymerized oil is incredibly slick.

I would NEVER ruin my stainless like that.

However, I have several cast irons that I revived from rusty nothings into beautiful cookware utilizing electrolysis then seasoning them over and over again at 500 degrees with plenty of oil.

If you've never used electrolysis to clean up an old cast iron skillet, you are missing out, its' the ONLY way to fly.

Easiest way to clean a cast iron pan or pot back to it's original state?
Put it in the oven and run it through the self cleaning cycle.
It'll be gray and clean as new,wipe off the ash and begin your seasoning process.
I personally go this route on my cast and steel pans using steel grit as a media.
It puts micro scratches on the surface of steel making a surface the polymerized oil will stick to and it clears the micro holes in the cast for the same effect.
View attachment 48973

That extreme heat can warp the cast though.

Electrolysis is so easy, and it's kinda neat watching the science of it work.

I use a big planter that hold like 20 gallons of water.

Add two cups of this

http://www.armandhammer.com/Index.aspx

then what you do is suspend your cast (or other metal i've used it on stainless, brass, copper etc etc) from a hook so that it is entirely submerged.

Then you submerge another piece of clean metal to be used as an anode. Make sure it's at least 6" from your cast.

next take a battery charger and connect the positive end to your cast and the negative end to your anode.

Turn battery charger to highest setting and turn on..

Watch the bubbles form on top of the water, that means its working. Don't put your hands in the water unless you turn the battery charger off.

Let sit for 24 hours for cast (much less for other materials , do some research)

At the end of 24 hours remove cast from vat, wash in soap and water using 3M Scotch Bright finishing pads to remove film left from electrolysis.

Cast will be stripped bare, season as you like.

I've seen that method used and it is effective.
But your average house wife isnt going to use it.
If you have quality cast iron it wont warp,i've used the method many times.
Now the carbon steel I wont take above 400 in the seasoning process because they can and will warp,more so with the thin cheap stuff.
The de Buyer pans hold up much better in high heat.

I actually restore cast as a hobby, that's why the big tank. there is something very satisfying about finding an old wore out skillet for $2 or something at a flea market or yardsale or whatever and restoring it to a beautiful useable skillet.

I sell most of them I rescue, I mean who needs that much cast iron, to me its the enjoyment of restoring them.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I use cast iron almost exclusively.

You should look into the de Buyer carbon steel pans if you like cast iron.
They respond more quickly to heat adjustments than cast.
I like cast for frying and in a dutch oven for their heat holding ability but sometimes you need the fast reaction of carbon steel.

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

I avoid none stick cookware like the plague.
A properly season steel pan is very none stick.

The de Buyer is my favorite.
View attachment 48971

This one took about 8 or 9 runs through the oven with peanut oil at around 400 degrees,and yes it was once silver.
Polymerized oil is incredibly slick.

I would NEVER ruin my stainless like that.

However, I have several cast irons that I revived from rusty nothings into beautiful cookware utilizing electrolysis then seasoning them over and over again at 500 degrees with plenty of oil.

If you've never used electrolysis to clean up an old cast iron skillet, you are missing out, its' the ONLY way to fly.

Easiest way to clean a cast iron pan or pot back to it's original state?
Put it in the oven and run it through the self cleaning cycle.
It'll be gray and clean as new,wipe off the ash and begin your seasoning process.
I personally go this route on my cast and steel pans using steel grit as a media.
It puts micro scratches on the surface of steel making a surface the polymerized oil will stick to and it clears the micro holes in the cast for the same effect.
View attachment 48973

That extreme heat can warp the cast though.

Electrolysis is so easy, and it's kinda neat watching the science of it work.

I use a big planter that hold like 20 gallons of water.

Add two cups of this

http://www.armandhammer.com/Index.aspx

then what you do is suspend your cast (or other metal i've used it on stainless, brass, copper etc etc) from a hook so that it is entirely submerged.

Then you submerge another piece of clean metal to be used as an anode. Make sure it's at least 6" from your cast.

next take a battery charger and connect the positive end to your cast and the negative end to your anode.

Turn battery charger to highest setting and turn on..

Watch the bubbles form on top of the water, that means its working. Don't put your hands in the water unless you turn the battery charger off.

Let sit for 24 hours for cast (much less for other materials , do some research)

At the end of 24 hours remove cast from vat, wash in soap and water using 3M Scotch Bright finishing pads to remove film left from electrolysis.

Cast will be stripped bare, season as you like.

Why in the world would you ever strip cast iron?

I season my cast iron every January wether they need it or not. In reality, only the outside gets multiple layers.

Do you think it is somehow cleaner if you strip it? I don't see the purpose of it.

I ALWAYS strip cast that I don't know the history of.

I bought some a few weeks ago, that at first glance looked to be beautifully seasoned, but it turned out upon further inspection that someone had painted them black.

As I'm sure you are aware, that could be quite dangerous if pout in the oven.

So electrolysis it is.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I avoid none stick cookware like the plague.
A properly season steel pan is very none stick.

The de Buyer is my favorite.
View attachment 48971

This one took about 8 or 9 runs through the oven with peanut oil at around 400 degrees,and yes it was once silver.
Polymerized oil is incredibly slick.

I would NEVER ruin my stainless like that.

However, I have several cast irons that I revived from rusty nothings into beautiful cookware utilizing electrolysis then seasoning them over and over again at 500 degrees with plenty of oil.

If you've never used electrolysis to clean up an old cast iron skillet, you are missing out, its' the ONLY way to fly.

Easiest way to clean a cast iron pan or pot back to it's original state?
Put it in the oven and run it through the self cleaning cycle.
It'll be gray and clean as new,wipe off the ash and begin your seasoning process.
I personally go this route on my cast and steel pans using steel grit as a media.
It puts micro scratches on the surface of steel making a surface the polymerized oil will stick to and it clears the micro holes in the cast for the same effect.
View attachment 48973

That extreme heat can warp the cast though.

Electrolysis is so easy, and it's kinda neat watching the science of it work.

I use a big planter that hold like 20 gallons of water.

Add two cups of this

http://www.armandhammer.com/Index.aspx

then what you do is suspend your cast (or other metal i've used it on stainless, brass, copper etc etc) from a hook so that it is entirely submerged.

Then you submerge another piece of clean metal to be used as an anode. Make sure it's at least 6" from your cast.

next take a battery charger and connect the positive end to your cast and the negative end to your anode.

Turn battery charger to highest setting and turn on..

Watch the bubbles form on top of the water, that means its working. Don't put your hands in the water unless you turn the battery charger off.

Let sit for 24 hours for cast (much less for other materials , do some research)

At the end of 24 hours remove cast from vat, wash in soap and water using 3M Scotch Bright finishing pads to remove film left from electrolysis.

Cast will be stripped bare, season as you like.

Why in the world would you ever strip cast iron?

I season my cast iron every January wether they need it or not. In reality, only the outside gets multiple layers.

Do you think it is somehow cleaner if you strip it? I don't see the purpose of it.

Occasionally the seasoning can go bad. Especially if you use em camping or you cook something acidic.

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

I should add, I do NOT strip my own cast once it's properly seasoned, you are absolutely correct, there is no point.

Sorry, I was speaking of cast that I bought and was restoring.

 

[Iceweasel]

I have big quality SS set but put them in storage since getting Green Pans. They have the ceramic coating. Cleanup is never more than a couple of seconds. I've seen a few bad reviews but after using them I realize they were cooked to death. You don't need/want high heat for very long. Mine still look new after a year and I use them almost every night.

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

I avoid none stick cookware like the plague.
A properly season steel pan is very none stick.

The de Buyer is my favorite.
View attachment 48971

This one took about 8 or 9 runs through the oven with peanut oil at around 400 degrees,and yes it was once silver.
Polymerized oil is incredibly slick.

I would NEVER ruin my stainless like that.

However, I have several cast irons that I revived from rusty nothings into beautiful cookware utilizing electrolysis then seasoning them over and over again at 500 degrees with plenty of oil.

If you've never used electrolysis to clean up an old cast iron skillet, you are missing out, its' the ONLY way to fly.

Easiest way to clean a cast iron pan or pot back to it's original state?
Put it in the oven and run it through the self cleaning cycle.
It'll be gray and clean as new,wipe off the ash and begin your seasoning process.
I personally go this route on my cast and steel pans using steel grit as a media.
It puts micro scratches on the surface of steel making a surface the polymerized oil will stick to and it clears the micro holes in the cast for the same effect.
View attachment 48973

That extreme heat can warp the cast though.

Electrolysis is so easy, and it's kinda neat watching the science of it work.

I use a big planter that hold like 20 gallons of water.

Add two cups of this

http://www.armandhammer.com/Index.aspx

then what you do is suspend your cast (or other metal i've used it on stainless, brass, copper etc etc) from a hook so that it is entirely submerged.

Then you submerge another piece of clean metal to be used as an anode. Make sure it's at least 6" from your cast.

next take a battery charger and connect the positive end to your cast and the negative end to your anode.

Turn battery charger to highest setting and turn on..

Watch the bubbles form on top of the water, that means its working. Don't put your hands in the water unless you turn the battery charger off.

Let sit for 24 hours for cast (much less for other materials , do some research)

At the end of 24 hours remove cast from vat, wash in soap and water using 3M Scotch Bright finishing pads to remove film left from electrolysis.

Cast will be stripped bare, season as you like.

Why in the world would you ever strip cast iron?

I season my cast iron every January wether they need it or not. In reality, only the outside gets multiple layers.

Do you think it is somehow cleaner if you strip it? I don't see the purpose of it.

Occasionally the seasoning can go bad. Especially if you use em camping or you cook something acidic.

Yes, you MUST thoroughly wash cast after cooking something acidic. And the old wives tale about not using soap and water to wash cast is just that, an old wives tale. A properly seasoned cast iron skillet you have actually bonded the oil to the skillet and soap and light scrubbing is not going to affect the seasoning at all.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I avoid none stick cookware like the plague.
A properly season steel pan is very none stick.

The de Buyer is my favorite.
View attachment 48971

This one took about 8 or 9 runs through the oven with peanut oil at around 400 degrees,and yes it was once silver.
Polymerized oil is incredibly slick.

I would NEVER ruin my stainless like that.

However, I have several cast irons that I revived from rusty nothings into beautiful cookware utilizing electrolysis then seasoning them over and over again at 500 degrees with plenty of oil.

If you've never used electrolysis to clean up an old cast iron skillet, you are missing out, its' the ONLY way to fly.

Easiest way to clean a cast iron pan or pot back to it's original state?
Put it in the oven and run it through the self cleaning cycle.
It'll be gray and clean as new,wipe off the ash and begin your seasoning process.
I personally go this route on my cast and steel pans using steel grit as a media.
It puts micro scratches on the surface of steel making a surface the polymerized oil will stick to and it clears the micro holes in the cast for the same effect.
View attachment 48973

That extreme heat can warp the cast though.

Electrolysis is so easy, and it's kinda neat watching the science of it work.

I use a big planter that hold like 20 gallons of water.

Add two cups of this

http://www.armandhammer.com/Index.aspx

then what you do is suspend your cast (or other metal i've used it on stainless, brass, copper etc etc) from a hook so that it is entirely submerged.

Then you submerge another piece of clean metal to be used as an anode. Make sure it's at least 6" from your cast.

next take a battery charger and connect the positive end to your cast and the negative end to your anode.

Turn battery charger to highest setting and turn on..

Watch the bubbles form on top of the water, that means its working. Don't put your hands in the water unless you turn the battery charger off.

Let sit for 24 hours for cast (much less for other materials , do some research)

At the end of 24 hours remove cast from vat, wash in soap and water using 3M Scotch Bright finishing pads to remove film left from electrolysis.

Cast will be stripped bare, season as you like.

I've seen that method used and it is effective.
But your average house wife isnt going to use it.
If you have quality cast iron it wont warp,i've used the method many times.
Now the carbon steel I wont take above 400 in the seasoning process because they can and will warp,more so with the thin cheap stuff.
The de Buyer pans hold up much better in high heat.

I actually restore cast as a hobby, that's why the big tank. there is something very satisfying about finding an old wore out skillet for $2 or something at a flea market or yardsale or whatever and restoring it to a beautiful useable skillet.

I sell most of them I rescue, I mean who needs that much cast iron, to me its the enjoyment of restoring them.

Oh absolutely. I enjoy the hell out of taking cast or carbon and making it as none stick as possible.
It's almost a science,it's taken a long time to get my process down.
I've found that high heat oils such as peanut make a more durable polymerized
coating than veg oil or lard.
A lot of people use flaxseed oil but I found it to be to delicate.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I would NEVER ruin my stainless like that.

However, I have several cast irons that I revived from rusty nothings into beautiful cookware utilizing electrolysis then seasoning them over and over again at 500 degrees with plenty of oil.

If you've never used electrolysis to clean up an old cast iron skillet, you are missing out, its' the ONLY way to fly.

Easiest way to clean a cast iron pan or pot back to it's original state?
Put it in the oven and run it through the self cleaning cycle.
It'll be gray and clean as new,wipe off the ash and begin your seasoning process.
I personally go this route on my cast and steel pans using steel grit as a media.
It puts micro scratches on the surface of steel making a surface the polymerized oil will stick to and it clears the micro holes in the cast for the same effect.
View attachment 48973

That extreme heat can warp the cast though.

Electrolysis is so easy, and it's kinda neat watching the science of it work.

I use a big planter that hold like 20 gallons of water.

Add two cups of this

http://www.armandhammer.com/Index.aspx

then what you do is suspend your cast (or other metal i've used it on stainless, brass, copper etc etc) from a hook so that it is entirely submerged.

Then you submerge another piece of clean metal to be used as an anode. Make sure it's at least 6" from your cast.

next take a battery charger and connect the positive end to your cast and the negative end to your anode.

Turn battery charger to highest setting and turn on..

Watch the bubbles form on top of the water, that means its working. Don't put your hands in the water unless you turn the battery charger off.

Let sit for 24 hours for cast (much less for other materials , do some research)

At the end of 24 hours remove cast from vat, wash in soap and water using 3M Scotch Bright finishing pads to remove film left from electrolysis.

Cast will be stripped bare, season as you like.

Why in the world would you ever strip cast iron?

I season my cast iron every January wether they need it or not. In reality, only the outside gets multiple layers.

Do you think it is somehow cleaner if you strip it? I don't see the purpose of it.

Occasionally the seasoning can go bad. Especially if you use em camping or you cook something acidic.

Yes, you MUST thoroughly wash cast after cooking something acidic. And the old wives tale about not using soap and water to wash cast is just that, an old wives tale. A properly seasoned cast iron skillet you have actually bonded the oil to the skillet and soap and light scrubbing is not going to affect the seasoning at all.

Yep,as long as you dont scrub the living shit out of it soap is just fine.

Another thing on carbon and cast.
Your cast iron would look just like my carbon if it started out silver,you just cant see the polymerized oil on cast because it's already black.

 

[PredFan]

I avoid none stick cookware like the plague.
A properly season steel pan is very none stick.

The de Buyer is my favorite.
View attachment 48971

This one took about 8 or 9 runs through the oven with peanut oil at around 400 degrees,and yes it was once silver.
Polymerized oil is incredibly slick.

I would NEVER ruin my stainless like that.

However, I have several cast irons that I revived from rusty nothings into beautiful cookware utilizing electrolysis then seasoning them over and over again at 500 degrees with plenty of oil.

If you've never used electrolysis to clean up an old cast iron skillet, you are missing out, its' the ONLY way to fly.

Easiest way to clean a cast iron pan or pot back to it's original state?
Put it in the oven and run it through the self cleaning cycle.
It'll be gray and clean as new,wipe off the ash and begin your seasoning process.
I personally go this route on my cast and steel pans using steel grit as a media.
It puts micro scratches on the surface of steel making a surface the polymerized oil will stick to and it clears the micro holes in the cast for the same effect.
View attachment 48973

That extreme heat can warp the cast though.

Electrolysis is so easy, and it's kinda neat watching the science of it work.

I use a big planter that hold like 20 gallons of water.

Add two cups of this

http://www.armandhammer.com/Index.aspx

then what you do is suspend your cast (or other metal i've used it on stainless, brass, copper etc etc) from a hook so that it is entirely submerged.

Then you submerge another piece of clean metal to be used as an anode. Make sure it's at least 6" from your cast.

next take a battery charger and connect the positive end to your cast and the negative end to your anode.

Turn battery charger to highest setting and turn on..

Watch the bubbles form on top of the water, that means its working. Don't put your hands in the water unless you turn the battery charger off.

Let sit for 24 hours for cast (much less for other materials , do some research)

At the end of 24 hours remove cast from vat, wash in soap and water using 3M Scotch Bright finishing pads to remove film left from electrolysis.

Cast will be stripped bare, season as you like.

Why in the world would you ever strip cast iron?

I season my cast iron every January wether they need it or not. In reality, only the outside gets multiple layers.

Do you think it is somehow cleaner if you strip it? I don't see the purpose of it.

Occasionally the seasoning can go bad. Especially if you use em camping or you cook something acidic.

Hmmm...never seen that happen.

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

I would NEVER ruin my stainless like that.

However, I have several cast irons that I revived from rusty nothings into beautiful cookware utilizing electrolysis then seasoning them over and over again at 500 degrees with plenty of oil.

If you've never used electrolysis to clean up an old cast iron skillet, you are missing out, its' the ONLY way to fly.

Easiest way to clean a cast iron pan or pot back to it's original state?
Put it in the oven and run it through the self cleaning cycle.
It'll be gray and clean as new,wipe off the ash and begin your seasoning process.
I personally go this route on my cast and steel pans using steel grit as a media.
It puts micro scratches on the surface of steel making a surface the polymerized oil will stick to and it clears the micro holes in the cast for the same effect.
View attachment 48973

That extreme heat can warp the cast though.

Electrolysis is so easy, and it's kinda neat watching the science of it work.

I use a big planter that hold like 20 gallons of water.

Add two cups of this

http://www.armandhammer.com/Index.aspx

then what you do is suspend your cast (or other metal i've used it on stainless, brass, copper etc etc) from a hook so that it is entirely submerged.

Then you submerge another piece of clean metal to be used as an anode. Make sure it's at least 6" from your cast.

next take a battery charger and connect the positive end to your cast and the negative end to your anode.

Turn battery charger to highest setting and turn on..

Watch the bubbles form on top of the water, that means its working. Don't put your hands in the water unless you turn the battery charger off.

Let sit for 24 hours for cast (much less for other materials , do some research)

At the end of 24 hours remove cast from vat, wash in soap and water using 3M Scotch Bright finishing pads to remove film left from electrolysis.

Cast will be stripped bare, season as you like.

I've seen that method used and it is effective.
But your average house wife isnt going to use it.
If you have quality cast iron it wont warp,i've used the method many times.
Now the carbon steel I wont take above 400 in the seasoning process because they can and will warp,more so with the thin cheap stuff.
The de Buyer pans hold up much better in high heat.

I actually restore cast as a hobby, that's why the big tank. there is something very satisfying about finding an old wore out skillet for $2 or something at a flea market or yardsale or whatever and restoring it to a beautiful useable skillet.

I sell most of them I rescue, I mean who needs that much cast iron, to me its the enjoyment of restoring them.

Oh absolutely. I enjoy the hell out of taking cast or carbon and making it as none stick as possible.
It's almost a science,it's taken a long time to get my process down.
I've found that high heat oils such as peanut make a more durable polymerized
coating than veg oil or lard.
A lot of people use flaxseed oil but I found it to be to delicate.

I use olive oil because I like to go up to 500 degrees and the higher smoke point. It smokes some, but not like vegetable oil.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I have big quality SS set but put them in storage since getting Green Pans. They have the ceramic coating. Cleanup is never more than a couple of seconds. I've seen a few bad reviews but after using them I realize they were cooked to death. You don't need/want high heat for very long. Mine still look new after a year and I use them almost every night.

I love the ceramic coated Le Creusent,you get the best of both worlds.
A cast iron pan or pot that holds heat and an easy clean ceramic coating.
They are a little pricey.
My large roasting/dutch oven ran around $380.00 but I love the shit out of it.

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

I would NEVER ruin my stainless like that.

However, I have several cast irons that I revived from rusty nothings into beautiful cookware utilizing electrolysis then seasoning them over and over again at 500 degrees with plenty of oil.

If you've never used electrolysis to clean up an old cast iron skillet, you are missing out, its' the ONLY way to fly.

Easiest way to clean a cast iron pan or pot back to it's original state?
Put it in the oven and run it through the self cleaning cycle.
It'll be gray and clean as new,wipe off the ash and begin your seasoning process.
I personally go this route on my cast and steel pans using steel grit as a media.
It puts micro scratches on the surface of steel making a surface the polymerized oil will stick to and it clears the micro holes in the cast for the same effect.
View attachment 48973

That extreme heat can warp the cast though.

Electrolysis is so easy, and it's kinda neat watching the science of it work.

I use a big planter that hold like 20 gallons of water.

Add two cups of this

http://www.armandhammer.com/Index.aspx

then what you do is suspend your cast (or other metal i've used it on stainless, brass, copper etc etc) from a hook so that it is entirely submerged.

Then you submerge another piece of clean metal to be used as an anode. Make sure it's at least 6" from your cast.

next take a battery charger and connect the positive end to your cast and the negative end to your anode.

Turn battery charger to highest setting and turn on..

Watch the bubbles form on top of the water, that means its working. Don't put your hands in the water unless you turn the battery charger off.

Let sit for 24 hours for cast (much less for other materials , do some research)

At the end of 24 hours remove cast from vat, wash in soap and water using 3M Scotch Bright finishing pads to remove film left from electrolysis.

Cast will be stripped bare, season as you like.

Why in the world would you ever strip cast iron?

I season my cast iron every January wether they need it or not. In reality, only the outside gets multiple layers.

Do you think it is somehow cleaner if you strip it? I don't see the purpose of it.

Occasionally the seasoning can go bad. Especially if you use em camping or you cook something acidic.

Hmmm...never seen that happen.

I'm sure you take care of your cast.

Side note, I'm thinking of getting into some cheese making myself. I read your thread last night. How good is that blue? It looked awesome.

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

I have big quality SS set but put them in storage since getting Green Pans. They have the ceramic coating. Cleanup is never more than a couple of seconds. I've seen a few bad reviews but after using them I realize they were cooked to death. You don't need/want high heat for very long. Mine still look new after a year and I use them almost every night.

I love the ceramic coated Le Creusent,you get the best of both worlds.
A cast iron pan or pot that holds heat and an easy clean ceramic coating.
They are a little pricey.
My large roasting/dutch oven ran around $380.00 but I love the shit out of it.

I have an 8 quart cast iron dutch that I paid $5 for, stripped it bare and spent hours and hours reseasoning it.

I've been offered $300 for it, but like to have it when we go camping.

 

[PredFan]

I would NEVER ruin my stainless like that.

However, I have several cast irons that I revived from rusty nothings into beautiful cookware utilizing electrolysis then seasoning them over and over again at 500 degrees with plenty of oil.

If you've never used electrolysis to clean up an old cast iron skillet, you are missing out, its' the ONLY way to fly.

Easiest way to clean a cast iron pan or pot back to it's original state?
Put it in the oven and run it through the self cleaning cycle.
It'll be gray and clean as new,wipe off the ash and begin your seasoning process.
I personally go this route on my cast and steel pans using steel grit as a media.
It puts micro scratches on the surface of steel making a surface the polymerized oil will stick to and it clears the micro holes in the cast for the same effect.
View attachment 48973

That extreme heat can warp the cast though.

Electrolysis is so easy, and it's kinda neat watching the science of it work.

I use a big planter that hold like 20 gallons of water.

Add two cups of this

http://www.armandhammer.com/Index.aspx

then what you do is suspend your cast (or other metal i've used it on stainless, brass, copper etc etc) from a hook so that it is entirely submerged.

Then you submerge another piece of clean metal to be used as an anode. Make sure it's at least 6" from your cast.

next take a battery charger and connect the positive end to your cast and the negative end to your anode.

Turn battery charger to highest setting and turn on..

Watch the bubbles form on top of the water, that means its working. Don't put your hands in the water unless you turn the battery charger off.

Let sit for 24 hours for cast (much less for other materials , do some research)

At the end of 24 hours remove cast from vat, wash in soap and water using 3M Scotch Bright finishing pads to remove film left from electrolysis.

Cast will be stripped bare, season as you like.

Why in the world would you ever strip cast iron?

I season my cast iron every January wether they need it or not. In reality, only the outside gets multiple layers.

Do you think it is somehow cleaner if you strip it? I don't see the purpose of it.

Occasionally the seasoning can go bad. Especially if you use em camping or you cook something acidic.

Yes, you MUST thoroughly wash cast after cooking something acidic. And the old wives tale about not using soap and water to wash cast is just that, an old wives tale. A properly seasoned cast iron skillet you have actually bonded the oil to the skillet and soap and light scrubbing is not going to affect the seasoning at all.

I agree, I have put my cast iron in the dishwasher many times without any effect on the seasoning.

 

[chao$]

My pans have an aluminum base, and I think it does cook more evenly. It's not THAT great of a difference though.

I use copper for its material density but I can see why people choose something light like aluminum.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I would NEVER ruin my stainless like that.

However, I have several cast irons that I revived from rusty nothings into beautiful cookware utilizing electrolysis then seasoning them over and over again at 500 degrees with plenty of oil.

If you've never used electrolysis to clean up an old cast iron skillet, you are missing out, its' the ONLY way to fly.

Easiest way to clean a cast iron pan or pot back to it's original state?
Put it in the oven and run it through the self cleaning cycle.
It'll be gray and clean as new,wipe off the ash and begin your seasoning process.
I personally go this route on my cast and steel pans using steel grit as a media.
It puts micro scratches on the surface of steel making a surface the polymerized oil will stick to and it clears the micro holes in the cast for the same effect.
View attachment 48973

That extreme heat can warp the cast though.

Electrolysis is so easy, and it's kinda neat watching the science of it work.

I use a big planter that hold like 20 gallons of water.

Add two cups of this

http://www.armandhammer.com/Index.aspx

then what you do is suspend your cast (or other metal i've used it on stainless, brass, copper etc etc) from a hook so that it is entirely submerged.

Then you submerge another piece of clean metal to be used as an anode. Make sure it's at least 6" from your cast.

next take a battery charger and connect the positive end to your cast and the negative end to your anode.

Turn battery charger to highest setting and turn on..

Watch the bubbles form on top of the water, that means its working. Don't put your hands in the water unless you turn the battery charger off.

Let sit for 24 hours for cast (much less for other materials , do some research)

At the end of 24 hours remove cast from vat, wash in soap and water using 3M Scotch Bright finishing pads to remove film left from electrolysis.

Cast will be stripped bare, season as you like.

Why in the world would you ever strip cast iron?

I season my cast iron every January wether they need it or not. In reality, only the outside gets multiple layers.

Do you think it is somehow cleaner if you strip it? I don't see the purpose of it.

Occasionally the seasoning can go bad. Especially if you use em camping or you cook something acidic.

Hmmm...never seen that happen.

Try making say a tomato based spaghetti sauce and let it sit overnight.
It'll eat the seasoning right off.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I have big quality SS set but put them in storage since getting Green Pans. They have the ceramic coating. Cleanup is never more than a couple of seconds. I've seen a few bad reviews but after using them I realize they were cooked to death. You don't need/want high heat for very long. Mine still look new after a year and I use them almost every night.

I love the ceramic coated Le Creusent,you get the best of both worlds.
A cast iron pan or pot that holds heat and an easy clean ceramic coating.
They are a little pricey.
My large roasting/dutch oven ran around $380.00 but I love the shit out of it.

I have an 8 quart cast iron dutch that I paid $5 for, stripped it bare and spent hours and hours reseasoning it.

I've been offered $300 for it, but like to have it when we go camping.

Yeah,you cant beat a good dutch oven.
Slap a couple of chickens in it and throw it in the oven. Shit's like magic!!

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

Lord, now I'm in the mood to go looking for cast iron. Last year I bought 50 pieces at auction for $100. They looked like they had been buried for 100 years.

I found some nice pieces in there though. A bunch of Griswald pre 1965 stuff. I stripped it all down seasoned it all and sold it for a lot of money. I think i made around $600 off of it.

 

[PredFan]

Easiest way to clean a cast iron pan or pot back to it's original state?
Put it in the oven and run it through the self cleaning cycle.
It'll be gray and clean as new,wipe off the ash and begin your seasoning process.
I personally go this route on my cast and steel pans using steel grit as a media.
It puts micro scratches on the surface of steel making a surface the polymerized oil will stick to and it clears the micro holes in the cast for the same effect.
View attachment 48973

That extreme heat can warp the cast though.

Electrolysis is so easy, and it's kinda neat watching the science of it work.

I use a big planter that hold like 20 gallons of water.

Add two cups of this

http://www.armandhammer.com/Index.aspx

then what you do is suspend your cast (or other metal i've used it on stainless, brass, copper etc etc) from a hook so that it is entirely submerged.

Then you submerge another piece of clean metal to be used as an anode. Make sure it's at least 6" from your cast.

next take a battery charger and connect the positive end to your cast and the negative end to your anode.

Turn battery charger to highest setting and turn on..

Watch the bubbles form on top of the water, that means its working. Don't put your hands in the water unless you turn the battery charger off.

Let sit for 24 hours for cast (much less for other materials , do some research)

At the end of 24 hours remove cast from vat, wash in soap and water using 3M Scotch Bright finishing pads to remove film left from electrolysis.

Cast will be stripped bare, season as you like.

Why in the world would you ever strip cast iron?

I season my cast iron every January wether they need it or not. In reality, only the outside gets multiple layers.

Do you think it is somehow cleaner if you strip it? I don't see the purpose of it.

Occasionally the seasoning can go bad. Especially if you use em camping or you cook something acidic.

Hmmm...never seen that happen.

I'm sure you take care of your cast.

Side note, I'm thinking of getting into some cheese making myself. I read your thread last night. How good is that blue? It looked awesome.

I love making cheese, even though I have had my share if failures.

My first two Blues were adequate. I have always made my own blue cheese dressing and my blue did fine. This last two pound round of blue was the best. It took some work but I managed to keep it more moist than previous tries which imo were a tad too dry. I didn't even crumble this wheel, I just carve slivers off if it and eat it. It's that good.

Go for it. The monetary investment isn't too bad. The most expensive thing is if you don't have a cellar, you will need to buy something to age your cheese in. I have an old refrigerator with a separate regulator, but you can simply buy a small wine fridge.

Go for it, good luck.