Lodge Cast Iron at Woot!

[tRidiot]

Sorry for the late response. With any new Lodge CI, I grind the cooking surface smooth after a hot soapy wash (though the initial wash isn't really necessary considering you're grinding off the surface anyway, but I still do it)....

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All of my cast iron has a beautiful dark patina and performs beautifully, whether it's Lodge or not.

Sorry if that answered more than what you asked.

Excellent tutorial Danny, thank you very much! I am going to have to try this.

BTW, what do you grind them down with? I don't own a grinder, so I'm probably going to have to get one. Only a Dremel, and I would assume it would take next to forever with a Dremel tool. <sigh>

 

[Brandi]

Sorry for the late response. With any new Lodge CI, I grind the cooking surface smooth after a hot soapy wash (though the initial wash isn't really necessary considering you're grinding off the surface anyway, but I still do it). After grinding, I wash with hot soapy water again to remove any dusty residue. The CI will look gray at this point. I then put it in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees for 15 minutes. Take it out, crank the heat up to 300 degrees. Wipe the inside and out of the CI with Crisco. With a clean rag/blue shop towel/paper towel, I wipe up the Crisco (don't worry, some has been absorbed into the CI) and put it back in the oven for another 15. After that, I take it out, crank it up to 400 and wipe it down again with a clean towel/rag to clean up any extra excess Crisco (again, don't worry, it's still absorbed into the CI). Pop it back in the oven for an hour. Turn the heat off, let the CI cool naturally within the oven and repeat the process.

You can watch the shade grow darker after each season. Like I mentioned earlier, after 3 or 4 seasons I can fry eggs over easy that skate around the skillet with just a little butter. You'll spend an afternoon taking care of your new CI, but after that it's set it go forever. I clean using a non-scratch abrasive pad, vegetable oil, and if need be, a little course Kosher salt. Wipe clean with a towel, heat up on the stove top for 10 minutes, wipe down with Crisco, wipe up any excess, and there it sets until next use.

All of my cast iron has a beautiful dark patina and performs beautifully, whether it's Lodge or not.

Sorry if that answered more than what you asked.

That's exactly what I needed, thank you!

 

[inactive]

Excellent tutorial Danny, thank you very much! I am going to have to try this.

BTW, what do you grind them down with? I don't own a grinder, so I'm probably going to have to get one. Only a Dremel, and I would assume it would take next to forever with a Dremel tool. <sigh>

A random orbit sander would work fine.

 

[mr ed]

Is that a good brand? I'm thinking I need some items, but IS there one brand better than another when it comes to cast?

Available in the camping section of your local walmart

 

[Danny Tanner]

Excellent tutorial Danny, thank you very much! I am going to have to try this.

BTW, what do you grind them down with? I don't own a grinder, so I'm probably going to have to get one. Only a Dremel, and I would assume it would take next to forever with a Dremel tool. <sigh>

I use an orbital sander for bigger pieces and a wire wheel attachment on a power drill for most others. I'm using the term loosely, but I have both a wire wheel and a cup brush. You can get cheapies for a few bucks each at Lowe's or Home Depot.

Cup brush:
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Wire wheel:
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[1shott]

Or just use the pan. Use a flat edged spatula when cooking. I have a lodge cast iron skillet. Its a couple years old. The bottom of the pan is getting better and soother with age.

Go cook a couple pounds of bacon, eat bacon, feed extra to the dog. Cook more bacon, rinse and repeat.

I also very seldom wash my pan in water. I normally pour off excess grease, then set it back to cool. Heat pan and cook more food. Hardly anything sticks to it, get your pan hot, over a medium to medium low heat before you add your food.

Its cast iron, not a science project.

 

[SoonerP226]

FYI, if you're up at 2am tonight/tomorrow (Wed, 2/19), Amazon's supposed to have a Lodge cast iron 9-quart Dutch oven as their lightning deal.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...9D7J7M5GT5HRNEZ&pf_rd_i=20&pf_rd_p=1725241842

 

[tRidiot]

Cup brush:
[Broken External Image]

Ok, Danny, how do I attach that damn cup brush to my drill? I've now bought 2 wire cup brushes that I didn't realize were for finishing, not removal, now I've bought one like you showed up there, but I didn't realize it was threaded for a bolt somehow. How does that fit on my drill?

With the damn brushes to improve the finish, I've now spent more than I did on the damn cast iron skillet itself!

 

[1shott]

Ok, Danny, how do I attach that damn cup brush to my drill? I've now bought 2 wire cup brushes that I didn't realize were for finishing, not removal, now I've bought one like you showed up there, but I didn't realize it was threaded for a bolt somehow. How does that fit on my drill?

With the damn brushes to improve the finish, I've now spent more than I did on the damn cast iron skillet itself!

That goes on a angle grinder, not a drill motor.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

That goes on a angle grinder, not a drill motor.

This..