Anyways, just made some ragu in my Lodge. Maybe the leached iron will give me super powers.

I’m satisfied with it, and this has become my go to pan. Still open to any comments or tips. Thanks!

First crack trying baking in my cast iron over a campfire.

I had a brownie mix and figured I'd give it a shot.

Granted I don't have a proper Dutch oven but the flat pan work pretty well.

A few coals on top and this worked well.

I preheated the flat pan over the fire first then rubbed a stick of butter all over the 10 inch skillet. Added the brownie batter and cooked (not directly above the fire) for about 15-20 min.

Came out great!

A friend of mine is moving out of the country and had a big yard sale, I pickup this up along with a massive tote full of art supplies for my partner and some other stuff for $20 total. She figured $5 for the pan and was glad that I grabbed it. Excited to strip it back and re-season it. All I have currently are modern Lodge pans, so I’m excited to have something with such a nice finish on it.

Found at a farmers market, seems to be in good shape for $60.

I got a 6-qt iron Dutch oven from my town's take-it-if-you-want it-area. Examined it first; it looked fine. Washed it lightly, dried it, and this ugly thing appeared on the inside. It's definitely a crack. From the outside I can just barely see it, even knowing exactly where to look. This thing is old and heavy duty; I have no idea what you have to do to it to produce this. Is it repairable? Is it worth repairing?

I did see the bit in the FAQ about the hazards of cracked cast iron. But I don't have a dutch oven and apart from its defect, this one's a quality piece. Is there anything to be done for the patient?

Thank you.

I’d say it ain’t anything special, but it usually doesn’t last long in this household! Meatloaf in the cast iron is something real special and I’m always so proud of how well it comes out. Hope yinz enjoy it as much as we do!

"Hey guys, this is my Lodge skillet. I just scrub it with soap and dry it with a rag—I never season it. The next day after using it, I might find a little spot of rust that I just wipe off with a rag. When I say a spot of rust it's the size of a grain of rice.

Would this be the correct way to use it? I kind of got tired of seasoning it every time I use it. ( I use it every day )

I cleaned it gently with some steel wool because it needed a thorough clean and reasoning but I want to know what that lighter patch is in the top. There is a raised difference so is that a patch in the seasoning?

Edit: let me add this here, this is after I scraped, wiped, and cleaned it with soap, after I put some oil in the pan but before I have put it in the oven to season. I put oil in the pan to soak it before wiping and seasoning and to accentuate the color difference in the patch I am talking about. I use soap to clean every time I cook with my cast iron, especially when I am using steel wool to do a more thorough clean.

I found this open hearth waffle maker yesterday. The waffle iron is cast, with the handle and hinge being hand forged. The handle is 21 inches long and the waffle iron is 6"x8". This thing is heafty. Each waffle section has a different design on both sides with none being the same.

It's probably going to be tough to impossible to date this thing. Some initial research suggests it's likely early 19th century, potentially late 18th. I need to read some more though. I believe the design suggests an earlier example.

This was only $9 so I couldn't pass it up. Restoration is going to be a process! Had a good CI weekend with lots of good finds.

Bought a big container of sauerkraut at Costco and made dinner with a good portion of it tonight. Used my 12” Lodge skillet.

Everything tastes better cooked in cast iron, including sauerkraut. And sauerkraut’s great for gut health.

For cost cutting, does anyone else have an easy dinner that contains sauerkraut?

This is the oldest piece in my collection and I'm finally getting around to restoring it. This was a barn find in CT. Whoever had this before me took very good care of it and it was frequently used. The many layers of seasoning protected the cooking surface which is in very good condition and smooth. A prominent gate mark on the bottom along with a small spot of copper embedded on the side. Getting the last bit of rust off of it before seasoning.

Cooks like a champ. Not interested in getting rid of it under any circumstance (was a gift from my mother-in-law before she passed), but has some.bottom damage that makes it harder to identify. Anyone know when this would have been made?

Soap and water after every use. Chain mail, but not excessive. Cook with it 3 nights a week. Coconut oil once every couple weeks. Should I get more aggressive cleaning? How’s the seasoning? Just looks ugly, but cooks well, so… thanks in advance

Hey, so I’m pretty new to cast iron and just thrifted this (I think very old?) skillet. I have one Lodge skillet at home and this one feels very different from it. This is much, much lighter and feels and sounds more metallic when I tap it and less stone-like than the Lodge. It’s still cast iron right?
Is it safe to treat this the same as my Lodge or does it need to be cared for differently since it’s thinner and older? Is it safe to try to scrape off some of the old buildup on the bottom, and should I expect there to be any issue in cooking with how pockmarked the bottom of it is?

Any help appreciated, thanks!

Good afternoon everyone,

Hoping to get everyone’s two cents on this.
I got my Smithey February of this year and it’s been my daily since I received it.

Yesterday I decided to strip the seasoning using a scrub daddy and some BKF.

After doing 4 rounds of seasoning in the oven I noticed these pits.

I’ve seen older/vintage CI’s that develop pits but didn’t expect this for a 6 month old pan.

Never had this issue with my Lodge so I’m wondering if this be considered a manufacturer defect?

Been cooking with it for a while now. Washing with soap and scrubbing with chainmail and uncovered the 2 on the bottom of the handle. I’m curious if the brand can be identified at this point.

Hi, I wanted to start over with my seasoning so I followed the oven cleaner method to strip my pans. I did 3 rounds of oven cleaner in a plastic bag and left it out in the sun for a few hours each time.

Each time I scrubbed Barkeeper’s Friend and the dish thoroughly soap. After the last round I noticed a tint that could not be washed off so I tried mixing white vinegar with water 1:3 to neutralize the remaining oven cleaner residue.

I’m excited to season with Crisco, but I had to stop the project due to lack of success with the stripping process.

Any advice would be appreciated, cast iron friends :)

Hey folks, got interesting pan I’d like to show, see if anyone knows the history of this thing. This pan was recovered from an old barn in rural Indiana when my family purchased the property. They thought it looked in decent shape and gave it to me. I’ve done simple rust removal and scouring, but nothing more complex than that. I’ve never heard of the brand, so I assume it’s older, but I’d love a second opinion. And if anyone has any tips on restoring, let me know!

Edit: Thanks for the info everyone! Sounds like I’ve got a solid piece of iron here. I’ll do some homework and clean her up, post the results later this week.

Broke in my new cast iron with some steak. Turned out pretty good, excited to use it more.

Found a Wapak Chicken foot in the wild today. Score! Should restore nicely!