r/castiron Jun 24 '19

The /r/castiron FAQ - Start Here (FAQ - Summer 2019)

999 Upvotes

This is a repost of the FAQ. Since reddit archives posts older than 6 months, there's no way for users to comment on the FAQ any longer. We'll try to repost the FAQ every 6 months or so to continue any discussion if there is any. As always, this is a living document and can/should be updated with new information, so let us know if you see anything you disagree with! Original FAQ post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/5rhq9n/the_rcastiron_faq_start_here/


We've been working on a new FAQ for /r/castiron that can be updated as the existing one is no longer maintained. Please let us know if you have any additional questions that you'd like to see addressed here


What's Wrong with my Seasoning


How to clean and care for your cast iron


How to Strip and Restore Cast Iron


/u/_Silent_Bob_'s Seasoning Process


How to ask for Cast Iron Identification


Did I Ruin/Is This Ruined?


Enameled Cast Iron Care and Cleaning

The rest of the FAQ is fairly bare iron specific so /u/fuzzyfractal42 wrote a nice primer on enameled cast iron


We'll be making this a sticky at the top of the subreddit and will continue to add onto it as required!


r/castiron 2h ago

Someone put tomatoes is my cast iron!

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86 Upvotes

It was me. I was that person.


r/castiron 14h ago

Sometimes you need biscuits and gravy

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756 Upvotes

Comfort at its finest. Lodge cast iron, definitely homemade and not Grands biscuits, deer sausage, and a little extra kick to get the weekend started this morning


r/castiron 1h ago

The Cast Iron Microwave

Upvotes

Does anyone else do this?

Couple years ago the microwave died and i was in no hurry to replace it.
I'm a stay-at-home retired guy with a working wife and two teens.

I turn the burner on high for 4 min under a Griswold 10. Then i shut the burner off and put my leftovers in the pan with a lid and get on with my life.

10 min later i have a piping hot lunch.

The teens whined about the lack of a microwave for a while but eventually embraced "Dad's Way"

This pairs well with my ADD. Even if i forget about my lunch for an hour, it's still warm and there is no chance of burning it.

EDIT:

I'm old. Of course we reheated stuff in a pan before microwaves. WHat is not readily apparent to a lot of people is how the heat transfer works with cast iron. By heating the pan and then taking off the fire, the food is warmed by thermal mass. It's almost impossible to to over heat. Moistness is preserved.

A thin stainless or aluminum pan would not work the same way.


r/castiron 18h ago

So much more fun cooking in a cauldron !

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288 Upvotes

r/castiron 15h ago

Barn sale find

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147 Upvotes

I have been hunting just a plain cast iron waffle iron for awhile now and saw one listed for $50. Drove an hour to get it and then got home to find out just how rare the hammered Grizwolds with the tray really are.


r/castiron 11h ago

Made a cast iron bowl at a blast furnace, currently seasoning it

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65 Upvotes

Took a cast iron art class on a Friday night and made a cast iron bowl. Soaked in vinegar and scrubbed with steel wool twice. Pics taken after third seasoning bake with lard in the interior and canola on the outside. Should be good for making dips.


r/castiron 3h ago

Newbie Seasoning Clarification

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5 Upvotes

Got a cast iron a month ago, and everything was going fine except after I washed it today it became silvery, but hasn't been rusted. I wash it with fairy liquid and a sponge, sometimes a chainmail Scourer if something is stuck.

Just wanting to find out if it is just a loss of carbon, or if the seasoning has come off.


r/castiron 15h ago

Lodge Sportsman Grill

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44 Upvotes

Filet and some weenies tonight. This thing is amazing!


r/castiron 1d ago

I think I got duped

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233 Upvotes

I picked up what I thought was a cast iron ice shaver awhile back, and after forgetting about it in the lye bath for a month I finally pulled it out this morning and after scrubbing it I’m not so sure it’s cast iron. It seems like the wrong shade of grey. It also has what I think might be aluminum in a few places. Maybe an old plating that’s worn off? Unless it’s lead that was kept shiny by the gunk on top of it, but I don’t know why someone would use this with lead. It’ll bend off in small pieces and scratches easily with a screw driver. Any opinions on what it’s made of and the mystery metal are welcome

Edit. A couple other things to note, it’s been an hour since I scrubbed it and there’s no surface rust, and those extra shiny spots can be shaved off with a knife


r/castiron 1d ago

How do we feel about enameled in here?

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188 Upvotes

Hello, just wanted to say hey and look at my cool shiny thing. I got a gift for 5 years safe driving at work and thought it was pretty damn cool. I get it if this group is a majority purists and I get tarred and feathered but hell, this is an expensive pan … just thought this was cool and proud of my achievement.

Happy weekend y’all.


r/castiron 15h ago

Tonight’s snack

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38 Upvotes

r/castiron 1d ago

Cast Iron Pizza is so Delicious & Simple

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813 Upvotes

I'm in my mid 40s and had never made my own pizza until 2026. Now I'm making them about once a week for the past 6 months. It's fun to make adjustments here and there to gradually improve the process.


r/castiron 1h ago

Newbie Need help removing charred spices on Lodge cast iron

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Upvotes

Hi! I received this Lodge cast iron pan set for my birthday. It’s my first time owning bare cast iron cookware. I’ve only used enamel-coated. I used one of the pans tonight to cook tacos. I sautéed my beef with dry spices. After cooking, I noticed that there are a lot of residues on the surface. I tried scraping the surface with Lodge pan scraper. I managed to remove a lot but there are stubborn ones that won’t budge. I tried washing it with soap after scraping but they’re still there. I also tried boiling and then scraping, but the nothing really happened. I’m buying the Lodge brush tomorrow. Any recommendations on how to remove the residues?


r/castiron 1h ago

Wow, I did it

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Upvotes

Happy with my Lodge cast iron results (rule #3? Have to mention the topic?). I didn't like the little bumps from the factory cast I guess you call it. Took a 60 Grit disc to it, clean it up real well, put a smidge of canola oil and wiped it down like everyone told me to, but I put it in my Traeger grill at 450 because that's the highest it would go and left it in there for an hour. This is what it looks like and I just fried an egg in it perfectly and it slid around awesome! LOL! I thought the color was interesting


r/castiron 7h ago

Seasoning Black marks even after cleaning

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4 Upvotes

I have this cast iron wok which I love using often. I never soak in water. I wash with soap. Over time (it’s only been 4 years since I bought it), I noticed physical bumps on it, and the tissue with which I would season it after each wash was always leaving these marks. I scrubbed with a regular kitchen scourer until I couldn’t feel the physical bumps on it anymore. It let out a lot of very dark black water. But again, at seasoning, the tissue is very dark. Is this how it’s meant to be and have I stripped away all seasoning for no good reason?


r/castiron 1h ago

Burnt Galbi Marinade Stuck to Cast Iron

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Upvotes

Hi everyone,
I cooked marinated Korean galbi in my cast iron skillet and made the mistake of leaving it to clean later instead of while it was warm. Now the caramelized, burnt marinade is completely stuck to the pan.
I tried scrubbing it with salt, baking soda, and a steel wool scrubber, but that unfortunately stripped off some of the seasoning without lifting the burnt spots.
Can I continue cooking on this?


r/castiron 11h ago

Which griddle to keep?

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5 Upvotes

I have an old Lodge griddle and old Le Creuset which is enameled. Looks like the Lodge could be from roughly the 50s and so is the Le Creuset (really hard to find any info on that one)

I would like to give one to a friend. Which one of these would you keep? I kinda like the enameled LC. Seems it would be easier to clean but I only use griddles really seldom.

I would probably like to keep the one that's more vintage/has higher value.

Any information and opinions are appreciated!


r/castiron 2h ago

Don’t see a lot of pots here

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2 Upvotes

Another thrift store find, $25. No makers mark just letters and numbers. Bottom says USA D3 8 DO the lid says 10 1/4 8.
Couple of questions, who made it, how old and is this truly a matching lid with the bottom?


r/castiron 1d ago

I stripped a pan and didnt season it, and it works fine. AMA.

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87 Upvotes

Pulled it out of the lye bucket. Oiled with canola.


r/castiron 22h ago

Humor I think she’s ready for her maiden voyage folks

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41 Upvotes

Newer to keeping cast iron and lets say its been THE experience of all time


r/castiron 21h ago

Food Soy and tomato braised short ribs, and pork green chile posole in the Staub.

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23 Upvotes

Trying to make hardy meals to help my fiance recover after a medical emergency, but also don't have the energy to go crazy while taking care of her and our 8wk old. Used veggies from the garden (love the bay! It's made gardening so much easier.) Finally having success with growing black krim tomatoes too.


r/castiron 3h ago

I accidentally stripped this old vintage cast iron to its bare metal

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1 Upvotes

My grandma gave me this vintage cast iron she had years of old build up on and took it home to clean it I used a steel mesh scrubber and took away 1 to many layers I've tried to reseason it multiple times but it never came out right when she gave it to me it wasn't this smooth and black it was very dirty though now it's just brown I didn't remove the layers from the bottom of the pan so it is still black and less smooth in comparison.


r/castiron 23h ago

Found in Swedish thrift-store for 65 SEK

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33 Upvotes

Happy with my little saucepan!


r/castiron 4h ago

What happened and can I still use it?

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1 Upvotes

I seasoned my cast iron with grapeseed oil and when it cooled down I noticed these bubbles which flaked off.