Restoring old cast iron skillets or seasoning new ones

[zoom6zoom]

Start with a fresh new piece of cast iron cookware. You never know if one of the last owners used his to melt wheel weights. Cast iron is porous and the lead will leach out into what you are cooking. But, then, its your health, not mine.

A longer acting version of the Darwin Award.

You can get lead test strips that will let you check this. Most of the current production stuff is nowhere near as good as the vintage stuff.... and with most of the new ones coming from China, it wouldn't surprise me to find lead in them, too.

 

[Hack]

Mr. Blaster:


Blow off with compressed air, quick rinse with boiling water, coat with Crisco shortening. Set in the oven 300-350 for an hour, let it cool, wipe out any excess with a lint free towel. Put to use.

I've got two cast iron pans (from China no less-probably has USA scrap iron content), that are perfectly seasoned and require little if any cleaning after use.

 

[Maddog 521]

Here is some good info---------
Cast Iron Cleaning & Restoration - The Cast Iron Collector: Information for The Vintage Cookware Enthusiast