Cast Iron Skillet Restoration

Skillets being made at Lodge's foundry in South Pittsburg, TN

It’s during the holidays that many cast iron skillets take their rightful place on the stove and in the oven. With heirloom recipes on menus for special occasions all over the country, it’s imperative to keep your skillet in pristine condition for the most joyous time of year.
I own more skillets than I can lift in 10 minutes and use them as much as I do my stainless pots and pans. Each time I teach cooking classes, I get at least one question about caring for cast iron. It can be confusing. I recently received the following email from Susie Pease, a friend that’s attended several cooking classes of mine and has a nice collection of my books on her shelf. With her permission, I’m sharing it below.

Hi Rebecca,
I have a question I am hoping you can help me with. This will make you cringe. I put my cast iron skillet through the dishwasher. I know I am supposed to just clean with water and salt and then season with oil, but I last used it to fry chicken and the pan set out dirty for several hours and I felt like it was covered with bacteria and needed sanitized. I brought the pan out of the dishwasher this morning and not only does the finish look washed off, even flaking off in places, but it is rusty too. Did I ruin it? Is it salvageable, and if so, what do I do?
Susie

I called my good friend Mark Kelly at Lodge Cast Iron to make sure I was offering Susie the most accurate advice. I haven’t seen a skillet personally that’s been through the dishwasher, but have heard stories of the horror all that hot water and soap can create.
Mark assured both of us that cast iron will live forever, even after “the unpardonable sin of putting the cookware in the dishwasher.”
Lodge has a video that helps bring back life to any skillet that’s seen better days, even at its owner’s hands. It’s really true – it does last forever. Your skillet will most likely outlast you.


 

Some of my favorite facts about cast iron are below.

1. Cast iron holds heat incredibly well.
2. Seasoning the pan means that the pores of the iron have absorbed oil.
3. Well-seasoned pans have a non-stick surface.
4. Cast iron is one of very few kinds cookware that will outlive you. They are commonly passed down from generation to generation.
5. Never, ever wash cast iron in the dishwasher.
6. If the pan feels sticky to the touch, the seasoning oil has gone rancid. Use soap-free steel wool to remove the sticky film. Then reseason the pan.
7. Season a pan by rubbing with vegetable oil and “cooking” the pan for 1 hour at 350˚ to 400˚.
8. If food is stuck on the pan, clean with a little water and a stiff brush. Heat the cleaned pan on top of the stove to thoroughly dry all the water and use a kitchen towel to rub on a light coating of oil.
9. For light cleaning, rub the pan with kosher salt and wipe clean with a towel.
10. If you’re stacking cast iron skillets, place a paper plate in between each one.

Video used with permission by Lodge Manufacturing Company. 
Text Copyright 2014 by Rebecca Lang Cooks, LLC.

Cooking with Lodge Cast Iron

Never ever, not in a million years, trust a Southern cook that doesn’t own a cast iron skillet. With qualities that don’t come easy, cast iron cookware is literally a must-have for even the most novice of cooks. No other cookware does what cast iron can do. Naturally nonstick, ready for a killer sear at all times, cast iron is comfortably at home both on the stovetop and the oven.

It’s not often that I look forward to the specific date a cookbook is released. The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook had me checking my calendar and nearly marking off the days like a schoolgirl waiting for summer vacation. The cast iron skillet is the one piece of equipment that bonds all Southern cooks together. We all have one (in my case, several) and most of us list it near the top of our most treasured possessions. Lodge Manufacturing has been supplying cooks with cast iron for over four generations.
Most people cook just a few recipes in their cast iron and are missing out on so much of the fun. Now, thanks to this companion for the trusted cookware, the possibilities are endless. Cooking without Lodge is as silly as spending a Sunday morning on the back pew in a church with no preacher.

Pimento Cheese Panini Sandwich

Nothing is simpler to make for a quick dinner than a delicious sandwich served with a salad or a bowl of soup. This recipe from Gourmet Gadget Gal blogger Jane Gaither twists together two classic southern sandwiches, the pimento cheese and the BLT, and presses them into an oozy melt sure to please your family. If you don’t own a panini press, you can always use a smaller preheated cast iron skillet to press the sandwich down. This recipe makes enough pimento cheese for eight sandwiches but it will keep in your refrigerator for two weeks.

Makes 1 sandwich

Pimento Cheese Spread:

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

One 4-ounce jar diced pimentos, drained

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

A few grinds of black pepper

6 tablespoons mayonnaise (Jane likes to use Dukes)

Panini:

2 slices (1/3-inch-thick) bread cut from a dense loaf

Softened butter

2 strips thick-sliced bacon (Jane uses Benton’s from Vonore, Tennessee), cooked until crisp

1 ripe tomato, sliced

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the ingredients for the Pimento Cheese Spread. 

2. Butter each slice of bread on one side.

3. Heat a 12-inch Lodge Grill Pan and Panini Press over medium-high heat.

4. Place 1 slice of bread, butter side down, on the hot grill pan. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the Pimento Cheese Spread onto the bread and spread it to the edges. Add the bacon and sliced tomato, then the second slice of bread with the butter side facing up.

4. Take the hot panini press and place it on top of the bread for 2 minutes, pressing gently to flatten the sandwich.

5. Remove the press, then remove the sandwich to a plate. Enjoy!

Vidalia Cornbread

Vidalia onions grow only in south Georgia and are available from late April until mid-September. They can be found in most grocery stores during these months. Carolyn Gonce LeRoy has had this recipe for over forty years and makes it often.

Serves 8

2 cups white self-rising cornmeal

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large egg, slightly beaten

2 cups finely chopped Vidalia onions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, milk, oil, and egg until well blended (the batter will be thin). Stir in the onions, mixing well.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared skillet and bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Recipes and images courtesy of The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook (Oxmoor House, 2012)
Copyright © 2012 Rebecca Lang Cooks, LLC. All rights reserved. 

I was supplied a free review copy of The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook from Lodge Manufacturing.