Last June I bought a set of Wagner cast iron skillets. No pitting, no warping, but a lot of old, nasty seasoning and rust. I knew if I could just get down to the metal I could re-season these beauties and bring them back to life.
Notice I said "last June"? Yep, in the past 7ish months I have tried just about everything to get these poor old things cleaned. I tried fine grit sandpaper, heavy grit, steel wool, the self-cleaning setting of the oven (and broke the setting somehow), and finally oven cleaner. Oven cleaner had the best results but there were still layers and layers of burnt crud.
Last night I finally said the hell with it and threw two of the pans in the fireplace, added a bunch of wood and crossed my fingers. At once point the fire was so hot I thought the pan was actually starting to turn reddish (which is when I started to worry I'd pull out this warped, melted lump of iron goo that was once a nice fry pan and started pushing coals to the sides). Instead of stoking the fire and shutting the damper when we went to bed I let the fire die out and this morning pulled out two beautiful rusty pans, not a speck of old sticky seasoning anywhere.
Right now they are sitting in a vinegar solution to help remove the worst of the rust and then its cleaning with oil and FINALLY seasoning!! I can't wait to cook with these beautiful pans. I already plan on finding some neat hooks and hanging them off the wall. Make the place all nice and cottagy looking.
So, how did y'all fair over the Super Bowl? I'll admit, I succumbed to chips and dip and chocolate-chip cookies. Today my belly is bloated and my eyes feel weird. *sigh*
Tonight I have ham and bean soup planned. I know, I know, legumes, but its a step up from wheat flour!
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