Cast Iron Skillets

[RHARVEY]

What is the biggest cast iron skillet that you have seen and where can I get one??? I have seen the Lodge 15. 5" skillet on their web site. We do a lot of cooking for church groups(outdoors) and I want to start my cast iron collection. .

Thanks

Rick

 

[KPhillips]

Try Cabella's and some of the other outdoor outfitters, they usually carry a pretty good assortment of that sort of thing since they are used alot for camping.....



I have a couple iron skillets, one of which is like 40 years old or more, belonged to my grandfather, and its seasoned just right, which in my opinion is the mst important part of iron skillets,



I need to get me an iron dutch oven, I keep meaning to, but never get around to it, they are great for camping and making fireside bisquits, cobblers, etc.



kerryp

bastrop, tx

 

[BV]

Big Skillet

I think it was in Long Beach WA that I saw this 6' diameter skillet with a huge razor clam in it.



Cabelas lists the Lodge Skillets from 9" to 20".



Garage sales are a good spot to hit for old cast iron pans and they are pre-seasoned by someones Grandma.

 

[Extreme1]

Re: Big Skillet

Originally posted by BV

Garage sales are a good spot to hit for old cast iron pans and they are pre-seasoned by someones Grandma.

I got a set of 3 + a stray for $3. I saw a large (24"?) at the farm supply place (I think).

 

[The patriot]

Kind of related....

What's the best way to season these? If someone messes up the seasoning, can they be effectivly re-seasoned?

Eric

 

[DHawthorne]

Call Aucoins Hardware in Morgan City La. They have every piece of cast iron, I think, that has ever been made. They are on Levee

Road. They have some big skillets and griddles. Aucions is pronouced "O'quins" Sorry I don't have a phone number.



Dave

 

[DarrellB]

We have several at the house. The biggest is a 22", we take it camping for cooking on the fire. The best place to buy them cheap is at public auctions. I bought the 22" one at an auction for $5. 00. It was in a box of junk that no one wanted.



To season them I just put some grease in the skillet and put it on the stove for about fifteen minutes. Once you get them good and seasoned just wipe them out with a paper towel. Don't scrub them or you'll have to season them all over again.



Darrell

 

[The patriot]

Thanks Darrel. I thought it involved table salt for some reason... .

Eric

 

[DarrellB]

Don't know anything about salt

But if you put salt and pepper on tatters while fryin them up it will make the tatters stick to the skillet. Better to use the salt and pepper after you're done cooking them good fried tatters.



Darrell

 

[Bill Lins]

Re: Big Skillet

Originally posted by BV

I think it was in Long Beach WA that I saw this 6' diameter skillet with a huge razor clam in it.

Did it have its own crane to lift it?

 

[Lurch]

Best way to season is Lard and low heat in the oven. Let em bake a couple hours. Any pan can be reseasoned. If you get an old rusty one clean it up with steel wool and detergent, then just reseason. Garage sales and estate auctions are the best place to shop, new is kinda pricey and kinda crappy quality compared to the old Wagner's.



my . 02

Lurch

 

[Sled Puller]

Old Griswolds are better than the new stuff, keep your eye out for them.

 

[Skydiver]

Iron dutch ovens&skillets.

I receive the magazine from

www.sportsmanguide.com

lately they have been advertising a lot of dutch ovens(up to 3 gallons) and skillets priced cheap.

The owner buys in large bulk quantity and gives a life-time warranty on most everything he sales. I always pay the $20 fee to get the buyers club discount.

Hope this helps.

Tim

 

[RHARVEY]

We got a set when we got married nearly 20 years ago. I put each one in the fire place until they were red hot, then pulled them out. Let them cool down to where they were getting the black color and then wiped the inside with good old lard. From then on. . NO SOAP. . , just put water in them and bring them to a boil so that the cooked stuff comes off the pan. After I clean all the stuff out and the pan is clean I sit it back on the stove to dry out, then I coat the inside with a little cooking oil to prevent rust. I have even used decomposed granity to scrub the inside out. .

I'm getting the urge to cook. . anybody hungry



Thanks

Rick

 

[Gray Ghost]

Make sure you get American cast iron. Some of the cheap fern

cast iron crap is to porous.

 

[RHARVEY]

Thats one thing that is hard about ordering over the internet. You can't pick the thing up and see how well it is built. I have seen some big skillets, but the bottoms are so thin I wouldn't want them. I think that if I were to stick with a brand like Lodge. . they should be well build.

And yes the Griswalds are the cats meow. . but finding them is the other thing.



Rick

 

[Amianthus]

My recommendation is to use the grill. The smoke from the seasoning will permeate your whole house and momma will get mad. I scrubbed ours, then coated them with shortening, and put them on the grill on low heat for about an hour. Or until most of the shortening was evaporated. To clean, do just what RHARVEY said. Set them on a flame on the stove to dry. That's what I do anyway.

 

[M Barnett]

I have collected Griswolds for years, dutch ovens, griddles, pots, all of it, even a Griswold mailbox! Griswold and Wagner were the best ever made and much more quality than anything new, even Lodge. {Too thick and unfinished. } The best way I have found to restore and season is this. Wearing rubber gloves and using a wire brush, scrub off all the old seasoning with Easy Off, the oven cleaner. Then season with Wesson Oil, must be unsalted, in the oven for 1 hour at 425 degrees. Just set the timer or turn off and leave the cast iron in the oven while it cools. Don't use too much Wesson Oil, just cover the skillet. Griswold and Wagner made 20" skillets for restaurants and hotels, but they go now for $1500.

Michael

 

[JKoopman]

try lehmanns . It is an Amish supplier/general store.

Another is Cumberland General Store. I believe that is the spelling. Both are onthe net as well as catalogs. It is worth getting the catalogs just for the fun of it. Neet things to buy! I buy quite a bit from them. They have some nice cast iron. Be sure to season the CI first.

 

[Motorhead]

I have a large Griswold that my mom used when I was a kid for our family of 6. I have had it now for 30 years (used it last night). I don't own a teflon pan! I also have a rare small Griswold square egg skillet,also my moms. The thing is perfect for making a scrambled egg sandwich. When you can find the old ones, they can be worth alot. I had a large,old dutch oven that I sold at a garage sale some years ago for a buck or two. Dumb move!!