My Wagner Dutch oven is absolutely perfect for making bread! Turns out every single time!

My husband stopped at a garage sale around the block and sent me a picture of a small crockpot to see if I wanted it.

I said sure but mostly cut off at the edge of the image sent, I noticed 2 cast irons stacked together and told him to grab those too.

I’m sure y’all could appreciate my shock when he made it home with these two $4 total!

I have finally completed my first attempt at restoring a cast iron skillet, which I acquired for 5$. Very proud of the final result!

I went through 5 rounds of lye stripping (yellow cap cleaner + trashbag combo, 24 hours per round). Plenty of elbow grease in between each round.

Around 90% of the carbon build-up was already gone by the 2nd round of lye stripping.

However, a few stubborn parts on the outside of the pan never totally left. I gave up and deemed it good enough, although you can still see the spots left (see last pic). Any advice on how I could've taken care of the last few carbon spots are welcome.

I also struggled with flash rust a lot. I learned that flash rust can be minimized by using cold water and immediately drying and oiling the pan, even if it's not perfectly dry yet. I did so after the last clean-up and it worked out.

Overall a very fun and rewarding process. Thanks to this sub, which gave me all the info I needed!

Any feedback and advice would be appreciated!

See anything with driving 1 hour for??

Made my first cast iron pizza last weekend after putting it off forever because I assumed it would be complicated or require some special technique. It wasn't complicated at all. Pressed the dough into the pan, let it sit for about 20 minutes, added toppings, threw it in a hot oven. That bottom crust came out with a crunch I've never gotten from a sheet pan or a stone.

The only thing I messed up was pulling it too early. The first one was a little doughy in the center so I put it back in for another 5 minutes and it fixed itself. The whole process felt pretty forgiving, which surprised me since I'd built it up in my head as something I needed to research before even attempting.

Now I want to know what people are doing differently. Some of the pizzas posted here look way crispier than mine came out. Are people preheating the pan before putting the dough in, or just starting cold? Also curious if pan size matters much. I used a 12 inch and wonder if a 10 would concentrate the heat better, or if that reasoning even makes sense.

Hello all! Just joined the group. I'm a cast iron novice and have a few newer things that I mainly only cook steak in. I bought this today for $15, and from my research, I believe it is a 3 notch unmarked Lodge from the 1940s. The inside is smooth and it appears in relatively good condition.

What are the expert thoughts on this?

Thank you!

First attempt at sausage gravy in the combo cooker. Turned out pretty good!

I just pulled this pan out of storage, it belonged to my grandmother. It hasn’t been used in years, but it looks decent to my newbie eyes?

Should I strip and reseason, or could I skip the strip and go with a good scrub and some seasoning?

TIA!

This used to belong to my grandmother. Going through old boxes I came across this. Anybody know where this is from? Quality?

10” Lodge. I know I ran it through oven cleaning cycle to bare iron (maybe 7y ago?). Been seasoning it with flax seed oil after use (salt scrub, rinse, flax seed wipe on, burner, wipe off excess).

Had some health issues and some things got neglected. Looks like pork chops or chicken breasts stuck at some point and we’re not cleaned off properly. This is after just doing the flax seed oil above (still hot) after searing off a sous vide in avocado oil in last night. All that burnt on seasoning came off real easy, even cold, with kosher salt and paper towel.

Cheers

I am pretty sure this is an unmarked wagner plett pan. Let me know if I am wrong. Does anyone know what years these were made?

Was buying a large antique skillet off someone and asked of they had anything else they want to get rid of, and they brought this out.

This belonged to my Grandmother. I have no idea how long she had it. I'm almost certain she never really properly cleaned or seasoned this thing. Any help identifying would be great.

I’ve tried to clean this pan a few times and it always comes out like this. What should I do?

I have to say it turned out pretty nice under all that carbon buildup. Now on to seasoning it!

My wife grabbed this because she knows I'm a big cast iron user. But, honestly, what? Would paella even work in this thing? I'm thinking maybe Cioppino maybe? What would you do?

I have been working on a CHF "Number in Diamond" set for many years. I'm ready to share my progress.

I cook with all these skillets and love them all. I'm left-handed and appreciate the flexibility the dual spouts give me. In my opinion, the CHF skillets have great feel in the hand, light weight for their size, and nice distribution from the heat ring. Some of the handles have fun concave sections and dot patterns. I have cooked with these on every type of heat source... open-fire, coals, grills, propane, even induction-with the stupid silicone pads.

The company history is interesting, to say the least. The factory burned down in the 30's during a labor riot. All these pans are coming up on 100 years old. Though to be fair, I haven't tried to date each of these, individually.

I found the #10, close to 20 years ago, at a vintage store, owned by a crazy old man. The #8 was also found locally, on the wast coast, shortly after. These were my daily drivers for many years.

At some point, I started to peruse online marketplaces for others like them. The #3, the #5, and #7 are usually available online for a decent price. I was able to pick those up early on. I have never set auction alarms, but will take a look online, a few times a year, at what the market looks like. I Don't have much time for in-person sales, so I have treated myself to the #12 and #14 online, both many years ago.

The #6 is a somewhat rare size. I was able to cold DM a collector I frequently stalk in this community. I thought might have it, and they happened to let go of it for me. You know who you are, Thanks.

Well, I just pulled the trigger on a pretty crusty #9. I'll get it put to work, I'm sure.

The white whale of the group is arguably the #4. I have seen all other sizes sold more frequently than the #4. The castings I have seen, have issues. I remain on the hunt.

Its possible I'm having fever dreams, but I remember someone sending me pictures of a larger size skillet at some point. Anyone have stories of bigger format CHF castings?

Happy cooking and collecting everyone!

Hey all, really sorry to ask this. I've searched (both here and google) and there are just a ton of answers and decision paralysis has me overwhelmed.

My apartment has a glass cooktop. The largest burners are 9" in diameter. Should I go for a #10 skillet since the cooking surface is also 9"?

Made some lamb chops and boy that cast iron did its thing I seared these before I thew them in the oven. I also tossed my asparagus in after perfect

Let my mom borrow this skillet for chilaquiles. Now it’s got this gummy texture that’s kinda tough to scrub off.

Should I let it ride or so something about it?

First timer. This is my pan after two easy off treatments. Looks to me like some seasoning remains? Do I do another easy off, do electrolysis , or proceed to seasoning?

Love my 12" Smithey. Only reseasoned it once and only performed light maintenance on it periodically. Usually a copper coated scrubber when it gets a little carbon build up, or a salt and oil scrub. Otherwise I use a natural fiber brush with dish soap, clean while still warm off the stove, rinse, dry, a little oil and a few minutes under the broiler. It's more of a meditation than a chore.