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I know the following method of scrubbing. You need water, a 9% vinegar, baking soda.

Pour equal shares of water and vinegar into the pan to be cleaned - there should be enough, but do not pour it to the very edges.
Place the pan on the fire and heat its contents to a boil - as a result, the soot should partially come off.
Remove the pan from the fire and add 2-3 spoons of baking soda - the contents of the pan should actively boil. The resulting neutralizing reaction will dissolve the soot. After this, it remains only to wash the cleaned dishes and wipe thoroughly with a dry cloth. If particularly stubborn stains remain, they can be covered with baking soda mixed with a few drops of water. After that, leave the pan for some time for the reaction to take place.

Would saved bacon grease work you think?

Originally Posted by zztop

I have a nice wagner that is always seasoned great, even if I use a little soap. And I have a crappy no name pan that won't stay nicely seasoned no matter what I do...

ZZ, shoot me an email (in my profile). I have some info for you.

I have a nice wagner that is always seasoned great, even if I use a little soap. And I have a crappy no name pan that won't stay nicely seasoned no matter what I do...

Yes; Chinese cast iron is always hit-or-miss - and mostly misses in my experience.

Lodge pans all just work - so maybe they are made in America. <g>

My suspicion is that a non-season-able cast iron pan is just a poor quality cast iron - it wouldn't surprise me even sightly if the Chinese intentionally adulterate their metals to reduce production costs or something.

PHM
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Originally Posted by Green Mountain

Having a good set of cast iron cookware is essential for the type of stuff I like to cook. The standing joke around my house is that I cut up an onion and throw it in the frying pan and THEN decide what I'm going to cook for supper.

Anyway I have every size fry pan (skillet) up to 14". They are all broken in really well. Except for the 9" pan. I had it long time. I think my mother left it to me. I can not season this pan. I have tried all the "Tricks" to get this pan from sticking. Sanding it down with salt. Baking it with oil in it. Oiling it after washing. I just can't get the patienna(sp) on it like the other cast iron pans.

Is there such a thing as a cast iron pan the CAN NOT be seasoned? Or does someone have a sure fired way of seasoning a pan.?

Does anyone use Winco pans? They've got pre seasoned and not pre seasoned pans, my mom uses both types and I've never heard anything negative from her. https://mcdonaldpaper.com/cooking-equipment she bought them here on sale as far as I remember.

Look in places like Goodwill for an old Griswold.

Walmart carries Lodge? Thanks! I did not know that. I avoid Walmart as a rule but maybe I will brave the retart hordes and see what I can find in the cookware section.

PHM
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Originally Posted by hvacker

Lodge cast iron is still made in the USA and (here's the interesting part) Walmart carries them.
I think there is also another brand made here. Name slips my mind. Something Forge.

Lodge cast iron is still made in the USA and (here's the interesting part) Walmart carries them.
I think there is also another brand made here. Name slips my mind. Something Forge.

Don't even blast that thing. just stick it in the self-clean cycle in the oven, pops out like new.

Some cast irons cookware just cannot be seasoned. This most often happens with the newer ones from Vietnam and China but I have had old heirloom types which were impossible too. Toss the 9" loser and buy a 9" Lodge pan to replace it.

Old folks always put their pans in the fire each year when we burned leaves and brush if the pans looked bad. They come out nice and clean then must be re seasoned. If this won't fix it hang it on the wall.

Originally Posted by Tolmion

All about me, except the very old, not the name of His Wagner. They are all very well except for frying the chicken Wagner. I do the same problem as you. My mother bought me back again in the mid 80s and used it for a good season. The soil is not bad, But That updates the sides are still new.

Now we know who Dennis Leary got the frying pan from for the "your brain on drugs" commercial.

You're way too young for that....

Originally Posted by spotts

Try to make since of that post and your head will blow up!

Glad you posted that Jack !! I thought I was getting senile. He lost me.

Originally Posted by Tolmion

All about me, except the very old, not the name of His Wagner. They are all very well except for frying the chicken Wagner. I do the same problem as you. My mother bought me back again in the mid 80s and used it for a good season. The soil is not bad, But That updates the sides are still new.

Try to make since of that post and your head will blow up!

RE:

All about me, except the very old, not the name of His Wagner. They are all very well except for frying the chicken Wagner. I do the same problem as you. My mother bought me back again in the mid 80s and used it for a good season. The soil is not bad, But That updates the sides are still new.

Originally Posted by benncool

I agree with you Jack, 100%. It is just that this belonged to my Mom. She was always tight with a buck.

If you look real hard at the back it doesn't say "Skillet" it is stamped "SMILLET"

Season that Smillet and hang it on the wall. Answer me this my friend? Do you own any Griswold? It's your American Duty to own at least one.

Originally Posted by benncool

I agree with you Jack, 100%. It is just that this belonged to my Mom. She was always tight with a buck.

In that case I'd just keep it and use it... you don't have to cook in it, you could use it for a trivet. By the way, not all cast iron is created equal:

Cast iron is made by remelting pig iron, often along with substantial quantities of scrap iron and scrap steel, and taking various steps to remove undesirable contaminants such as phosphorus and sulfur. Depending on the application, carbon and silicon content are reduced to the desired levels, which may be anywhere from 2 to 3.5% and 1 to 3% respectively. Other elements are then added to the melt before the final form is produced by casting.

From Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cast_iron

So there might be some impurities in the cast that make it not season well.

I agree with you Jack, 100%. It is just that this belonged to my Mom. She was always tight with a buck.

If you look real hard at the back it doesn't say "Skillet" it is stamped "SMILLET"