The Woods at Whippoorhill: Reconditioning a Cast Iron Skillet

When we built our home eleven years ago, we bought a ceramic cooktop stove. I love it! No more messy burners or having to buy new drip pans. However, you can't use cast iron on it. Knowing this, when we moved in, I just left all my cast iron on the bottom shelf in the garage. Fast forward nearly a dozen years...

Gerald and I had both inherited several pieces from both our grandmothers. Unfortunately, several pieces were the same, so I no longer know which came from who. I do remember the corn-shaped muffin pan came from my greatgrandmother for whom Jewell is named!

Between the dust and the rust, these skillets were in pretty rough shape. I wanted to use one for a recipe I made for my Mixing Bowls Cookbook Club last week, so I endeavored to clean it up. I'd read about it, but never done it myself. Would it work? Let's see...

I began by washing it in hot, soapy water. I scrubbed it good with steel wool. Once it is seasoned, you're never supposed to use soap, but since it probably would have given us some sort of lead poison as it was, I had to risk it!

Looking better already! But it was still dried out and unseasoned.

I added about a teaspoon and a half of canola oil to the clean and dry skillet. I used a paper towel to rub it in - really well - all over the inside, outside and handle.

I wiped out the excess.

I put it in a 350 degree oven for right at an hour. I placed it upside down over a foil-lined pan to catch any drips. After an hour, I brought it out to cool. Remember - it's screaming hot, but there's nothing inside to remind you! Cover it with a towel and place it out of the way of little hands.