Granny's cast iron frying pan.

[trof]

I have no idea how old it is.
Possibly 100 years plus.
I'm 73, so you can do the math from there.

I somehow wound up with it after grandpa died and she 'broke up housekeeping' and went to live with her son, my uncle.

It's about 10" across the bottom.
2 1/2" deep.
Way well seasoned.
Pour spouts on each side.
No manufacturer's name on the bottom.

I can remember chicken frying in that pan.
So many times.
I wonder how many, over the decades?
And cornbread.
How many hundreds, or thousands, of batches?

She baked pies in it.
Pecan, apple, peach.
I wish that pan could talk.

Tonight we're sauteing onions and spinach in it.
Hail to the cast iron frying pan!

[cbayer]

1. A toast to your frying pan!

What a coincidence. I was just writing an ode to cast iron in another thread while you were writing this one.

[Spaldeen]

2. Haha, so you did!

I love my cast iron pan, too! They make the best pancakes.

[cbayer]

4. Yes, pancakes...

and corn bread and fried pork chops and mac/cheese and on and on.

[trof]

7. Oh yeah, pork chops and burgers.

And...LIVER AND ONIONS!

[cbayer]

8. And apple crisp and peach crumble!

[Galileo126]

3. Mine's a youngin'

I bought mine only 30 yrs ago. I love that thing! From the stove to the campfire, it's awesome.

The best thing I've ever made in it was deep dish pizza.

[cbayer]

5. Do you have a recipe for that pizza?

My oven does not get hot enough to make a regular pizza very well, but I'm thinking it might do a deep dish in cast iron.

[Galileo126]

6. Off hand, no.

It's been a while since I made it. I do remember it taking 30-40 mins to completely cook, given the amount of yummies inside.

I betcha AuntieX3 has a good one, though. She's from Chicago-way...

[Warpy]

13. I bought mine in the early 70s

One was a Lodge, the other was a Wagner. My wrists just got too bad over the years to be able to use them. My next door neighbor was a great cook and knew how to treat cast iron. She got them.

I'm now using a Calphalon skillet, an "everyday pan" and one thin rolled steel crepe pan. I miss my cast iron but that crepe pan is almost as well seasoned.

[Arkansas Granny]

18. My daughter now has my big cast iron skillet.

She calls it "Mom's Teflon". Like you, I got to the point that I have trouble lifting it.

[bvf]

9. You've got 17 years on me

but your subject line really struck a chord. Your description describes mine exactly. Got it from mom (who probably got it from hers, although I never thought to ask).

Here's to #10!

[cbayer]

16. Hi bvf! Welcome to the C & B group.

I hope you will become a regular here. I think we could probably get along great here.

[awoke_in_2003]

10. Never, never, never...

wash it with soap and water. Soap destroys the seasoning (that makes it non-stick). Just wipe it out while still hot. If there is anything stubborn on it (doubtful- that thing should be seasoned beautifully) use a little kosher salt and water. My cast iron (8 in, 10 in, 12 in pans and 4.5 quart Dutch oven- all Lodge) are a little over a year old and are finally developing a good seasoning (I cleaned out the factory seasoning- those are usually junk)

[CottonBear]

19. I bought a $149 Lodge Hibachi for $1 @ a yard sale!

It is awesome! I have Lodge pans & my grandmother's cast iron corn bread pan too!

[awoke_in_2003]

20. You can find good deals...

on cast iron. People think they are old fashioned, not as good as the teflon coated crap that is so prevalent today. Griswold is another name to look out for in thrift stores, etc. I LOVE cast iron corn bread. Put the pan in a 400 degree oven to heat it up, mix up the batter, put in hot pan, then back in the oven. It makes for a moist interior and a slightly crisp crust.

[trof]

22. Unless something gets caked on I just wipe with a paper towel.

Caked on I can usually dislodge with a metal spatula and lots of scraping.

[Luminous Animal]

11. So sweet! I love my cast iron pans.

i have 10 of them. From my little chocolate heater/warmer to my big old camp oven that I can set right on the coals and make an amazing one pot dinner.

[trof]

21. I also have her griddle.

Round cast iron with a handle, 9 or 10 inches wide.
Very shallow sides.
I remember pancakes in it.
And grilled cheese sandwiches.

Too shallow for frying anything.

[sir pball]

12. Cheers!

I have all my grandma's pans but in her later, demented years she let the coating go...they've all been stripped and are just waiting for a new seasoning!

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

14. I envy you that pan

[trof]

15. On Sunday mornings it was 'grandpa's pan'.

It was a family tradition that grandpa fixed Sunday breakfast.
He usually made buttered 'oven' toast, fried sausage patties, and sunny-side up eggs in the sausage grease.
Oh, they were good.

He showed me how to 'baste' the eggs with a tablespoon and the sausage grease so the whites weren't runny and the yolks were set just so.

We called 'em 'sop-eggs' because we sopped up the yolks with toast.
I just made myself hungry.

Our stove looked a lot like this one.

[Left coast liberal]

17. a real heirloom!

[Alameda]

23. congratulations!

I've been cooking on Cast iron for about 50 years and love it. When I find nice old pieces I get them and reseason them for my younger friends. Many times one can find them rusted and for only a few dollars because they have gotten rusty because people just don't know how to season them.
I have quite a few, but my most important ones are my two smallish fry pans. I can put one on top of the other and make a little oven out of them, then I have a 6 quart Dutch oven that is great for so many things. I have two Lodge square fry pans that are great for kimchi pancakes. The pancake just slides out so nicely.
You know the seasoning should be backed on, not just grease spread over the pan. I use coconut oil in a thin layer, bake it in the oven until it's like an enamel.

[DonnaM]

24. This is great advice, Alameda

I have a cast iron pan that is relatively new and have put oil in it and spread it around the bottom and sides and baked, but it never ends up looking like an enamel - perhaps I'm not baking it long enough? I will definitely try the coconut oil!

[Alameda]

25. the chemistry of cast iron seasoning

http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

[trof]

26. WHOA! That is SO over-engineered. Worthy of Alton Brown.

[Luminous Animal]

27. Thanks for the link. I've got a cast iron dutch oven with a serious rust problem. My

last iron pan rescue didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. Fortunately, I have a nut press so I can make my own flax seed oil and I won't have to pay the outrageous price!

[HeiressofBickworth]

28. I have my great-grandmother's cast iron

I'm just days short of 69 and she died in 1933 so I know they are old. I have a griddle (long and narrow with handles at each end), pot (narrow bottom, wide top, with a two-point handle) and a square frying pan. I can't use them on top of my glass-top stove, but I could use them in the oven, if I ever did any baking. I don't bake anymore, so they just sit there, looking interesting.

[Major Nikon]

29. Here's the difference between old cast iron and new cast iron

Old cast iron pans were cast in molds and have a smooth finish. New cast iron is cast in sand and has a sandy finish. As such with all else being equal, old cast iron is more non-stick because of the smooth surface.