Hunting Forum

I found an older Wagner Ware 8" pan at a flee market a couple weeks ago. It had been cleaned recently and looked like it had been used a few times. It looked nice, and well worth $15. Tried it out last night and it made a nice pone of corn bread. Didn't stick at all. I know this is a little off topic, but sometimes it's nice to find a gem cheap.

I have used cast iron in the camp and at home for years Every once & a while they need to be cleand & re seasond , i just bury it in the hot coals over night. in the morn. just take it out & stoak the fire & set pan or pot on top of grate & warm it up it don't have to be smokin hot. Add enough veg oil to wipe it down real good then let cool. The only way you'll warp or crack a pot or pan this way is if you don't get even heat or it cools off to quick. So bury it completely in coals & take it out in tha morn after the fire has burned down.
Gerry & Hatfield Hunter have it right.

I have several cast iron skillets, all great. 2 I got at yard sales cheap because the folks that had them thought they were ruined. I took each, got a little "camp fire" going and once I get a good bed of coals placed them in and coverved them with 2-3 pieces of firewood and walked away. Leave them till the fire is out and coals are cold. THEN take them to the sink and scrub them. Once clean, wipe them with a paper towel that you put cooking oil on. Just a light coat. Put them in your oven, set the temp for 450 degrees and bake for about an hour, turn off the oven and let the oven and skillet(s) cool on their own. They will be ready to use. Once you start using them don't clean with detergent. Rinse with hot water and towel dry. All my skillets are done this way and all are stick free.

It sounds like, and can be a lengthy process but if you love using cast iron it's a labor of love and you'll be glad you did it.

Follow Hunteredteacher's recommendations,

The first and only time i seasoned cast iron pans (LOL) I oiled the pans as the directions called for and placed them in the oven for the time the instructions called for. not a good idea unless you want your spouse coming home to a house filled with smoke and your fire dept members laughing at you at the station for a report of smoke coming out the windows of your home...... the pans are seasoned now and work great.
Happy cooking
Roy