Antique cast iron pans put modern cookware (including new cast iron) to shame. In this article, you’ll discover:
- how to find the best antique cast iron cookware for prices you won’t believe;
- how to restore, maintain, and cook in cast iron pans; and
- myth vs reality of using cast iron in your kitchen.
This article is a collaboration with our dear friend, Eliza Holcombe. Eliza, who we affectionately call “encyclopedia head,” is a fount of knowledge about antique cast iron cookware — and an avid collector.
The first thing she’ll tell you: you don’t have to have deep pockets to have a swoon-worthy antique cast iron cookware collection. In fact, armed with a bit of knowledge (which she happily provides to anyone who will listen), you can have a kitchen full of antique cast iron cookware for far less than it would cost you to buy cheap modern cookware.
Why is antique cast iron cookware better than the rest?
Years back, Eliza gifted us a beautiful set of cast iron pans she’d found at a flea market and restored to perfect condition. (Yes, that’s what you call a good friend!)
The Tyrant and I do a lot of cooking and consider ourselves fairly adept at using various types of cookware. At the time of Eliza’s gift, we had enameled cookware, new cast iron, stainless steel, and more in our kitchen…
The first thing we noticed about the antique cast iron pans Eliza gave us were the smooth surfaces of the pan bottoms. “That’s how you can immediately tell they’re antiques,” Eliza informed us. (You’ll learn why below!)
Some of the antique cast iron pans that Eliza gifted us years ago.
After using our “new” antique cast iron pans for a few weeks, we quickly fell in love. Now we rarely use anything else. Exceptions: we still use stainless steel sauce pans for boiling water, soups, and high acid sauces (yes, you’ll find out why in this article), plus we use a wok for Asian stir fry dishes.
8 Comments
Teri
April 18, 2022 at 2:46 amI used to have my grandmother’s cast iron skillet, but it had later been soaked with dish detergent and water for several hours multiple times “because it was greasy and dirty.” I was told by someone else that it was ruined and to throw it out. They said the soap had absorbed into the cast iron. So, I threw it out. For future reference, could it have been saved? (It was likely from the 1930s and had probably been used frequently until 1976 when my grandmother passed away. She cooked every meal almost every day of her life until the 60s when she began eating out on occasion.)
I want to cook with cast iron again, but I’m concerned that a “used” one may have been treated like mine was.
Aaron von Frank
April 18, 2022 at 11:26 amHi Teri! As long as the old cast iron pan isn’t warped or cracked, it’s salvageable utilizing the cast iron restoration methods detailed in this article. Dish detergent isn’t going to penetrate very deeply into solid iron. A couple times, we’ve also accidentally left a cast iron pan soaking in soapy water overnight in a sink, and it’s pretty easy to get it right back into tip-top shape.
Matthew Nistico
October 7, 2021 at 10:27 pmExcellent article! I am a user of antique cast iron pans, and there was a bit of info in here that I still did not know. I’m surprised, though, that you did not mention the importance of using the correct implements with cast iron. I always use a metal spatula with a straight edge but rounded corners. Never anything else. My understanding is that this maintains and enhances the cook surface.
Under a microscope, even the surface of a smooth-polished antique pan is uneven. The seasoning of polymerized fats helps to smooth things out by filling in the low spots. Using the straight-edged metal spatula helps further by knocking down the high spots. Wood or plastic implements will not have the same effect. At the same time, the rounded corners on the spatula keep you from making scratches and gouge marks. Unless you are really, really careless, at least : )
What are your thoughts on this theory?
Aaron von Frank
October 8, 2021 at 10:18 amThanks Matthew! That’s excellent advice that we should have included with maintenance and use recommendations. Yes, with our cast iron pans we also use flat metal spatulas with rounded edges. (*Exceptions are things like crepes where you need to be able to have a flexible implement to lift up or go under the crepes around the pan edges.) Appreciate you smoothing out this advice gap for us. 🙂
Sharon
October 1, 2021 at 8:08 pmThat is very helpful. Do you think even though it is a newer one that is t smooth to begin with it will become non stick after seasoning it again? It has some seasoning but I think that an egg will stick. Potatoes do pretty good. And steaks. Thank you so much.
Aaron von Frank
October 2, 2021 at 1:48 pmYes, you can get a new cast iron seasoned enough to be no-stick. We have a few newer Lodge cast irons that are heavily seasoned and work quite well. The seasoning layer is almost thick enough to make the surface smooth, but not quite… You have to do a double take of the pan bottoms to tell they’re not antiques. Frankly, we still prefer our antique cast irons, but will use the newer ones in a pinch.
Sharon
September 30, 2021 at 10:49 pmSadly I don’t have a older pan. Want one. I have a lodge that I have been using about 10 years. I never have seen such good instructions on seasoning. Mine isn’t seasoned where it is non stick would love that! Should I strip it and start over with the 6 times in the oven? If so do I need to use over cleaner will steel wool alone work?
Aaron von Frank
October 1, 2021 at 7:28 amHi Sharon! First, yes, you should remove your old cast iron seasoning before reseasoning your pan. That will help ensure an even smooth seasoning coverage when you reseason it.
When it comes to the question of how to remove old seasoning, you’re wading into debate territory amongst cast iron aficionados. That’s because different people swear by different methods. Many people just put their pans in a self-cleaning oven and let the old seasoning burn off after about 3-4 hours – this is certainly an easy approach. (Other people say that if your oven’s thermostat isn’t well-calibrated it can get too hot and potentially damage your cast iron cookware.) Some people use an electrolysis chamber to strip their cast iron pans before reseasoning. That certainly works but is more trouble than most people want to go through. Third option for removing old seasoning in a cast iron pan/cookware is the one we recommend in our article:
1. Coat the pans with Easy Off oven cleaner. (*Warning: Some oven cleaners use aerosolized lye, so use a face mask and heavy duty gloves in a well-ventilated spot if using a lye-based cleaner.)
2. Immediately wrap the Easy Off-covered pans tightly in trash bags for 24 hours.
3. After 24 hours, scrub off the loosened seasoning with steel wool, then rinse and dry the pans completely. It may take more than one try to get them fully clean, so repeat as necessary.
Once you are left with bare gray metal, you’re ready to season your pans using the methodology detailed above.”
Hope this helps and best of luck on re-seasoning your Lodge!