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wrote:

> A cast iron skillet can never be "ruined"..and letting it lay with
> grease certainly won't hurt it...only water can damage it but even that
> is fixable....

Baloney. Deeply pitted cast iron ware can, indeed, be ruined. Cast
iron cookware that has had petroleum distillates in it is ruined. Cast
iron heated and rapidly cooled can warp or even crack, and either of
these mean it's ruined.

> Put it in the oven with the hottest setting you stove has....leave it
> for about 45 mins to an hour..turn off oven and let the pan cool down
> with the oven......this retempers the pan..

Nonsense. At most, it burns off the prior seasoning. Cast iron needs
no retempering. Full burner temperature is hotter than the oven can
ever reach.

> remove cooled pan from oven and gently scrape off any remaining black
> flakes...then coat inside and out with canola oil.....hang it on the
> wall or a hook until you need to use it again...regrease it b/4 using it
> with your choice of bacon fat, olive oil, butter, etc. every time you
> use it.

This is a good way to get stuff to stick to it. The whole point of
seasoning a pan is to develop a polymerized oil coating on it. Canola
will work, but there's certainly no reason to prefer it to any other
oil. And it needs to be heated onto and into the surface.

> NEVER, NEVER, NEVER wipe, rinse or clean it with water....after it
> cools down from cooking, just wipe it out with a few paper towels til
> the towel looks clean...

Nonsense. A rinse in water with a little detergent will clean the
loose stuff off. Rinse and dry. No soaking and certainly no dishwasher.

That towel business will get loose surface stuff, but not cooked-on
bits. If you want to do it dry, throw a handful of salt in the pan and
scour with the towels. Dump the salt and rinse the residue out. Dry
and store.

Pastorio

> If you find one at a garage sale that is rusty, just use spain steel
> wool and oil and scrub til all signs of rust are gone then generously
> use the canola oil inside and out.....now you have another one to add to
> your collection...don't pass them up just kuz they look bad...
>
> I have a wall full of every size shape and use...from griddles, to corn
> bread, to 4" to 12" fry pans, kettles, huge roasters and a sauce pot
> which I use to bake bread in.....only one was purchased new !!!!! It
> becomes an addictive hobby.....
>
> http://community.webtv.net/R-J-Q/FIRSTANNUALALLYEAR
>
> http://www.wtv-zone.com/cal555/index.html
>