When I was growing up, my grandma filled her skillets with soapy water and set them to simmer on the stove while we did the dishes so that’s how I thought you were supposed to wash them. I gave up on cast iron cooking a long time ago because my pans were always rusty and pitted. Then Mr. Virgo, the trained chef, came along and taught me how to turn an old rusty iron skillet into a thing of beauty. There are two rules….season the pan correctly and NEVER let it anywhere near water!

This skillet is one I bought at a second hand or antique store…I can’t remember where or when. Mr. Virgo loved fried chicken and this was nice and deep…perfect for frying. It was a gosh-awful mess when I brought it home. I followed his directions. First, I had to get the rust out. Using fine steel wool, I rubbed the pan till it was clean, bare metal. (If it’s more rust than this can handle, you might have to take it to a machine shop and have it sandblasted.) Now, this is the only time it’s ok to get this thing wet. Wash the skillet thoroughly with warm water and mild dish soap and scrub it really well with a bristle brush or a plastic scrubby. Dry the skillet immediately and swipe it all over with a thin coating of vegetable oil. Don’t use too much or your coating will be sticky. Pop your skillet upside down on the top rack of your oven. (You can put a cookie sheet or foil on the rack below in case you get any oil drips.) Heat the skillet for an hour at 350 degrees. At the end of the hour, turn off your oven, leave it closed, and take your skillet out in the morning when it’s cool.

This skillet has a perfect season on it. I never, ever wash it. I baked corn bread in it yesterday to go with the soup beans and smoked ham hocks. While I was mixing up my batter, I had the skillet in a 400 degree oven with a couple tablespoons of bacon grease. By the time the batter was made, and rested for a few minutes to raise a bit, the skillet was hot. I poured the batter in. It should sizzle slightly but not put up a huge fuss. Bake as per directions watching closely because dark pans cook a bit faster. You do need to run a spatula under your cornbread before you tip it out on a plate or cake rack because the center will want to stick. Don’t cut your cornbread while it’s in the skillet unless you use Teflon utensils. You don’t want to scratch that pretty surface. Before you take your crispy crusted, golden cornbread to the table, use a nonstick spatula and scrape anything adhering to the surface. Remember, NO WATER. Once supper is over, use a paper towel to scrub the inside of your skillet. If it doesn’t want to come clean, use oil on the paper towel. If you’ve seasoned it right, it should come clean with just a wipe down. Store your skillets with paper towels or newspaper between them if you have to stack them. Store them in a clean, DRY cupboard. And, don’t worry…if rust shows up, you can always season it again.

Iron cookware is often handed down through the generations. I have my mom’s, one of my grandma’s, and some of my own I have collected along the way. This one is by far my favorite. Oh, a word of caution…some people say it’s ok to cook acidic foods like spaghetti sauce in a very well seasoned skillet, but my rule of thumb is to never let tomatoes anywhere near my cast iron. The acid can strip the seasoning and give the food a funky, metallic taste.

So, there you have the tutorial on the well-seasoned skillet. Treat your cast iron well and it will serve for generations to come. Old cast iron is collectible, but only if it has been well cared for. Now, I’ll tell you a story. (You knew THAT was coming, didn’t you?)

My mom came home to the farm for the weekend when she was a young, single, working woman. My Uncle Sonny had been out “frog giggin'” the night before and was about to fry himself up a big pan of frog legs. Mom had never seen the process, and while she was revolted by the idea of devouring amphibian appendages, her curiosity got the better of her. She came into the kitchen just as my uncle dropped said frog legs into the iron skillet. Well, the legs started jumping and jerking with the heat and my Mom screamed, grabbed the skillet, ran out the door, and threw the whole mess in the creek…then sat down and cried. Uncle Sonny was mad at first to lose his hard earned delicacies, but he couldn’t help laughing at my poor mom, which upset her even further. Finally, Grandma came outside to see what all the ruckus was about. Uncle Sonny told her what Mom did and Grandma made her go down over the creek bank and fetch back her good iron skillet, which made Uncle Sonny laugh harder, and made Mom mad. But she went and got it, and as far as I know, refused to ever, knowingly, eat anything from that skillet…ever again! <3