Re-Seasoning Old Iron Skillet

 This one has an "engraved" name on it.  All I can read is Gidney.



Pans of the "cast-iron persuasion" can be hand-me-downs, right?  Here are some pics I took of the ones that have been in my family for generations.  Not sure if they are are from my paternal line (Grandma Hall made cornbread in a similar pan), or from my maternal line, (I'm not sure if I can remember mother cooking in these or not).

I have looked up articles having to do with cleaning and re-seasoning an old cast iron skillet that has been in my family for generations.  If you have a similar challenge, you might want to explore the links below.

• CHOWHOUND: Use cheap oven cleaner!

This is a small pan.  Perfect for an egg or two!

•  What's Cooking America:  This article is very comprehensive! Thorough, etc.; No oven cleaner used.

•  I Believe I Can Fry: This article recommends using oven-cleaner?!

I just looked these links up on Google and there are many more.  Some recommend high heat for seasoning, others say low-heat.  I'm not sure which is best.  Guess I will have to try or experiment with one or the other of these options.  I'll let you know how it turns out, but it would seem that there's a science associated with not only cleaning, re-seasoning, and cooking in cast iron, as well as storing it.  The one common piece of advice that I encountered was: NEVER BOIL WATER IN YOUR CAST IRON PAN.