Favorite Piqua Ware?

[ChadVKealey]

We inherited a couple of old cast iron pans from my wife's grandmother that have been in a box in our basement for the past dozen years. This is the better of the two, labeled Favorite Piqua Ware 8 A.



The cooking surface is in great shape, but there's some crusty build-up around the lip:

and


Is there some trick to getting rid of that crusty gunk that doesn't involve completely stripping the seasoning? I'm looking to restore this and use it, not sell, so it doesn't have to be perfect, just functional.

Now, the other piece is a "Maid of Honor" that's in similar condition up top, but has lots of crusty build-up around the edges on the bottom. You know those pictures of a dried, cracked desert floor? It looks like that, except black. I don't think there's any rust, but there could be under all that. I'll try to get some pictures of that when I find it.

 

[Sharon Shuman]

Personally, my choice would be to clean thoroughly as you would any cooking utensil, and go from there. My Favorite pans are clean on top and bottom, but have gunk around the side, and I wouldn't want to strip them just for that. They are 2 of MY Favorite skillets too!

 

[ChadVKealey]

Personally, my choice would be to clean thoroughly as you would any cooking utensil, and go from there. My Favorite pans are clean on top and bottom, but have gunk around the side, and I wouldn't want to strip them just for that. They are 2 of MY Favorite skillets too!

Thanks, Sharon. I'll try the thorough cleaning approach first. A bit of heat and elbow grease might do the trick. BTW, here are pics the other piece I mentioned:



And the crusty stuff on the bottom (this forms about a 1.5-2" wide ring, starting at the heat ring and moving toward the center the whole way around):


The interior surface is in similar condition to the Piqua. Given the condition of this pan's bottom, I'll probably reserve it for use on the grill or camp stove rather than risk scratching our glass-top range. My wife already cringes when I use any kind of cast iron on it.

 

[W. Hilditch]

Chad, I'd try to save the good seasoning by doing the upped edges with some serious scouring pads/steel wool & a little EasyOff if necessary. The buildup on the bottoms I would hit with EasyOff just where appropriate in a warm oven.

I don't believe it has to be all or nothing. Spot seasoning will work on any stripped areas.

If you sand the bottom of your CI with 400 grit and it feels like Corning Ware your wife will feel much more comfortable. I'm not sure where scratching the glass on a cooktop fits in the scheme of life.

Hilditch

 

[ChadVKealey]

Chad, I'd try to save the good seasoning by doing the upped edges with some serious scouring pads/steel wool & a little EasyOff if necessary. The buildup on the bottoms I would hit with EasyOff just where appropriate in a warm oven.

I don't believe it has to be all or nothing. Spot seasoning will work on any stripped areas.

If you sand the bottom of your CI with 400 grit and it feels like Corning Ware your wife will feel much more comfortable. I'm not sure where scratching the glass on a cooktop fits in the scheme of life.

Hilditch

The bottom of the Favorite is great...I'm guessing it wasn't used too often or was just better cared for than the other one. As for the stove, the pieces I use most often are modern (<10 years old) Lodge dutch ovens and grill pans, the bottoms of which are pretty smooth. Not corning ware smooth, but I'd have to be outright careless to scratch the glass with them. My wife's just very protective of "her" stove. The grills and smoker outside are mine, the stove is hers; she just lets me use it now and then. :frown: