Seasoning or Crud

W

W. Hilditch

Active member
Look closely.





There are no pits in this skillet. This is what 75 years of seasoning looks like. It is made up of lard, chicken fat, crisco, bacon fat, tallow, butter and a variety of oils. The bottom is smoother than glass and runs a way up the sides.

As the seasoning is thick, it radiates heat from the sides for an unbeatable cooking experience. It is the seasoning that turned this skillet from cast iron into gold.

Many will say it is ugly. Many will say it is covered in crud. Too bad they don't understand. Maybe because they don't know it's history.

This is not crud. It is seasoning made with a whole lot of love.

Hilditch
 
Hilditch, I have to add this to your exposition: if it's one's own seasoning, it's NOT crud; if you don't know where that mess came from, into the cleaning tank it goes!
 
As much as I love my cast, I won't let my pans get to that point. Tend to keep the seasoning thin and never have any issues with it. Mom has one that looks like that, it's at least 80 years old and i'm hoping to get my hands on it some day. I'll take pics of it as is then into the lye bath. I love the old historic pieces, but I have no sentimental attachment to someone else's seasoning.

But I read discussions online, people will buy a skillet with that much seasoning on it, unknown where it came from - and wash it and use it.

To each their own.
 
My wife won't letme walk inside house with that pice,if I tell her that is history she will say live it outside so every body can see it.:icon_crap::icon_rofl:
 
EdgarLopez said:
My wife won't letme walk inside house with that pice,if I tell her that is history she will say live it outside so every body can see it.:icon_crap::icon_rofl:
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rofl :chuckle:

---------- Post added at 03:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:31 PM ----------

The griswold #6 that I have had the outside crud thicker than what you have, and it was consistent all the way around. Even though it had been handed down by my grandmother, I cleaned it down to the bare iron. It is beautiful and has the manufacturer's groove marks all around the side walls. It's starting to get the deep black patina now after several seasonings. It's beautiful.
 
I agree with Sharon. If it was my seasoning, made with love, I wouldn't have a problem. But none of mine look this way, so all new comers get stripped.
 
Shawn R said:
I agree with Sharon. If it was my seasoning, made with love, I wouldn't have a problem. But none of mine look this way, so all new comers get stripped.
Click to expand...

Agreed, although an heirloom pan passed down from a member of my extended family would likely be left as is.
 
I fully understand the sentiment expressed in the OP, but like others, if it ain't my seasoning made with love, it's just someone else's crud.
 
I reiterate, crud.

GF's sister dropped off 2 heavily "seasoned" pans she had given to her, one is a 12" taiwan lodge copy, the other is a wagner copy chicken fryer. Dumped them in lye 2 nights ago, just pulled them to scrub.

The smell of some of this old seasoning makes me want to puke. Still couldn't imagine buying a well seasoned used skillet and using it without stripping.
 
I can relate to the smells that one finds hidden under a heavily crusted pan. I do not consider old baked on food part of my seasoning. I think a well seasoned pan is smooth and easy to clean and appears clean yet still black afterwards. Lumpy, bumpy, skillets with crevices where stuff can hide does nothing for me. This skillet would not be my idea of a well seasoned pan.
 
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