How do I strip my cast-iron skillet?

Asked by andrew (16562

) April 23rd, 2007

I have a wonderful cast-iron skillet that I got used -- it's been holding up for a while, but recently it was thoroughly washed with soap (not my doing). Instead of just re-seasoning it, I thought it would be a good idea to strip away the years of uneven seasoning and start from scratch. I've heard that a great way to strip a skillet is to put it in a self-cleaning oven, but I don't have one of those. Any other suggestions?

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6 Answers

NYT article about cast-iron skillet. The author loves his. See last few 'graphs for reseasoning tips. Every skillet gets abused occasionally. Help is on the way. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/07/dining/07mini.html?ex=1291611600&en;=3a662f4d98f97bc1&ei;=5090&partner;=rssuserland&emc;=rss

gailcalled (54647

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or http://tinyurl.com/c4e6h

gailcalled (54647

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"If you care for the pan properly, it will darken with use and become increasingly smooth, beautiful and easy to cook in." -- this is my problem... the pan has been seasoned irregularly, so it's incredibly uneven. Instead of mildly re-seasoning, I want to strip it and season from scratch.

andrew (16562

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Great article, though.

andrew (16562

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i think you should scrub the hell out of it with steel wool and salt, and go from there.

nomtastic (979

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Hi, Andrew. Scrubbing with steel wool and kosher salt or coarse crystal sea salt is the usual remedy. I'm wondering whether there might be a faster, practical remedy with some sort of power tool.

hossman (3291

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