Do You Think It Would Change the Old Time-y Flavor if the Crust Was Removed?

B

BillP

Member
That is the question my daughter-in-law asked about her great-great-grandmother's cast iron griddle.

Obviously I am new to this site, so I don't know if there are any downsides to cleaning and restoring a cast iron griddle.

Her family believes that the excellent taste of fried pies are due to decades of "seasoning" on the griddle.

Thanks,
Bill
 
I don't believe that either decades of seasoning or even what you cooked last week in well seasoned CI have anything to do with the taste of what you cooked today. Others feel differently and swear that there is a difference, but I also don't believe that just because something is cooked in CI it somehow magically tastes better.
 
Think of the term "seasoning" when applied to CI akin to "seasoned firewood" or a "seasoned veteran", e.g an improvement in performance with time, not seasoning as in salt, pepper, herbs, spices.
 
KevinE said:
I don't believe that either decades of seasoning or even what you cooked last week in well seasoned CI have anything to do with the taste of what you cooked today. Others feel differently and swear that there is a difference, but I also don't believe that just because something is cooked in CI it somehow magically tastes better.
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I surely won't say better, either, but I do favor "different". I do seem to detect a bit of "difference", and it's good, when I cook something in CI. Could just be my imagination !
 
Thanks for responses.

I saw that griddle recently and it was totally black and "bumpy" from cooked on food (is the term carbonized?).

I cleaned an old skillet I got from my mother, and showed pictures to daughter-in-law.

I told her I would check with those with more experience than me.

I would sure hate to ruin the mystique associated with this griddle by cleaning it. :>)
 
Surely you mean that outside and the bottom are full of the gunk.

My approach lately has been to use lye, then vinegar, then a rotary sander if necessary to get the stuff off the bottom and the outer side walls. It doesn't contact the food anyway.

As for the cooking surface, if it feels smooth, fry an egg in it with a little oil. If it tastes okay and slides right out, leave it alone.
 
I completely strip the cast iron I find in the wild. My mom's skillet, however, remains as I received ... caked with years of family history.
 
Great info, guys, and thanks for the responses.

This is settled.

I would not touch that griddle with a ten foot pole.
 
I have only 2 skillets found in the wild that I didn't strip to bare metal and start over. Both are black with a lot of carbon build up, but neither had built up gunk or crud or looked nasty. I know others will disagree with me but I'm not in the camp of never using soap on a skillet. I use hot water and a stiff nylon brush but I also often wash it in the sink in my dishwater. I give it a quick scrub, rinse it, and dry it off with a dish towel and finish drying on the burner for a minute or two. If your pan is well seasoned you won't wash all the oils from the pan with a quick scrub, the water still beads up when I rinse. Carbon and some oil is trapped in the pores of the iron. I did & do the same thing with my users that I stripped to bare metal and seasoned from scratch. They have all slowly turned blacker as time goes by and perform well. I only recommend to refrain from soap at first until the pans seasoning is fairly well established. Just my opinion and I'd still eat something out of your cruddy skillet if you invited me 😇
 
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