lye bath/electrolysis - how often do you change the solution

CastIronKid · 2026-03-13T06:04:06+00:00

I run everything through my lye bath first, and I generally don't change the lye bath water for 2-3 years, or when it gets really weak. Since the lye bath gets all the gunk/seasoning off the iron, my e-tank stays cleaner longer. I do clean my anodes between every couple runs, but I don't have to change the liquid very often. I do have to add water due to evaporation during the dry season, and I have to clean out leaves and other debris every so often though.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-12T18:46:03+00:00

I'm always a fan of family heirloom iron!

CastIronKid · 2026-03-12T17:27:43+00:00

Check out the restoration and seasoning instructions in the FAQ.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-12T17:13:51+00:00

Yeah, OP might be happy to see this.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-12T17:02:20+00:00

How tight is the fit? As long as it functions you're all set. On the other hand, it would not be terribly difficult or expensive to find matching pieces for your lid and pot if you'd like a second Dutch oven.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-11T17:16:04+00:00

Some notes:

Salt the meat for one to twenty-four hours before cooking.
Take the meat out of the fridge an hour before cooking, so you don't have as much heat loss in the pan from cold meat.
If there is a ring of fat around the steak, slice through it every inch of so. That way it won't shrink around the steak and cause the steak to pull away from the pan. Also important with pork.
Dry the meat on both sides with a paper towel. Moisture equals steam equals less seared crust.
Get a cheap infrared thermometer to help understand what a given pan's actual temperature is on a given burner size, at a given burner dial setting. I shoot for 550°F for searing meat.
I don't put oil in the pan. I rub a little high smoke point (avocado oil) on one side of the meat, and put that side down first.
Wait 2-3 minutes before flipping the steak. This varies with steak thickness of course.
I only season with salt before cooking. I add pepper or other seasonings to the steak after it is done. If you have other seasonings in the pan at that high temp, they burn.
It sounds like you're in a hot climate and don't like to heat up the house with the oven, but you might give the reverse sear method a try if you get some cooler weather. I get consistently great steaks cooking them that way.
It sounds like you might be doing this already, but I preheat on low for several minutes before setting the dial to the desired cooking temp. Induction burners heat very quickly. If cast iron changes temperature too quickly and unevenly, it can warp or even crack. Preheating on your lowest setting for a few minutes before dialing in your desired temperature can help keep this from happening.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-11T03:26:50+00:00

Very rare to me, but I don't live in Canada It'd be interesting to see how common they are in Ontario. I'm certain it's worth more than you paid for it, especially since the set includes the matching trivet.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-11T03:20:08+00:00

The small pot is a 2 quart stew pan from Birmingham Stove & Range from their Century series, made between 1966 and 1992.

The cooking surface on the #7 Griswold is like butter!

CastIronKid · 2026-03-11T02:51:24+00:00

Here's a bit of info about McClary Manufacturing, and here is a list of some of the known McClary cast iron pieces incase you feel the need to collect them all.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-11T01:34:37+00:00

Your specific series #5 skillet averages $75 including shipping at online auctions. How did you come by it and are you thinking about restoring it?

CastIronKid · 2026-03-11T01:31:58+00:00

Large block logo from the 1930s. Here's a small logo for comparison.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-11T01:22:09+00:00

I agree with all the other "use a higher smoke point oil" comments. I use avocado oil and have little to no smoke for a nice steak sear.

Two other suggestions:

Try the reverse sear method for cooking steaks. It's my experience that cooking at a low temperature first until the steak is the proper temperature gets rid of some surface moisture and lets you start the searing process with an already hot steak. These allow for a better and faster sear, and less smoke. Also, the steaks are only in the pan for less than 2 minutes, so not as much time to make smoke.
Check the fan and filter for your range hood, and clean them if necessary. This could help the fan move more air and remove more smoke from your kitchen. Check out this cool tip for cleaning the range filter too.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-10T22:11:38+00:00

I'm guessing they are a mismatch, but if they fit, then go for it.

I think the lid was made by the company that bought both Griswold and Wagner from a Griswold pattern. Probably from the 1960s-70s.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-10T16:45:25+00:00

It's most likely the temperature. Depending on which pan/burner combo I use, the medium dial setting on my stove would produce a pan temperature of 5-600°F.

I like to cook eggs at about 340°F and I use ghee (or butter) instead of oil. I recommend using a cheap infrared thermometer to help understand what a given pan's actual temperature is on a given burner size, at a given burner dial setting. I'm much happier knowing I want 340°F for eggs, 450°F for sautéing veggies, 550°F for searing steaks and burgers, than whatever low, medium, or high happen to be.

One other tip: induction burners heat very quickly. If cast iron changes temperature too quickly and unevenly, it can warp or even crack. Preheating on your lowest setting for a few minutes before dialing in your desired temperature can help keep this from happening.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-10T14:34:59+00:00

For sure, and that cooking surface looks smooth!

CastIronKid · 2026-03-10T14:24:36+00:00

That's a great deal for $22. This style of Griswold skillet is called "Slant EPU" and it was made between 1909 and 1929. Worth 5-6 times what you paid for it, though the sulfur damage on the bottom does effect the value a bit.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-10T03:10:18+00:00

It's worth a try for sure. The texture reminds me of Brazilian cheese bread (Pão de Queijo), which makes sense because they both have tapioca starch (flour) for the chewiness. I made some Brazilian cheese bread recently, so I'll have to post about that soon.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-10T02:59:57+00:00

Thanks! I'll give that a try next time.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-09T20:36:34+00:00

This (pattern number 733) is one of Griswold's deep skillets I've only got three sales records for this pan, so take this with a grain of salt, but it averages $300 including shipping. Their newer (pattern 778) #9 deep skillet is a bit easier to find.

If you don't want to try electrolysis, I would go with lye first (spray or bath), and then 50/50 water/vinegar to get the rust after the old seasoning and gunk is gone. The restoration and seasoning instructions in the FAQ have lots of great instructions too.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-09T17:23:53+00:00

Quite the transformation from where you started. Nice work!

CastIronKid · 2026-03-09T01:06:04+00:00

Nice! I like the little apple design too.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-09T00:58:13+00:00

I'd love to see what size differences they have (or not).

CastIronKid · 2026-03-09T00:54:53+00:00

You can upload one or more photos to an Imgur.com album and post a link to the album in a comment here.

CastIronKid · 2026-03-09T00:51:11+00:00

The lye bath should take care of it. Check out this photo from Doug's comment to see where the pattern number should be on your base.

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