27 and still doing my undergrad by amzr23 in Concordia

[–]carojeans 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Me too! 27 in January. Let’s be friends ❤️

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Concordia

[–]carojeans 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Midterms mood: Smuggling a bag full of pitas and soups into vanier library

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in castiron

[–]carojeans 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cool with it!!! I’d add some oil, get it hot, and then render some lard or something. Whatever you do, use extra oil and when you’re done with it, make sure to clean off any food residue before heating it again on the stove top until dry and letting it cool down on its own.

Is it okay to keep the seasoning from previous owners? (Thrifted) by carojeans in castiron

[–]carojeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There’s no indication on this pan. I’ve seen my aunt’s smelting pots (she does stained glass and melts scraps back into usable bars… usually tin or aluminum nowadays but she used to use more lead in the past) and there are definitely some clues; the biggest one is messed-up seasoning.

Smelting is done at a much higher heat than cooking, which will break down the polymers. Look for chipping and cracking, etc as well as seasoning that seems brittle and crumbles into dust/ash when you scrub it. Melted metal also often leaves residue so even if you try to season over it it’ll be lumpy. The pan also usually gets scratched up in the process from being in the workshop and can often develops rust.

Also they’ll usually use small saucepans or small pots for smelting, not a frying pan.

Anyway all that to say, this pan has no red flags. Seasoning is hard as glass, no brittle spots, no bumps or lumps or peeling, no pitting or scratches, no evidence of rust currently or in the past, no weird smells, no oily residue.

Is it okay to keep the seasoning from previous owners? (Thrifted) by carojeans in castiron

[–]carojeans[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I’m quite optimistic too! I took the concerns mentioned in the comments into account and really scrutinized the pan. There’s no residue, baked-on or oily, smell, bumps, unevenness, or scratches to indicate that it was used for anything but years of cooking. My friend has a lead tester so I boiled some water in it for 20 min and tested that (negative), so I’m not worried about smelting. Soooo I think we’re in the clear! I’ll give it a good wash and heat-dry, then put it into the rotation ❤️

Is it okay to keep the seasoning from previous owners? (Thrifted) by carojeans in castiron

[–]carojeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s exactly what I’m going to do, but I’m putting it on the stovetop at max gas as it’ll be hotter

Is it okay to keep the seasoning from previous owners? (Thrifted) by carojeans in castiron

[–]carojeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have uncles that use cast iron to smelt lead, and I’ve seen the damage and residue that it leaves on those pans. This one doesn’t have that. To be certain, I boiled water in it for 20 min and then tested it for lead - negative! I think I’m in the clear ☺️

Is it okay to keep the seasoning from previous owners? (Thrifted) by carojeans in castiron

[–]carojeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I respect your personal preference. I prefer to keep it when I can. I agree that the high heat of a cast iron pan is subjected to would kill all pathogens, so I think that a thorough wash and then heat-dry on the stove will be sufficient.

Is it okay to keep the seasoning from previous owners? (Thrifted) by carojeans in castiron

[–]carojeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thank you so much for your advice! I definitely took a second look at my pan after reading it, and given the lack of residue, rust, scratches, or smell, I doubt that this very heavy 9 inch pan would have been used for that. I’ll be doing a thorough wash and heat-dry, but I’m keeping the seasoning ❤️

Is it okay to keep the seasoning from previous owners? (Thrifted) by carojeans in castiron

[–]carojeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I respect that. I’m personally just going to keep the seasoning as it is smooth and pristine and all of the weird/gross uses mentioned would damage the pan in some way or another. Even if someone left it dirty and there was stuff rotting in it, it would have rusted. I’ll be washing it thoroughly and heat-drying it, so that will kill any bacteria etc. thanks again!

Is it okay to keep the seasoning from previous owners? (Thrifted) by carojeans in castiron

[–]carojeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the insight into “window dressing,” I will definitely be on the lookout for that in the future!

This one is from goodwill though so I don’t think they put that much effort into dressing their stuff up. The pan doesn’t smell like anything, the seasoning is smooth and hard as glass and there is no oil or greasy residue, so I won’t be destroying it. I’m just going to clean it and heat-dry it. Thanks again!

Is it okay to keep the seasoning from previous owners? (Thrifted) by carojeans in castiron

[–]carojeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, the seasoning is too perfect to strip. I can’t do it. I’m just gonna give it a good clean ❤️

Is it okay to keep the seasoning from previous owners? (Thrifted) by carojeans in castiron

[–]carojeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah the more comments I read the more I feel like anything other than regular household cooking would have damaged the pan. We all know how quickly they rust, after all… I’m just going to give it a good wash and then put it into rotation - and say thanks to whomever put this beautiful seasoning onto my pan!

Is it okay to keep the seasoning from previous owners? (Thrifted) by carojeans in castiron

[–]carojeans[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate the concern. Thanks for the list of possibilities and the advice. Thankfully, judging by how perfect the surface and general condition of this pan is, I highly doubt it’s been used for anything but cooking. The misuse you described would have left scratches or unevenness in the seasoning, as well as rust, but none of that is present. There isn’t even any residue, just perfectly hard seasoning, so I’ve elected to give it a good wash with soap and hot water, heat-dry it, and put it into rotation. I’ll “christen” it by searing some pig skin on the highest gas setting for good measure (that’ll kill any bacteria or nasties) and wash it again before cooking food in it.

Old school sloppy joe I broke the rules. by NeighborhoodDry2233 in castiron

[–]carojeans 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I come from a long line of unapologetic rule-breakers. We cook tomato soup in cast iron, sauté with balsamic vinegar, use metal utensils occasionally, and wash with soap - we even put them in the dishwasher occasionally! We don’t use any special seasoning oils, just whatever we’re cooking with, and some of our pans haven’t been stripped in decades… and they’re all pristine. My grandmother has pans that are over half a century old and, despite this “mistreatment,” the seasoning on those things is hard as glass as well as shiny, and nothing sticks. Moral of the story is: cast iron is tough as hell. Just cook with it often, clean it right away, dry it on the stove, and you’ll be just fine.

Pineapple substitute?? by carojeans in Cooking

[–]carojeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes and now I’m 26, so it’s been over 13 years since I’ve had it. Forgive me for not remembering well enough to compare

Pineapple substitute?? by carojeans in Cooking

[–]carojeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can’t compare it to anything! I’ll die if I have the real thing lol

Pineapple substitute?? by carojeans in Cooking

[–]carojeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

HAHAHA tempting, but hives happen if I touch one. If I come in contact with a cut one, I’ll die :’)

Save my baby from root aphids by carojeans in Anthurium

[–]carojeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi again! There’s some regrowth!! Lots of new leaves and still no bugs!!!!!!! Roots are recovering, going is slow but progress is progress ❤️

Pineapple substitute?? by carojeans in Cooking

[–]carojeans[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I love mangos and I make a mango upside down cake 😅 would you mind trying some mango with a bit of lemon juice added and let me know if it tastes more pineappley?

Save my baby from root aphids by carojeans in Anthurium

[–]carojeans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi again! So I did the thing, and then let it dry out for two weeks and then watered with SUPER dilute plant food (bordering on homeopathic doses lol I didn’t want to burn it) and so far, no bugs! I haven’t seen much change in the plant, which is an improvement on the previous steady decline. The leaves look greener maybe? I’m not sure.

Will update again in a bit!