How to Identify Worthless Cast Iron

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“How can I know if my cast iron is junk?” “What do I look for when buying cast iron, new or used?” “Is rusty cast iron worth rescuing?”

How to spot junk cast iron is one of the biggest concerns I hear as I travel to teach my Cast Iron Care & Cookery class. Both new and seasoned homemakers are adding the heritage skill of using cast iron cookery to their homemaking. The surge in cast iron cookery interest has risen with the desire to live more healthy, sustainable, reliable lifestyles.

The benefits of using cast iron are revealed not only in its durability and in our health but in the actual taste of food. Is there even another way to make good ole Southern Cornbread, Fried Green Tomatoes, Crispy Hashbrowns or Scrambled Eggs?

 

Two roadblocks, I’ll admit, for cooks learning to use cast iron are, what cast iron to purchase and how to prevent food from sticking. Let’s discuss how to spot quality cast-iron today and we’ll prevent your food from sticking another day.

I was born and raised in the American South where cast iron is just assumed. The Lodge Foundry was only a few skillet tosses away from our homestead. Southerners don’t ask IF someone uses cast iron, we ask if you are still using your great-Granny’s skillet or if you set aside certain ones for specific cooking tasks. I highly encourage folks to bring their cast iron pieces along with their questions to my classes so we can tackle particular issues head-on. Here are some real-life questions I have received as I’ve traveled to teach.

“I found this rusty pan in Grandpa’s barn after he passed away. Can I use it?”

Good news and bad news…more times than not, yes, you may use that piece of rusty cookware. That’s the good news. The bad news is that you will need to restore that cast iron to its usable condition. This takes work but is worth the effort. After the cast iron has been restored, it must be maintained. The good news about maintenance is that the more that cast iron is used, the better and more useful the cookware becomes. There are several ways to restore cast iron and we’ll discuss those in a future blog. I address, in this video, whether or not to use soap when cleaning cast iron. 

About Rust

Surface rust will be orange and flaky while deeper rust is deep-orange/brown colored. Deeper rust may have eaten through the iron more than you are able to notice. If you plan to restore the cookware for cooking and not just decorating, you might consider avoiding a piece with a great amount of deeper rust. It is possible to restore these pieces, in most cases, but might require more work that anticipated.

“This pan feels rough. Does that mean it is junk? Can I still use it?”

One sure sign of junk cast iron is that it feels rough to the touch. Very rough! I have a piece of cast iron that I pass around to my class attendees so they can feel the texture, which is most like a fingernail file. Avoid purchasing cheaply manufactured cast iron which is characterized by a super-rough surface. Just leave that piece for someone who needs a fingernail file! If you already own a piece that is rough like this, I wouldn’t suggest trashing it yet, but do try to acquire a good quality piece as soon as you are able. It will cook better and be easier to season and maintain. You will soon decide to eliminate the low-quality piece from your kitchen.

“I have a piece of Lodge that I know is good quality but it feels rough. Why is that?”

The Lodge foundry did not begin to sell pre-seasoned cast iron until the last 20 years or so. Before then, the cast iron was as smooth as could be. Those of us who purchased their products in the last century 🙂 had to learn how to season our own cookware before using it. Now, they only sell pre-seasoned cast iron. Lodge representatives told me that the cast iron material must be a bit rougher (than it was in the non-seasoned days) for the seasoning oil, which is vegetable, to adhere. Some homemakers have shared with me that they feel the quality is lower nowdays due to the slight rough texture but, the truth is, the quality is still top-notch. The process, not the material, has changed. I feel the best bet to completely avoid a rough surface of the more modern pieces is to go thrifting for older ones.

“I love to go thrifting and yard sale-ing. What pieces should I never buy if I find them?”

Thrifting is the most fun way to acquire a lot of cast iron. Unless you are planning to use it strictly for home decorating, avoid purchasing cast iron that is cracked. To test this, turn the piece over and rather heavily tap the cast iron. If it “thuds,” then it is a dud. If it “rings” rather like a bell sound, then it’s a keeper. Sometimes cracks cannot be detected until restoration begins but you can get a heads-up with this tap method.

“Granny gave me a piece of cast iron that is warped on the bottom. It doesn’t sit flat when I use it to cook.”

No problem! One of my favorite and most used skillets wobbles when I set it on a flat surface but it cooks just fine on my gas stove eye. The warped bottom does not affect the cooking at all on a gas stove. On a flat electric eye, or glass stove top, the piece will wobble and could possibly not heat as evenly as it would if it wasn’t warped. However, if the piece is otherwise in good shape, I personally would use it on an electric stove. It will still work much more efficiently than many other pans. Serious collectors and dealers are the only ones who will want to avoid purchasing these pieces. This is good news for those of use who aren’t dealers. Often we can acquire these pieces that have been overlooked. My wobbly skillet makes the BEST Cast-Iron Deep-Dish Pizza which is found in my most popular cookbook, From Katie’s Kitchen, Volume One. Follow along on this video tutorial as I make this pizza (sorry, Chicago, we love mine better!)

“I have a piece of cast iron that is made overseas. Is imported cast iron inferior to American made?”

This is a thoughtful question. Many of us are seeking ways to support our own Nation’s economy by buying “locally.” However, many companies, like Lodge in Tennessee, USA, for example, outsource some manufacturing. (At the time of this writing, Lodge enameled Dutch ovens are manufactured in both China and Tennessee. The former are much less expensive but the latter are completely made in USA. Consumers have a choice.) Not all overseas cast-iron is inferior. I have a grill pan that is made in Taiwan which is of good quality. I recommend first looking at the manufacturer and then the components of the cookware.

 

 

Two More Concerns

Avoid cast iron that appears to have shiny crystals. This indicates inferior iron material from the beginning of the manufacturing process. Notice those crystals in this photo of Crofton cast iron that I purchased at Aldi as an example of junk quality.

Avoid cast iron that has raised bumps on the surface of the product. This is called slag, the “trash” that rises to the top of the cast iron mixture in the beginning stages of the manufacturing process. If the slag isn’t skimmed off before the molding process, then the final product will be of noticeable lower quality.

Interested in how I cook with cast-iron? Take a look at my YouTube Cast-Iron Cooking playlist!

Interested in my cooking classes? Take a look and feel free to reach out to me with the contact info in this link.

Summary: 

• Surface of cast iron:
  • buy nothing with shiny crystals as this indicates inferior iron material
  • buy no cracked cookware unless displaying
  • buy none with raised bumps, or slag (should have been skimmed off before the molding process)
  • older pans have smoother surface; newer pans, rougher so factory seasoning will adhere
  • very rough cast iron is poorer quality
  • surface rust will be orange and flaky; deeper rust, deeper colored
  • light pitting is okay; avoid deep pits
• Must make bell sound when tapped but it won’t if cracked
• Warps and wobbles cook fine on most stovetops, just not popular with collectors
• Not all cast iron made overseas is inferior.
• Look at thrift stores, flea markets, yard sales for cast iron treasure