Spent $3 on a rusty cast iron skillet at a church sale and spent 4 hours scrubbing it clean only to find a giant crack in the bottom

I figured a little elbow grease would bring it back to life, but now I've got a $3 paperweight that still smells like burnt bacon, has anyone else fallen for the 'it just needs some TLC' trap with vintage cookware?

2 comments

2 Comments

nina_harris3924d agoMost Upvoted

Is it really that serious though... I mean a crack in the bottom of a cast iron skillet is kind of a deal breaker. You can burn off that smell easy enough but a crack means oil and grease are gonna leak out every time you cook something. Even on a gas stove that sounds like a mess waiting to happen. Plus if water gets in there during cleaning it could rust from the inside out. Seems like a lot of effort for a skillet that might just drip bacon fat all over your burner.

andrew77824d ago

Stick that skillet in a campfire or a grill on high heat for an hour. That burnt bacon smell is just carbonized grease and the fire will burn it right off. After that, hit it with a wire brush and reseason it in the oven. Even with a crack in the bottom, it might still work fine on a gas stove or campfire as long as it doesn't leak oil everywhere. Worst case, you've got a cool decorative piece for the kitchen wall.