By Nicole

Here is an update on the skillet below from this .  Isn't it beautiful?  This is after two rounds of seasoning in the oven with Crisco.  I got a little crazy trying to clean this thing off.  Blowtorches (REALLY) and screwdrivers entered the picture.  I could have blown myself up or gotten a serious puncture wound.  But it was worth the risk.  As a side note... I think I may have mentioned that Jason is feigning interest in this whole drawn out process... Today, we were on the phone and I asked him if he had looked at the newest layer of seasoning on the pots in the oven.  A brief discussion followed... you know, statements like, "They're not finished YET?" and "Are you serious?"  And then he said, "I hope by the time this pan is done, it's so non-stick that it just slips out of our hands when we set it on the burner."  I love my husband.  He will receive his dose of sarcasm in return.  When he least expects it. ...

So I can't quit.  I am obsessed with figuring out just exactly what this cast iron skillet looks like under all that carbon buildup.  Jason is just shaking his head and humoring me by acting super interested.  When I told his grandma about it today, she just nodded her head like she had known all along.  Right now, I am on my third round of oven cleaner.  Instead of following the directions I am getting online, I am being impatient and only waiting an hour before I rinse and scrub.  So, while I have made progress... it has involved a lot of elbow grease and some disappointment.  This was from the first round.  Soaking in a plastic bag on the porch.   This picture doesn't do the amount of clean justice.  There is still a lot of black gunk on the sides though. At this point, I am positive it is a National Wagner Ware 1359 Sidney -0- Number 9.  Although the pretty WagnerWare logo in the middle is messed up.  I was debatin...

While I was putting away all the pots and pans from Thanksgiving, I got "re-interested" in my cast iron pans.  Jason's grandma came out to the house and she was talking about the old cast iron she had when she was young raising all her kids in Oklahoma.  She said her skillets had a number on the top of the handle.  Jason and I have spent many summers garage saling to acquire the collection we now have.  And I am always on the lookout for more cast iron for my sisters and brother.  I don't think anything I own is a collector item.  I do get curious every once in a while and try to figure out if what I have is worth anything, even though it wouldn't really make a difference, since I would keep it and use it anyway.  I'm just weird, and I like to look things up on the Internet instead of do other things like cleaning and laundry.  Anyway... here is my "collection".  This is the bottom of the pan that I have with a number on the handle, like Jaso...