Regular Coke/Cola as a Rust Remover

My first attempt at removing rust other than hard work scrubbing by hand involves using Coke to do the work for me. It works! Light rust can be removed rather easily using Coke but it takes a while. Heavier rust takes a long, long time but it does work some on the removal of it. There seemed to be no damage at all leaving pans in the Coke for weeks. Using Coke as a rust remover can be rather expensive so it is not something you would probably want to use all the time.

Another reason using Coke for long term rust removal is not a good idea is it goes bad! It goes real bad! Using Coke long term, it smells like the local sewerage treatment plant, so again probably not a good idea for all of your rust removal. Five days later I can still smell the old rotten Coke out in the yard at quite a distance. I figured there would be no environmental impact from dumping the solution but there seems to be a impact on air quality. I didn't want to dump it in the house because it smelled so darn bad. I'm now wondering if Diet Coke won't go bad as badly.

I'll have to try Diet Coke to see if the lack of sugar makes it last longer without the awful smell. I assuming that the brown bubbly froth which was real tough to look at was caused by the sugar in the Regular Coke. Moving the container to dump the Coke out caused the bubbles to burst and that was anything but pleasant.

More experiments to come! I'll write about them when done.

Cast Iron Skillet Meatloaf

I never really make the same thing twice. I use the same basic recipe and then add different things to it, I may hit on the same combination every once in a while. This recipe is designed for a #10 skillet (not a 10 inch skillet) with a lid. The basics by themselves should make a great meatloaf!

Meatloaf Recipe Basics

4 pounds of ground meat. I usually use 1 pound each of beef, veal, pork and bison but my wife likes me to add chicken and/or turkey

About 12 ounces of bread crumbs - I prefer Progresso Italian Style

4 large eggs - 1 egg per pound of meat

8 ounces of tomato sauce - I prefer Hunt's no salt added

1 heaping tablespoon of crushed garlic

1 teaspoon each of black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

That's it for the basic ingredients!

-Substitute ingredients

In place of tomato sauce use ketchup or bbq sauce or maple syrup or agave nectar or crushed tomatoes

-Additional ingredients if desired

Add a finely chopped onion or about a half cup of finely chopped mushrooms.

Add 2 tablespoons of whole ground golden flaxseed meal - Bob's Red Mill

Add probably no more than a teaspoon of any of these: parsley, rosemary, thyme, Angostura aromatic bitters (just a few drops), liquid smoke, crushed red pepper (dry or fresh), chili powder, hot sauce

Mix it all together very well! I use a 6 quart pot and my hand. Stuff it into a well seasoned #10 cast iron skillet place lid on it. Cook in 350 degree oven for about an hour - if using chicken or turkey cook for about an hour and a half or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees.

My family (4 of us) usually eats only about 1/4 of this then we cut it up into 3 more pieces - 2 of which we freeze for later use and 1/4 we refrigerate for sandwiches the next couple of days. If you can't tell with all the spicy stuff I've listed my family likes a little spice in things. They don't like as much spice as I do but I'm getting them there. I don't use all of the spicy stuff at the same time but I might use 2 or 3 of them depending on my mood.

Nothing to do With Cast Iron - My Quick & Easy Ice Tea!

As the title says this has nothing to do with cast iron. This is my first recipe and it is for ice tea. A lot of times I think of cast iron as a summer use item as in camping or outdoor cooking because you don't want to heat up the house! Summers are for ice tea although I drink it all year long as it makes me feel better than not drinking it with my fibromyalgia. Here is my recipe for Quick and Easy Ice Tea that won't cloud up in the refrigerator and then another version that takes a little longer, is stronger and still won't cloud up in fridge.

Quick and Easy Ice Tea That Won't Cloud Up

I use equal amounts of whole leaf Green Tea, Black Tea and Oolong Tea (I use 3 kinds of black tea, 3 kinds of green tea and 1 kind of oolong but use equal amounts) about 12 to 14 heaping tea spoons full for 2 quarts of tea. I put the tea in a filter or disposable tea bag and use hot water out of the tap (as hot as it gets, usually between 120 and 130 degrees). Steep the tea for 5 minutes and serve over ice.

Stronger Quick and Easy Ice Tea That Won't Cloud Up

Same as above but boil 1 quart of the water and use 1 quart out of the tap as hot as it gets. Steep for the 5 minutes and serve over ice.

The Competition Can be Fierce

I found a fantastically beautiful #9 Victor Griswold skillet yesterday. It was locked up in a case in a store, it is very dirty and ugly and nasty. When I first got my hands on it all I knew it was a Griswold because that was all I could read. I knew it was different from a regular Griswold but wasn't sure how it was different. A woman immediately approached me asking me what kind of pan it was and I made the mistake of telling her that it was a Griswold.

Well this woman was all over me asking me the price and telling me it was too much money to pay for the pan. She kept watching me, hoping I would put the pan down, she even told me she was hoping I'd put the pan down! She asked me what I was going to do with the pan and I told her I was going to clean it and resell it. She got all upset and told me I didn't know what I was doing, that I was wrong and the pan should never be cleaned because all the "flavor" would be lost. I told her that I had no idea what the previous owner had done with the pan and that the price of the pan is at least 20% less when it is covered in grease like it is. She insisted that I was wrong, looking for help from other people in the store. Her husband said he didn't care about cast iron and I told her that the previous owner could have used the pan as a pot to go to the bathroom in on a camping trip for all I knew about it. My pot statement seemed to gross out her teenage son who told me that was disgusting. She left the store after haggling over prices in a charity shop.

I got into a conversation with a nice couple who were asking me questions about cast iron and if their pans were of any value. I had to tell the nice couple that there are so many variables in cast iron, condition, size, manufacturer, logos, that it was impossible to give them a price without seeing what they had. They told me they had a Griswold and a Wagner (which the woman pronounced Vagner because she was German). She actually said is it "Wagner" or "Vagner" because in Germany we pronounce it "Vagner". I told her that was understandable with the composer Wagner which is pronounced Vagner.

I pay for my pan and a book my wife found at the last minute. I go outside the store and the woman from earlier pops up again behind me and tells me she is watching me to see if I put the pan down. I told her that I had paid for the pan and I was going to put it down in my car when I got to it.

The lighting had been so bad in the store I didn't realize that the pan was a Victor until I got outside and could see it in the sunlight. Victor pans were manufactured by Griswold with the fully marked variety (which this one is) manufactured from 1920 to 1935.

It doesn't look like much does it?

Most Beautiful Piece of Cast Iron!

Although a little rusty this is the most beautiful piece of cast iron I have ever seen! The design and detail that went into making this mold is incredible. The fur on the rabbit is amazing. All of the detail right down to the eyelashes, the musclature even the whiskers are there, obviously make by a truly gifted sculptor. This is the Griswold Rabbit Cake Mold and if a person can love cast iron then I am in love with this fine casting from the 1940's to the 1950's. It just arrived today and I'm so pleased I had to show it off. For other fine pieces of cast iron for sale visit my store by clicking on the etsy button below.

Beautiful Wagner Ware Bacon and Egg Breakfast Skillet

Sold an extremely nice, smooth Wagner Ware Bacon and Egg Skillet in my Etsy store. Take a look and you decide.