Hard to say when you’re talking about modern manufacturer’s that are still producing. I’m a hard no for any power tools in restoration of antique pieces, but those are old pieces that are not being made anymore. Any power tool that modifies an antique piece is a bit of history that can’t be replaced.

But for a basic Lodge, if you feel comfortable enough with the tools and want to go for it, there’s probably no real harm there. If you mess it up, you can replace it for not much money.

Hmm, I wrote out a reply, but seems like it didn’t post. My apologies if you get two versions of kinda the same thing.

If you buy a modern Lodge off the shelf, it will have a pebbly surface. This is from the sand they use to cast the iron when the piece is manufactured. And in the olden days, they used to have a second step of grinding that pebbly surface smooth so it was a better cooking experience brand new. Somewhere in the 60’s, they stopped doing that as a cost saving measure (yay capitalism!)

That being said, your new Lodge skillet will get smooth with time and use. It may take a few months of daily use, or longer if you’re not using it as often. But the seasoning will slowly fill in all those little hills and valleys, and it will smooth out with use. So more expensive manufacturers have added that stone grinding step back in, and they are nicer to work with straight off the shelf. But your Lodge will get there too with time and use.

Salted the tuna before throwing it in, and a thin layer of olive oil in the skillet. Then the fresh avacado on top gives it a nice creaminess…that’s something we’ve done a couple times now and really like.

Yeah, a pic of the bottom side might help. It’s certainly vintage, the big pour spouts are a good giveaway there.

That’s a fantastic find, especially at that price!

Yeah, you have to put cheese to the edges. If you don’t get that crispy cheese in the crust, you’re missing point of using cast iron!

Another thing to do, if you’re not doing it already, is to use metal spatulas when you cook. You want to use ones with a straight edge and rounded corners. Then use that straight edge to scrape as you’re cooking. It’s like the opposite of a non-stick pan, that metal on metal scraping is a good sound and helps to even things out.

I’ve always used crisco myself and had good results. I wouldn’t cook with it, but I keep a small tub for seasoning

Looks great! Generally speaking, when I do something acidic, the skillet seems a little dull afterwards. But it comes back with use. I’ve heard seasoning described like a bank…cooking with fats and oils are deposits, acids and such are withdrawals. As long as you deposit a lot more than you withdrawal, it will all work out OK.

I’ve baked pizzas a couple of times, and the cook on them has been great, but I’m not happy yet with the pizza dough recipes I’ve tried. I’m still looking for a good one…the last we did was good texture, but the dough was just kinda flavorless.