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My wife has a cast iron skillet that belonged to her grandmother. It's been used since her grandmother bought it new. I wasn't thinking when she saw me squirting a little Dawn in it to clean it out. Thought she was going to smack me across the back of the head with it! lol Wipe it out and season with a little cooking oil on a paper towel after every use.
We have all sorts of cast iron stuff, some new, some old, some given to us because it was "too rusty to use". If you have cast iron with heavy rust or a heavy texture to it, get a grinder or a wetstone and grind the nubs and rust down flat. Then wash it out, soap, water, whatever. Heat it up on the stove or in the oven until it is dry then put lard in it and heat it until the lard almost smokes. If you want a vegetarian cast iron pan, use a high heat vegetable oil such as peanut oil. Pour the lard/oil out and wipe it out and it's ready to use.
Until it becomes black, put a few tablespoons of oil in it and spread it around before cooking things. Until it becomes black, just wipe it out if possible and try not to use too much soap. After it becomes black it's pretty impervious to a lot of things, soap and water included.
If you should happen to burn something it in, you can use a chisel to clean it out, re-season the pan and be back in business again. As long as they aren't dropped and cracked, they are pretty indestructible.
Every so often someone trots out this shibboleth about the non-stick pans giving off "deadly fumes."
Its like the Russian gangs that kidnap folks to steal their kidneys.
Folks, you probably cannot get a non stick pan hot enough to give off anything on a residential stove top, and when it does finally burn off a little of the non stick coating it is about as hazardous as a person striking a kitchen match, or the cleaning of a spot on your suit with a spot remover.
Anyone who has had birds (like I have) knows that some birds will fall over dead if you leave the kitchen door open for 5 minutes. Anecdotal evidence of dead birds, is about as meaningless and anything there is. If you are telling me that a scientific study killed birds with overheated non stick pans, all I can say is "who in the hell would do that?"
I've had birds, but mine didn't die as easily as yours did. This is not hysterical rambling on my part, it's a proven cause of death in birds. It is called "PTEF Toxicosis/Poisoning", or "Teflon Toxicity". In 2006 the EPA asked teflon manufacturers to eliminate PFOA by 2015:
In early 2006 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asked eight American companies, including DuPont, maker of Teflon-brand nonstick cookware, to work towards the elimination of PFOA—which they labeled a likely carcinogen—by 2015. PFOA has been shown to cause cancer, low birth weight and a suppressed immune system in laboratory animals exposed to high doses of PFOA. Studies have shown the chemical to be present at low levels in the bloodstream of 9 out of 10 Americans...
Teflon Toxicity (PTFE Toxicosis) in Birds: Signs and Prevention
Birds are susceptible to a respiratory condition called "teflon toxicity" or "PTFE poisoning/toxicosis." Deaths can result from this condition, which is due to the noxious fumes emitted from overheated cookware coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This chemical is found on most non-stick cookware and appliances, some stain repellant products, and other household items.
In 2003 the Environmental Working Group (EWG) reported that nonstick coatings "could reach 700 degrees Fahrenheit in as little as 3-5 minutes, releasing 15 toxic gases and chemicals, including two carcinogens." The release of toxic fumes from nonstick cookware is known to kill pet birds at much lower temperatures—as low as 464 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the EWG.
I prefer a good stainless steel set, once you've got the proper temperature and ratio of butter/grease/fat right it is very easy to cook eggs in any manner without problems. I think the only thing that gives me problems with stainless steel is stuff like corned beef hash so I use cheapo non-stick pans for some things but not often.
I can appreciate cast iron but I'm sometimes a lazy dish stacker, just want to fill the pans with water after cooking dinner and retire to the couch with a glass of wine instead of worrying about cleaning up the next morning. You can abuse stainless steel pans without much concern.
I've had birds, but mine didn't die as easily as yours did. This is not hysterical rambling on my part, it's a proven cause of death in birds. It is called "PTEF Toxicosis/Poisoning", or "Teflon Toxicity". In 2006 the EPA asked teflon manufacturers to eliminate PFOA by 2015:
In early 2006 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asked eight American companies, including DuPont, maker of Teflon-brand nonstick cookware, to work towards the elimination of PFOA—which they labeled a likely carcinogen—by 2015. PFOA has been shown to cause cancer, low birth weight and a suppressed immune system in laboratory animals exposed to high doses of PFOA. Studies have shown the chemical to be present at low levels in the bloodstream of 9 out of 10 Americans...
Teflon Toxicity (PTFE Toxicosis) in Birds: Signs and Prevention
Birds are susceptible to a respiratory condition called "teflon toxicity" or "PTFE poisoning/toxicosis." Deaths can result from this condition, which is due to the noxious fumes emitted from overheated cookware coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This chemical is found on most non-stick cookware and appliances, some stain repellant products, and other household items.
In 2003 the Environmental Working Group (EWG) reported that nonstick coatings "could reach 700 degrees Fahrenheit in as little as 3-5 minutes, releasing 15 toxic gases and chemicals, including two carcinogens." The release of toxic fumes from nonstick cookware is known to kill pet birds at much lower temperatures—as low as 464 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the EWG.
Like I said, no scientific study, just more hysteria. This time from some nutter bird vet in Kokomo or wherever.
Oh, and a blatant misrepresentation thrown in to boot:
Here is the actual link regarding lowering of PFOA:
In 2006, EPA and the eight major companies in the industry launched the 2010/15 PFOA Stewardship Program, in which companies committed to reduce global facility emissions . . . .
At present, there are no steps that EPA recommends that consumers take to reduce exposures to PFOA.
Like I said, no scientific study, just more hysteria. This time from some nutter bird vet in Kokomo or wherever.
Oh, and a blatant misrepresentation thrown in to boot:
Here is the actual link regarding lowering of PFOA:
In 2006, EPA and the eight major companies in the industry launched the 2010/15 PFOA Stewardship Program, in which companies committed to reduce global facility emissions and product content of PFOA and related chemicals by 95 percent by 2010, and to work toward eliminating emissions and product content by 2015.
As you knew when you posted it, it has nothing to do with pans. It has to do with factories.
Lordy, you do like to argue! It has everything to do with pans and birds. Whatever, it's like arguing with a store dummy, this is my last post on this issue showing numerous studies, which no doubt you will ignore. I notice you keep editing your post, now you are saying the EPA gave teflon a clean bill of health----I said from the beginning it was harmful to birds which you refuted. (although 9 out of 10 humans have the gases in their bloodstreams, but that's okay, the government and EPA is always right, we can trust them to keep us safe for sure! )
Maybe you've been inhaling too many gases.
Teflon offgas studies | Environmental Working Group
Over the past five decades scientists from DuPont, government, and academia have published studies documenting temperatures at which non-stick cookware coatings begin to break apart, offgasing chemicals and particulate matter into the air. Dealing with multiple cases of polymer fume fever in their workers, DuPont scientists conducted a series of studies beginning in the 1950s to identify the toxic components from heated Teflon, killing birds and rats in efforts to understand the potency of the gases and particles....
Personal attacks do not help your absurd alarmist posts.
Hundreds of millions of people have been using PTFE coated cooking tools for 40 years or more. Probably several trillion experimental repetitions. Can you cite one (1) scientifically documented injury or death? If not, move on to the dangers of ionized air from lightning strikes as your next pet project (pun intended).
This thread has obviously gone way off topic. Time to close.
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This is not hysterical rambling on my part, it's a proven cause of death in birds. It is called "PTEF Toxicosis/Poisoning", or "Teflon Toxicity". In 2006 the EPA asked teflon manufacturers to eliminate PFOA by 2015:
Whatever, it's like arguing with a store dummy, this is my last post on this issue showing numerous studies, which no doubt you will ignore. I notice you keep editing your post, now you are saying the EPA gave teflon a clean bill of health----I said from the beginning it was harmful to birds which you refuted. (although 9 out of 10 humans have the gases in their bloodstreams, but that's okay, the government and EPA is always right, we can trust them to keep us safe for sure! 
)
