Hurry up, Jelly

While I'm sitting here waiting for the naval jelly to work, I'll give everyone some information which I think is useful.

I keep talking about old cast iron, and how it's better than the new stuff. I think I should point out--again--that the thing I hate about the new stuff is the roughness of the surfaces. And you can fix that. I have two Lodge skillets and three Benjamin & Medwin skillets, and they're all relatively new, and they're all pretty good. Because I sanded them smooth.

I don't have super-duper he-man grinding tools, so I used a circular sanding pad attached to a power drill. It takes like 15 minutes per skillet but it gives you a beautiful finish.

Also, you can get new skillets that are polished already. Go to Wagmerware.com. I have one of these, and while it's not nearly as nice and glassy as a new Lodge subjected to sanding, it's perfectly okay.

If all I cared about was how skillets worked, I'd buy new stuff and grind it smooth. Or I'd get the Wagnerware skillets. The main reason I wanted to get old Griswold skillets is that they're just plain cool. I'm only buying the ones with heat-ring-free bottoms and big logos. The others are just as good, but these look neat.

I guess I should point out that cast iron nuts recommend avoiding skillets with heat rings for cooking on flat stoves. A heat ring is a raised ring around the bottom of the pan. I think it's supposed to focus gas or coal heat. But it diminishes thermal contact between the stove and the skillet.

My mother's old skillet has a heat ring, and it works fine on a flat stove, but I suppose skillets without rings are somewhat better.

Okay, I think I've covered everything.

Now stop bidding against me on the skillets I like, damn you. That's really why I'm writing this. The new ones are fine! Really!

STOP, I SAID!