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Storing Cast Iron

Please ignore that our garage is a disaster! At least the plants can go back out today or tomorrow. Today would be ok because of the temperature but we could have some weather plants don’t like so I’ll probably leave them in the garage til tomorrow.

Vince is determined to clean out at least one storage unit. Or, maybe he’s looking for his clothes that are packed and buried somewhere in one of the three 10 x 20 storage units. He goes every day and gets boxes and brings them home. Sometimes he makes two trips, depending on how much unpacking we get done. I want to unpack each box and find a place to put the stuff, break down the box, stick it in a pile, move on to the next box. I don’t want to bring in wall to wall boxes. Really, all I want to do is cross stitch or knit but I’m not saying that to him.

In Texas, most of the cast iron was stored upstairs in the shop. I kept a few pieces that I used every day in the kitchen and it was no trouble to run upstairs and grab whatever piece I needed. Here, the kitchen has more cabinets but not enough to store everything and having to dig through a few cabinets of cast iron to get to the piece I need is not easy. I have some deep, wide drawers in the pantry but I don’t think they’re sturdy enough for a lot of cast iron.

We decided to put a shelf unit in the garage just for cast iron. If I have room once it’s all here and out of the storage unit, I’d like to put things like the blender, the Instant Pot . . things I use but not every day . . on that shelf too since it’s just right outside the door. The only potential problem is that it’s humid here. It wasn’t humid in Texas so I’ll have to watch for signs of rust. Downstairs, there’s a storage room where I have paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, tissue, paper plates and cups stored. If the cast iron starts to rust, I’ll switch the paper products to that shelf and take the cast iron downstairs. I’m thinking . . in the old days before people had air conditioning, did the cast iron rust or did they only have pieces that they used every day? I guess I’ll figure this all out in time.

I don’t even remember what all I have and I think there are pieces that were never unpacked in Texas. I have enough skillets to keep me frying eggs and bacon for a while!

The cast iron pizzelle pan, corn stick pan and griddle are hanging.

There are Dutch ovens in several sizes. Vince said there’s at least twice this much more in the storage units. Some of it came from family. Chad just gave me the corn stick pan last week.

For now, the rolling pins I’ve unpacked are stored on a shelf. I found a nice little rack on Etsy that will hold five rolling pins. I have more than five but having five on a rack in the kitchen would be nice. Of course, Vince said “I can make that!” It’s a good thing I have room for them on the cast iron storage rack! 🙂

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Comments

  1. I don’t have that many! But keep my extras in the oven. If they get rusty, I just clean oil and heat it up before using. I have a small griddle that I frequently use under a sauce pan, if I’m making something that burns easily! Great hack.

    • I have two ovens and they were full of cast iron. It was getting to be an ordeal to take it all out and use the oven so I’m happy to have empty ovens. Yes, I can clean and re-oil them if they rust but that’s a lot of cast iron to have to clean and re-oil. I’ll watch it and see what happens.

  2. Wow!! That is a LOT of cast iron. I kept my smallest cast iron pan but gave my son-in-law the rest. I don’t have the strength in my hands anymore to lift a full larger one due to arthritis. I even had my dad’s old cast iron. But my SIL uses and love them so it’s all good.

    • Yes! Cast iron is meant to be used. I’m glad you were able to part with it since you were no longer able to use it and glad it has a home where it will be used and loved.

  3. I have and use several frying pans and a dutch oven that are Lodge cat iron. My favorites tho are the Le Cruset Dutch ovens. I have a 3 qt. which is perfect for us and a 7 qt. which is great for a crowd or if we want lots of left overs. Also have a small frying pan which is perfect for the two of us. So easy to clean. We use them several imes a week and love them!

    • I have several Le Cruset pieces too but for the price, cast iron is my choice.

  4. Amazon has racks for storing cast iron pans. My sister has one and it works great.

    • I saw those but I don’t have any place upstairs for them so they’re actually closer to the kitchen being in the garage . . unless they rust, then I’ll stick them in the storage closet downstairs. It’s air conditioned and heated so they should be safe there.

  5. Loved seeing your cast iron collection. What is a pizzelle pan? Once you get your cast iron all in one place it may rival mine. All regular cast iron, most Lodge, and one skillet that was my MIL’s mother’s skillet (I’m in my mid-seventies) that is a Wagner. They stopped making those in the 1950’s if I remember correctly. I just keep mine oiled all the time. But I am able to keep mine in the house, some in cupboards, the rest on a black bake’rs rack with many shelves in my kitchen/breakfast area. I love mine too, and like to collect pieces I don’t already have. Do you have ableskiver pans? Amazon is where I ordered mine.

    • 1953 I think is when they stopped so that means my little Wagner with the missing lid is something I got from someone because I was not around then.

      I have an electric ebilskiver pan. I’ve told Chad if he ever comes across an old cast iron one, to please get it for me.

  6. I didn’t know there was such a thing as a cast iron pizzelle iron!! I’d love one!!! I’ve got two – both electric – one makes 4 at a time; one makes 2. The one that makes 2 works much better. The one that makes 4 – the ones in the back are thicker than those in the front and there’s no way to fix it. The inserts are also double-sided, so it’s also a waffle maker. But I really love that cast iron one – would love to find one!!

    • I don’t know. I’d have to see how they were made. Thanks for that idea.

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