Crack in my favorite black iron skillet

May last another 40 years or might break open the next time you run it through the oven. The unequal heat expansion of the iron will do it whenever it happens. Just get another and cook in it until it gets good so you will have it when it happens.

Can't believe you haven't seen 50 good ones at estate sales you likely go to. We saw one seasoned as good or better than any we have today up in the Delta at a sale.

I'd promote it to a cornbread skillet. Slow heat up, slow cool down. Sorry for your loss.

I'm with MD, start training a new one. You can take the one you've been working on and sand the bottom if you're willing to re-season. Kent Rollins on YouTube has a video on that.

FWIW, I don't think it'll shatter like pyrex, but you cook over gas, so I wouldn't fry chicken in it.

Don’t treat a nickel like a man-hole-cover and buy yourself another decent one! “Sopranos line”. I just cook mine off in a camp fire and re-season every couple of years.. Good luck!

Sanding a cast iron pan is all about removing the rough surface created by sand casting. The theory is if you smooth it out before seasoning, the seasoning will start with a very smooth surface from the beginning, and not years later. I have done it to all my cast iron pans using a 1/4 in. angle die grinder and Garlock sanding disks. If you decide to go this route you will quickly find out why the high end cast iron pans cost so much more than a Lodge. It is the labor to create the finish on the inside of the pan.

Here is a page of YouTube videos demonstrating the process. Enjoy!

YouTube Videos on sanding down cast iron pans

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How did it get cracked, or did you just notice it?

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I noticed it just before cooking in it last night

Toss it. If you’re too sentimental to d that, hang it on a nail in your kitchen but focus on cooking in/seasoning the next one.

Cast iron cookware is a juice that isn’t worth the squeeze.

Damn just when you think you’ve learned a lot there’s always more.
Thanks for the info.

Didn’t you post not too long ago that you almost burned the house down cause you left heat on the pan for hours cause you had a bourbon too many? I am saying this is when it cracked.

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On the subject of cast iron pans, I have old one (12" dia.) that is concave.

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I have several but not sure what you mean by “concave.”