Have you had success with that diet?
That's exactly what the basis is, for the scraper I built. And reason.
I have a bud in NM that uses salt and tin foil to scour post cooking.
Rthur's absolutely right in talking about salt regarding the cleaning of CI. I can't say anything to the aluminum foil, though I'm not arguing at all. I've just never done it. My main point of what I was saying, for clarification, when I said "only water" was that NO SOAP be involved.
Some even use gravel/sand in the stream-bed when camping, to clean. Sure, fine, and dandy. Just don't use soap and you'll continue to be happy. And the more you use the pan, the more it gets seasoned, and the more the pan gets seasoned, the more you'll want to use the pan. Just think of building an 'eggshell like covering' one micro-layer at a time. The thicker it gets, the gooder it is.
The less you abrade or etch said covering, the better. Acidic foods such as tomatoes and whatnot, can 'etch' the surface. Take that into account, also.
But don't be afraid of CI. It is the premium cookware, and only adds to your talents. Aluminum pans covered with teflon are the Super-Sniper Scopes of the kitchen. Keep that with your pantry full of Kraft Dinner boxes, Itchy-bum noodles, and other pre-packaged foods.
Cast Iron is for people who COOK.
It can’t. I share your sentiment regarding bare aluminum. The leaching potential is there. However, 90% of restaurants use bare aluminum due to the low cost
After doing a little research, I settled on using this for seasoning my cast iron. I got it at a health food store. I can’t remember for sure, but it seems like Stargazer recommended flaxseed oil too.
Notice the Stargazer on the stove. I just got through using it, and I put a light coat of oil on it, and left it on low heat for a while.
In truth, it's 'just' cast iron. As in, what your engine block is (was?) made of. It can be re-bored, reground, re-machined to any configuration you want. Obviously, it would need to be re-seasoned afterwards, but it is YOUR pan, and you can do what you want with it. Especially if your actions simply make it more 'useable'. There are some fanatics out there, who'll lament at you even thinking of altering its appearance (for collectors value type thing) and if all you want is a pan, that size and style, then get said 'collector' to pay for said wanted pan, and their shipping, and whatever you want to make it worth your while.
