One object from my kitchen

Now we have to choose an object from our kitchen and explain how it is made. I happen to own a cast iron skillet so that is what I'm going to do this post on.

Cast iron cookware has been around for over 2000 years. Examples of this have been found as early as the Han dynasty circa 206 BC. Cast iron skillets are in fact iron. But more specifically pig iron. Pig iron is iron that is high in carbon and therefore very weak and very brittle. By adding various minerals to the metal during the process a strong durable pan can be made. Cast iron skillets are a use it or lose it kind of cookware. The oils from the food you cook in the skillet impregnate the metal of the pan and form a fine nonstick layer on the pan that also prevents it from rusting away. Most cast iron skillets bought today already have a protective layering on the outside like the one in the picture above. Some of which even have a ceramic enamel on the outside. Cast iron skillets are made by melting down a mixture of scrap iron and new iron in a crucible while adding minerals to purify and strengthen the metal. Once the melted iron reaches the desired temperature and consistency it is poured into a mold made of sand, clay, and other minerals. After the skillet is cast and allowed to cool the molds go onto a shaking belt where the sand mold is shattered away leaving the newly formed pan behind. Next the pan goes through and inspection where all rough edges left by the casting are smoothed away using a variety of grinders. After this the pan goes through a finishing process where the protective coating of choice is applied to the surface of the pan. Here is a video of the process. 

¨https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVCXuQGh_Ms