Wobbly cast iron is usually a lost cause.

Replace it. A wobbly pan is almost always warped, and that’s permanent.

Warping happens when you shock the pan—dropping it in cold water while hot, or putting a screaming-hot pan on a cold surface. The iron expands unevenly and never fully recovers. Some people try to fix it by grinding the bottom flat, but that’s a risky game. You’re removing material from a pan that was cast to a specific thickness, and you can easily create a thin spot that cracks later or heats unevenly. Plus, if the warp is in the middle (a dome or a rock), grinding leaves a hole.

Minor wobbles from built-up seasoning or a small ding in the rim? Those you can fix. Scrape off the gunk, or gently tap the rim back with a mallet. But if the pan itself is dished or rocks on a flat surface, the metal has given up.

On a glass stovetop a warped pan is worse than useless—it can scratch and won’t heat properly. On gas you