Place a cookie sheet with a layer of foil on the bottom rack and put the pan in the oven upside-down. You want to cover the cookware completely, but also keep the layer thin. Once the oven reaches 450 degrees, use a clean paper towel or rag and gently wipe a quality cooking oil on the surface. The pan must dry thoroughly before seasoning – you can dry it while preheating the oven for this step. You can use much the same process for the inside and the outside of the pan to get a good layer of seasoning on the metal and keep rust from returning. Now that your prized yard sale-find pan is free of rust, you'll want to keep it that way. A grinder is a great way to clean up the outside of your cast-iron cookware though, and it saves a ton of elbow grease. If you can, avoid using a grinder on the cooking surface of a cast-iron skillet. You don't want to put pressure on the grinder because it can damage the metal. Set up a grinder with a steel wire wheel and gently strip the rust. This step seems scary but it's totally safe as long as you use your head. A 1600 grit sandpaper and warm water is a great way to remove burnt-on grease and rust. You can also use a fine grade of wet-or-dry sandpaper to clean rusty cast iron pots and pans. Working the steel wool back and forth, up and down rather than in circles will prevent swirl marks should you get too aggressive. Try an O-grade or OO-grade steel wool to remove rust without damage. The next step to take is to use fine grade steel wool to remove the remaining rust. If not, you can take more steps to get the pan clean. Now you can wash it in hot water and check to see if the rust came off. When you can wipe the rust from most of the pan easily, it's done soaking. You can use a brush or a ball of aluminum foil to scrub off most of the surface rust. Once the rust is gone, vinegar begins pitting the surface of the cookware. Vinegar will clean the rust, but too long of a soak may damage the metal. Fill a bucket or a sink that's large enough to fit the cookware and submerge for 30-minute intervals. Just make a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water. Vinegar can be used to remove rust from cast iron. This is the easiest way to remove rust from a cast-iron skillet or griddle. If not, it's time to get more aggressive. If the rust is gone, then you are ready to season the pan. Use a nylon brush to help loosen surface rust from the pan. You can use a few drops of mild dish soap to help remove particles and debris. You'd be surprised how many times a really rusty looking pan just has a film of rust on it that washes off with warm water. Don't worry we'll show you how to season a pan once you know how to clean it. Removing rust from cast iron may require a significant investment in physical effort, but it's a cheap process using tools and ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen anyway.Īfter stripping a cast iron skillet using any of these methods, you'll need to season it again to prevent rust and encourage a non-stick surface. If you follow them, you'll gently (and successfully) remove rust from the cast iron without causing any damage. We are going to set out four steps for cleaning any rusty cookware. How to Restore and Season a Rusty Cast Iron Skillet Don't waste money, time, or energy on cracked cast iron cookware. You'll sometimes see rust forming in and around cracks, making them a little more obvious than when a pan is evenly oiled. Rust on used cast iron pots and pans can help you identify cracks that mean the pan is dangerous to use and useless for cooking. But rough, flaky rust on the outside of the pan is not a concern unless the metal is seriously pitted. If you can feel flaky pits on the surface, the pan is probably not worth saving. The first step is to feel the cooking surface with your fingers. It's easy to know if the pan is too far gone. It never fails that you find the ideal pan at a great price, and it's rusty inside and out. We'll show you how in this article so you'll never worry about rust in your food again. Rather than cook on a rusty cast iron pan, simply clean it up. And that's not what most of us are going for. However, cooking with rusty equipment will make your food taste like rust. That rusty cast iron skillet looks unappealing to cook in and it'll probably stick and burn your food, but it's not likely that cooking in rusty cast iron will harm you. We are going to walk you through the process we find works the best for removing rust from cast iron, and we'll also let you know how to identify rusted cast iron that's beyond salvation. Most of the time, you can follow some simple steps to remove rust from cast iron without damaging the cookware. You spot the perfect cast iron skillet, but it's heavy with rust. We've all been there, cruising a yard sale and suddenly you spot a pile of rusty cast iron pots and pans.
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