Cast Iron Heirloom
My grandma just gave me a cast iron skillet that once belonged to my late grand-aunt. It has a little rust on it. What do I do?
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11 Comments:
just reseason it. use a paper towel and coat it everywhere in cluding the bottom and hadle and put in the oven at 350 for 1 hr shut of oven and let it sit for a few hours, it should be perfect.
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love2cook at 5:50PM on 10/12/08
Scrub off the rust, and thoroughly clean the rest of the pan, then do ^ that.
therealchiffonade at 9:06PM on 10/12/08
never ever put it in the sink and run water in it to let it soak...I very nearly ruined my great grandmother's skillet that way, but by doing what the above posters said, I am still using it 40 years later.
ocarol at 9:56PM on 10/12/08
Definitely remove the rust first. If copper or steel wool doesn't do the trick, try Bar Keepers Friend. Once it's clear of rust, reseason it. But don't use oil. Use shortening or lard. Liquid oil tends to get sticky and icky.
LoCo at 10:01PM on 10/12/08
I've always found that canola oil spray is the best thing to apply a light coat of oil on a cast iron pan, after every cleaning. Trader Joes sells a good version, for about $2.50 a can.
DaveFaris at 10:40PM on 10/12/08
i use baking soda if mine needs a little extra help getting clean. it actually works just as well as barkeepers friend on my all clad -- in fact i was so impressed with how well it cleans my all clad that i now use baking soda to scrub the bathroom and the top of the stove. not to mention the cat box.
cybercita at 10:55PM on 10/12/08
I frequently buy cast iron skillets, Dutch ovens, etc. at yard sales. If they're not in good shape, I start by putting them in the oven on "clean" cycle for a couple of hours. The rust and anything else comes right off. Let them cool, then give them a good scrubbing. Give them a good coating of Crisco, lard, or bacon grease (my favorite) and put them in a 300 degree oven for about an hour upside down over foil to catch any excess grease. Now you've got a good start on a nicely seasoned skillet.
1stmakearoux at 7:48AM on 10/13/08
I've found a good way to recondition old cast iron is to scrub it using oil and kosher salt.
deeoh1 at 8:20AM on 10/13/08
Okay maybe this weird. But Im a cast iron nut. I buy them @ yard sales and such. I came across a dutch oven one with a glass lid and handle. Thought would be perfect for frying chicken.
But it was so rusted, and sticky I scrubbed and scrubbed. Even tried a SOS pad. So I called my mom and she said next time we had a fire @ our camp. Stick it in the fire, for about 20 mins.
Well I did that, and poof! Everything was gone, except the ashes from fire...ha ha I did wash with soap and water ( which they say isnt good ) reseasoned and its perfect!
Lots of people tell me not to wash with soap, dont know how true this is. I have never washed my cornbread one. But cant come to NOT washing something I fried Chicken in. My grandmother always told me when you rinse it out dry it on the stove over med heat.
PLUS! My daughter made pancakes on my griddle cast iron. When she was done she set it in a sink of water, and it cracked. So I advice not to that...When heated it swells back together!
molly14 at 10:39AM on 10/13/08
Thanks everyone!! I'm really looking forward to making some good cornbread in it.
buffy at 1:25PM on 10/13/08
If you have any sort of relationship with someone who runs an auto collision shop, ask them to hit it next time they rev up their sandblaster. These folks will not mind doing this small thing for you. Your pan will come back clean as a whistle and you will just need to re-season.
robincat at 4:32PM on 10/13/08