In a nutshell, this is how to clean your cast-iron skillet: Immediately after cooking, rinse in warm water, sprinkle with a bit of baking soda, and scrub gently with a nylon brush. The baking soda neutralizes any flavors and odors from what you've just cooked, and has anti-bacterial properties.
Wash your cast iron cookware by hand. You can use a small amount of soap. If needed, use a pan scraper for stuck on food. For stubborn, stuck-on food, simmer a little water for 3-5 minutes, then use the scraper after the pan has cooled.
If you've got a cast-iron pan with a coating of enamel, baking soda is clutch. Fill your pan with water, high enough to completely submerge the burned or affected areas. Turn your burner to high and let your water come to a rolling boil. Then pour in two tablespoons of baking soda.
For mild rust, try scrubbing with baking soda.
Stir the baking soda with the water to make a rough paste, then use a rag to scrub the paste into the rusty spots of the pan. Once you've scrubbed the rusty areas, let the paste sit for a few minutes, then rinse it off with tap water.
Make a paste of six tablespoons baking soda and three tablespoons of water. Scrub down the pan with steel wool. Add vinegar and scrub some more to get rid of all the rust. Rinse with warm water, then wipe down completely.
The easiest way to remove rust from cast iron is to soak the pan in a 1:1 vinegar and water solution. Then scrub the rust off with a scrubby sponge, scrub brush, or steel wool.
Generously sprinkle kosher salt or coarse sea salt into the pan and scrub it with a clean, damp washcloth. For extra stubborn spots, use a plastic pan scraper to work the burned food off the pan.
Clean cast-iron skillet after every use
Wipe interior surface of still-warm skillet with paper towels to remove any excess food and oil. Rinse under hot running water, scrubbing with nonmetal brush or nonabrasive scrub pad to remove any traces of food.
Add some baking soda to the pan along with some water. Since you should not use soapy dish detergent on cast iron, baking soda is a great alternative as it will deodorize and kill bacteria. The baking soda will remove any bad (as well as good) flavors that have built up in the pan.
Should I Oil My Cast Iron After Every Use? After each use, to get the most out of your cast-iron skillet, it is best practice to apply a thin layer of oil on the surface. Regularly oiling your cast iron skillet will provide a protective layer to the surface and help keep it from rusting.
The maximum amount of time you should leave your cast iron soaking in vinegar is 8 hours. Any longer than this could be detrimental to the long-term health of the cast iron. You should keep checking back on your cast iron as it soaks, though, because the length of time you need it submerged in vinegar will vary.
Post-Stripping Care. As I mentioned above, cast iron will start to rust almost immediately once it's been stripped down to just the pure metal. If you're not going to season it right away, you can stave off rusting temporarily by rubbing your pan with mineral oil. Rub the oil well with a cloth until the shine is gone.
Taking care of cast iron cookware is as easy as 1 – 2 – 3. Rinse your warm, but not hot, cast iron pan in an empty sink under hot running water using a clean cloth or brush to remove any traces of food. If there are stuck on or burned on foods, use coarse salt as an abrasive.
"You can't clean cast-iron the same way you clean stainless steel," kitchen expert and author of "Kitchen Matters," Pamela Salzman says. "It's very porous," Rach adds. "That flavor will stay in there and literally bake into the pan."
Newly seasoned cast iron may have a brownish tint to it. It's not rust, it's just the initial patina baking in. It can take a few coats of seasoning and some use to get a black finish. Don't worry about the brownish colour - go right ahead and use the pan.
Do not use scouring pads or steel wool on cast iron skillets as these will remove the seasoning. Dry the skillet immediately with a clean rag or paper towel to prevent rust.
Salt. Salt is the best method and the one that has always worked well for me. Add half a cup of salt to the base of your dry cast iron skillet. Use a scrub brush or even a cleaning cloth to scrub the cast iron cookware; the grit and texture of the salt break up the black residue.
Rust (iron oxide) forms when iron reacts with oxygen and water. Simply put, cast iron can rust if you leave water on it for too long. You can absolutely still use water (and soap!) to cook in or clean your cast iron, but you don't want to let water just sit on your pan for an extended period of time.
WD-40 Specialist® Rust Remover Soak quickly dissolves rust and restores tools, equipment, and surfaces to bare metal without chipping, scraping or scrubbing. Great for removing rust from tools, metal, cast iron, chrome parts, and more without harming paint, gaskets, trim, or other surrounding parts.
For spots with rust, you can once again turn to cleaning your cast iron with salt. This time, add a little lemon juice. Cut a fresh lemon in two pieces and dip the cut end in kosher salt. Rub vigorously over the rusted spot, adding salt as needed, until the rust is lifted from the surface.
Mix together equal parts basic white vinegar and water, and either add the solution to the pan if it's rusty only on the inside or completely submerge the pan in a bucket of the stuff to dissolve the rust all over. Letting it soak for about an hour should do the trick, depending on the damage.
Baking soda and baking powder are not the same. Sodium bicarbonate and bicarbonate of soda are other names for baking soda. Baking powder is made of baking soda plus cream of tartar and cornstarch. Baking powder can be substituted for baking soda by tripling the amount of baking powder.