Add a few drops of warm water, then use your sponge to scrub away the mess. When cleaning a seasoned cast-iron skillet with salt, the crystals act as an abrasive to remove those tougher messes without damaging your pan.
To prevent rust and extend the life of a cast iron skillet, it's best not to use soap to clean it. Instead, use a about a tablespoon of coarse salt to scrub the pan after a meal. The salt breaks up bits of stuck food and residue on the skillet.
For Minor Rust Care:
While the piece is still warm (but able to handle) pour a coarse grain salt or sea salt in the piece. With a half of a potato or piece of leather scrub the cast. Rinse, heat and repeat as needed to pull out the rust and buff any surface area.
Salt can increase the rate of rusting. This can lead to a discussion about rust protection and methods which can be used to keep air and water away from the iron such as paint, grease and plastic coating. Very simply, rusting is the reaction of iron with oxygen – but water is an important part of the process too.
Soak your cast iron in vinegar (or don't).
If you're dealing with minor surface rust, you can probably skip this step, opting instead to use a scouring pad or kitchen towel to rub about ⅓ cup kosher salt into the surface of the pan until the spots of rust have been removed.
Cooks for generations didn't use soap on cast iron pans because the soaps were made with lye and vinegar, two ingredients that will absolutely strip seasoning and can even damange the pan's iron. Today's aerosol oven cleaners are often made with lye, or sodium hydroxide.
For general cleaning, do not use copper scrubbers or steel wool as these can be too abrasive and will remove seasoning. Instead, opt for chainmail scrubbers, pan scrapers or cast iron scrub brushes which will be gentler on your pan's seasoning.
Apparently, all you need is some Kosher or coarse salt. I used Morton's Kosher salt because that's what I have but you can use any coarse salt. Just don't waste expensive sea salt or a Himalayan salt on cleaning. That would be one expensive way to clean a pan!
Salt, or more particularly, salt solution, can hasten the rusting process by acting as an electrolyte, allowing the metal (iron) to lose electrons more quickly. Rusting is caused by a chemical process called as oxidation, in which metal atoms lose electrons and produce ions.
Cast Iron Cleaning FAQs
No! Soaking cast iron in water is a recipe for rust. If you need to remove sticky or stubborn stuck-on food, use a nylon scrubbing brush or a pan scraper and rinse under warm water. Be sure to thoroughly dry your pan.
Seasoning is a simple post-cleaning step where you buff a thin layer of oil into the pan over heat to continue the bonding process and maintain an ideal cooking surface. A well-maintained cast iron pan is a well-seasoned cast iron pan.
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.
The black residue in your cast iron skillet is not dangerous. It is leftover burnt food and oil. However, it is unsightly, and it can change the flavor of your food a bit. Removing the residue and then re-seasoning will help.
All cooking oils and fats can be used for seasoning cast iron, but based on availability, affordability, effectiveness, and having a high smoke point, Lodge recommends vegetable oil, melted shortening, or canola oil, like our Seasoning Spray.
If cast iron is left in the sink to soak, put in the dishwasher, or allowed to air dry, it will rust. It can also happen when you store your cookware in moisture-prone environments, such as a cabinet near a dishwasher, an open cabinet in a humid location, or stored outside.
A well-seasoned skillet will have a dark, semiglossy finish and won't be sticky or greasy to the touch. It won't have any rust or any dull or dry patches. An easy way to test a skillet's seasoning is to fry an egg (heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes, then add egg).
Even though a rusted cast-iron pan doesn't necessarily present a health concern, it's still not recommended that you cook on it. The rust might add an unpleasant metallic flavor to your food. Plus, it makes using the skillet much more difficult.
WD-40 can be used to remove rust from your cast-iron stovetop depending on how much you use and how long you leave it there. If you want to get rid of it quickly, you can try adding more WD-40 or applying the same layer over again.
Coke has phosphoric acid, which is a compound that can remove rust. Phosphoric acid is what gives coke its flavor (that I know you love). Nonetheless, it is also what makes it more acidic than any other acids, like vinegar. Coke is a good way to clean cast iron and remove rust from it because it is inexpensive.