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.
If you've burnt food in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven, keep water, soap and acidic items such as vinegar or lemon juice away from your pan as they can create rust and destroy the pan's seasoning. Baking soda, however, is still your friend when it comes to cleaning up a burnt food mess from your 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 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.
After you've used your skillet, use a sponge to scrub it with water. But don't let it soak in water, as this can cause rusting. If it still needs a bit more attention, add some kosher salt to the pan and scrub with a damp sponge. The salt acts an abrasive cleaner without disturbing the seasoning.
Avoid using the dishwasher, soap, or steel wool, as these may strip the pan's seasoning. Scrub off stuck-on bits: To remove stuck-on food, scrub the pan with a paste of coarse kosher salt and water. Then rinse or wipe with a paper towel. Stubborn food residue may also be loosened by boiling water in the pan.
Don't fill your cast-iron cookware with wine or vinegar. A splash for sauce or deglazing is OK, but tossing a significant amount straight into the pan undiluted will ruin your cookware, and your health.
Instead of throwing out your well-seasoned heirlooms, there's an easy way you can bring them back to life. The best way to salvage a rusty cast-iron pan is by soaking it in vinegar. This method works best on pans that need serious work.
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.
And in case you slept through chemistry, putting your pan in the dishwasher will cause your cast iron to rust over time. “Water and cast iron are not friends. Even the smallest amount of water will cause rust, which is why it's important to immediately dry cast iron after washing,” La Forge says.
Although mixing vinegar and baking soda is not considered dangerous, you should still avoid mixing these in a container. Vinegar is acidic and basic soda is basic, so the by-products are sodium acetate, carbon dioxide, and water that are not toxic.
Pro Tip: Distilled white vinegar gets rid of iron scorch marks too. Dampen a clean microfiber cloth with vinegar and wipe the stain.
In a study of nine healthy people, sodium bicarbonate administered with 10 mg of iron led to lower iron levels compared to iron administered alone. This interaction may be avoided by taking sodium bicarbonate-containing products two hours before or after iron-containing supplements.
Cast iron pans can leach a sizeable amount of iron into your food, exceeding dietary intake in some cases. Acidic foods will contribute to much more leaching while an old, heavily-seasoned pan will leach much less iron than a newer one.
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.
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.
Can I use steel wool or a metal scrubber to clean my cast iron pan? No! We recommend using a pan scraper or the Lodge Chainmail Scrubber to remove any stuck-on residue.
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.