Place the cast iron in the vinegar solution for no more than 30 minutes. Vinegar does a great job at removing rust, but it also eats away at the iron itself. In short doses it will not negatively affect the iron, but left too long it can cause pitting, discoloration, and can even make the iron brittle.
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.
Enter the vinegar soak, a tried and tested method for eliminating rust from cast iron cookware. In this guide I'll explain all the steps you need to follow. There's one important thing to mention before we start, however. Soaking and scrubbing your cast iron skillet will remove the seasoning you had on it.
Cast iron is not made to withstand harsh chemicals and cleaners that can strip your seasoning and ruin the cast iron. Baking soda and vinegar seem natural enough but they will also agitate and remove seasoning on your pan.
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.
Pro Tip: Distilled white vinegar gets rid of iron scorch marks too. Dampen a clean microfiber cloth with vinegar and wipe the stain.
When soaked in vinegar, the acetic acid removes the protective coating on the steel wool and the iron is able to rust.
Don't put cast iron in the dishwasher. Ever. The combination of harsh detergents, heat, and long stretches in the damp environment can destory years' worth of seasoning in minutes.
Cooking acidic foods or following improper cleaning procedures can damage the seasoning on your pan, creating spots of dull, patchy, dry-looking metal on the inside of the pan instead of the smooth, rich black of well-seasoned cast iron.
Additional half hour soaks/scrub sessions may be necessary and are OK, but don't leave the piece soaking for longer periods; the acidity can compromise and erode good iron if left too long. Don't spend extra money on apple cider or name brand vinegar-- any cheap store brand white vinegar will do.
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.
Some are under the impression that acidic foods can discolor cast-iron, but a baking soda scrub should eliminate any discoloring. Some people think that acidic foods cause iron molecules to leach out into your food, but that's actually a good thing!
Vinegar, specifically acetic acid, reacts with a metal oxide to break down the corrosion and remove it from the surface of a metal object like steel or iron.
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 a crack appears in your cast iron pan, it's time to ditch it. Even a hairline crack will expand and contract when heated and cooled, and ultimately the pan will split—a potentially dangerous situation if it happens during cooking!
If your cast iron pan or skillet has a distinct musty smell and lots of rust on it, it probably needs to be replaced. Even if you try to clean the rust off your cast iron and make it look like new, it's more than likely that the process will permanently damage the pan.
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.
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.
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.
Clothes Iron
Never add vinegar to the iron's tank; it could permanently damage the inside of the appliance. Most steam irons have a protective coating inside the chamber, but acid can eat away at the lining, and then the metal parts are next.
Vinegar can indeed damage your stainless steel surfaces if precautions aren't taken during its use. However, by diluting acidic cleaners like vinegar before application and regularly wiping down surfaces afterwards with warm soapy water, you can keep your stainless steel in pristine condition for years to come!
Pour in the vinegar so that it covers the whole piece of metal. Let the metal soak in it for approximately 15 minutes. Pour out the vinegar and you should see the metal begin to react a little bit with the air once it starts to dry, it's beginning to oxidise!