How to deep clean cast iron

How to Deep Clean Cast Iron

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Jun 9, 2022

5 Reasons Why Is Cast Iron So Great

Cast iron is great at absorbing oils and fats. Often referred to as "seasoning", this shiny-looking, non-stick surface enhances the taste of food while preventing rust formation.

1. You Won't Scratch Them

Most non-stick pans can’t be used with metal utensils. Feel free to use whatever utensils you’d like with cast iron.

2. Cooks More Evenly

Because this material heats more evenly, you’re less likely to see “hot spots” (or scorch marks).

3. Heat Resistant

From stove tops to ovens to campfires, cast iron withstands incredible temperatures. And because they also retain heat, your pan can keep food warmer long after it's been removed from the heat source.

4. Virtually Indestructible

Any aficionado recommends against washing your pans regularly. Most of the time, a quick wipe down – while it's still warm – is good enough..

5. Don't Require Regular Washing

Any aficionado would recommend against washing your pans regularly. Most of the time, you can get by with a quick wipe down while it's still warm.

Note: Battling tough food stains? Fill your pan with water and boil it before applying elbow grease.

How to Season Cast Iron

Are flavors getting funky? Do you notice a dull or rusty surface? Deep cleaning your cast iron – and seasoning it will ensure a smoother cooking surface.

Softly scrub the pan with some water and a drop of dish soap. A washcloth should work just fine.
Rinse and dry your pan with a microfiber cloth. Drop 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or lard into it.
Using a paper towel or rag, ensure that the entire surface is covered (don’t forget the handles and the bottom).
Turn the pan upside down, place aluminum foil underneath to catch any drips. Bake in a 350ºF (175ºC) oven for one hour.
Once it cools, if your pan feels rough or sticky, repeat the process.

Note: Some cast iron pans already come seasoned, so check the packaging. If it's pre-seasoned, proceed with cooking.

How to Remove Rust from Cast Iron

Rusted cast iron may feel like it’s beyond fixing, but it’s actually simple to reseason:

Apply some water, a drop of gentle dish soap, and a stiff-bristled scrub brush (or balled-up aluminum foil).
Scrub-a-dub.
Rinse all of the gunk and goop out of the pan.
Before cooking, season your pan (using the tips above).

How to Keep Cast Iron Pan in Great Shape

To ensure a longer lifespan (and to pass cast iron down to the next generation), there are a couple of cardinal rules to follow:

Never soak a cast iron pan in water.
Clean cast iron skillets after use, preferably while they're still warm.
Dry after cleaning and add a thin layer of vegetable oil/lard before putting it away.
Struggling with sticky food? Simmer some water for 1-2 minutes before scrubbing.
Stick to basics: You only need some vegetable oil and an occasional drop of dish soap.

Deep Clean Cast Iron with Puracy

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How to Deep Clean & Season Cast Iron

Your beloved cast iron cookware heats evenly, can go from the stovetop to the oven and back again, and is naturally nonstick – that is, if it's properly cared for.

Cast iron cookware is handled differently than other nonstick cookware. It can be easily wiped clean, so you don't need to scrub with soapy water or throw it in the dishwasher. However, there will come a time when your cast iron pots and pans will need to be deep cleaned and then re-seasoned. Perhaps you've cooked a delicious fish meal one week, and want to make eggs for the family the next. When you don't want those flavors mixing, or when your cast iron starts to look dull, break out the Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner.

What makes cast iron unique is the ability to create a hard, black, nonstick layer that gives it a shiny appearance, called the patina. This type of iron is so porous that fats cooked in it fill in the pores and seal the surface. "Seasoning" is the process that creates this layer, prevents the pan from rusting, and makes it nonstick. Over time, the fats and oils from the food you cook using your cast iron will form that seasoning, enhancing the flavor and complexity of taste in your food.

Since it's so important that this layer of fats remain on the pan, how should you clean and reuse it? If you clean your cast iron while it's still warm after cooking, a quick wipe with a cloth or paper towel may be the only cleaning you need to do. To get rid of stuck-on food, it's best to boil some water in the cookware or lightly scrub the surface with coarse salt to loosen it. If necessary, use a stiff brush for scrubbing, as long as the bristles aren't metal or abrasive, as those will cut into your seasoned surface.

If you do use water to clean your cast iron, it is imperative that you dry it immediately to prevent rusting. The right choice of cleaners is important as well. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner is great for this cleaning job, because it wont corrode the metal you're cleaning.

After you've cleaned your cookware, it's a good idea to coat it with a very thin layer of oil and rub it in using a paper towel or cloth before storing it. This will help to protect the metal and maintain its nonstick surface. You can also line your cast iron with a paper towel to keep it dry and rust-free when not being used.

Lye solutions are often recommended for deep cleaning cast iron surfaces. However, lye is extremely corrosive and can cause chemical burns, permanent injuries, scarring and blindness.

Wet the pan before cleaning. This will help the Simple Green penetrate soils and make the cast iron easier to clean.
Spray on full strength Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner. Allow the product to soak for a minute or so to start breaking down the greasy layer of seasoning.
Scrub the pan. Scrubbing with a soft bristle brush or non-abrasive scrubbing pad provides agitation to help loosen cooking residue.
Rinse with clean water. Run the pan under hot water to rinse away the grease and Simple Green mixture.
Dry immediately. We can't stress enough how important it is that you dry your cast iron immediately to prevent rusting. Thoroughly wipe the surface and then ensure your cast iron is completely dry by setting it on the stove over high flame for a few minutes.
Check for rust. If any rust is present, remove it by rubbing with a mixture of coarse salt and a little bit of water or vegetable oil. Wipe out the dirty salt with a paper towel and refill with a clean salt mixture as needed until all rust is removed. Wipe out the cookware completely before re-seasoning.
Re-season your cookware.

Seasoning New Cast Iron Cookware or Re-Seasoning After Cleaning

Re-seasoning your pan to bring back the cast iron's luster is as easy as oil and bake.

Lather with oil or lard. Once your cast iron is completely cleaned, dried, and free of rust, apply a thin layer of shortening, vegetable oil or lard all over the entire pan – inside and out. It's important to use a very light coat of oil, and rub it in completely. If there are beads or pools of oil, wipe them out, as too much oil will make it sticky and defeat the process.
Place it in the oven at 350°. Place the pan upside down on the center rack of your oven. Place a baking sheet or foil on the rack below to catch any drippings.
Bake it. Bake it for one hour before letting it cool in the oven.
Cool for at least two hours.
Repeat 3-4 times, if desired. It's up to you if and how many times you repeat the baking process. The more times you repeat, the stronger and more evenly layered your seasoning will be.

How to clean cast iron from rust: ways to remove rust

What is cast iron and why does it rust

Cast iron is a ferrous metal and is a two-component microporous alloy of iron and carbon. Carbon gives ordinary iron strength and hardness, but does not at all prevent it from entering into chemical reactions with other elements.

Rust on cast iron occurs when iron oxidizes, ie reacts with oxygen in the air. Moisture and alkalis, contained, for example, in detergents, contribute to this process. In addition, due to the porosity of cast iron, it can rust even when stored without moisture. Penetrating into the pores, oxygen and water contribute to the destruction of cast iron products from the inside. nine0005

Why it is necessary to remove rust from cast iron

It is necessary to remove rust from cast iron not only for aesthetic reasons, but also because it is even more porous than cast iron itself and retains moisture inside the product, accelerating its destruction.

As for dishes, rust on cast iron can also cause the formation of insoluble salts in the body, from which stones are formed in the kidneys and other organs.

Rust on household items such as a bathtub is a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria that happily multiply in its pores, where there is a lot of moisture and nutrients, but where disinfectants practically do not penetrate. nine0005

How to remove rust from cast iron

You can clean cast iron from rust mechanically, by improvised methods and with the help of special chemicals.

Mechanical cleaning of cast iron

Before starting to work on a rusted cast iron product, it is first necessary to remove the accumulated rust mechanically. Sometimes, if the layer is not large, an ordinary hard sponge with sand, fine sandpaper or a metal washcloth for dishes is enough for this. But if the rust is deeply ingrained, then manually it will be quite difficult to remove large metal growths. In this case, a brush with metal bristles will help, and a polishing nozzle with a wire for a drill or grinder is even better. nine0005

At the end of the machining of cast iron, it is very important to polish the surface so that there are no deep scratches, due to which later corrosion can penetrate even deeper. This can be done, for example, with very fine sandpaper.

How to remove rust from cast iron with improvised means

After the main part of the rust has been removed mechanically, it is necessary to remove its remnants not only from the surface, but also from the pores. In the absence of chemicals, grandparents struggled with corrosion by the following methods:

Digestion : a small cast iron object was placed in water with soda dissolved in it (pack of 12 liters) and boiled for two hours, after which it was washed.
Small rust stains can be removed with oils. So, for food utensils, you can use fish oil , and for non-food items - diesel fuel .
Small cast iron items or other iron items such as bolts, nuts, nails or car parts can be cleaned of rust by soaking them for a long time in gasoline or diesel fuel. Depending on the amount of rust, it may take from several hours to a couple of days. nine0036
Works well against rust and regular vinegar . To do this, you need to dilute it in half with water, fill it with a cast-iron object (if there is rust inside) or immerse the product in the solution for 3 hours.
You can also use phosphoric acid , which is found in excess in Coca-Cola, for which you need to immerse an object in it or pour it into a rusty cast-iron dish, such as a rusty pan or cauldron, and bring to a boil.

Cast iron rust cleaners

Modern chemical cleaners remove rust from cast iron much easier and faster, although their cost is sometimes quite high. Most of the products sold in stores simply dissolve the iron oxide and then rinse with water, but it is not advisable to use an untested product for cleaning food cast iron cookware. Firstly, not all chemistry is easily washed off the first time, and secondly, as has been mentioned more than once, cast iron is a very porous metal, and a poisonous agent can remain in the pores. nine0005

In order to clean cast iron not intended for contact with food or frequent contact with human skin, it is best to use a rust converter after machining, which will not only remove it, but also protect the metal from further corrosion.

The rust converter contains phosphoric acid and various additives (depending on the manufacturer), which not only dissolve rust, but also, reacting with iron, form a chemically inert layer on the surface of the treated object, which prevents the cast iron from entering into reaction with oxygen or other substances. After applying such a tool, cast iron can be safely painted or processed with something. nine0005

How to protect cast iron from rust

Since cast iron is a ferrous metal, the most difficult thing in the fight against rust will not be to clean it, but to prevent it from reappearing. In order for cast iron not to rust, it is necessary to exclude its contact with oxygen. To do this, the rust-free cast iron is calcined and then coated with a rust converter, paint or chemical oils.

However, cast iron cookware should not be painted or lubricated with machine oil, but is the one that most often comes into contact with water or alkaline detergents. nine0070

Cast iron cookware can be protected from rust during storage with simple sunflower oil or fat, which needs to be lubricated. More reliable is the grandmother's method of roasting cast iron with vegetable oil or fat:

the dishes must be thoroughly lubricated;

then turn upside down and put on a sheet in a cold oven;

fry the cast iron for about an hour until the oil is baked on the surface and no longer smells. nine0036

Burnt oil is safe and reliably seals the pores of cast iron from moisture and air. That is why grandmothers did not clean the black soot from the outside of cast-iron pans and cauldrons.

how to remove corrosion from cast iron, how to restore, polishing

Cast iron pans have been used for over a hundred years, and still have their fans. The frying pan is good for everyone: it is easy to use, does not burn and fries well, but many, acquiring this kitchen attribute and knowing its small drawback, are wondering how to clean a cast-iron frying pan from rust? nine0005
Cast iron cookware is susceptible to corrosion.

Table of Contents

1 Causes of Rust in Cast Iron Skillet

2 How to Clean Rust from Cast Iron Skillet at Home

3 How to Restore the Protective Layer of Cast Iron Skillet

4 How to Remove Corrosion 3 Using Preventive Measures 9003 9003 anti-rust and care tips

6 VIDEO: How to remove rust from a cast iron skillet. nine0036

Causes of rust in a cast iron pan

Cast iron pans are prone to rust - this is their main disadvantage, but knowing how to deal with it, you will not be disappointed in the application of this kitchen attribute.

There are different methods for cleaning dishes from rust: both chemical means and folk methods.

The main causes of corrosion on metal.

Poor quality material. If the product is too light when buying, then you should think about what kind of cast iron it is made of. Incorrect grinding in production leads to corrosion: the surface must be even and uniform, without inclusions. When purchasing cast iron products, pay attention to the manufacturer - it should be a large enterprise that manufactures metal utensils. nine0036
Incorrect first operation. Before use, a new frying pan must be washed with detergent and dried. Next, pour a little sunflower oil on the bottom and ignite for five minutes without food. Let cool and brush all sides of the pan with oil. When first used, a large amount of smoke will be released - this is normal, but care must be taken to ventilate the room in advance.

Improper maintenance. The cast iron product is intended only for cooking, it is impossible to store food in it. It is advisable to wash and dry the pan immediately after preparing dinner. Abrasive cleaning agents are not allowed, scratches form on the surface, which, oxidizing in air, begin to rust. nine0036

Cast iron pans have the unique property that the more you cook with them, the less they rust.

How to clean rust from a cast iron pan at home

When using this kitchen attribute, sooner or later the hostess will face the question of how to remove rust from a cast iron pan?

At home, if the pan is covered with soot after the first frying, you need to know about the causes and factors that provoke its appearance. nine0005
There are several methods that can be used:

Mechanical. With this cleaning method, some effort will be required. You can clean the surfaces with a wire brush, which will remove a layer of rust. To speed up the process, use a drill with a brush attachment. Any brush will do, but the harder the bristles, the deeper the scratches you will leave on the product that will need to be sanded.

Dark rusty spots are formed during the oxidation process due to the presence of moisture on the surface. nine0005

Thermal. Ideal if you have a summer cottage where you can make an open fire and burn a pan. You can use a blowtorch to remove grease residues on the walls, rust spots and restore the natural non-stick coating of cast iron.

This method produces soot which must be washed off.

Using the oven. If it is not possible to ignite cast iron on fire, then do it at home in the oven. Place a baking sheet down, and above it, install a wire rack, on which place the pan upside down and turn on the oven at full power for two hours. When the pan has cooled slightly, it must be washed from the remnants of rust stains with water and a mild detergent. nine0036

If a layer of fat has accumulated in the pan, then when heated, it will drain onto the baking sheet and burn, take care of a high-quality hood in the kitchen.

Digestion. This is the easiest and safest way. In a large saucepan, add water to cover the pan completely and a little mild detergent or Coke soda, bring to a boil and lower the pan. Boiling time is 40-60 minutes, then let the pan cool without removing it from the solution, and rinse with running water. nine0036

Do not use aggressive cleaning agents when boiling.

Sanding with sandpaper. It is necessary to purchase paper with different fractions at the hardware store. We start cleaning surfaces with coarse-grained paper, in circular motions over the entire surface. And gradually we switch to fine-grained paper, as if sanding the scratches in the pan, as a result you will have a smooth matte surface that needs to be washed and dried.
nine0055
Dishes begin to rust if stored for a long time in a damp room.

How to restore the protective layer on a cast iron pan

The final step, but very important, which will allow you to get rid of a small flaw in this product.

This process is possible both after cleaning corrosion from kitchen utensils, and as a prevention of dark spots.

The main stages of the restoration process:

The coating is restored by grinding the surface with fine sandpaper, it is necessary to sand the surface, wash and dry. nine0036
After grinding, add a few tablespoons of table salt to the pan and roast it on the stove for 10 minutes. After cooling, you can add a little water to the salt and additionally clean the most difficult places with rust.

Wash the pan and dry thoroughly.

Next, all surfaces must be generously greased with sunflower or linseed oil and heated in the oven at 200 degrees for about an hour.

Let the pan cool and remove excess oil with a soft cloth, as if polishing it - this will protect the surface from rusting in the future. nine0036

Just rub one tablespoon of oil into the bottom of the utensil with a paper towel.

How to remove rust with household products

Remove rust from a frying pan using products that are in any home. But it is worth remembering that the effect is long-term, cleaning must be approached comprehensively, then you will forget about removing rust spots for a long time.

If the cast iron is not properly cared for, it will become unusable due to rust. nine0005

Soda. Used as a cleaning paste. Pour 2-3 tablespoons on the surface, add some warm water and rub the problem areas with a sponge - this will clean out small rust spots.

Descaling with baking soda restores the surface of the pan if rust has not penetrated deep layers.

Salt. It is used in complex cleaning. Pour 5-6 tablespoons into a frying pan and bake on the stove for 10-15 minutes, let it cool slightly and add water to the still warm salt. It will be enough to clean the surface a little and wash it. nine0036

Table salt can help get rid of rust on a cast iron skillet.

Vinegar solution. It is necessary to dilute 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar in water and pour the composition into the pan. Let stand for a few hours, then rinse and dry.

When acid comes into contact with dark spots, it breaks them down and transforms them into a powder.

Coca Cola. Soda, which we all love, will perfectly clean the rust from the pan. Pour the drink into a large saucepan, you will need 3-5 bottles for this, and bring to a boil. Dip a frying pan into a boiling Coca-Cola and boil for 30-40 minutes, let the drink cool without removing the frying pan. Next, you just need to wash the product and dry it. nine0036

They contain phosphoric acid, which is used in many plumbing and cleaning products.

Pemolux. It will clean the manifestations of rust, it is enough to rub the problem areas a little with a cleaning agent with a little water. But it is desirable to use it in combination with rubbing with oil and roasting in the oven.

For this method, take a powder with abrasive particles and a hard metal sponge and clean the surface of the dish with force. nine0005

Oven products. They will clean the rust well and quickly, but the alkali in the composition will remove the protective layer from the product and it will have to be restored.

Wear hand protection when handling.

Special chemicals. If simple folk remedies no longer help, and the rust has gone deep into the metal, then these remedies cannot be dispensed with. In the store you will find a wide variety of such products that contain a strong acid or chlorine in their composition. When using them, precautions must be taken: wear rubber gloves, apply the product with the brush that is included in the kit, and try not to inhale the vapors of evaporation. nine0036

After cleaning, rinse the pan with plenty of water and dishwashing detergent.

Fish oil or linseed oil. Used to restore the protective layer of the product in combination with calcination in the oven. Rub the surface with a thick layer of fat or oil and place in the oven at medium temperature for an hour. After cooling, remove excess with a soft cloth. When using fish oil, there may be a smell of fish, it is necessary to wash the product with a detergent to remove a strong smell. nine0036

Fish oil easily removes rust from cast iron pans.

Rust Prevention & Care

Prevention is always better for your pan than tedious cleaning and a long process of restoring the non-stick protective layer.

The non-stick coating of the cast-iron skillet should be repaired regularly.

Necessary measures to protect cast iron products from rust:

Regular use of the pan prevents rust stains, the oil in which we cook constantly replenishes the natural protective layer.

Wash and dry the frying pan immediately after cooking.
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