Sandpaper is another good scrubber to get at rust spots but will require more elbow grease. An expert at What’s Cooking America advises that, if you’re going this route, glass beads are less harsh than sand in a blaster. Not everybody has a sandblaster, but if you can access one, it’s a quick way to remove rust from cast iron. Make sure to thoroughly wash the rust-free cast iron with soap and water after using oven cleaner, since it is toxic. It’ll also likely remove most of the seasoning from cast iron, so you’ll have some extra re-seasoning to do afterward. Letting the cleaner sit and do its work on cast iron may take a few rounds, as a Kitchn tester found. The lye-based cleaner is harsh and needs to be handled with care (and gloves on) while not being inhaled. Then cut a raw potato in half and use it as a scrubbing tool to work the salt around the pan and rub off rust.Ī decidedly less “natural” way to clean rusty cast-iron skillets and the like is to spray them with oven cleaner. Sprinkle a cast iron pan with a generous amount of kosher or other coarse salt. If you’re wondering if there’s a more “au natural” way to clean a rusty cast-iron skillet, you might wan to try the potato and coarse salt method. Chainmail scrubbers are apparently pretty indestructible, so you won’t need to buy them as often as steel wool - which is good because they are also more expensive. Yes, the thing that knights wore as body armor, chainmail, is also a favored tool for getting tough gunk off cast iron, including rust. Good arm strength and patience can be needed to get a really rusty cast-iron item smooth again, and you’ll have to season your cast-iron skillet again afterward. Some steel wool pads like Brillo and S.O.S come with soap already in them. However, in cases of rust or abrasion, steel wool and soap can be used to scrub away the rust and get down to a new base level of the cast iron. Soaking cast iron in vinegar for too long will start pitting the surface and make it worse.Įxperts say you should not use steel wool in the normal course of cleaning your cast iron pan, as it’s too harsh. Strawn has a vinegar-water spray bottle method.īon Appétit explains that soaking a rusty cast-iron skillet in equal parts vinegar and water and then watching the pan to make sure it’s removed as soon as the rust starts to flake away is the way to go. Strawn and many others recommend using vinegar to easily remove rust from a cast-iron skillet, grill, pot or dutch oven. Strawn said he thinks the Lodge rust eraser is best for spot removal of rust rather than trying to do the entire surface of a rusty cast-iron item.Īlso, speaking of erasers: Magic Erasers can also help with spot-removal of rust on cast iron. The eraser takes away rust down to the cast-iron surface, which will need to be re-seasoned afterward. The Lodge Rust Eraser is $9.95 and claims to “remove surface rust and tarnish with precision.” YouTube reviewer Stephen Strawn of Cast Iron Cookware demonstrated the eraser in a video, showing how it has a bit of a rubbery flex to it. One of the most trusted cast-iron lines out there created its own rust remover - which is good news for the many cooks who own one of their cast-iron skillets. So, exactly how do you clean a rusty cast-iron skillet? Here are some of the tools you can use and how to use them. After all, this is cookware that lasts a lifetime! But a smudge of rust can still pop up on your favorite pot or skillet from time to time. Seasoned veterans of cast-iron cooking know that a little bit of proper care goes a long way. But one downside to using cast iron is that it can rust easily if not well cared for. Cast iron is a tried-and-true cooking material thanks to its even heating, nonstick surface and long-lasting nature.
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