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How To Clean Cast Iron Cookware
Keep your eyes open for neglected pieces of cast iron cookware offered at garage sales and auctions. With a little elbow grease you can bring the cookware back to gleaming shape and they will last a lifetime with proper care, the tips below will help clean and prepare these pieces. For cleaning tips, see How To Season Cast Iron Cookware.
How To Clean Cast Iron Cookware
Assorted Cast Iron Skillets & Cookware
- Wash in hot soapsuds and rinse thoroughly.
- If food bits stick or have burned into the cast iron, soak in hot water with a bit of washing soda sprinkled on the spot. Bring to a boil if the burned food sticks stubbornly. Wash in hot soapsuds.
- Use a little baking soda in the final rinse water to help prevent rust formation.
- Make sure item is completely dry before putting away (helps prevent rust).
- Re-season with oil as needed to protect against rust.
- If ironware is stored for long periods of time with little use, give the piece a light coating of mineral oil or paraffin inside and out as a protection against rust.
Methods For Removing Rust From Cast Iron Cookware
- Scrub with a nylon scrubber or fine steel wool. Can also sprinkle scouring powder over top if stains are stubborn.
- Cut a potato in half, drizzle a bit of liquid dish detergent or scouring powder in the cookware, then scrub with the cut side of the potato.
After rust removal, wash and season pan before storing away.
More Tips
- Try table salt, baking soda or kosher salt as a scouring powder
- Avoid cleaning with harsh chemicals since the cookware could absorb them
- To strip the piece right down, soak in a 50/50 water and vinegar solution for about 6 hours. Wash well in hot soapy water then season cookware. Also, another tip I’ve collected suggests soaking the piece in Coca-Cola to strip off the rust.
- For especially caked on, rusted pieces: you may have to heat the cookware till it’s piping hot (fireplace, fire pit, oven), and then scrub while it’s hot. Be careful not to get burned, and be aware that heating it too fast or too hot may cause cracking.
- Never wash cast iron in the dishwasher.
- The more you use your cast iron cookware, the better it gets
. - If you invested in new cookware, your best bet is to follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer.
Credit: Some of the information above was collected from Woman’s Home Companion Household Book (1948)
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I had cast iron that had been used for 60 years. It was coated with burned on grease. I put the pan in my wood burning stove overnight.The next morning the grease was all gone, when reseasoned it looked exactly as new only with that wonderful old patina.
You can remove years of built up grease, burned build up and rust from a cast iron item by placing them in your self cleaning oven and running through a cleaning cycle. I bought an old oven rack that fit my oven in a thrift store to place the items on so I didn’t have to ruin my oven racks.
Regarding the tip about using Coke to dissolve rust: Nearly all carbonated soft drinks contain carbonic acid, which is moderately useful for tasks such as removing stains and dissolving rust deposits (although plain soda water is much better for some of these purposes than Coca-Cola or other soft drinks, as it doesn’t leave a sticky sugar residue behind).
From: http://snopes.com/cokelore/acid.asp
In other words, you’re better off just using the water and vinegar solution. It’ll be faster if nothing else.
I don’t agree with not putting cast iron in dishwasher. I’ve used my grandmothers and my own for over 40 years. When they get so much build up I put them in the dishwasher. Takes it all away. I just wipe with Crisco and use again. Never had any trouble doing this. And if I do it about every 5-6 weeks, I don’t get the buildup.