How do you clean a rusty cast iron pan?
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Answers:
Try putting vinigar in it and boiling it
Sand blaster, wire brush attachment for drill or grinder. Vinegar soak might work as well.
Coca-Cola cure for rust ... Forget those expensive rust removers. Just saturate an abrasive sponge with Coca Cola and scrub the rust stain. The phosphoric acid in the coke is what gets the job done.
From my experience, try using a grease/rust removing spray and use one of those metal scrubby brushes to get the rust off. Try asking this in the chemistry section as well, because rust is the cause of iron oxidizing so you should get some decent answers there.
Good luck :]
Copper wire brush, then coat it in vegetable oil.
Scrub thoroughly, using steel wool or scotch-brite pads or whatever.
Wash and rinse as with any other utensil.
Dry thoroughly, then re-season. My mom and I use liquid vegetable oil (nothing with much flavor--try canola or sunflower oil. Not, like, extra virgin olive oil. I guess Crisco would be better, but we only have that during pie-time around the holidays because of the trans fats.)
Smear the whole pan with oil and heat it, either in the oven (preferable) or over a burner on the stove. Heat up the oven or burner and then turn it off. Put the well-greased pan on/in the heat source and let the heat bake the fat into the iron. Turn the pan upside down over the burner--don't put the greasy bottom right on the eye (uh...you know what I mean.)
Once the pan and grease are nice and toasty, let it all cool off, then wipe the pan down with paper towels. Store with coffee filters or paper towels between the pans to reduce moisture in the future.
Some people never wash their cast-iron pans, but I think that's grody to the max. Mom washes and re-seasons hers every time she uses them, and they have a silky-smooth coating. Put in a little cooking oil and you're good to go.
scour it with steel wool, brillo pad, etc. after you dry it, rub it with oil ( something with a high smoke point like peanut or vegetable) and put it into a moderate oven for a few minutes and you have a seasoned pan. after each use, just wipe it out with a cloth or paper towels. if food is stuck to the pan, sprinkle the pan with kosher salt and rub. the abrasiveness will remove any food, and just wipe it out. if you need to wash it with water, you will need to season it again.
put the pan in a plastic tub filled with salty water. attach an 18 gauge wire to the pan and to a positive lead of a lantern battery, put another 18 gauge wire in the water and attach it to the negative lead. the rust will bubble right off. or you can use naval jelly, but make sure you wash the hell out of the pan, that stuff is nasty. oh yes, if you have the time, use 40 grit sand paper and work yourself up to 400 grit! with any of these methods, be sure to re-season your pan!
You'll need to "reseaon" it. Use a scouring pad (steel wool) and regular dish soap. Rinse it well and dry it on top of the stove (electric stoves work best for some reason, but watch it closely.) Then use a paper towel and rub in some cooking oil. (Be careful, it gets really hot!) Return the pan to the stove top and let it "season" under moderate heat until the surface of the pan hardens. After that you should be able to just wipe it out after cooking. Avoid cooking foods in it that are liquid in nature.
I've had cast iron pans for years! Be careful not to cook too much in it for males as too much iron leaching into the food can be harmful to them. For females this is a good way to get iron.
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