How do you clean cast iron pans/grills?

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Dina

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My cast iron pan and grill have rust on them. How do you keep them from rusting and clean the junk out of them?
 
Don't put them in the dishwasher.

Soap and warm water usually works for maintaining. Once it starts rusting I think you've gotta move on to the brillo pads and steel wool.
 
Once they rust, you'll need to re-season them again using veggie oil or crisco. You shouldn't use soap on cast iron, only warm water. Immediately dry them and while they are still warm, wipe on a thin layer of vegetable oil or non-stick cooking spray.
 
I sanded mine with sandpaper and an orbital hand sander. Then I washed them quickly to get rid of the rusty stuff and dried them completely by heating them up on a burner. Then you have to re-season with oil.
 
I sanded mine with sandpaper and an orbital hand sander. Then I washed them quickly to get rid of the rusty stuff and dried them completely by heating them up on a burner. Then you have to re-season with oil.

I wonder what you can do with a nailgun?:ermm:
 
You shouldn't use soap on cast iron, only warm water. Immediately dry them and while they are still warm, wipe on a thin layer of vegetable oil or non-stick cooking spray.

It's fine to use soap on cast iron that is well seasoned. I do it all the time. Not every time I wash them but sometimes soap is necessary.

IMO vegetable oil smear makes the cast iron sticky.
 
jennyema said:
It's fine to use soap on cast iron that is well seasoned. I do it all the time. Not every time I wash them but sometimes soap is necessary.

Me too!! Always have!

The first thing that came to mind Miss Dina on how to keep them from rusting was...use them. If you use them on a regular basis, clean and dry them well after each use, then rust should never be an issue. As for cleaning....just do what ya gotta do to get them clean. Sometimes thats hot water and a rag...other times some soap and even a plasitc scrubby is called for...none of which will hurt well seasoned cast iron.
I almost never "oil" a pan before I put it up (unless I know it will be out of service for an extended period) Like Miss Jeeny said, the oil becomes sticky, and collects dust/dirt big time, and you have to wash it again prior to use. The cast iron that I use on a regular basis is washed, dried, and stored. On the next use it comes out of storage straight to the stove.
 
My cast-iron pans are so well seasoned (from use) that I don't really have to worry about rust. However, occasionally things do get "gooped on" and I have to take measures to clean my cookware.

My first attack is to fill the pan with water, put on the stove and bring to a boil. Most of the time this will make the stuck on stuff give up.

If that doesn't take of things, I use a plastic putty knife. I keep a plastic putty knife (found in the hardware store) with my scouring pads, brushes, etc. and use it to scrape the stubborn bits from my pan. If that doesn't work, I will use some egg shells as a scouring tool. I always have a few egg shells ready to go into the compost bin, so I smush them down into the problematic pan and scrub away. Either of these two methods usually rids my pan of whatever has tried to hold on.
 
Hang the pan on the kitchen wall.
And get a huge stain on the wall? My guests washed it in soap and dried it over a kitchen town. Now the towl has a huge rust ring on it and my griddle is all rusted. Not to mention my white ceramic kitchen sink has chips from washing this heavy stuff in it. Argh!!! If I go on to tell you about what other things in my house were damaged, I'd get ulcers.

Thanks you all. I will reseason my cast iron cookware with oil and hope for the best.
 
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