honeybee
Senior Cook
I purchased some cast iron skillets. I thought the label said they were "seasoned". I used them and now they look "rusty". What should I do to remove the rust and to get them black again? Anything I should NOT do?
scott123 said:I don't agree with the oiling of cast iron pans for storage. If you don't use them for a few weeks, the oil will have a tendency to go rancid because of the increased exposure to air. The next time you cook with it, you're adding a small amount of rancid oil to your food. Not healthy, definitely not tasty.
As long as the pan is well seasoned and you store it in a clean, dry place, it will last indefinitely.
As far as using salt to clean cast iron, that's not my bag either. From a hygienic perspective, it's way off. A very light sudsing of soap, careful rinsing and then drying has never adversely effected my pans. Nor anyone else who I've spoken to. Scouring with salt has a nice nostalgic air to it, but in reality, yesteryear had considerably more food related illness than we do now.
Michael in FtW said:scott ... the problem wasn't about storing a "well seasoned" pan. A properly stored well seasoned pan wouldn't have rust on it, would it?
As for salt being "hygienic" - it's a form of coarse abrasive to "scour" the pot - you could use baking soda as a fine grain abrasive about equal to Barkeeper's Friend. To take it a step farther ... IF you brought the temperature of the food you cooked up to a point sufficient to kill bacteria (160-180F), and IF you clean your castiron within an hour or so after cooking before new bacteria can begin to grow, and IF your table salt hasn't become infected with bacteria ... there isn't a bacteria issue. And, IF you preheat your castiron before you toss food into it to cook the next time ... or the food is heated to 160-180F airborn germs that could have gotten into your cookware will be dead, too.
Again, IF your castiron is WELL seasoned - you might indeed get away without oiling/greasing it before storage. If the iron isn't coated to keep it from the moisture in the air, it will rust. It would be far better to grease it, and if the grease goes rancid, wash it right before cooking with it rather than leaving it unprotected.