Old Cast Iron Cookware

[N80]

I have a number of old cast iron skillets and dutch ovens sitting around my cabin. They were owned by my wifes grandmother but have been in disuse for decades and outdoors most of that time. There is one huge skillet and one dutch oven that would actually be very useful on a grill, campfire or even a gas range. Both have some rust but no serious pitting on the cooking surfaces.

I wondering what would be the best way to clean these up? Should I just steel wool the heck out of them and then season them normally or is there something else I should do? And special polishes or cleaners? Thanks for any input.

 

[Egon]

Wire brush on an angle grinder. Then use cooking oil to cure them.

 

[Duffster]

Actually you should stay away from vegatable oil. Lard works best.

Google Backwoods Home Magazine. They have a tons of good info on restoring cast iron cookware.

 

[Toyboy]

There's various ways to clean them up. I use one of those long stiff wire things in an electric drill (can't recall the name) that they use for stripping paint. USE Safety glasses. Works good for me. Lite surface rust can can be wire brushed. I season mine w/Crisco in the oven. I'm sure you'll hear a lot more ways to clean them up. Well seasoned cast iron cookware is hard to beat. Let them warm on low for a minute before raising to cooking temp to give the iron a chance to get adjusted and minimize warping. Never use soap on them.
That's my way, lets see what other people recommend.

 

[RobertN]

There used to be a member here who posted pictures of cleaning up old cast iron. He did the trick with submersing the cast iron, and connecting a battery charger to it. Came out sparkly clean. Might search this site; I think it was 3-5 years ago...

Here is a link to an outside website:
Byron's - Dutch Oven Care
Rust removal by electrolysis


My son and I use veggie oil on our camp Dutch ovens. Also have had to clean up and re-season some skillets and Dutch ovens for our Scout troop camp gear. The veggie oil has worked fine.

I refer to this site often for camp recipes, and cast iron cooking...

Byron's Dutch Oven Cooking Page

 

[RobertN]

I would add... One of Asst Scoutmasters made a charcoal stew in one of the Troop Dutch ovens. He ran a welding shop; he bead blasted it clean, and then reseasoned it before the next campout... Seemed to work...

 

[GGB]

I love cast iron-just seems like everything tastes better when it's done in a black skillet.

Several of our cast iron pieces had minor rust when we bought them at auctions or garage sales. It usually only took some steel wool and some scrubbing by hand to clean up what we bought. Then I just sprayed with vegetable oil and put in the oven directly on a rack upside down at 300 degrees for one hour to season, and then let cool down in the oven before using. Be sure to use a cookie sheet on the rack below to cast the runoff. Then be sure to clean up after using while the pan is still warm with nothing but a scrub brush and hot water (NO SOAP!), wipe dry with a paper towel, respray with vegetable oil and put back on the still warm burner. I rarely have to reseason this way.

I'm thinking that Duffster is right about using lard though to season, though! Don't know why I didn't do this before, as that is what my parents and grandparents used....

If you have a lot of rust, you might want to try putting the skillet in a good bed of coals from a campfire instead of using a wire brush. I haven't tried this method, but from what I've read, this method is very good at getting rid of the rust. Some other TBN'ers may be able to tell us if they've tried this.

GGB

 

[sixdogs]

Eight inch wire bush mounted on motor on stand and rust goes away.
Warming it a little first helped get evwerything off.
Then scribbed with steel wool and dishwashing detergent.
After that is individual preference.
Mine came out sparkling clean.

 

[crash325]

I just did 3 old skillets and a few years ago the top of a cast iron stove top.

First wire brush all the loose rust off, where you find the most pitting is on the rims, sand or grind that off.

If you can do the following outdoors, as I usually make a mess. Heat any kind of cooking oil in them add in a lot of table salt. Then smear the oil & salt all around. keep it up for a while and let the mixture get real hot. After they cool a little pour out the mess, wipe clean, re oil and heat again. When they cool wipe them out again. Your now ready to start cooking.

If you find deep pitting that hast to be ground out. Curing will take several go around's with the oil & heat.

Don't do as I did. Tried to do all 3 at the same time on the outdoor stove. Only 1 big and the small one would fit. IT was just 2 busy to keep up with all 3.

You can take the hot oil mixture and scouring rag to almost anything handy that needs some rust removed.

 

[Transit]

Here is one of many sits that explain how to season and care for cast iron cookware.

Seasoning and Caring for cast iron cookware