Cast iron is exceedingly difficult to clean, as it shouldn’t be washed in the sink, like other pans. Caring for a cast iron pan is something that most cooking pros take quite seriously, and there’s no doubt they are a pretty indestructible bit of cooking kit. Like anything valuable, you want to place enough care and consideration into managing the upkeep of all your cast iron cookware.
How to season a new cast iron pan
As tempting as it may be to just throw food straight into a cast iron skillet and get cooking, you shouldn’t.
Cast iron requires some care before you can start whipping up delicious dinners.
Seasoning the cookware creates a clean surface enabling you to evenly cook vegetables, meats and desserts.
In the olden days, cast iron was seasoned by adding fat onto the surface, and baking it onto the pan at very high temperatures. But these days, it’s done a bit differently.
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How to remove rust
Bringing a rusty cast iron skillet back to life is easier than you may think.
Rust is a result of a good job seasoning the pan, so it shouldn’t discourage you and you shouldn’t throw the pan away.
Profile rusting, the most common kind, can be removed by:
- Using a non-metallic scrubber to remove the rust
- Wash with a mild washing up liquid, rinse well, and dry with a clean towel
- Re-season the surface by coating it with vegetable oil inside and on the outside.