iron cookware

[roger zavoda]

i have some iron cookware about 15 years old , i know its just broke in. my wife is afraid to use it cause its a mighy rusty and some spots show steel like color the rest is just black . the peice im talking about is a dutch oven with a lid. what should i do to resore back to use?
roger

 

[mrbortlein]

Roger,
With the iron cookware I've restored: I removed the rust with steel wool, coated pot with oil, baked in the oven @350 deg for 30 min, wiped excess oil and then continued baking for another 30 min. This should return cookware to a nice black color. Hope this helps.
mrbortlein

 

[Many Klatch]

Really rusty old ironware can be salvaged by cleaning good with a green scrubby and soap and then rendering a pot of tallow. The tallow really does a job.

If you just have a few spots, fill it with water, put it on the stove. Bring it to a rolling boil for a few minutes. Dump out the water and dry it then oil it with a rag with olive oil. That way it is sterile and oiled and ready to use. After each use clean it the same way, no need for soap except in severe conditions.

Many Klatch

 

[Blizzard of '93]

remove any grease in the DO then hitch up a wire cup brush to your electric drill and shine that thing up. any very bad spots that may have scale you might have to use a sanding disc on - or take it to a sandblaster - it will clean up tho. then re-season it. frying french fries is a good way to do that. or as stated rub beef tallow over it while hot then bake at 350, rubbing with tallow again after about 20-30 minutes. a rag smeared with lard will do if you can't get tallow.

 

[Allan Gray]

I had a great skillet that was so rusty it looked like it was brought up from the Titanic.

A buddy sand blasted it for me down to a "like new" condition. I rubbed it down with oil and threw it in my gas grill set on high 'till the thing nearly got to a melt down state. After a few uses it got better and better.

I find that the secret to keeping a good season on cast iron is to use them often, wash them very gently with very little or no soap and be sure to dry them out afterwards. I always set mine down back on the stove after I wash it to make sure it's dry...Every now and then a light rub of oil. :thumbsup:

 

[renovato]

You can remove the rust with steel wool and vegetable oil. That's usually a little easier on the existing seasoning that just sanding it back to the metal. Reseason by coating it with lard or crisco and tossing in a hot charcoal fire or your oven. Careful about the oven, it's a smokey process. Repeat a couple times and it's good to go. I restore a piece this way now and then, when I find them.

 

[Many Klatch]

Just be careful with the sand blasting. I saw a skillet that was sandblasted once. A guy brought an old skillet to a building that was being sand blasted. The sand blaster shot the skillet for a couple of seconds. It removed all the crud alright but it also deeply pitted the bottom of the pan. Just make sure that whoever does the sand blasting understands that you want to remove the crud not the metal.

Many Klatch

 

[Blizzard of '93]

yeah you have to find someone that knows (and gives a manure about) what they are doing but that will sure clean one up.

 

[ohio ramrod]

sand blasting is an extreme method, easily over done. I recomend the wire brush in drill method.

 

[Gus]

With the iron cookware I've restored: I removed the rust with steel wool, coated pot with oil, baked in the oven @350 deg for 30 min, wiped excess oil and then continued baking for another 30 min. This should return cookware to a nice black color. Hope this helps.
mrbortlein

I've been doing it like mrbortlein for years. Learned it from my Dad. It will stink up the house! I've ressurected many a pot this way. I've got a nice bean pot now that needs it, but I think I'll let it go a little longer. Did you know that frequent cast iron cooking reduces iron defeciencies? Tell you wife how good the rust will be for her.

gus

 

Particle blasting. Take it to a place that does powdercoating and see if they will put it in the blaster for you. It will cost, everything does, but your items will come out like new, except for any pits of course. Then just re-cure and use.

 

[Allan Gray]

My wife was a skeptic of cast iron cooking, always reaching for the non-stick pan.

When I showed her how much nicer they fry up eggs and potatoes, the fact that stuff won't stick to well seasoned pan and that you don't need to worry about scratching them, she was sold.

IMO everything tastes better cooked on iron too.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

yep - Dutch Oven cooking is in a class by itself.
lately I've been roasting chicken quarters and veggies w/peppers (sweet and hot hungarian banana) when camped out. that and a pot of beans or some sweet corn - fine chow.

 

[omarick1948]

The biggest culprit for rust is of coarse, water!

Our Grandfathers, never washed cast iron cookware using soap and water. I don't either and many in these parts that use castware will have a fit, if you would try to wash in soap and water!

For a seasoned cast iron skillet or pot etc., just empty-out, wipe out clean and oil lightly inside and out. If you have some "stickies" of food product that won't wipe-out. Use one of those POT WISKS scrubber, that many Traders sell and scrub the gunk out before oiling, or wad-up a sheet of aluminum foil or a handfull of dry leaves.

Now back to the main topic!..Go to the Hardware Store or Menards, Home Depot etc. and buy one or two bottles of Naval Jelly. Follow directions on the bottle and wipe clean with only a damp cloth and dry immediately...then oil when all rust is gone. As far as sand blasting. You can take the dutch oven to a Monument (tomb stone) business and they can do a great job in most case's!
That's my story and I'm sticking to it! :thumbsup:

Rick

 

What's wrong with a good coating of Crisco and an oven temp of 350 degrees for one hour to cure the cast iron? As far as washing goes, you NEVER use any detergent!! Some hot water and a stiff bristle brush will take care of most anything. Dry well and put on stove top and melt some Crisco, let cool alittle and rub the Crisco in and you're good to go.

 

[Claude Mathis]

What's wrong with a good coating of Crisco and an oven temp of 350 degrees for one hour to cure the cast iron?

Nothing wrong with that. That method has been used for generations and it works well.
http://www.kitchenemporium.com/info/castiron.html

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I have found that any tomato-based sauce dishes (pasta sauce or chili w/tomato) removes seasoning from cast iron. no big deal tho just re-season after cleaning and scrubbing.

 

[omarick1948]

Now the fun begins!....The cast dutch oven is just that....OVEN! Not a stew pot for liquids!

I know many people use them for their stews and chili, but they where and are intended for baking, especially the "rimmed lid" types.

 

Now the fun begins!....The cast dutch oven is just that....OVEN! Not a stew pot for liquids!

I know many people use them for their stews and chili, but they where and are intended for baking, especially the "rimmed lid" types.

All cast iron "cookware" is made from the same material. What makes one an "oven" is the rimmed lid, which is designed to hold coals and provide heat from the top (making it an oven). You can cook anything you like in any style cast iron pot, including the ones we call "ovens". The food doesn't care what it's cooked in nor does the pot care what's in it. It cooks just the same. The interior of the "dutch oven" is seasoned just like all the other cast iron cookware - nothing special about it.

 

[omarick1948]

Yes, your right!...They usually are made out of the same material, but seasoning is done for non-sticking purpose's and rust protection. BUT, if you are in the habit of scrubbing out cast iron everytime you use it. You are removing oil and minute food particles from the pores of the cast iron surface. This oil and fine particles is what keeps the food from sticking when baking breads, biscuits pies etc. My point is, that you can use a cast iron dutch oven for a soup or stew pot, but why?