Potatoes are used because they are great for cleaning up rust. You want enough salt to almost completely cover the bottom. Remove Baked-on Residue Scrub with oil and salt. You will love using your cast iron skillet! After washing a cast iron skillet, dry it thoroughly to remove any excess water droplets and prevent rust from forming. Another myth is that you can’t use steel wool on a cast-iron skillet. Chefs use it religiously. This effective cleaning agent can be used on cast iron… Pour an equal amount of cooking oil , such as canola, vegetable, or corn, over the salt … The choice is yours. One popular and effective means of cleaning cast iron cookware is to use salt. I’m not just some crazy person cleaning my pans with a potato. Add about a teaspoon of oil to the skillet with 1/2 cup of coarse salt. ). Skip the soap and give your skillet a facial. Use a stiff brush or the cut side of a raw potato to rub around coarse salt and remove all the stuck-on bits. Since you use oil to season your pan, the idea is that the oil is what gives the skillet the non-stick properties. This step is also known as seasoning your skillet. Like all cast iron kitchen implements, such as frying pans and skillets, a cast iron griddle can rust if you leave it unprotected in your cupboard. If you are cleaning a rusty skillet, wipe it out quickly with a paper towel. If you want to use soap, you can. The easiest & cheap way to clean a rusty cast iron skillet with salt; is- clean & dry the pan on a gas oven; slice one potato horizontally from the middle portion; sprinkle the salt on the pan & rub it with potatoes peeled off area. Pour a tablespoon of cooking oil into cast iron and heat pan on stove to warm oil. Using your Cast Iron Cleaning Co. Salt & Spoon, scoop one spoonful of salt into pan. Store your skillet in the oven to keep it away from moisture. Salt also helps to add more flavor. Removing Stuck on Food from a Cast Iron Skillet. Thoroughly clean the skillet with water and soap. How to Season Cast Iron Skillets To do so, submerge your entire pan in a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and water. If you need to, use a clean paper towel to remove any excess oil. It’s so much easier to clean and maintain a cast iron skillet than you might think. Many experts will tell you salt is the answer. We will work together to declutter your bedroom in 3 days. Whether you use soap or just oil, keep your skillet dry so that it lasts longer without rust. You might have heard the many things not to do with cast iron: The last one is a myth – and I’ll answer it at the bottom of this post. If you've read our cast iron skillet review, you already know how strongly we feel about finding the right pan. It is extremely effective at cleaning cast iron pans because it's harder and features bigger individual granules which makes it more abrasive and also easier to clean up than Kosher salt. Read my full disclosure here. It’s almost enough to scare a cook off from cast iron completely! Our salt is harvested in America. Did you know that it can actually fortify your foods with more iron? Now that you know exactly how to clean your cast iron skillet, here are a few questions I wanted to answer. Next, cut a large potato so that it has a flat side you can use for scrubbing. If you used it to cook, remove all the food, rinse it out, and then dry it completely. Get your FREE EBOOK and Check Out The Printables Library. The two most popular way to clean rust cast iron is using salt and vinegar. I use both salt and vinegar for experience. Step 1 Let the skillet completely cool. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and scrub with a wet paper towel. Run the iron over the salt. Cast iron is very strong, and with a little effort, you can get your pans into brand-new condition. How to Remove Rust from Cast Iron Skillet with Vinegar. You just have to make sure it has enough surface area on the flat side to scrub a larger area. Heat the pan over low heat for a minute to dry it completely. If you have a really rusted one that you think might require more work, invest in a brush with firm bristles. Some coarse salt, a potato, and oil will remove stubborn rust and make your skillet safe to use. If it’s been ages since you’ve actually used your skillet, chances are it’s in need of some TLC. Once you’ve let the iron heat up, run the iron over the paper towel with the salt on it. Any kind of potato will work, even a sweet potato. Follow these steps to clean your cast iron skillet safely. If possible, try cleaning your … It's 100% natural, coarse-cut salt specifically selected by our founders. Use a folded kitchen towel to scour. ... Scrub off stuck-on bits: To remove stuck-on food, scrub the pan with a paste of coarse kosher salt and water.