To deep clean cast iron, scrub stubborn food using a paste of coarse kosher salt and a stiff brush or chainmail. For severe carbon buildup or rust, simmer a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar for 20 minutes. Always dry the pan completely, then rub a thin layer of cooking oil over the surface.
To quickly clean very dirty cast iron, scrape out stuck-on debris and scrub the surface with a paste of kosher salt and a few drops of water. For severe gunk, boil a little water in the pan first to loosen it. Dry completely and rub a thin layer of oil into the iron.
Instead, Amidor recommends “cooking with cast iron once or twice a week, especially if someone has iron-deficiency anemia and no issues with too much iron in their diet.” Preparing a more acidic dish, or something with a lot of moisture, is likely to absorb more iron from your pot or pan.
Let's take a look at how rust occurs and ways you can tackle it so you can start cooking again in no time.
To easily remove burnt-on food from your cast iron skillet, simmer a thin layer of water in the pan on the stove for 3 to 5 minutes. Use a wooden spoon, spatula, or a Lodge Chainmail Scrubber to gently scrape the loosened gunk away.
Yes, vinegar reacts with cast iron because it is a mild acid, which can be both useful and harmful depending on the application. While it is excellent for dissolving rust in short-term applications, long-term contact will etch (eat away at) the metal, destroying the seasoning and causing permanent damage.
To safely remove burn marks from your Le Creuset, make a paste of baking soda and water, or simmer water with 2 tablespoons of baking soda for 10 minutes. Let it soak, then gently scrub with a non-abrasive sponge. Never use metal scouring pads or harsh abrasives.
Detergents aren't made with lye, so can't be soap. Either way you still shouldn't use soap with cast iron, but can use detergents, though there is no reason to do so. You can easily clean well maintained cast iron without it.
Most people know the Classic WD-40® Multi-Use Product works great for preventing rust, but are you familiar with WD-40 Specialist® Rust Remover Soak? The formula quickly dissolves rust from tools, metal, cast iron, chrome parts, and more with a formula that does not use acids or caustic chemicals.
The more you use a rusted pan, the more iron you'll consume in your food. It's best to avoid cooking with a rusty cast iron pan. If it's reached the point of corrosion or deep rust, throw it away rather than risk your and your family's health.
Avoid cooking highly acidic foods (like tomatoes and citrus), delicate fish, and sticky foods (like eggs and pancakes) in a brand-new, unseasoned cast iron skillet. These ingredients can strip the pan's seasoning, leach metallic tastes into your food, or create a frustratingly stuck-on mess.
Iron deficiency occurs when your body lacks enough iron to produce hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs throughout your body. When oxygen levels drop, you can experience a variety of physical and mental symptoms.
Older cast iron pans are highly prized for two main reasons: they are significantly lighter and feature a glassy-smooth cooking surface.
A cast iron skillet is ruined primarily by rust from soaking or improper drying, warping from extreme thermal shock (like cold water on a hot pan), or cracking if dropped. While most seasoning issues are reversible, letting rust cause deep pitting, or fracturing the iron, destroys the cookware permanently.
If it's solid and intact, you can absolutelyrestore skillet surfaces, even if they look terrible.
Yes, old cast iron can be highly valuable, particularly as collectible cookware. While raw scrap iron is only worth about $0.06 to $0.08 per pound, well-maintained antique and vintage pieces—especially those made by sought-after makers—routinely sell to collectors for anywhere from $𝟓𝟎 to over $𝟏,𝟎𝟎𝟎.
Yes, Coke can remove rust. It works because it contains phosphoric acid, which breaks down iron oxide.
Yes. Scrub the pan with steel wool to get rid of the rust and then wash it with hot water and a bit of soap. You will likely remove some of the seasoning during this process so you probably will have to re-season the skillet.
The fastest "instant" rust removers are strong liquid acids like muriatic acid or gel-based phosphoric acid (like Rust-Oleum Rust Dissolver Jelly). They require brushing, letting the acid sit for 10–30 minutes to melt the corrosion, and rinsing. For a gentler, scrub-free soak, try Evapo-Rust.
Yes, Dawn dish soap is perfectly safe for a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Modern mild dish soaps are gentle enough to remove food debris and grease without stripping the pan's polymerized non-stick coating (seasoning).
If you are able to clean the skillet out by simply wiping it out, stop here. Having a small amount of oil after cleaning is not a problem. In fact, keeping a pan from drying out is an important part of long term maintenance. Over-cleaning your cast iron pan is unnecessary and will only stand to damage your seasoning.
No, it is not bad. Modern, mild dish soaps are completely safe to use. The old "no soap" rule comes from decades ago when soaps contained harsh lye, which stripped the skillet's seasoning. Today's gentle dish soaps simply cut through grease without harming the baked-on, nonstick layer.
The Le Creuset lifetime warranty does not cover damage to the non-stick surface caused by overheating or scratching. Overheating: Damage from overheating during cooking is instantly recognizable. The non-stick surface becomes discolored, and in severe cases will blister or peel away from the pan.
To perform a deep clean:
5 Cast Iron Cleaning Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes—and How to Fix Them