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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. Heat the pan over low heat for a minute to dry it completely. Clean Cast Iron Skillet With Salt and Potato: For cleaning iron skillet, kosher salt is such an ingredient that teaches the best way to clean cast iron skillet and restoring cast iron and other metal appliances like new. If you need to, use a clean paper towel to remove any excess oil. Use a folded kitchen towel to scour. "I melted some fleece onto the iron (didn't know it could melt!) The most frugal option is the potato since almost everyone has potatoes in their pantry. Scrape any food pieces into the trash. Thankfully, that’s not true! Using soap on a cast-iron skillet won’t remove the seasoning from it. "She looketh well to the ways of her household and eateth not the bread of idleness. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. If you want to use soap, you can. If you can get all of the sticky stuff off just by scraping, then more power to you! Remember to turn the iron off for this step, otherwise you risk burning yourself. The safest way to clean a cast-iron skillet is with simple ingredients. You can use a safe, gentle, food-based abrasive material such as coarse sea salt (Amazon) or cornmeal to clean your griddle. If you buy a vintage cast iron pan that's in need of some rehab, or if your old cast iron pan has grown rusty or damaged through neglect, all is not lost. I have tons of free cleaning tips. Make sure you wash off any remainder of the cleaning solution after you finish cleaning so that it doesn’t accidentally transfer onto the next thing that you iron. There are lots of well-known benefits to cooking with a cast-iron skillet. Spend a minute or two ironing the salt, which should clean the bottom of the iron completely. Since you use oil to season your pan, the idea is that the oil is what gives the skillet the non-stick properties. I love using my cast iron skillet and carbon steel wok, but on occasion I'll forget to clean them… How To Clean A Cast Iron Skillet With Salt . Here’s how to do it right. Every time you use your cast iron, you need to clean it. This works especially well for getting melted plastic off of the hot surface of an iron. Last Updated: March 29, 2019 Learn the secrets to Removing Rust From Cast Iron without toxic chemicals or harsh treatments. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 28,625 times. Every day at wikiHow, we work hard to give you access to instructions and information that will help you live a better life, whether it's keeping you safer, healthier, or improving your well-being. While the skillet is still warm, pour coarse salt into the skillet, then you can use a hand towel to “scrub” the skillet. If your skillet hasn’t been seasoned yet, rub it with oil and heat it. When you have a cast-iron skillet that you need to clean, this is how to do it safely, without any chemicals. Add 4 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar. And lastly, you can sign up for my FREE 3-Day Declutter Challenge. 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 notice that it’s too dirty and no longer cleaning very well, rise the dirty salt out and start the process over with new salt and oil. While cleaning cast iron with salt is recommened, seasonsing with it is not. The best part is that you already have all that you need in your house! Cast iron skillets are kind of kitchen super heroes. http://www.ebay.com/gds/Top-5-Organic-Ways-to-Clean-an-Iron-/10000000178571770/g.html, https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-clean-the-bottom-of-an-iron/, http://www.topcleaningsecrets.com/house/how-to-clean-a-steam-iron.html, https://steptohealth.com/12-uses-aluminum-foil-didnt-know/, https://www.mollymaid.com/cleaning-institute/laundry-rooms/how-to-clean-an-iron.aspx, https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/laundry/clean-iron, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Repeat the oil and heating process each time you use and clean your skillet. Normally, you would avoid introducing cast iron to harsh acids. Depending on the condition of your pan, you may want to rinse the dirty salt out and start over with new, clean salt as you continue the process. This is my cast iron cleaning secret weapon: steel wool. Now that you know exactly how to clean your cast iron skillet, here are a few questions I wanted to answer. You want enough salt to almost completely cover the bottom. Wipe the cast iron with an oiled cloth. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Any kind of potato will work, even a sweet potato. I used the kosher salt and it. . Maybe it’s because I live in the Carolinas. The last one is a myth – and I’ll answer it at the bottom of this post. I was so bummed thinking it might be ruined but I am happy to say I was able to completely restore it using these steps. As you can see it was really bad. To start, we did the research to see how most people clean their cast iron skillets. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. You just have to make sure it has enough surface area on the flat side to scrub a larger area. To finish cleaning your cast iron you’ll want to ensure you rinse all the soap off and dry it as thoroughly as possible. But when cleaning cast iron, you are rinsing off all of the salt, so there is no time for rust to develop. Clean Cast Iron and Carbon Steel Cookware with a Salt Scrub. As a result our cast iron skillet was completely rusted. Cast Iron Skillets. How to Maintain a Cast Iron Skillet. Add about a teaspoon of oil to the skillet with 1/2 cup of coarse salt. The dirt typically sticks to the salt, leaving you with a clean and shiny iron. To remove stubborn bits of food, pour 1 cup coarse kosher salt into the still-warm skillet. Make sure you put a protective covering over the iron (like a plastic bag) to prevent dust from settling on the machine between uses. Some people are still using cast iron skillets passed down from their grandparents. Cast iron is not something that you can just throw in the dishwasher. You can use soap and even a brush to clean it if you want. For this option, you’ll need salt with larger grains (like rock salt, sea salt, or kosher salt). You might have heard the many things not to do with cast iron: Do not put it in the dishwasher; Don’t use steel wool; Don’t use soap. Potatoes are used because they are great for cleaning up rust. Once you’ve let the iron heat up, run the iron over the paper towel with the salt on it. When it is a question of rust or cleaning a cast iron skillet with burnt-on food, the usual rules can bend a little. Read my full disclosure here. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. While I was packing things up for our move I discovered that rain had gotten into all of our camping gear. Remove the salt and rinse the skillet with hot water. You don’t need to use a lot of muscle, but rather move the salt around the pan, being sure to go around the edge as well as the center. Cleaning Cast Iron after Every Use. It’s science! Run the iron over the salt. There is a very common myth that you shouldn’t use soap to clean a cast-iron skillet. You will love using your cast iron skillet! This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. You don’t need to use soap to clean it effectively. Heat it on low heat for 30 minutes. References. Cast iron’s ability to hold high and even heat for an extended period of time made it ideal for cooking over an open flame. It’s so much easier to clean and maintain a cast iron skillet than you might think. 5 Cast Iron Skillet Restoration How to clean a rusty cast iron skillet is a little more complicated. A few more cast iron cleaning tips: Avoid the dishwasher and avoid soaking the grill pan or cast iron skillet. Cleaning nonstick pans is similar to cleaning cast iron; you just don’t have to season them afterward. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. Start with a seasoned cast iron pan. Whether you use soap or just oil, keep your skillet dry so that it lasts longer without rust. For really tough to remove food, try using oil and salt. Water left on it will start to form rust, whether salt was used to clean it or not. Skip the soap and give your skillet a facial. Leaving water in the iron while you aren’t using it can cause the water to become stagnant and create buildups of mineral deposits that can be difficult to clean later. A Labor of Love. Additional stain-removing power can be achieved when you combine the salt with other materials like newspaper, ammonia, and aluminum foil. wikiHow's. Using regular rock salt, sea salt, or kosher salt, you can simply iron over these large-grained salts to remove stains. This page may contain affiliate links. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. Be sure to wipe off the bottom of the iron with a clean rag after putting the ammonia on it so that you don’t transfer the pungent ammonia smell to the next thing you iron. Cast iron is very strong, and with a little effort, you can get your pans into brand-new condition. These 10 products will clean cast iron skillets like crazy. Step 1 Let the skillet completely cool. (Image credit: Ashley Poskin) 5. We make homemaking simple through building systems and routines that work for you and your family. It’s perfectly removing rust from cast iron skillets. This will make the work so much easier. Some coarse salt, a potato, and oil will remove stubborn rust and make your skillet safe to use. Sprinkle the abrasive … Rinse with warm water and scrap with a brush or scraper to get rid of stuck-on food. This article has been viewed 28,625 times. Cleaning and Care Tips for Vintage, Rusty, or Damaged Cast Iron Cookware. Next, cut a large potato so that it has a flat side you can use for scrubbing. Just use the menu to find the Cleaning and Organizing articles on the blog and read as much as you want. This is great news for anyone battling anemia or pregnant! 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. It’s completely safe to use soap on your cast iron skillet. This method is best for pans that have food that is really stuck on, or if you cooked something smelly in the pan (like fish). We will work together to declutter your bedroom in 3 days. Start again by cleaning off burnt or stuck on food and then follow the directions detailed below. Most often you can clean a cast-iron pan by simply wiping it down with a dry paper towel or cotton dishcloth. Whether you have a brand new cast iron skillet you want to clean or you have a rusty one, this is how to clean a cast-iron skillet with salt. Seasoning cast iron can seem intimidating, but we’re breaking it down to make it easy for anyone. Rust is the enemy here. 3 If the food is impossible to dislodge, bake the cast iron. The very first step is to make sure that you are cleaning a dry skillet. Using salt – For really tough bits of food, you can use salt. Related Reading: How to Season Cast Iron | What to Do with Mini Cast Iron Skillets. If you used it to cook, remove all the food, rinse it out, and then dry it completely. The best kind of salt to use is going to be larger, like sea salt. If you cut it so a small tip is flat, it will just take you longer to clean with. https://www.justapinch.com/.../how-to-clean-a-rusty-cast-iron.html Remember that the iron will be quite hot, so you should take care not to burn yourself or other objects around you – especially things that could melt, like plastic. Potatoes contain a non-toxic acid that forms a compound with the iron ions in rust. The most important thing to remember with a cast iron skillet is to keep it dry. Using salt to clean your iron can be a simple way to effectively get out stains and to protect your iron for years to come. At this time, the majority of cooking was done in a hearth. If there are still some stains left, try reapplying the salt and running the iron again. So you obviously don’t want to remove or destroy that. Be sure to get along the edges— you … The oil bonds to the cast iron creating a hard, durable, non-stick coating. You can use coarse sea salt, cornmeal, etc. You can also use sea salt or kosher salt. But first, I want to share exactly how to clean a cast-iron skillet. Save Pin It See More Images. Another myth is that you can’t use steel wool on a cast-iron skillet. ", 12 Bad Cleaning Habits That Are Easy to Break, Clean Your Front-Loading Washing Machine in 6 Easy Steps, The Best Way to Keep Your Hardwood Floors Clean, Oil (vegetable, olive- even Crisco works! “Seasoning” is the act of adding “season” to your cast iron. Freshen up the coffee pot: Add a cup of crushed ice, a tablespoon of water and a few teaspoons of coarse salt to a room-temperature glass coffee pot. Helping you be the keeper of your home and the woman you were created to be! The salt will work off the remaining food. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and scrub with a wet paper towel. Once we picked our five methods (a few of them are little iterations of themselves, but boy, do they have different results! Follow these steps to clean your cast iron skillet safely. It is recommended although not necessary that you either place your cookware on the stove top or in the oven to allow the heat to ensure that all of the water evaporates from the surface of the cast iron. Then, rinse your skillet and dry. % of people told us that this article helped them. Use the scraper to remove any obvious bits of food that remain and then rinse. Stuck-on food . Then, pour a small amount of oil into the pan and then rub it with a paper towel until the bottom and sides are coated. Take half cup salt on the pan. Discard the salt and rinse the skillet with hot water. Your support helps wikiHow to create more in-depth illustrated articles and videos and to share our trusted brand of instructional content with millions of people all over the world. Amid the current public health and economic crises, when the world is shifting dramatically and we are all learning and adapting to changes in daily life, people need wikiHow more than ever. Once the pan is clean, rinse with water and pat dry. Take a second paper towel or cloth, dip it in oil, and wipe the cast iron until it is clean. You’ll also learn how to clean and season cast iron, and LOVE your skillets and dutch ovens. ). If the salted paper towel doesn’t work, you can try pouring a bit of salt on a small cotton towel and repeating the process. My potato and salt method should work just fine for cleaning a skillet. The safest way to clean a cast-iron skillet is with simple ingredients. How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet: 1. Cleaning your cast iron doesn’t have to be so tricky, though. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. and it made a mess. It’s almost enough to scare a cook off from cast iron completely! Get your FREE EBOOK and Check Out The Printables Library. This will help keep your iron cleaner over time and help protect it from corrosion and humidity. 3 - Method #3. The iron skillet is however susceptible to rust and when this happens, people yearn to know how to clean a rusty cast iron skillet.
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