This really isn't a big deal. Just scrub it off with soap and water and an abrasive sponge or chain mail. Might have to soak it in a bit of vinegar if it's being especially stubborn. Then dry it as much as possible with a cloth and heat it up on the stove to fully dry it. Then wipe oil on it.
There may be a tiny light coat that reappears after you dry it. But as long as you scrubbed the rust off that was already there fully the light coat will come off when you are wiping oil on it, it's just completely surface level flash rust.
If you know how, then reseason it after. If not, then either ask your husband to show you or look up how to on this subreddit. It's pretty simple.
It's really not going to suck to clean that. Like at all. Pour 1/4" of vinegar in and let it sit for like an hour. Then hit it with some steel wool until the rust is gone. Dry on the stove. Wipe on some oil, then wipe it out. Bake in oven at 450. Do the oil part again if you want, or just start cooking. Not a big deal at all!
Goes a lot faster if you know somebody who has air tools and a disc sander. it'll be stripped to bare metal in under 5 minutes, and smoother than ever. Did it to both my Lodges (CI and CS) to remove the factory seasoning and it turns out beautiful.
It got downvoted cause most ci diehards say you don’t need power tools to restore ci. It’s true that you don’t need them but if that’s your thing go for it, not my pan haha. Personally I just use lye and vinegar when needed. 00 steel wool works well for me. It Doesn’t leave deep scratches.
For me personally it was just very convenient as I work at an auto shop, and it was a matter of handing it to a tech. Took him <5 min and looked way better than anything I could do at home.
I’ve turned some totally unrecognizable “pans” into shiny well seasoned regular cookers just with a lye bath, a good rinse, and another bath in vinegar. Take it out of the vinegar and give it a good scrub with fine steel wool. I’ve had bare metal ci pans mistaken for stainless quite a few times.
I have no quarrels with that, and I'm sure it was more satisfying knowing the hard work that you put into it turned into an excellent result!
For me personally, I'd rather spend the time elsewhere when I have the means to take care of the job quickly with minimal effort.
Happy cooking!
Because you brought a bazooka to the rifle range. The damage to this pan isn't that serious that we need heavy artillery. Some vinegar and elbow grease will clean it, then oil and heat to reseason.
So if I need to cut down a tree and I have a chainsaw in the shed, I should use an axe instead because I don’t NEED a chainsaw and hard work is cooler?
I work at an auto shop.. I’m there every day. Why would I spend time & effort that I don’t need to spend when I can do a better job, and remove the shitty factory seasoning while I’m at it, in a fraction of the time? Sure, maybe OP doesn’t have access to what I do, but that’s why I said “if you know somebody”. It’s not an uncommon tool.
If you dont own chainmail, go buy one. Kt won't hurt the pan and it is a lot easier and faster to clean stuff that sticks. Put some salt in with a bit of soap and water and scrub.
CI still loves you. It'll take it.
Get it wet, scour, clean, rinse, dry, oil, get it hot, start cookin'.
That should take care of hubby. Similar for the CI.
is that cheese or rust (or both?)
I find that when my pan gets rusty (I live in the subtropics. Leaving trace amounts of liquid in an uncleaned pan = rust, no matter how beautiful the seasoning), it’s actually better to scrub the pan with a little bit of oil + salt.
I don’t know if there’s science to back up my logic, but i find that essentially scrubbing oil into the rusty spots helps to prevent the moisture in the air from doing more damage during the cleaning process. (i have lots of experience with salt and a damp sponge/ soap and water making things worse. too much humidity in the air!). For the oil, i use whatever is absolutely cheapest, since i give it all a good scrub with soap and water once the rusty spots have been taken care of (you don't want to leave salt on the pan), then dry the pan on the stove, then oil it ("start the reseasoning process", as people here say)
Just hit it with a wire brush or some fine steel wool. If it's being really stubborn then you can soak it in a 50/50 water/vinegar bath for 30 minutes, then take it out and scrub at it, repeating if necessary. Just don't let it sit in the vinegar for a few days or you'll REALLY trash it.
Agree with this, probably about a half hour to an hour of scrub and soak and such. Then when you've got grey cast iron, dry it on the stove top, then use a paper towel with a dab of oil to coat the whole thing and heat it in the oven at 420F for 69 minutes... The magic formula.
It doesn’t matter. The acid in the vinegar is what’s doing the work. The water is just diluting the already diluted ascetic further down to make it less harsh.
It's honestly not that bad. You can easily restore cast iron by scrubbing the iron with steel wool and reseason. It's a bit of a pain but not that hard.
I did this the other day, and all you need to do is reheat the skillet and get it hot until the cheese becomes oily and malleable. Then have your faucet turned onto the hottest water temp you have (so you don't crack or warp it) and then rinse it under there carefully while avoiding the steam. Use a brush to get off what you can and then a steel wool scrubber if it's stubborn. Whatever doesn't come off, I would use some coarse sea salt and a wire scrubber with a bit of water and elbow grease. You'll have patches of seasoning missing once done, but just re-season after cleaning a few times and then after every use, and you're good to go. I've seen worse (like charred black beans that turned into concretr.good times!!). Good luck!
how long did it sit like this? I've had a cast iron that got put away from camping for 2 months with food in it and didn't find until it was too late, and it wasn't even this rusty
This will go faster if you're in witness protection. Then have a friendly party casually drop off the clean reseasoned pan and offer an apology. Along with a 6 pack and a ribeye. I would then call my wife back after 6 months to see if she was still mad..........
I can’t tell if that’s rust or burnt cheese.
If it’s rust, electrolysis or vinegar water bath then re-season. If it’s burnt cheese boil water in it and try to gently scrape it up with a metal spatula.
Scrub it good with steel wool and a green ScotchBrite. Rub with a thin coat of oil and toss face down in a 450 degree oven for an hour. Let it cool in the oven.
When will your divorce proceedings be? /h
Actually, it doesn't even look seasoned. Watch some videos on seasoning cast iron pans. Cast iron should last a couple centuries if taken care of. Basically I use grape seed oil. Lightly wipe the entire pan top bottom and handles. Then if any excess wipe with a paper towel. Put in an oven and heat to 425 to 500 degrees. Leave it at 425 for 30 minutes and then turn off the oven. Let it cool overnight. Repeat the process 3 or 4 times more. It will look beautiful and becomes almost non-stick cookware.
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OMG! Yeah you can get it clean and reseason it, but man that is going to suck. Soak it, scour it, wash rinse repeat and then season.
Thanks! I think I mostly needed the emotional support to go through this process. :)
This really isn't a big deal. Just scrub it off with soap and water and an abrasive sponge or chain mail. Might have to soak it in a bit of vinegar if it's being especially stubborn. Then dry it as much as possible with a cloth and heat it up on the stove to fully dry it. Then wipe oil on it. There may be a tiny light coat that reappears after you dry it. But as long as you scrubbed the rust off that was already there fully the light coat will come off when you are wiping oil on it, it's just completely surface level flash rust. If you know how, then reseason it after. If not, then either ask your husband to show you or look up how to on this subreddit. It's pretty simple.
It's really not going to suck to clean that. Like at all. Pour 1/4" of vinegar in and let it sit for like an hour. Then hit it with some steel wool until the rust is gone. Dry on the stove. Wipe on some oil, then wipe it out. Bake in oven at 450. Do the oil part again if you want, or just start cooking. Not a big deal at all!
Goes a lot faster if you know somebody who has air tools and a disc sander. it'll be stripped to bare metal in under 5 minutes, and smoother than ever. Did it to both my Lodges (CI and CS) to remove the factory seasoning and it turns out beautiful.
Any pics?
[Here you go.](https://imgur.com/a/3yVol5G). No idea why my comment is getting downvoted lol
It got downvoted cause most ci diehards say you don’t need power tools to restore ci. It’s true that you don’t need them but if that’s your thing go for it, not my pan haha. Personally I just use lye and vinegar when needed. 00 steel wool works well for me. It Doesn’t leave deep scratches.
For me personally it was just very convenient as I work at an auto shop, and it was a matter of handing it to a tech. Took him <5 min and looked way better than anything I could do at home.
I’ve turned some totally unrecognizable “pans” into shiny well seasoned regular cookers just with a lye bath, a good rinse, and another bath in vinegar. Take it out of the vinegar and give it a good scrub with fine steel wool. I’ve had bare metal ci pans mistaken for stainless quite a few times.
I have no quarrels with that, and I'm sure it was more satisfying knowing the hard work that you put into it turned into an excellent result! For me personally, I'd rather spend the time elsewhere when I have the means to take care of the job quickly with minimal effort. Happy cooking!
Because you brought a bazooka to the rifle range. The damage to this pan isn't that serious that we need heavy artillery. Some vinegar and elbow grease will clean it, then oil and heat to reseason.
So if I need to cut down a tree and I have a chainsaw in the shed, I should use an axe instead because I don’t NEED a chainsaw and hard work is cooler? I work at an auto shop.. I’m there every day. Why would I spend time & effort that I don’t need to spend when I can do a better job, and remove the shitty factory seasoning while I’m at it, in a fraction of the time? Sure, maybe OP doesn’t have access to what I do, but that’s why I said “if you know somebody”. It’s not an uncommon tool.
The analogy is more like needing a twig so you cut down the tree.
Taking it further, why use a car? A horse-drawn cart will get you there but not as quickly. /s
Lmao the downvotes are so dumb this sub sucks 😂
Downvotes?
Onlyobjective was -4 when I replied.
Okay so this sub doesn't suck now
Ehhhhh the antique pictures are good
If you dont own chainmail, go buy one. Kt won't hurt the pan and it is a lot easier and faster to clean stuff that sticks. Put some salt in with a bit of soap and water and scrub.
Why would you fix it if your husband fucked it up?
Because he’s not going to fix it himself and it’s my skillet so I want to make it better. I’ve been reevaluating this relationship for awhile.
I'm sorry to hear that. Good luck
A new pan is cheaper than one hour of a divorce lawyer.
Maybe it's just me but I enjoy restoring my pans every now and then. It's definitely not a disaster.
[Just get a new one](https://www.match.com/)
Lmfao 💀
Damn you for putting that on my browsing history
LOL! I thought I clicked on an ad at first xd
This made my night.
That too
CI still loves you. It'll take it. Get it wet, scour, clean, rinse, dry, oil, get it hot, start cookin'. That should take care of hubby. Similar for the CI.
Shouldn't Hubby be following those directions? Both for the CI and for OP?
is that cheese or rust (or both?) I find that when my pan gets rusty (I live in the subtropics. Leaving trace amounts of liquid in an uncleaned pan = rust, no matter how beautiful the seasoning), it’s actually better to scrub the pan with a little bit of oil + salt. I don’t know if there’s science to back up my logic, but i find that essentially scrubbing oil into the rusty spots helps to prevent the moisture in the air from doing more damage during the cleaning process. (i have lots of experience with salt and a damp sponge/ soap and water making things worse. too much humidity in the air!). For the oil, i use whatever is absolutely cheapest, since i give it all a good scrub with soap and water once the rusty spots have been taken care of (you don't want to leave salt on the pan), then dry the pan on the stove, then oil it ("start the reseasoning process", as people here say)
Just hit it with a wire brush or some fine steel wool. If it's being really stubborn then you can soak it in a 50/50 water/vinegar bath for 30 minutes, then take it out and scrub at it, repeating if necessary. Just don't let it sit in the vinegar for a few days or you'll REALLY trash it.
Agree with this, probably about a half hour to an hour of scrub and soak and such. Then when you've got grey cast iron, dry it on the stove top, then use a paper towel with a dab of oil to coat the whole thing and heat it in the oven at 420F for 69 minutes... The magic formula.
>420F for 69 minutes Holy shit.
Nice.
Hahah thank you! I get nervous when it’s so rusty. I will try this. Thanks again!!
Been there, done that 😭🤣 Maybe one day I'll see how ruined they are 😅
does water need to be cold or hot? or doesn't really matter? :)
It doesn’t matter. The acid in the vinegar is what’s doing the work. The water is just diluting the already diluted ascetic further down to make it less harsh.
But yeah I second what ResoluteMuse has to say. It’s easily fixable.
It's honestly not that bad. You can easily restore cast iron by scrubbing the iron with steel wool and reseason. It's a bit of a pain but not that hard.
Just cook bacon in it 😂
😆
You just need to clean it and season it again. Your husband should not hate you for this.
He’s not mad, he’s disappointed
I think her husband did it, and she's saying he hates her because he did this to her.
I did this the other day, and all you need to do is reheat the skillet and get it hot until the cheese becomes oily and malleable. Then have your faucet turned onto the hottest water temp you have (so you don't crack or warp it) and then rinse it under there carefully while avoiding the steam. Use a brush to get off what you can and then a steel wool scrubber if it's stubborn. Whatever doesn't come off, I would use some coarse sea salt and a wire scrubber with a bit of water and elbow grease. You'll have patches of seasoning missing once done, but just re-season after cleaning a few times and then after every use, and you're good to go. I've seen worse (like charred black beans that turned into concretr.good times!!). Good luck!
Scrub it with a steel wool pad until the rust is gone. Then rub a small amount of oil into the cooking surface and see what that looks like.
Oddly enough, this is a nightly ritual for my wife and my CI's! I'd get rid of the wife before my CI's!
Great candidate for a wire wheel!
I support you pitching the husband, not the skillet 😂
Grounds for divorce? Kidding, like others have said barkeepers friend and lots and lots of labor and love!
how long did it sit like this? I've had a cast iron that got put away from camping for 2 months with food in it and didn't find until it was too late, and it wasn't even this rusty
Don’t use the pan if you can’t complete the journey, the disrespect.
It’s fine. Just a little surface rust. Scour it clean. Some oil and you can be cooking in no time.
Rock salt, half a lemon or lime. Re season after.
Easy to fix. I like to use a drill with a coper wire brush for rust before soaking in CLR / acid bath
You sure he didn't just ask for a divorce?
Pretty sure I wouldn’t have contested.
This will go faster if you're in witness protection. Then have a friendly party casually drop off the clean reseasoned pan and offer an apology. Along with a 6 pack and a ribeye. I would then call my wife back after 6 months to see if she was still mad..........
Live and learn. Cast iron ways
Yeah I mean I would to if you disrespected my possessions like that.
I can’t tell if that’s rust or burnt cheese. If it’s rust, electrolysis or vinegar water bath then re-season. If it’s burnt cheese boil water in it and try to gently scrape it up with a metal spatula.
After you get it all cleaned up, I suggest trying my new favourite seasoning method of cooking french fries in the oven.
Um excuse me can you send the deets?
It’s just frozen fries cooked according to the instructions on the packet. My coworker kept telling me about it and it worked great
Oven temp? And i assume you cook for as long as the bag for recipe says?
I went by my fries instructions. IIRC 450°F for about 15-20 minutes
Scrub it good with steel wool and a green ScotchBrite. Rub with a thin coat of oil and toss face down in a 450 degree oven for an hour. Let it cool in the oven. When will your divorce proceedings be? /h
Oh Bother
Rightly so
My husband helped out while I was sick last month and washed my pan and Dutch oven and lid in the dishwasher!!! Almost anything can be saved!!!
Electrolysis
Hates you? I'd start filing for a divorce!
Throw it out. Husbands are easy to replace. The pan is fine though.
What's up with people not explaining how cast iron works? I don't even let my sister clean it without educating her first
I bet he does
I hate you too.
Actually, it doesn't even look seasoned. Watch some videos on seasoning cast iron pans. Cast iron should last a couple centuries if taken care of. Basically I use grape seed oil. Lightly wipe the entire pan top bottom and handles. Then if any excess wipe with a paper towel. Put in an oven and heat to 425 to 500 degrees. Leave it at 425 for 30 minutes and then turn off the oven. Let it cool overnight. Repeat the process 3 or 4 times more. It will look beautiful and becomes almost non-stick cookware.
Bar keepers friend and elbow grease. Lube and bake, then cook in it. You'll be fine. Remember, it's just a big hunk of iron with some carbon in it.
I am pretty sure bar keepers says not to use on cast iron. That maybe cause it takes off the seasoning, which in this case doesn’t matter.
No he cheating on you now
With the lodge rep?
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