This may not be the best way or right way to care for cast iron but look at that skillet - my system is working.
My Cast Iron
Some of my cast iron cookware is from a friend and some was bought new at a store but most was purchased from local antique stores.
I have a wide range of cast iron, from Dutch ovens to woks to skillets large and small to a huge 20” skillet for cooking on an open fire.
My favourite is the #7 Griswold, shown in the photo, purchased at an antique store.
How I de-rust old cast iron
Most of my finds were heavily coated in rust.
To de-rust them, I purchased some dry, sulfured molasses from a feed store and mixed it with water (1:7 parts, I think it was) and soaked the pans for several days. Actually, it might have been a couple of weeks. Sorry, I forget and I can’t find my notes.
I then washed them, coated them with oil and baked them in a very hot oven and repeated that a few times to get a good coating on them.
How I clean my cast iron now
De-rusting was years ago. Now, I just scrub the rusty spots, coat it with olive oil and heat it up. Cooking some bacon in the pans will help seal the black finish and keep it looking great.
After I use my pans, I wash them, doing what I need to do to get all the food particles out.
Sometimes that is just a rinse and a wipe.
Sometimes that is soap and water.
Sometimes that means scrubbing it with a spatula or scrubbing pad.
Sometimes .. yes, sometimes I soak my pans, even overnight if I have to or I happen to forget about it. They have all survived.
Then, and this is the key, I dry it and then heat it up on a burner until I see the steam rising. I want to get all the water out of any pores in the surface. This is the most important part. Next, when it is dry, I coat it with olive oil. I usually (but not always) heat this up again, just to the smoking point and then let it sit to cool, before putting it away.
That’s it. It might not be the right way or the best way but those pans look good!
