How to Remove Rust from Cast Iron Cookware

Every now and then, you will notice that the restaurant’s cast iron skillet has grown a bit rusty or the dutch oven is starting to do the same. Nowadays, however, there are many cleaning tools that can help you with this kind of problem. Many modern ovens have their own self-cleaning cycle. Often, at the end of the cycle, you will no longer see the rust or the rust is turned to ash. Unfortunately, once this happen, your cookware will require to be seasoned before you will be able to start cooking with it again. Seasoning the Cast Iron Every kitchen, commercial or otherwise, needs to equip itself with must-have kitchen tools. One of these tools is the classic-iron cast. However, this particular tool needs to be seasoned before your restaurant can start reaping culinary benefits from using it. Seasoning has to be done in order to protect the cast iron from rust. This will also help create a non-stick surface. Luckily, seasoning a cast iron is not that difficult to do. It takes years of seasoning before a cast iron acquires that deep black surface. It is not, however, the Stewarding Department staff’s task to season the cast iron, unless you are specifically asked to do so. Seasoning the cast iron, however, is considerably easy. Removing Rust from Cast Iron Cookware It is, however, the task of the Stewarding Department to clean the kitchen including its cookware, especially rusty ones. Aside from above mentioned method of cleaning cast iron cookware, you can also try a couple of methods. First Method Grab a potato from the fridge and cut off its end. Pour vinegar or Ajax Cleanser (or a similar kind of cleanser) in the rusty cookware. The vinegar causes a chemical reaction, much similar to the kind of reaction the cleanser would create. They would cause the rust to disintegrate or decompose. Using the potato, rub the vinegar or cleanser around the pan or pot. Every time, you notice that the potato’s end becomes slicker, cut off another thin slice and use the end to further rub the vinegar or cleaner. Rinse the pan or pot. Pour more cleanser or vinegar and then scrub with potato again. Repeat this process until all the rust is gone. Wash the cookware to remove the rust and residue and then rinse. Second Method Depending on the size of the cookware, pour 4 tbsp. salt and vegetable into the middle of the cookware. Get a paper towel, fold it and then rub the pan or pot vigorously with the paper towel. Make sure that you spread the salt and oil mixture thoroughly. Concentrate on rubbing the rusty spots. Add more salt and oil mixture as needed. If you’re dealing with seriously rusty cookware, you can use fine steel wool instead of paper towel. Once the rust has cleared, wash the pan or pot with liquid dishwashing soap and then rinse well. These are actually quite effective methods. One great thing about knowing how to remove rust from cast iron cookware is that you would be able to do the same thing at home.