Cleaning Cast Iron

[Bill B]

Because I do the cooking and really enjoy using cast iron, my wife has been searching for cast iron (CI) during her travels.  This lead me down the rabbit hole of how to clean and season.  What works for me is the electrolysis tank or e-tank.  Think of it as reverse plating that uses a solution, in my case 2 tablespoons of washing soda (sodium carbonate) per gallon of water.  Not baking soda which is sodium bicarbonate.

I use washing soda because it is fairly safe for skin contact, unlike lye (sodium hydroxide) which can ruin your day.

You will also need a MANUAL battery charger set for 12v and 10amps, large bucket to submerge the CI, and a sacrificial piece of steel (anode).  I have used a tin coffee can cut open and flattened in the past but it disintegrates quickly. A piece of rebar or iron pipe works well also.

So what I do is mix my solution (2 tablespoons washing soda) per gallon of water in a plastic bucket or plastic trashcan, suspended the CI in the solution, attach the negative lead of the battery charger to the CI, attach the positive lead to the anode and start the charger.  Now every morning and afternoon I will pull the anode and scrape off the rust that accumulates to keep the process moving.

On a moderately crusted skillet it may take 24-48 hours for each side.  The electrolysis is a line of sight process so only the side facing the anode will be cleaned. A word of caution, the electrolysis will produce hydrogen and oxygen so a ventilated area is needed. Add water to the solution when the CI starts emerging. 

Once the piece of CI is done I will wash with Ajax and a scotch Brite pad to get any remaining crud off.  A paper towel is used to dry and then heated on the stove top to remove all moisture from the piece.  Once completely dry i apply a coat of peanut oil to the entire piece then wipe all the oil off.  Don't worry, the warm CI still absorbed the oil, you want to take off the excess otherwise you will have a sticky coating that does nothing but collect dirt.  Then bake in the oven, upside down at 500*F for about an hour.  This will harden the oil and make it non-stick and rust proof.  Then the more you use the CI the better the coating.  After each use I will clean with dish soap,  paper towel to dry, then on the stove top to completely dry.  Once that is done I will wipe the inside with a VERY light coat of peanut oil and heat until it just starts to smo,e.

My latest pieces were an unmarked Wagner (?) Dutch oven and newer unmarked skillet. Both pieces took about a week altogether to clean. 

This works for me.  Want to start an argument between CI users?   Begin debating which oil to season with.  Hmmmmm, kind of like which oil for your reel bearing. 

Bill

[Dominick]

I haven't done it, but I read somewhere that all you had to do was put the cast iron pan in the oven and run the self clean cycle.  Then season it.  I like my CI pans.  Dominick

[Bill B]

I suppose you could use the self-cleaning, but I dont think my range has that feature

[Crab Pot]

I love CI and have lots of it.

I've often passed up on garage sale rust buckets, but I may give this a shot.

Thanks, Bill, for the tutorial,

Steve

[Gfish]

Ha! I's just about to ask about that awesome oven I remembered you have, Bill. Perfect for a CI skillet. I have a 10" made in USA "LODGE". Sure takes a lot of energy to get it hot.
Oh, what's your storage method after clean and season? I just put plastic wrap over mine to reduce oxidation.

Interested to see about oil and seasoning. I use olive oil with Kinders Steak Seasoning.

[foakes]

I suppose you could use the self-cleaning, but I dont think my range has that feature

Your stove looks great, Bill —- lot of history there.

Looks similar to one we found at an old 1890's mining ghost town in Central Nevada at 7000', last week.

We use cast iron for a lot of cooking also.

Best, Fred

[thorhammer]

Dang. I love all ya'll, but bless your hearts. Bill, you know I love you like my luggage but all you had to do was ask your homey from the Southland.

1) Buried in the ground, fifty years of rust, no matter: Wire brush on drill, sandpaper, whatever you got...get the rust out. Rub with soda if you like. Fry a couple of batches of taters in there and discard. Wipe with paper towel. Keep using it. No soap, ever. Use daily. Hot water, wipe with paper towel. Done.

[oc1]

A little bit of rust is good for your nutrition.

I only use cast iron cookware but my dear wife hates them so there are two complete sets of pots and skillets.  If one comes out of the cabinet with a bit of rust I just oil it and cook.  If the protective seasoning coat builds up too much or starts to chip I heat it high enough on the gas cook-top to burn it off, then quench in the sink and recoat with vegetable oil.

Taking care of CI is similar to caring of a cold-formed steel wok.

We have to be careful about letting the dog clean the cast iron skillets in the evening.  She will lick and lick until it is clean enough to rust.

[Bill B]

Even though CI is tough as iron (hahaha haha see what I did there 🤣🤣🤣) I stay away from potentially harmful processes.  A few of my pieces date from late 40's and are smooth as can be.  A unique feature of old cast iron is the weight, often being a third lighter.  My mom was visiting and complaining how heavy her skillet was.  Showed her one of oldies and ended up losing that skillet when she left  . 

A word of warning, highly detailed pieces like corn muffin pans can be difficult to clean and season, it's difficult to get into the crevices to wipe the oil out during the initial seasoning.  I have one that needs to be stripped and seasoned again.

Sure, CI takes a little more to work with, but it is a pleasure to cook with.  Scouring with a stainless steel scrub pad is as harsh as I get. 

I started making skillet corn bread in a contemporary skillet (aka HEAVY) and it gives me that thick golden crust on the bottom that you can't get in a muffin pan.  Bill

[thorhammer]

Wife has the corn muffin pan that's a fish mold with scale pattern. Used...once....

[jigmaster501]

Seasoning with a saturated fat such as beef fat, bacon fat, lard, etc or a unsaturated fat that won't go rancid and can handle high heat such as vegetable oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, etc are the best ways to season the pans. Seasoning oil rancidity can lead to off flavors.

Preheating the pan and putting in cold fats/oils to fry will minimize sticking in a well-seasoned pan. Cleaning while hot helps prevent food residues from sticking.

Cast iron is great to cook with. I hope whom ever gets all my fishing stuff when I die will take the cast iron pans too. lol

[Bill B]

Good tips!

[PacRat]

This is a great post. Thanks for sharing your cleaning method. I'd like to try it when I get some time. 

I've been seasoning my Blackstone griddle with avocado oil and have been very pleased with the results. I have not yet tried avocado oil on cast iron.

With that said, basically we are re-seasoning everytime we cook so our well-loved CI has many different layers of God knows what. Mine has a lot of bacon fat over the decades. My most used/loved skillet never has required re-seasoning and it just keeps getting better over time.

I had an elderly neighbor who told me flaxseed oil was the very best for seasoning. He gave me half a bottle of his flaxseed oil to season my dutch oven. I liked the results a lot. I was telling someone about it and a friend overheard me and added that flaxseed oil is actually linseed oil. She went on to explain that she worked for an oil distributor. I looked into it and she is absolutely correct. Here's the important part. You need to know your linseed oil. The boiled linseed oil from the hardware store has drying agents like mineral spirits. So, NEVER use boiled linseed oil on cookware. If you do opt for flaxseed oil, make certain that it is pure and fresh, as it goes rancid easily when stored too long. Flaxseed oil should be stored in the refrigerator.

[Brewcrafter]

Wow!  great info on the oil! - john

[Donnyboat]

the flaxseed oil info very interesting, when I was shearing, & doing a lot of traveling, I carried a plow disc with 3 nuts welded under it evenly spaced, used to screw 10 inch bolts into them, place it over the fire, & fry what ever I had on it, many times it was kangaroo, I never washed it after cooking, just slid it into a heshan bag, when I went to use it again, just wate till it got hot, & poor some water over it, that way it never went rusty, would quite often roll the swag out, & sleep next to the fire, now I once herd some one comment about to many creepy crawlies down under, well I still alive.