Comments on How to Remove Rust From a Cast-Iron Pan

Salt & oil worked perfectly, though I suggest seasoning it with crisco. I've found this to give it a better cover and it doesn't smoke up your house (no sticky globes left in the pan if you use too much, etc). Do the same thing, but cover completely (whole pan) with crisco/whatever brand, set upside down on rack in oven, and place a cookie sheet below to catch drips. Once it's been in there an hour, turn off the oven, leave it in to cool (I just leave mine in overnight). Voila, happy pan!

Just did the salt and oil. It worked "Great"!

Just did the salt and oil. It worked "Great"!

whoo hoo just cleaned up my new to me 14in skillet, can't wait for some to try it out for yummy breakfast skillets this weekend.

I cleaned a bacon press using these instructions (although I skipped the dish soap). It worked great.

Evapo-Rust will remove the rust without scrubbing. Simply soak, wait (30 minutes to couple of hours depending on the rust level) and rinse. Your cast iron pot will be as good as new. Evapo-Rust is safe on the skin and is non-toxic so you can use it on cooking surfaces! Check it out!

Mark-thanks! YES as a dummie I have learned.... Actually Cast Iron Pans make me /remind me of being a child in my great Aunt Opals Kitchen. Oil and Salt combined just enough equal to eachother to make an abrasive 'scrub' works well. I had rust because I let them soak in water and I washed them with soap.

Gina - my mother ALWAYS dried her cast iron on the stove. I never saw her try to remove any rust, because there was never any rust. That was only about 50 years. She went through a lot of "stickless" cookware of various kinds, but when it was a serious frying job - out came the ancient cast iron.

Just tried the salt technique and it works. I can not believe I did not know you are not supposed to use soap on a cast iron pan. Now I need to do all three! I'm obsessed.

Hey thanks Suga I always wondered how to remove the rust from my cast iron pots.

very useful, good as new x.

I have a cast iron skilket I got from Bass Pro Shop that I coon everything from eggs to sauce to baked upside down cake in- I love it! I won't give it up until its pried from my cold, dead hands!

throw it away

I will try all ideas here and let you know how it works thank you.

I expected this to be one of those "urban myth" tips you occasionally find on the internet. But the "salt-and-oil" technique worked amazingly well on our friend's beloved but rusted aebleskiver pan. I wish we took before and after pictures.

The steps above worked fantastically on my rusty cast iron skillet. It is back to it's original glory.

I do what people did before steel wool and sandpaper. Fill what ever you are trying to de-rust with plain old vinegar. Place outside where it can't hurt anything. It will foam up in about a week. Keep doing this till all rust is gone. This will be the only time you ever use soap on cast iron. Wash with soap and water, dry and re-season. I clean my cast iron with boiling water and dry and wipe with oil inside and out everytime I use. Coating is the build up of cooked on food. One of the pots I inherited had been used forever outside and really had a build up of burnt on food. I put the pot in a empty non-reactive container and covered with vinegar. Took a few times but it came out shiny.

do what people did before steel wool and sand paper. Fill the pot, skillet with vineger and put in a spot where it can set and not damage anything. It will foam up in around a week or so. Repeat till rust is gone and then wash with soap and watr and re-season. Never use soap after that. I clean with boiling water, dry and apply light coat of oil inside and out and hang.

I hope it works. I'm trying to clean an old cast iron aebleskiver pan from Norway. I neglected it a long time and now want to clean it up.

Im pretty sure your not suppose to clean off rust with dish washing liquid...ive only got a little rust on the handle, i used white vinegar before I believe, my pan is now rust free, but that was year or two ago at least lol.