What to do if a cast iron pan rusts?

Cast iron utensils are famous for their reliability, good quality, ability to keep warm and their non-stick properties. Along with these advantages, cast iron has a serious drawback: a frying pan made of it rusts faster than an aluminum one with a Teflon coating. If you take care of her correctly from the first day, she will not appear. If, nevertheless, it appeared on the surface, then there are simple and effective ways to deal with it.

Rust is a reddish-brown coating on iron. It forms due to oxidation. If you ignore its appearance and do not fight with it, the metal will completely collapse.

There are three main reasons for which it appears.

1. Bad metal. To reduce the cost of production, negligent companies add components that are detrimental to the quality of the metal. A real cast iron frying pan is given out by a tangible weight and a rather big price.
2. Negligent care. A quality copy is spoiled by improper processing. Housewives do not take into account that cast iron is a porous material.
3. Improper storage. If you put the pan into the cabinet without wiping it thoroughly, then rust will appear in previously damaged areas due to contact with water.

In order not to look for a way to remove rust, a cast-iron pan is prepared for use and a number of rules are observed in the care.

Having bought a frying pan in a store, upon arrival home they wash it with water with the addition of dishwashing detergent. When it dries, grease the surface with vegetable oil and place it in an oven preheated to 180 ° C for 40 minutes. During firing, slight smoke is generated. Don't worry about his appearance. The pan will warm up evenly.The oil will fill the voids in the microscopic pores of the cast iron, creating a non-stick coating. It will prevent corrosion.

It depends on the further care of the cast iron frying pan whether it rusts or not. So that she does not appear, they take care of her, following proven recommendations.

• They cook in a frying pan more than once a month, sparingly, but at least once a week. Otherwise, it will quickly deteriorate.
• Do not store cooked food in it. There is a great risk that it will turn black and absorb a metallic smell. In addition, cast iron is destroyed faster by moisture. It is better to put food in a container, wash the pan, dry it and put it away for storage.
• Do not wash it in the dishwasher and use excess detergent.
• Do not clean the dirt in the cast iron pan with a coarse metal brush, so as not to damage it. They get rid of dirt by soaking it in warm water for 30 minutes and rinsing it under running water (with light pressure, with a soft sponge).
• Do not clean the dishes to a shine so that the food does not burn later.

To remove rust from a cast iron pan, there are two steps. First, they get rid of the rust, and then create a new protective coating. At the first stage, it is rubbed with a metal abrasive brush with or without aids. At the second stage, when washed, the pan is ignited in the oven.

There are simple methods to save rusty plaque from dishes.

Baking soda is the cheapest cleaner. It is used for washing dishes to remove grease, tea / coffee deposits. She cleans tiles, stainless steel, chrome surfaces and cast iron. In the latter case, it removes rust if it has not penetrated deeply, has not affected the structure of the product and has not acquired a bright brownish-red hue.

Pour baking soda at the bottom of the pan, pour a little water. They take a clean sponge in their hands and gently rub the resulting gruel into the spots.

Many people use salt to enhance the flavor of their dishes. Few know about its cleaning properties. It cleans as well as baking soda. The principle of working with it is the same as with soda. Pour it into a frying pan, pour a little water, rub the gruel with a sponge into problem areas. Wash the salt from the product under running water.

If rust has hit the surface badly, use a metal abrasive brush. The pan is moistened with running water, and then a little soda is poured in and all rusted areas are wiped off. After the procedure, they wash it and ignite it.

A versatile alternative to many cleaning chemicals is vinegar solution. In addition to adding it to kebabs to enhance the taste of meat, it is used to cleanse rust marks on cast iron dishes.

A liter of water is poured into a cast iron pan and a tablespoon of vinegar is added. It is kept in the resulting solution for two hours, and then thoroughly washed under a tap, dried and restored by calcining the protective coating.

This ancient folk method is highly effective. Its essence lies in boiling contaminated dishes on gas. To do this, take a 10-liter enamel bucket. It is filled with water by a third and half a packet of baking soda is poured in. Then they put a rusted cast iron frying pan in it and put it on low heat. An hour or two later, the result is assessed.

This method is used when the pan is covered with unpleasant rusty spots or there is carbon deposits on it. Coca-Cola is poured into a deep bowl, placed inside a frying pan, put on fire and wait for the liquid to boil. Then they turn off the gas and wait for the pan to cool completely in the solution.After the procedure, rinse it, wipe it dry and bake it in the oven.

Fish oil is not only an essential supplement for health, but also an excellent purifier. It is used to remove rust. For this, the surface of the pan is lubricated with it inside and out. After three to four hours, wash it in warm water with a mild detergent. They clean problem areas with a stiff brush.

After cleaning with fish oil, the protective layer is restored. A paper towel is dipped in peanut, sunflower, or rapeseed oil. They thoroughly wipe the surface with it. Then place the pan upside down in an oven preheated to 180 ° C for sixty minutes.

Sometimes folk remedies and everyday household chemicals are powerless in the fight against rust. In this case, buy strong cleaning agents. To distinguish them from the "weak", pay attention to the composition, which is reflected on the label. An effective ingredient in the fight against corrosion in a pan is hydrochloric acid. It is found in many toilet cleaners.

Hydrochloric acid is the strongest. It dissolves all metals that are in the stress range up to hydrogen. Under its action, the rust will turn into a wet powder. Since it is toxic, a number of precautions are taken when working with it.

• Firstly, it cannot be used in a confined space. The dishes are cleaned in a well-ventilated room.
• Secondly, you cannot work with it without protecting open areas of the body from possible burns from direct exposure and vapors. To do this, wear long-sleeved clothing, gloves and a gas mask / goggles.
• Thirdly, after the procedure, the dishes are washed thoroughly under running water and wiped dry.

To get rid of rust on cast iron utensils at home, a product containing hydrochloric acid is applied to the surface. They take a sponge in their hands and carefully rub problem areas with it.

In order not to have to look for a way to remove rust from a cast iron frying pan, they take care of it correctly from the first day. If you follow all the recommendations, it will not appear. If this could not be avoided, then often the simplest means will help to remove it.

For more information on how to remove rust from a cast iron pan, see the next video.