Letters To The Editor

How To Clean A Badly Rusted Cast Iron Skillet

To read the story referenced, “Toss That Teflon Pan And Cook With Cast Iron,” click here.

I tried wire brushing for a few minutes on a badly rusted Dutch oven and got nowhere. I busted out the drill with a wire wheel and had it stripped down in about 10 minutes. The wheel didn’t harm the iron at all. If anything it improved the surface. Hit it from every angle. Reverse the rotation every minute or so. Let the drill cool off every few minutes. Coat it with oil when you’re done. Season it as soon as possible.

Rik

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I use organic flax seed oil [to season the skillet]. I have a chart somewhere on which oils should not be heated to high temps, and I believe olive oil is one of them. When I buy a new cast iron pan, I generally put it in the oven and put the oven on self-clean and strip it. [Some people use] GMO soy oil for seasoning, and something about baking soy beans that have been soaked in herbicides, into my pan, just doesn’t sound yummy to me. So I use organic flax seed oil, the re-seasoning works out perfect!

David