Rusty Skillet

thats sounds dirty, BUT..

What is the best way to clean a rusty skillet? I fucked my roommates up and I need to clean it up. Thanks in advance.

iron, aluminum, or teflon?

edit: well aluminum doesn't rust so we can rule that out...oops

if it's iron I'd think iron wool would take out the rust...if the teflon has corroded and it's got rust at the exposed areas you're probably outta luck

also, sandpaper obviously.

How did you fuck up his skillet that badly? did you leave water or something sitting in it. Sounds like he probably didn't have it properly seasoned in the first place.

just clean it with soap and water then put it on a burner to dry it then reseason it.

If he says rusty it's a reasonable assumption he's got a cast iron one. In which case the following.

1. Wash and scrub it throughly with a stiff brush and hot soapy water. Make sure it's well-rinsed and dried.

2. Re-season it.

2a. With the skillet dry, take Crisco and rub a thin coat all over it, even the outside of it and the handle.

2b. Put it in a 375 degree oven bottom side up for about an hour.

The result should be a a glossy shin and a deep rich burgundy and black color as the Crisco bakes onto the surface of the skillet.

I came home yesterday to find out my roomate put my cast iron skillet in the dishwasher, ran it twice, with heat on.

Pretty much owned it good, lil bit of rust.

Going to have to scrub it clean this weekend and reseason but still, wtf?

how the hell does someone not know that putting a cast iron in the dishwasher is wrong.

a better question is why wouldn't you make THEM clean it up?

I always clean my skillet first when doing the dishes, and I never let anyone else clean it (even if they cooked with it). A lot of people fuck it up and don't know anything about cast iron and seasoning.

Same, I had one of my asshole roommates trying to tell me you need to use soap on it. It really pisses me off when I come home from work and find the thing looking like it has been heated for 30 hours without oil being applied to it afterwards. I can always tell when someone has used it because this is typically the condition I find it in.

Cast iron, if cleaned directly after using, is probably the easiest cleanup in the kitchen.

The only people who truly appreciate cast iron nowadays are your grandparents, and even then my grandmother got rid of her's.

There's not much cast iron CANNOT do, and that's make crepes or omelets or work with acidic foods like tomatoes, the acid wears on the iron and gives food a metallic taste.

- 10" skillet + lid
- 12" skiller + lid
- 5 qt dutch oven.

Those three alone can handle the bulk of any kitchen work, and they'll last so long you can will them to your kids. Now that is a real return on invesment.

how the hell does someone not know that putting a cast iron in the dishwasher is wrong.

because some of us work with engines not dishes, nancy.

i have a cast iron skillet i neglected for a few years in the past. I washed and scrubbed it with a SOS pad. dry it then give it a nice coating of olive oil, vegetable oil or any of the cooking oils like crisco. a few days later all the rust was gone.

i mean, i understand the properties of metals quite well but i am a welder/fabricator by trade. I can understand how someone would toss in a skillet into the dishwasher :shrug: only reason why i wouldn't is due to my background.