It’s no secret Tim and I love a great vintage find. It’s also no secret that we believe cooking with cast-iron pans is the best way to go, because of their ability to distribute heat evenly for a consistent dish every time. For those who come across a piece of cast-iron cookware or have a family heirloom that seems past its prime, today we’re excited to show you exactly how to bring it back from the brink, ready for display and use in your kitchen.
You may recall passing by stacks of rusty cast-iron skillets, packed with years of buildup and grime at your local antique shop, flea market or yard sale like the ones we picked up to bring home and clean (can you believe these are the same skillets?).
Perhaps you received one passed down from a family member that came with some less than desirable remnants from past cooking adventures. Well, the real secret is — these classic pans really do stand the test of time. With a little know-how, you can scoop up the more affordable dirty versions, restore them to their original condition and be the last one laughing, or cooking, that is.
Here’s a detailed before shot of the type of layered rust and buildup that can be fixed.
Many methods exist for removing the years of buildup and grime from aged beauties like these, the majority of which include heating the pan for an extended length of time to bake and burn off the rust and grease. One of the oldest practices involves resting pans in the middle of blazing hot campfire coals. Because open fires are illegal in the limited backyard plots of our city neighborhood, we’re going to share our go-to method for restoring cast-iron pans using little more than the oven and a little muscle.
You’ll Need:
- Heat-safe gloves
- Bucket or bin large enough to hold pans
- Water
- Distilled white vinegar
- Liquid dishwashing soap
- Scrubbing sponge and fine steel wool (optional)
- Paper towels or cloth rag
- Peanut oil
Spread a layer of foil over the bottom rack. Lay the pans upside down on the top rack. The foil will work to catch all the baked off buildup, making for easy cleanup on your part.
Activate the cleaning setting on the stove and wait for the full cycle to complete. Our cleaning mode runs for three hours, and it will get very hot. If your oven doesn’t have a self-cleaning setting, heat your oven to 425 degrees and begin checking the pans after two hours.
Note: If your oven is anything like ours, this step of the process can get stinky, literally. Plan for a day where you can open the windows or be working outside while the cleaning setting works its magic.
Remove pans from oven after the cycle completes and pans have cooled. They’ll still look pretty rusty, but the majority of buildup should have loosened at this stage.
Immerse the pans in an equal parts water and white vinegar bath, finishing with a healthy dollop of liquid dishwashing soap. Allow to soak for three hours — the rustier they are, the longer they should soak.
Remove and rinse pans well, wiping the remaining dirt away with paper towels or a cloth rag until completely dry. If any additional rust or buildup remains, continue to scrub with a sponge or fine steel wool until smooth.
We’re now ready to season the pans! Seasoning is the process of creating a nonstick surface, and if properly cared for, the seasoned coating will last. Seasoning is a fairly simple process — if you already have cast-iron skillets in great shape that just need an updated seasoning, this next set of steps is for you.
Wipe peanut oil on the entire pan (inside, out and handle) to coat.
Place it on the top oven rack upside down, and heat at 350 degrees for one hour. This process allows the pan’s pores to open up and absorb the oil, closing again to retain it when cooled. After removing it from the oven, your pan will have that classic sheen and is ready for use.
It’s hard to believe these are actually the same rusty and grimy skillets we began with.
We went from something that looked like it belonged in the trash bin to a beautifully restored piece of cookware, filled with history and fit for display.
It just goes to show how these timeless pieces of cookware really are, especially when properly cared for. We hope now you’ll think twice before passing by that rusted over stack of skillets on your next treasure hunt or thinking those pans (filled with family history) in the attic or basement are too far gone too save.
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