My cast iron skillet is rusty. How do I fix it?

[Pen]

I have a Lodge cast iron skillet that has rusted. How can I fix it and get it re-seasoned?  How do I stop this from happening again in the very humid, cool, wet, PNW area where I live.  I had put it away coated with coconut oil and with a silica dry pack, but that did not seem to work.

 

Its original factory seasoning had been scrubbed off, but I thought it had been re-seasoned enough.  The pan is around 5 years old, and is from their lighter weight line of pans, if that makes a difference.

[Arcadia]

I have use a vinegar soaked sponge to scrub the rust, rinse with warm soapy water and then scrub again with the green scrub pad. The most common way to reseason the pan or pot is to coat with oil and bake in the oven. I was lazy so I just coat with oil and heat the pan over the gas stove with the exhaust hood fan on and my patio doors opened.

 

For stubborn rust, you might have to do the full vinegar soak described in this link. The reseason instruction is also in the link.

https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/how-to/article/cast-iron-pan-rust

 

I don’t know about preventing rust. I find surface rust if I didn’t use for quite some time. I have a Lodge skillet and a dutch oven and they just sit on the stove when not in use.

[Liz CA]

I have sanded off rusty parts of a cast iron pan. I actually used an electric sander. If you are just dealing with a few spots, you can do it manually.

Then I would use coconut oil to re-season. Keep it oiled a little and just wipe it out with paper towels may help in the future. Ever so often, it has to be cleaned, boil water in it and scrape everything out. Re-season with oil again immediately.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Scrub it with soap and something like a brillo pad.  Reseason it.  If I wash my cast iron pans with water and dry them on the burner (low heat until all the water is gone) and then put of oil on it, then my pans stay good even here in the PNW.  But I use my cast iron pans almost daily. 

[Pen]

Thank you all. It (actually another too, that I found not in as bad state, but not good either) are now in the oven in the reseasoning stage.

 

Jean, when not in use where do you keep your cast iron ware?  I had one cast iron pot that is fine which was in the pull out drawer under oven. The rusty ones were elsewhere. I am wondering if it is fine b/c the spot is warmer and dryer from stove use. OTOH, it is also the item I most use of the cast iron items, and also has never had its original factory seasoning all scrubbed off. It is also the full heavy weight type iron. Not sure which factors are most significant.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I keep my cast iron pans on top of my toaster oven on a trivet.  So they do get warmed up a lot. 

[gardenmom5]

I'd put it through an oven clean cycle, then reseason it. I did that once with a preseason ed pan, and it was much smoother.

Don't use coconut oil. Make sure it's dry Before putting it away.

 

I live here, and have never had a problem. I keep them in a cabinet with all the other pans.

[Tap]

PNW...I only use olive oil in my pans and either dry them with a towel or (prefered) stick them in a still warm oven/on a hot burner when I am cleaning the kitchen to completely dry them.  For my small pan, that lives on the stove top, if the stove is cold when I wash it, I just turn the burner on until red hot under the pan (a minute or so) and turn it off.  

Edited September 22, 2017 by Tap

[Pen]

rust removal went well.    re-seasoning not going well.   I'll try olive oil and see if that is better.

[LifeLovePassion]

Lard is stinky, but I found it seasons well