Restoring old cast-iron cookware?

[cabinfever]

My grandfather just passed me his old cast-iron cookware that he always took camping and fishing. The problem is that they weren't stored properly and they're thoroughly coated with rust or corrosion. Can these be restored for use again? If so, how?

 

[ChadTower]

Mild steel wool for the rust... wash it all off... then season with cooking oil accordingly. If there is any built up guck you can steel wool that too. If it's really bad I usually put it in my oven and run self clean.

 

[CaverGroupie]

I don't think you can abuse cast iron so badly that it can't be restored. It's great stuff. Like they say, just scrape off the rust and gunk (but leave some seasoning), coat with cooking oil and then over heat it. You can use the oven on self-clean, or you can stick it directly in a fire.

 

[Hikenhunter]

If it is really bad you can use a wire brush or a wire wheel in a drill to get the worst of it off then finish by hand with the steel wool. After it's clean heat it and oil it.

 

[CozInCowtown]

Unless it is physically broken or cracked it is almost definitely salvageable.
Steel wool or SOS pad and dish water to clean.
Super thin coat of olive oil and broil it in the over at hottest setting for a half hour or so.
Coz

 

[cabinfever]

It is really, really bad, Hikenhunter, so I'll try a wire brush or see if I have something I can use with my drill first. I never thought of using the self-clean setting on the oven, but that's not something I can do right now as it would be way too hot this time of year.

 

[ChadTower]

Hell, that's true. Just leave it on the dashboard of your vehicle.

 

[ppine]

Once there is a lot of rust and corrosion hand tools don't usually solve the problem. I have used wire brush attachments on power tools and even rust remover for really bad pots and ovens. Then the usual treatment.

 

[jason]

Unless it is physically broken or cracked it is almost definitely salvageable.
Steel wool or SOS pad and dish water to clean.
Super thin coat of olive oil and broil it in the over at hottest setting for a half hour or so.
Coz

After reading this article I switched to soybean oil. Stuff is working really well.

 

[Hikenhunter]

Good read. Thanks for the article Jason.

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

After reading this article I switched to soybean oil. Stuff is working really well.

Good article, aside from all the blather about "organic" "carcinogens" and "toxic nitrites".

I expect linseed oil from the hardware store will work fine, as long as it's not "boiled" linseed oil, which is partly oxidized to minimize stickiness when finishing wood, and may have other additives.

Linseed oil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[CozInCowtown]

Hmmm.... I am not sure I would consider linseed oil but as long as it is not toxic or give food a strange taste it should be fine.
Good reads!!
Coz

 

[ppine]

Use olive oil or some other food based oil. I would not put linseed oil on my breakfast cereal.

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

Linseed oil and flaxseed oil are essentially the same thing. Similar to canola oil and rapeseed oil.

Flaxseed oil has no doubt been somewhat more refined, but I doubt if you could tell much difference when seasoning a skillet (as long as its pure linseed oil, and not cut with additives- certainly a possibility).

 

[jason]

Hmmm.... I am not sure I would consider linseed oil but as long as it is not toxic or give food a strange taste it should be fine.
Good reads!!
Coz

The food grade linseed oil I found was rather expensive. There was a link somewhere in the article that talked about other oils. There is where I found soybean oil to be a great and cheaper alternative.

 

[Newanderthal]

Mild steel wool for the rust... wash it all off... then season with cooking oil accordingly. If there is any built up guck you can steel wool that too. If it's really bad I usually put it in my oven and run self clean.

That's it right there. Remove the rust and re-season it.

If you don't know how to season cast iron cookware, read it here
How to Season Cast Iron Cookware: 11 Steps - wikiHow

 

[Reed]

This is why I like cast iron, it's built to last. It may not look all streamlined and modern, but it's the most functional type of cookware on the market.

 

[briansnat]

This is why I like cast iron, it's built to last. It may not look all streamlined and modern, but it's the most functional type of cookware on the market.

Not long ago I decided to look up some of the cast iron that I accumulated over the years. The skillet that I use nearly every day I learned was manufactured between 1886 and 1892. I now crack eggs into it with a little bit of reverence. A griddle I use regularly is between 72 and 87 years old and my largest skillet was made between 1920 and 1940. The remaining skillet I purchased new when I moved out of my parent's house in 1981.

The griddle I rescued from our family lake cabin a few years ago. It came with the place when we bought it in the early 70's. It was a rusty mess when I got it home. A little fine grit sandpaper followed by steel wool got rid of the rust. With some seasoning and use it's now better than Teflon.

I season my cast iron with pork fat or Crisco. Cast iron certainly does last and when well seasoned is a joy to cook with.

 

[Theo]

I once asked an old neighbor lady how they seasoned cast iron back in the old days. She just looked at me at me kind of funny and said nobody she ever knew seasoned their cast iron cookware. They just used it. Over time it just became "seasoned". She was right, too. I have never done anything special to my cast iron but use it and it is seasoned just fine. In fact, the outside of my pans are just as black and slick as the inside. And while there has been some cooking oils that have come in contact with the outside of my pans, they certainly haven't gone through a seasoning process.

Personally, I think the heating and cooling of the cookware has more to do with it than what fat you use. Just my humble opinion.

 

[ChadTower]

It's the soap that deseasons them most often. People using soap removes the oils/fats very well. Modern soap does its job well. Soap and people burning stuff onto them. Somehow my wife manages do deseason our stuff all the time because she has to heat everything on high to "get it done".