Cast Iron

How do you effectively clean cast iron?

My great grandmother just sent over a few old cast iron skillets and a kettle - and a good number of them have old grease and rust on them. They also have some worn off over time - is there any effective method to clean them? We want to keep them in the best condition possible, any information is helpful.

Thank you for all answers, they're all appreciated.

Initial cleaning with (soapless) steel wool and cooking oil (do NOT use oven cleaner, WD40, or any solvent/oil you're not willing to eat!) to remove all rust. (Alternately, you can burn the pans, as others have suggested, but if you don't have a location for a bonfire, steel wool is the way to go.) Rinse under HOT water if needed. If you really must, you can use soap at this stage, just to get the skillet clean. However, never, never, use soap or detergent on your skillets after you get them cleaned and seasoned. It damages the coating of oil you're trying to build up, and the taste of soap tends to "stick" to a seasoned pan... which doesn't make your food taste very good.

Dry thoroughly and heat on low heat over burner to make sure no water remains.

Season skillets by coating lightly (ALL surfaces, inside and out) with oil or lard (don't use butter for this). Place the pans, upside down, in a 350 degree oven for an hour (I'd put a baking sheet on the rack right below, just in case you get drips), then turn heat down to 200 and leave for several hours. Let cool. You might want to repeat this step 2-3 times to speed up the seasoning process.

For the first month or so of use, cook only low-acid, high-fat foods in the skillets. Preferably bacon. Lots of grease and low sticking potential.

Subsequent Cleaning: Unless food is stuck to the skillet, don't try to wash it. Just wipe it out with a clean cloth or paper towel. Add a light coating of oil or lard and hang back up.

If a skillet has something stuck to it, scrape gently with a plastic scraper or scrub under hot water with a nylon-bristled brush. Do NOT scrub with steel wool, unless you want to go back and reseason the thing from the beginning. If you wash the skillet, use only hot water, no soap or detergent. Dry thoroughly and heat on low heat over burner to make sure no water remains. Once dry, but while still warm, coat skillet with a thin layer of oil or lard and hang back up.

If food burns to the skillet (which may happen once in a while), while the skillet is HOT, pour BOILING water in and scrape the bottom gently with a plastic or wooden spatula until the food releases. Whatever you do, never, never put COLD water in a HOT skillet-- and don't scoop a hot cast iron pan off the stove and drop it in a sink of cold water! The iron can, and will, shatter.