Restoring Cast Iron Pots and Pans

November 16, 2015Katie

I now have five or six cast iron pans or pots in my possession.

I have never paid full price for any of them.


Why?

My mom gave me my cast iron skillet that I use almost daily. I have an unfailing love for cooking in cast iron as it just seems to make everything more crispy, browned, roasted and wonderful.

Photo Nov 14, 2 36 32 PM
A one egg size pan Mr. Wonderful picked up for us at a local thrift store.

I’ve picked up several more pieces shopping at thrift stores and garage sales because people are practically giving them away because they look like this…

how to restore cast iron pots pans

I was thrilled to find this at an estate sale this weekend for $1.00! It’s a Mexican comal, used to heat tortillas.  I had actually added a comal to my Christmas wish list last year but didn’t get one …probably because this one was just out there waiting on me!

And it looked awful.

However, most people do not know that a simple scrub with steel wool can restore a cast iron pot or pan back to it’s youth.

restoring cast iron pots and pans

This one literally took me less than five minutes to get the rust off.

restore cast iron pan pot

I then oiled it and popped it into a hot oven to season. It looks like brand new!

We looked online and found these go for $20-$25 or more so we felt like we found a great buy!

**Side note – do not buy pans or pots with cracks in them, and for extra-tough rust spots, soak the pan in plain old white vinegar for 6-12 hours.  The acid will help eat away at the rust. Don’t put it in for any longer as the acid could eat away or “pit” the pan and you don’t want that.  Rub the entire pan with flax, corn or vegetable oil afterward and then wipe it with a dry rag to removed as much of it as you can. Then season the pan by following the directions here.

I hope you find a treasure like I did!

restore cast iron pots pans

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