July 23, 2008

If a piece of cast iron cookware is only slightly rusted, and not pitted, or has a small amount of food stuck to it, brush it with a light wire brush or course scrubby and then pour Coca~Cola over it, then let it sit until it dries.

After it dries, spray inside and outside with Pam or rub on vegetable oil, then bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for an hour and a half. Put aluminum foil under the pan to catch the drip.

Let it completely cool before removing from the oven. The final product will be black, shiny and rust-free.

Badly pitted cast iron or cookware with burned-on food requires prepping with heavy duty wire brushes, then possibly sandblasting to remove all of the rust.

We do not recommend using caustic liquids such as oven cleaner, nor burning off burned-food residues in a fire. A self cleaning oven can dissolve food stuck to your pan, but might cause your piece to break.

For more cleaning, storing, and seasoning tips please visit: http://www.castironcookware.com/cleaning-seasoning.html