Soaking my pan in soapy water - salvageable or trash?

I left my 10 inch Lodge skillet in the sink with soapy water overnight last week, total brain fart after a late shift. Woke up to a rusty mess, orange spots all over the cooking surface. My mom always said never let soap touch cast iron, but I see folks online saying a little dish soap is fine now. I scrubbed it with a chainmail scrubber and tried to dry it on the stove, but the rust came back after 15 minutes. Thinking I need to strip it down with vinegar and start over, but some people swear by just scrubbing with salt and oil. Has anyone brought back a pan that looked like it was done for, or should I just buy a new one from the thrift store?

2 comments

2 Comments

walker.rowan15d ago

Honestly that vinegar soak is gonna be your best friend here. A 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water for like 30 minutes should eat that rust right off, but keep an eye on it cause leaving it too long can pit the metal. After that scrub with chainmail again and dry it on the stove on low heat, then hit it with a thin layer of vegetable oil and bake it upside down at 400 for an hour. Thrift store pans are cheap but yours already has that nice smooth surface from Lodge, so its worth saving if the rust hasnt pitted it too bad.

jamies4515d ago

Actually, 400 might be a bit low for seasoning. Crank it to 450 for better results.