How To Clean Cast Iron Dutch Oven Rust
If the rusted area was relatively minor rinse it with warm water dry it off and then wipe it with cooking oil.
How to clean cast iron dutch oven rust. No matter how bad the extent of rust the good news is that it can be saved and throwing it away isn t the immediate answer although a bit of elbow grease might very much be required. If your dutch oven has substantial rust you ll need to strip it completely with a special cleaner and begin the seasoning process from the start. If your cast iron develops any use steel mesh or fine grade sandpaper to scrub it off. A combination of removing the rust and re seasoning easily resolves the issue. If you have a rusty cast iron skillet or dutch oven the easiest way to remove the rust is by running it through the self cleaning cycle found in most modern ovens.
Here s our full guide to removing rust from cast iron. Why does cast iron rust. Our cast iron cookware is made of a mix of pig iron steel and alloys without the protective layer of carbonized oil called seasoning cast iron is susceptible to rust even a well seasoned pan can rust if it s left in the sink to soak put in the dishwasher allowed to air dry or stored in a moisture prone environment. An enamel dutch oven is still made from cast iron but features a nonstick and durable enamel finish. If you use your dutch oven as a display only piece rather than an integral part of cooking a single seasoning round in the oven is enough after cleaning.
Fear not as there are actually several ways you can go about cleaning rust off a dutch oven. This is how to clean an enameled dutch oven. There are plenty of tried and tested techniques that you can implement to try and get your dutch oven looking good as new. Acidic foods like tomatoes are especially harsh on cast iron. So the onus is ultimately on the owner of the cast iron to clean and restore it.
Scour off any rust. By the end of the cleaning cycle. Rust on a dutch oven is inevitable as unfortunately no science has been able to stop rust from forming on cast iron. How to clean an enamel dutch oven. Expect prolonged exposure to water to rust your dutch oven pretty quickly.