How to clean a cast-iron pot from rust?

Mistresses sometimes come up with a situation where inside a cast-iron cauldron becomes rusty. In this case, some are sent to the store in order to purchase new kitchen utensils. However, there are ways in which the situation can be corrected at home.

Cast iron is the material that rust, especially when it comes to cookware. Pig-iron cauldrons do not rust as quickly as steel, as they have a special protective film. This layer is created by regularly wiping utensils with vegetable oil or during the firing procedure.

The protective film is damaged for the following reasons:

• in the process of scraping the surface of the cauldron with the help of shovels or skimmers in order to eliminate burnt food;
• when washing cast iron utensils with hard or abrasive brushes and sponges;
• when using chemicals that can not be cleaned from cast iron.

Cookware for cooking fragrant pilaf and meat can deteriorate if carbon deposits form on it, which appears when the flame is excessively strong or the dish is not taken off the fire.

Hostesses, faced with the problem of a rusty cauldron, do not know what to do. If time does not remove rusty plaque, the dishes may deteriorate. In order to clean the cast-iron cauldron from rust, you can use several ways.

1. Household chemicals. In order to wash a rusty cauldron, you can use a special cleaner or powder to eliminate rust. After using these substances it is worth treating the dishes from the inside with a sponge of metal and then with an emery paper.
2. Surface grinding. This procedure is carried out using a grinder.
3. Using sandpaper. Initially, a cast-iron cauldron should be treated with sandpaper of large grain, then - medium grain.
4. Apply glue and soap. To begin with, the cauldron of cast iron is well washed out, and the container in which the cauldron will be boiled is filled with water with 100 grams of office glue and a piece of laundry soap. The cauldron is required to boil over a weak fire in the prepared solution. When the cast-iron dishes cool, it is washed with warm water, and the soot is removed with a washcloth.
5. Vinegar. A rusted cauldron must be soaked in a solution that consists of 50% water and 50% vinegar. The dishes should be in the liquid for at least two hours. Next is to clean the utensils with a mixture of vegetable oil and coarse salt.

If you wish to clean the rusty patina from the cast-iron cauldron it is important not to damage the surface of the dish. Consider the most effective methods of how to get rid of rust.

1. Using acid. In this case, for the cleaning process is to use vinegar, soda and salt. Salt should be poured into utensils, after which vinegar is poured in and sent to the fire. After heating the mixture, soda is poured into the cauldron, then the composition should boil well. After completing the process, the dishes should be thoroughly washed with water.
2. Using soda with salt. In a cast-iron cauldron it is necessary to pour such amount of water that would completely rust. Then 0.2 kg of salt and the same amount of soda are poured into the liquid. The cast iron container is set on fire and boiled for 120 minutes.As time passes, the cauldron should be left to cool overnight. From the cooled vessel you can easily remove carbon with the use of dishwashing detergent.
3. By sand. To remove rust from dishes, it should be completely covered with sand and then sent to the fire. Cauldron should warm up during the night. With the onset of morning, sand is poured from the tank, and the cauldron is washed out with clean water.
4. Drilling. Using this tool is one of the most effective ways to get rid of rust from a cast-iron surface. On the drill you need to wear a special nozzle and handle the surface. The result is similar to the process of using sandpaper. After cleaning is finished, it is worth washing the dishes.

In order not to have to engage in complex cleaning of a rusted cauldron, it is necessary to engage in the prevention of pollution. One of the methods of preventing soot on cast iron cookware is roasting, which can be done in several ways.

• Cauldron must be heated in an oven at a temperature of 200 degrees. After that, the dishes need to be greased with vegetable oil from the outside and inside. After lubrication, the container must be sent to the oven again, so that the fat is completely evaporated. The above activities should be repeated several times.
• Cast iron cauldron with poured oil must be put on a weak fire. When the pot starts to heat up, it is necessary to tilt it so that the fat covers all the walls.
• The cauldron is sent to the fire with the subsequent pouring of 2000 grams of salt into it. The calcination process should be continued until the moment when the salt turns gray.

According to the advice of professionals cast iron kitchen utensils should not be washed using liquids or gels for washing ordinary dishes. The reason is that the above substances remove the non-stick oily layer from the cast iron, which protects the dishes from rust and scale. And also you should not send cauldrons to the dishwasher.

Wash dishes from cast iron should immediately after cooking, preventing the drying of food particles. For cleaning of this utensil it is worth using hot running water, in difficult situations a solution of a laundry soap. After the dishes are washed, it must be wiped dry so that no liquid droplets remain inside. It is advisable to withstand a cauldron on fire until the water is completely evaporated.

The best place to store a cast iron pot is a dry place. This may be a storage room, kitchen cupboard, but not a basement or a garage with poor ventilation. Since the dishes cooked in this kitchen utensils, have a great taste, to the Kazan women should be treated with care. If they are used carefully, properly stored and cleaned, the life of cast iron cookware will be long.

To learn how to clean rust from a cast-iron cauldron, see below.