Pro tip: Stopped rinsing my cast iron with soap and it finally stopped rusting

I bought a Lodge skillet 6 months ago and kept getting rust spots no matter how much I dried it. A line cook at a diner in Portland told me to scrub it with salt and oil instead of soap and water. I tried it on a Wednesday and after a week of cooking bacon and wiping it down, the seasoning finally stuck. Anyone else switch to salt scrubbing and see a real difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

sam5301mo ago

My buddy Mike had the EXACT same problem with his Lodge. He was ready to throw it in the trash after three months of rust spots. Then his grandpa told him to scrub it with coarse salt and a little oil, said that's how his own dad did it back in the 40s. Mike tried it and now his pan has a slick black finish, he even makes eggs in it without sticking.

leo_campbell1mo ago

Haha, guess Grandpa knows best after all.

rowan_wells671mo ago

Oh man, that coarse salt trick sounds brilliant, but I bet I'd find a way to mess it up! Honestly my cooking skills are so bad I could probably burn water if I tried. I tried seasoning my own pan once and ended up with a pan that looked more like a Jackson Pollock painting than a smooth black finish. At this point I'm pretty sure my pan is just winning a patience competition with me, waiting for me to give up and order takeout again.