I was given this pan by a buddy downsizing. It hasn't been used in 5ish years and to me looks a touch rusted. Am I completely off base to just buff it out using barkeepers friend and then re-seasoning in the oven?
this post was submitted on 28 Dec 2025
38 points (97.5% liked)
Cast Iron
2587 readers
1 users here now
A community for cast iron cookware. Recipes, care, restoration, identification, etc.
Rules: Be helpful when you can, be respectful always, and keep cooking bacon.
More rules may come as the community grows, but for now, I'll remove spam or anything obviously mean-spirited, and leave it at that.
Related Communities: !forgediron@lemmy.world !sourdough@lemmy.world !cooking@lemmy.world
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
That works, or iron out and a wire brush, or wipe it out and season it with the bit of surface rust there and it will go away on its own.
Now the best thing you can do though, is to use an orbital sander (or a large amount of manual elbow grease) to actually sand the casting smooth on the inside of the pan before you season it. The casting being rough actually really hinders the non sticking, even with several layers of a proper seasoning job. Sand the bottom to get rid of the roughness from the casting and it will end up being your favorite thing to cook in. It will stay cleaner and more non stick and easier to wash than any other cast iron pan you can buy that's not under $120. The ones you can buy over $120? Go check one out. The inside bottom has been machined smooth to get rid of the roughness from casting.
Did this to a Goodwill special, best cast iron pan I've ever had.
For sure. Finding old cast irons for $20 or less and restoring them to better than new is such a fun little gem to look for. I also swear that eggs taste better cooked on a cast iron.