How to Remove Rust from Cast Iron

Years ago when my mother passed away, my sister and I began the task of cleaning out her house. Among the pots and pans was a rusted cast iron cornbread stick pan. Memories of cornbread sticks flooded my mind and that pan went home with me–that cast iron pan that now needs rust removal. After it went home with me, I never seemed to seek or find the answer to how to remove rust from cast iron.

That pan became stored among the unloved ones on the shelves moved to the garage. It was waiting for the solution of how to remove the rust from that cast iron.

Years passed.

More forlorn the pan looked.

No cornbread sticks could be made with this dirty, rust coated cast iron pan. Nope.

Each time my husband asked if we could toss it, the answer was a resounding –“NO”.

I’m so glad I waited, because on that recent trip to Dollywood, we passed by a Lodge Factory Store.

During the conversation with the guy who stocks and does inventory came out of my mouth—

How can I restore a rusted cast iron cornbread stick pan?

He smiled and told me he had the answer.

Why had I not asked this question from someone at South Pittsburgh factory outlet before? You see, if you haven’t been there before, you have truly missed out. Just stop if you are in the neighborhood. It is an automatic stop on the way to visit our son and family in Georgia…but, let’s continue with the solution.

So, what’s the solution you are asking?

Drumroll, please for the rust removal answer!

Coke. You read right. A 2 liter bottle of regular coke in a container large enough to cover the pan. Just drop the pan in the dish and cover with coca cola.

Now, the guy whispered to me in the back of the room…”those ladies will tell you to leave it for 30 minutes; but, I’m telling you to leave it overnight”…and then he shocked me with the finishing bit. He then said, wait for it, “wash it in warm water with Dawn to remove the rest of the rust”.

What?!!! Cardinal sin is washing cast iron in detergent.

Everyone knows that, right? Baking soda is the only cleaner that has ever graced any of my cast iron pans.

Well…he proceeded to whisper again…”those ladies up front won’t tell you to do this–but, I’m telling you that is what works. Then just make sure that you re-season it well with heat and oil to preserve it and bring it back to life”.

At this point, for some reason I trusted this guy who proved that he loved Lodge Cast Iron as much as I did AND understood the need for saving and rescuing my Mama’s rusted cast iron cornbread stick pan.

So…here goes!

Place that rusted cast iron in a pan large enough to hold and cover with coca cola.

Then leave it overnight.

The corn stick pan truly is a tricky one because of all of those indentions to make it look like corn–I was just trusting the process at this point.

Wash, rinse and season like the directions I am sharing and you will be amazed at the results.

Restored cast iron back to its original glory and ready to be put back into use.

Now that the rust was removed from the cast iron…it’s time to work on a new recipe.

My mother probably just simply made the recipe on the back of the cornmeal mix container. Of course, she left no recipes.

I’ll be working on getting a great recipe to share with you soon.

In the meantime…

What began as a rusted cast iron cornbread stick pan…

…has been restored to use again.

Doesn’t it look amazing?

So worth the wait!

My first attempt…but, I’m still tweaking that recipe before I share it.

Who knows…I may buy the mix and follow the recipe on the back like my Mama!

Can I tell you something about cast iron?

When I was in college one of my courses for my home economics major was on equipment. The instructor told us to throw out all of our cast iron because it couldn’t be washed.

I shared that information with my mother….who ignored all that new found knowledge.

She knew better. Those high temperatures and occasional rinse of baking soda and seasoning were the reasons she knew that centuries of cooking with cast iron had proven my instructor was not to be trusted when it came to this opinion.

Thankful I learned this…AND kept the pan!

Do you need a NEW cornbread stick pan???

I can help you out!

As an LTK affiliate, I may earn a small commission if you shop with my shared links at NO extra cost to you…but, will help with costs of sharing more recipes and posts.

Hope you love making cornbread sticks for your family…it’s been a lost favorite being brought back to life and the table here.

By the way…if you have a great cornbread stick recipe…won’t you share it with me?!!

In the meantime, don’t mind me…I’ll just be trying more cornbread stick recipes to find my favorites. My husband is just fine with it!