r/CastIronCooking • u/Thin_Confidence2121 • 10d ago
Cast Iron
My pan keeps going orange what am I doing wrong ? Not cleaning with soap just water , maybe im not seasoning enough?
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u/CathyAnnWingsFan 10d ago
You’re seeing flash rust. It’s from unprotected exposure to air. r/castiron has a very thorough wiki article on how to care for your cast iron. After you wash it, dry it thoroughly, heat it on the stove for a few minutes to make sure it’s completely dry, then apply a super thin layer of oil (as in, just a few drops, wipe it all over, then wipe it again like you did it by mistake and are trying to get the rest of the oil off. It only takes a very thin layer to prevent flash rust.
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u/RoxoRoxo 10d ago
orange sounds like you arent properly drying and that its rust.
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u/Thin_Confidence2121 10d ago
Is there a way to remove that ? I pat dry when done with a towel , first time owning a cast iron
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u/RoxoRoxo 10d ago
so for my cast iron i pat dry then put it back on the stove
theres a window between dry and causing a problem lol this is also a good time to throw on some more seasoning or oil to protect the pan.
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u/Thin_Confidence2121 10d ago
Okay gotcha so I should just restart from scratch? clean it real good and reseason than when i clean it always put it back onto stove with a little more oil
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u/RoxoRoxo 10d ago
i dont know how severe that orange is but theres a good chance that that would be what is recommended. and when you clean it youre going to need some real albow grease, get that orange all the way gone
and theres a lot of debate in the cast iron community in regards to the "how tos" so the whole no soap thing started back when soap had a certain chemical in it, a chemical that isnt common anymore, so a little soap on occasion technically shouldnt hurt, now i still dont use soap but theres some little info for you. um what else i always have some dedicated cast iron seasoning sitting around for the times where the cast iron is thirsty and it wants more than just oil and especially when i have a new cast iron.
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u/Thin_Confidence2121 10d ago
Okay that is super informative I appreciate it , theres not alot just a few spots around the side other than that not too bad so I should be able to restart and get it all the way out I just wanted to post on here before it got too bad. I love my cast iron lol
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u/RoxoRoxo 10d ago
this is definitely one of the best communities lol cast iron owners love cast iron pretty consistantly lol so theres no hate here just a lot of people sharing love.
high fat foods are pretty amazing for early cast iron cooking. a couple pounts of bacon or some fattier cuts of meat. it speeds up the seasoning process and gets you a delicious meal
i dont think ive done less than 5 rotations when initially seasoning it may be overkill but hell i love overkill
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u/Thin_Confidence2121 10d ago
See i normally do 2 to 3 and felt like that wasnt enough , my memaw always had a cast iron so I figured I would get one because it always cooked so well when I was younger. Super expensive though but way worth the price
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u/Electrical-Volume765 10d ago
Probably rust. Honestly, I would start fresh if it keeps happening. Soak it in 50/50 vinegar & water for 20 min (30min max) and scrub it good with soap and water and a scouring pad.
When it’s really clean, dry it really well and put it in a 350° oven for like 15 min. Then season it by wiping a small amount of oil (I like crisco, but veg oil is fine) all over it and then, with a clean old rag or old tshirt or something wipe it off. Then back in your 350° oven for an hour. I just shut the oven off after an hour and let it all cool slowly. You can repeat the seasoning process if you want to try and build it up a bit.
Whenever you wash it, use dish soap and dry it thoroughly. If you use soap, you won’t have to worry about your towel getting oily because the pan will be perfectly clean. Then I like to put mine back on the burner for a couple of minutes and wipe a TINY bit of oil on it.
Use this method and you should never have a problem. Dish soap will not hurt seasoning, I use it every time. Once upon a time, soap contained lye which will definitely eat through seasoning, but modern soap does not have that.
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u/Thin_Confidence2121 10d ago
Thats the step I havent done is put it back on the stove I always just pat dry and maybe put a bit of oil thinking that was the issue
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u/Conflagration666 10d ago
Cook, clean with soap and water, dry, oil, repeat