How do you keep cast iron from rusting?

Question

I have a cast iron bowl that I use to add moisture into the air when using my cast iron stove. However, the bowl keeps rusting. Is there anything I can apply to the bowl to keep this from happening?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

if you don't eat or drink from it, seal it with RustSeal by KBS Coatings. The KBS system sampler kit for $16 is a good deal. RustSeal is a non porous coating so water will not enter the metal again and rust will not reoccur. Rust Seal comes in some diff colors too.

Source(s):

http://www.kbs-coatings.com/index.aspx

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Thank you so much! This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for!

Answer 2

Yes, keep it lightly oiled after washing....you can use just a bit of cooking oil [olive or other] and rub it in with a paper towel.

Answer 3

Vegetable oil, canola oil, sunflower seed oil. The iron is porous and needs to be sealed. Never cleanse it with soapy water - it removes the essential oil from the cast iron.

Answer 4

Cast iron is inappropriate for this application. Get a cheap stainless steel bowl of the same capacity. Any coating that you put on the CI will either burn off or steam off from the heat and water vapor. This does not sound like a very sophisticated process.

Answer 5

My grandmother would use cast iron fry pans all the time and she would have a set them on the stove to dry them rather than hand drying with a towel- but since you are using it to hold water I am not sure- if your not planning on using it for food ever again- maybe wash it really well and dry like I mentioned above and use a car wax on it!

Answer 6

KEEP IT COATED WITH A LIGHT COAT OF ANY TYPE OF COOKING OIL.

Source(s):

EXPERIENCE

Answer 7

Get some real lard from the supermarket. Coat the inside and out with a thin coating of this lard. Now place the bowl in the oven, upside down, and turn your heat to about 250. Leave in the oven for a few hours. This is called seasoning.

Let cool, wash in plain water, and use.

NEVER wash the bowl with detergent. If you do, reseason asap.

Source(s):

40 years of cooking with cast iron

Answer 8

after washing place on the stove to burn dry instead of letting it dry on its own this will prevent rusting

Answer 9

keep it lightly oiled

Source(s):

because my stuck before i kept mine oiled

Answer 10

It needs to be "cured." Get it really hot, then oil it (any cooking oil will do) and let it cool with the oil in it. After you use it for whatever purpose, clean it (or dry it), and apply a light coating of oil before storing it.

Answer 11

It's just like a cast iron skillet. Don't use soap in it and keep it lightly oiled. If it is (and I'm assuming it is since u already have rust) dried out, no protective coating, it will be hard to keep it from rusting. My mother-in-law used to know of something that was used to treat cast iron, but she doesn't remember now, so u might ask an older person if they remember, since cast iron was used a lot back when. It was a type of lard. Also immediately dry it when u r not using it, by putting it on the stove and letting the heat dry up the water, then adding the light coat of oil. Wipe it on with a paper towel. Make sure u don't leave standing oil.

Answer 12

Yes! What you need to do is {season} your bowl. First, put your bowl on the stove & get it hot, this opens up yhe pores in the iron.Then, take some bacon grease or lard, { after removeing the bowl from heat.} apply a thin layer of grease with a paper towel, over the entire surface of the inside of the bowl, as it's cooling. This will trap the grease in the pores of the iron, as the iron cools the pores close. The grease in the pores of the bowl will keep the water from getting in the pores of the iron, which causes rusting. You will need to reseason about once a month for 5 or 6 monthes, untill all the pores are sufficiantly packed with grease. then once or twice a year should do the trick.

Answer 13

My vote goes with the guy with no name, who listed as his source "40 years of cooking with cast iron".

He is absolutely correct.
He got my "thumbs up"

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