Shoutout to leaving a cheap cast iron skillet in a vinegar bath for 48 hours

I soaked an old Lodge skillet in white vinegar for two days straight to strip rust, and it turned the surface into a pitted mess that even seasoning won't fix. The vinegar ate away at the metal way faster than I expected, not just the rust. Anyone else ever ruin a pan by leaving it in vinegar too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

piper_burns2mo ago

Forty eight hours in vinegar is ABSOLUTELY insane, you basically made pickled iron!

miamitchell2mo ago

Agree to disagree with you @piper_burns. Vinegar soaks that long are fine if you plan on cooking the hell out of the pan right after. Its not like the iron is gonna dissolve.

barbaraw4728d ago

Did your friend try to reseason it right after or did they just dry it and put it away? My buddy Derek once did a similar thing with a rusty old pan he found at a flea market, soaked it in vinegar for two days because he thought "more is better." He rinsed it, dried it on the stove, and immediately put a layer of oil on it then baked it for an hour. That pan actually came out great, no pitting or anything weird, just a nice even seasoning after a couple rounds.