GrammaJoy,
It sounds like your cast iron is rusting. Any time you see a sign of rust on your cast iron or if you notice a metallic taste on any food cooked in the pans you will need to scour off the rust with a stiff brush then reseason your pan.
To reseason:
**Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
**Wash your pan inside and out to make sure it is very clean.
**Rinse and towel dry it thoroughly to remove any moisture on the surface of the pan.
**Spread a thin layer of melted solid shortening or spray on vegetable shortening over the entire surface of the pan. Make sure to get all the exterior surfaces as well as interior and don't forget the handle!
**
DO NOT use liquid oil as it will leave a sticky residue on the pan and you will have to go through the entire seasoning process again.
**Put both of your oven racks in thier bottommost position and line them with foil. The foil will catch any oil that might drip off the pans so you won't have such a mess to clean up later.
**Place your pan upside down on the middle rack and bake it for 1 hour then turn the oven off and leave the pan in it until the oven has cooled.
This process should set your pan back to its original state and remove the rust. You can also remove the seasoning from your pan entirely
before starting the reseasoning process if you like but the above process should do the trick for you.
Once your pan is reseasoned make sure to care for it properly to prevent the rust from returning.
Soapy water is one of the worst things you can subject your cast iron to. While you will obviously need some water to clean your cast iron, you should be extremely cautious about just how you use water in the cleaning process. It's never a good idea to ever put cast iron into a dishwasher or to totally submerse it in soapy dishwater and leave it sitting for any length of time. While some cooking pans can "soak" to get rid of stuck-on foods, cast iron should
never soak in water. It can damage the seasoning on the pan and/or cause it to rust.
I cook in nothing but cast iron. Everything from my skillets to pans to pizza pans are cast iron. Most of the cookware I use is the same cast iron cookware my grandmother and her mother before her used. With proper care and cleaning the older cast iron looks and performs as beautifully as the brand new pans I've purchased in the last several years. It should last more than a lifetime if properly cared for.
To clean the pans after cooking I first wipe them down with paper toweling or a lightly damp cloth to remove any large bits of leftover food or oils from the pan. If there are any hard-to-remove bits that are left on the pan that wiping with a lightly damp cloth won't remove I simply pour some coarse salt (I use Kosher Salt for this) onto them then add a little oil and scrub with a paper towel. The abrasiveness of the salt removes whatever is left behind and the seasoning on the pan isn't damaged. The oil mixed in with the salt adds to the seasoning. I rinse the salt from the pan with hot water then make sure the pan is very dry before storing it away.
Always store the pans in a cool dry place and make sure air can circulate around both the pans and thier lids.
After washing a pan, make sure to dry it thoroughly to prevent moisture from building up and causing rust. Moisture is cast irons worst enemy.
Good luck caring for your cast iron!
