---
title: 'How to Season a Rusty Cast Iron Skillet | How to Fix,  Clean and Restore Cast Iron'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=U1BHyL1vLeg'
video_id: 'U1BHyL1vLeg'
date: 2026-06-29
duration_sec: 210
---

# How to Season a Rusty Cast Iron Skillet | How to Fix,  Clean and Restore Cast Iron

> Source: [How to Season a Rusty Cast Iron Skillet | How to Fix,  Clean and Restore Cast Iron](https://youtube.com/watch?v=U1BHyL1vLeg)

## Summary

This video demonstrates how to restore a rusty 50-year-old cast iron skillet using baking soda, vinegar, and canola oil. The process involves stripping the old seasoning, scrubbing, and then seasoning the pan in a hot oven to create a non-stick surface.

### Key Points

- **Baking soda paste application** [00:00] — Mix baking soda with water to form a paste and rub it on the pan to start breaking down rust.
- **Vinegar to strip seasoning** [01:12] — Vinegar is used to eat through the old seasoning and rust, stripping the pan to bare metal.
- **Oven preheating and oiling** [01:36] — Preheat oven to 500°F, scrub the pan thoroughly, dry it, and apply a thin layer of canola oil.
- **Seasoning process in the oven** [02:08] — Place the pan upside down in the oven with foil underneath; bake for 20 minutes, then repeat oiling and baking three times total.
- **Final result and non-stick test** [02:38] — The finished pan has a deep dark black color and is non-stick, demonstrated by cooking an egg without sticking.

## Transcript

Hey guys, today I'm going to show you how to restore a cast iron skillet. Alright, to get started, I'm going to mix a little bit of baking soda with water just to form a paste.
We're going to use this to rub all over the cast iron to help start the chemical process to break down the rust. A little back story on the pan, it's about 50 years old that my mom gave me a few years
ago. It's been sitting in the cabinet for a while and I finally found it and I decided now it's probably the best time to bring it back to life. Make sure you watch until the end of the video where I'll show you how non-sticker cast
iron can be when it's been properly seasoned.
You can see the rust already starting to come off with just the baking soda. If you find this oddly satisfying, give it a thumbs up and hit the like button.
So I let it sit for a few minutes, then I added some vinegar. Vinegar is actually the enemy of cast iron when you're cooking with it because it'll eat through the seasoning, but that's what we want to have happen here is eat through all the seasoning and get down to the bare metal.
Before I took my pan to the sink, I preheated my oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, then I started scrubbing and put a lot of elbow grease to make sure that there was no more residue on the pan.
I want to make sure that the cast iron is dry with a clean paper towel. Here I'm wiping it down with a thin layer of canola oil. I make sure I wipe off any excess oil that's on the pan and place it into a 500 degree oven
upside down with a piece of aluminum foil underneath just in case it drips. After 20 minutes, I pulled the pan out of the oven and rubbed it down with another thin layer
of canola oil. Be careful because the pan is really hot, but you want to see that it's smoking that lets you know that you're going to create a nice layer on your pan. I seasoned the pan three times total, but you can do more if you feel like it.
Alright guys, here's the finished seasoned cast iron pan. You can see how well the deep dark black color is already starting to form on the pan, that's what we're looking for. It's going to get better with age the more we cook in it and just make sure you don't use any soap on your pan.
Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to hit the thumbs up button if you liked the way my cast iron turned out, and hit the subscribe button and notification bell so you can see how the seasoning is on the pan. I cooked an egg over easy without sticking to the pan.
Until next time, bye!