Cleaning Corn Stick Cast Iron Pan

debodun

debodun

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Location
way upstate in New York, USA
I found a handled cast iron cornbread stick pan in a kitchen cabinet. It is très rusty. I looked online for tips on cleaning rusty cast iron which I applied. This morning it looked more rusty than it started. Those little recesses meant to look like corn kernels are tough to clean. Any tips?

cast iron corn stick pan.jpg
 

Brush...hmmmmm. The closest thing I have is steel wool scrub pads, which was in the online instructions. I'll have to look around for one. Probably spend more trying to clean it than I can get for it at my garage sale. LOL
 

You probably know that you shouldn't use soap or much water on cast iron. That's why it's important to bake the layer of grease/oil onto the surface. Have you tried just oiling it well?
 
Your pan looks like a “Handy Dan” 74-H BSR Cornstick Pan by Birmingham Stove & Range made its debut in the late 1980s . Is it marked with the 74-H model number on the back?

If it is baked on food I would put it into a plastic bag with a 1/2 cup of ammonia seal the bag and let it sit for a day or two. The ammonia will loosen/dissolve the baked-on food. After the pan is scrubbed clean you can dry it coat it with cooking oil and season it in the oven.

The ammonia trick works great for casserole dishes, stove parts, pans, with baked-on gunk.
 
Aunt Bea said:
Your pan looks like a “Handy Dan” 74-H BSR Cornstick Pan by Birmingham Stove & Range made its debut in the late 1980s . Is it marked with the 74-H model number on the back?
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Yes it has the 74-H and Made in U.S.A.
Aunt Bea said:
If it is baked on food I would put it into a plastic bag with a 1/2 cup of ammonia seal the bag and let it sit for a day or two.
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It doesn't look like food, just rust.
 
I brushed it with a wire brush and baked it. Came out of the oven more rusty looking than it went in. Then I drizzled some veggie oil on it and rubbed it in with a paper towel and baked it. When it cooled down, I blotted as much oil off as I could. Boy, were the papers towels brown, but it does look better. I did an eBay search for this item. Even ones without the handle are selling anywhere from $15 to over $60! Try to get that at at garage sale.
 
I just got another nibble on FB about it, but the person wanted it for half the price I asked and also wanted me to deliver it on top of that. I said that I would take 3/4 of the asking price, but she would have to come to my house (I found out the hard way that delivering and meeting people somewhere doesn't work out). She backed out.
 
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debodun said:
I found a handled cast iron cornbread stick pan in a kitchen cabinet. It is très rusty. I looked online for tips on cleaning rusty cast iron which I applied. This morning it looked more rusty than it started. Those little recesses meant to look like corn kernels are tough to clean. Any tips?

View attachment 74750
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No clues, I was so upset after buying an iron cornbread stick pan that I gave it away to Goodwill. I couldn't get it clean and it just kept getting rustier (if that is a word).
 
Don M. said:
If you have a metal recycle center nearby, that would probably be the best place for something like this, in this kind of shape.
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NOOOOOOO....
We take old junk cast iron, put in a self clean oven, everything turns to ash...
Wash with HOT soap water and stiff brush.
Dry the best you can and stick in an oven at 250 for a few to bake dry.
Coat with and oil... Flaxseeds our choice, stick back in oven for another ten minutes.
Pull out coat again... after a few minutes try and dry off any excess oil.
Put back in oven at 450 for about an hour.
Recoat, dry and bake again...
Its an all day affair but worth the outcome...
 
Old Medic has the right idea but oil needs to be pure, nothing added, no preservatives. The best is old fashioned lard. Then 'season' as follows:

1. a cycle in self-clean oven
2. when cool cover completely with light coating of lard and wipe off excess with paper towel
3. bake in 225 d. oven for 2 hours
Repeat 2. and 3. at least two more times

After every use, wash, rinse and then dry in a warm oven or on a hot burner.

Refrigerate leftover lard and use it as shortening in the best homemade pie pastry you'll ever make.
 
debodun said:
I just got another nibble on FB about it, but the person wanted it for half the price I asked and also wanted me to deliver it on top of that. I said that I would take 3/4 of the asking price, but she would have to come to my house (I found out the hard way that delivering and meeting people somewhere doesn't work out). She backed out.
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I would love one of these. Do you still have it?
 


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