[Sca-cooks] Not so Virgin Cast Iron Question

[Stefan li Rous]

Regina asked:
> My brother just gave me a nice size cast iron kettle.  Now I happen to
> love
> cast iron for use around the mundane house.  The problem is that this
> particular pot was used to cover something outside and only recently
> rescued.  The interior bottom is badly pitted and rough.  The question
> is:
> Is it worth putting the scrubbing and possibly sanding with a disc
> sander
> into this?

Whether this kettle is worth working with will depend upon how sound 
the metal under the rust is. You may not be able to get a mint new 
smoothness to the bottom, but for a kettle, I doubt it matters. You 
aren't using it to cook omelets or pancakes, where you are worried 
about an uneven surface causing sticking.

This Florilegium file in the FOOD-UTENSILS section, which I mentioned 
recently, does talk about recovering seriously rusted and damaged iron 
ware.
iron-pot-care-msg (26K) 3/26/05   Seasoning and caring for iron pots and
                                      skillets.

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****