I unpacked a clamp style food grinder

[Marthe48]

I'm going to clean it up and put it in my booth.

How would I go about cleaning it? It is cast iron. It is clean with no rust and I don't want to use soap and water. It's got a wooden handle, so I wouldn't be able to let it dry in the oven as I do with my kitcehn cookware. Do you think a light going over with a soft cloth and mineral oil would be ok?

Thanks for any advice

[dweller]

1. Not mineral oil

Is the handle removable ?
Just use light cooking oil and set it in the sun

✌🏻

[Marthe48]

4. I bought a bottle of food grade mineral oil

to clean up some wooden rolling pins, read it was good for use on wooden kitchen items. Now that I've got it, I'll even treat the wooden items in my kitchen, when I get done puttering I've got olive oil and coconut oil. I use olive oil or mayo to get old stickers off items.

Thanks for the advice. Maybe I'll just dust it off with a dry cloth and let the new owner do a cleaning.

[TommyT139]

2. Food grade mineral oil

Especially if you are selling to collectors of vintage ironware, do as little as possible. After all, if someone is going to use it for food prep, they will clean it anyway, according to their own preferences. The oil doesn't have to fit the bill for seasoning, which is best done with other oils.

Since it has no rust, you might want to use a thin coating of food grade mineral oil, which has minimal additives classed as edible. Using another oil would likely keep the rust away, which I assume is a goal, but depending on what kind, is likely to get "tacky" and either attract dust or stain a box.

Here is a reputable-sounding article:
https://www.seriouseats.com/mineral-oil-is-good-for-cutting-boards-and-knives

Good luck!

[Marthe48]

3. I have food grade mineral oil

Last edited Mon Jul 8, 2024, 08:10 PM - Edit history (1)

I unpacked some vintage wooden rolling pins and read up on how to clean them. The food grinder is really nice, complete and well marked. The wooden handle isn't removable, the whole thing might be. On looking and seeing the mess that my jumping cursor made of this post and also getting to look at the food grinder, I took off the screw holding the plate and the gear and handle all came off in one piece. I'll be able to clean it up, however I do it.

I'll do as little as possible

Thank you!

Welcome to DU!

[TommyT139]

5. :)

You're very welcome, and thank you!