Rust on my paella pan?

Yes, you can clean off the rust, wash the pan well with hot soapy water, and then you can use it again. It will probably rust again. You can try rubbing it with a light coating of vegetable oil with a paper towel after you use it and clean it again. This might help keep the rust from forming. I do this each time I use my cast iron skillet and it has never rusted. (It's over 25 years old.)

Most likely this is a heavy cast iron pan. If so you should never scour it especially with abrasive pads or cleaners.

Cast iron pan makers recommend "seasoning" the pan before using.

This entails coating entire pan with vegetable oil (high smoke point) and then adding a coat of salt to the cooking surface. Then place pan in oven @ 350 degrees for two hours, let cool, wipe it out w/ an oil coated paper towel and store (if you are not going to use it for a long time try putting in a plastic bag).

After using clean ONLY with mild soap on a dish cloth let dry thoroughly, wipe w/ oil dampened paper towel leaving a thin layer of vegetable oil and store.

Over a period of time the pan will develop a natural non-stick patina, most chefs have one or more of these and would chase you w/ their chopping knife if you mistreated it / them.

Good Luck

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Paella pan last many years of use, you only have to pay a little attention to the cleaning and conservation. You can find in the market Stainless steel pans that are really easy to maintain. The one you mention (carbon steel) needs more care since it tends to rust if not preserved carefully after use. My recommendation is, after each use, spread some oil you use in the kitchen with a tissue so all the inner surface is covered. Then put the pan in a plastic bag. Doing this way, you will be able to use your pan for years. Hope you will enjoy it.

I had a cast iron fry pan that did that. I cleaned it up good and gave it a coating of oil then wiped it with a paper towel. It was fine after that. Good luck.