[learc83]

I don't doubt that warm metal rusts faster, just how much faster.

There's a pretty big difference between drying something in a warm stove vs applying a direct flame to it on the stove top.

It takes just a few minutes to get the skillet hot enough where the water pretty much instantly evaporates. I'd imagine putting it in a warm stove took much longer to completely dry it.

[ars]

Direct flame would be even worse. It will rust much faster than it will evaporate.

Reaction speed doubles for every 10 degrees F, but evaporation doesn't.

[learc83]

Reaction speed doubles for every 10 degrees F.

That can't possibly be correct, or at least it's only correct over part of the range.

If a pan rusts at a given rate at 70F, it would rust at 2^33 times that at 400F--those numbers just don't work at all.

Also once the pan heats past the boiling point of water, there is a huge decrease in drying time.

[lkbm]

If my cast iron can rust from two minutes on the stove, I need to stop cooking wet foods in it. It has yet to be a problem, though.

[ars]

Of course. But that isn't what I said.

What I said was that if you are heating the iron in order to speed up evaporation to avoid rust, you are being counter productive. You will avoid more rust (if any would be formed in the fist place), by just letting it air dry.

[lkbm]

I don't know what you said, then. People are saying we put our cast iron on the burner for a couple minutes to dry it off and you're saying the direct flame will cause it to rust.