cast iron

[jpants]

hey cooking craftsters!  i hope it is ok to post this here.  i usually stay over in the knitting folder, but i thought maybe y'all could help me.  
last night i accidentally turned on the burner under my cast iron skillet that lives on the stove top.  by the time i realized my mistake the cast iron was smoking majorly.  i immediately plunged it into a sink full of water, very dramatic.  now there is this red ring in the middle of the skillet, about the size of the burner, almost looks like rust.  have i ruined the skillet? what can i do to fix it?  will re-seasoning it do anything?  

[firefly]

hey jordana!
i'm not positive, but you could try using steel wool to rub off the rust, then reseason it?

enjoy the super-spring day down there!
~amy

[thixle]

No, you didn't ruin it! I did the same thing a couple of years ago! Here is what my grandmother told me... The reason the ring is there is because you put it into the cold water while it was so hot- very bad on cast iron. It may be rust that um... grew because the grease coating was burned completely off, then it was exposed to water and air. If the ring is actually rust, it will be raised and "scratchy"- just rub that with steel wool until it is smooth, then re-season it. If the ring is the same texture as the rest of the pan, then it is just a stress mark. It won't hurt you or the pan, just scrub it out (I bet there is a lot of "burn" on it) then re-season it. The ring will probably be visible for a long time (I know mine is) but the pan will still last you the rest of your life