Truth Be Told...Cleaning cast iron cookware
Oh, what I wouldn't give for my Grandmother's 3 perfectly seasoned cast skillets!! I have a few Lodge pieces, and one Griswald, and sometimes I feel I need to wash them with soap, which means I am forever reseasoning them. How do you clean yours? Any tips on seasoning...what do you use, veggie oil, bacon fat?? Please share your tips!!
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23 Comments:
I use a specific, tattered old dishrag (no soap) and hot running water to remove any clinging bits and excess residue from my cast iron. Then it goes into a 300 degree oven for at least 30 minutes, then I turn the oven off. The skillet pretty much lives in one of the ovens.
I guess between the fat content of the food that gets cooked in them and the well-seasoned rag itself (I do wash it occasionally, poor thing) I never feel the need to re-season my cast iron. When I have had to, vegetable oil does the trick.
hungryinhouston at 8:40AM on 02/09/09
I know folks say never to use soap, but there are times that i do use soap and water (especially after cooking fish or something that leaves a smell that I want to get rid of) and have never had a problem, . I always dry my pan on the stove top and sometimes wipe it with a little vegetable oil. i have never had a problem with rust or corrosion.
Judyep at 9:00AM on 02/09/09
I certainly do use soap. My grandmother washed hers and scoured them, I inherited one of them and did the same until I - gasp! - dropped it and broke it. All mine get put in dishwater, although the most I'll use is a plastic scrubbie thing rather than steel wool or a metal scrubbie. Soap. Water. Rinse. Dry immediately over a low flame. That's it. This is a canard, and just reflects that the pan wasn't adequately seasoned, IMHO. Wash 'em!
lemons at 9:33AM on 02/09/09
We have two that have been seasoned over the years. Just wash them with hot water and dry them immediately. I wouldn't worry about not using soap but then I think its silly that in the last few years people have suddenly decided that they can't make it through the day with out applying hand sanitizer several times.
bobbob at 9:39AM on 02/09/09
i have a special stiff brush that i use for my cast iron. if there's stuff in it that sticks, i put water in the pan and boil it for a few minutes, then scrub it out with the brush and dry it on the stove. that works for everything. i don't use soap.
cybercita at 9:48AM on 02/09/09
There are lots of good tips here
Laurel E at 9:59AM on 02/09/09
i don't ever wash mine with soap unless i cooked something really greasy or saucy in it. i just use coarse salt and oil, then take a paper towel and scrub all the food bits off. i dump the salt and then wipe all the excess oil off with the paper towel or soft cloth. one bonus - if i only use it to cook bacon, i save the salt and use it to season things. no use paying for bacon salt if you can make it yourself!
if i do use soap to clean it i reseason it. i just smear it with crisco and then stick it in the oven at 250 for about 4-6 hours.
lazysundae at 10:00AM on 02/09/09
I use hot water and a natural bristle brush when necessary. Wipe down with paper towel, rub with grape seed oil if the pan is looking too dry.
simon at 10:37AM on 02/09/09
Soap? NEVER!
Salt and a paper towel do wonders.
Once maybe every 10 years, I'll clean and reseason my skillets...only if they really need it! I run them through the "clean" cycle in the oven for a few hours. That removes everything. Give them a good rinse and start the reseasoning process.
1stmakearoux at 11:11AM on 02/09/09
Mine is a pretty unorthodox way to clean them, but it works pretty well. I heat the skillet until it's really hot, toss in maybe 1/3 cup of water and as it boils away, I scrub with a bamboo wok scrubber, dump the water in the sink, wipe down with paper towel, dry over heat then rub with a little oil. I've had my skillet for 25 years or so, and except for the initial purchase, I don't think I've used soap on it more than two or three times.
chisai at 11:44AM on 02/09/09
I scour my cast iron skillet with Kosher salt to get off anything food pieces that might be stuck to its surface. Then I rinse thoroughly with hot water. I pat the skillet dry with a dish towel, coat the inside with a thin layer of oil (canola) and heat on low for a while. Wipe off any excess oil and put away.
Junie at 2:16PM on 02/09/09
I do exactly what Junie does, and so does my Dad. It's definitely the standard method. Works great every time!
Embackus at 3:02PM on 02/09/09
I use the salt scour, wipe, re-oil method. Haven't used soap on mine in awhile.
Carnal at 4:21PM on 02/09/09
My understanding was that once a cast iron pan was been seasoned, you should never use soap on it. If you do, you need to re-season all over again.
dmcavanagh at 4:47PM on 02/09/09
Not True! I wash mine in soap all the time, so did my Mum and Grandmother (the original owner). Maybe because it has been in use for over 40 years? Wash in the usual stuff (but no soaking). Plastic scrubby if needed. Rince in very hot water, dry with paper towel or non-precious tea towel. Retained heat in pan will dry it further. Twice a year I season in the over with vegetable shortning although it really doesn't need it.
PeanutButter at 5:24PM on 02/09/09
You can do it incorrectly if you wish, but every authority on cast iron cookware warns against the use of soap on a seasoned pan.
dmcavanagh at 5:38PM on 02/09/09
lemons, how in the hell did you break a cast iron pan? mine are more than 70 years old and have survived camp fires, fire places and katrina.
i never use soap, just hot water, table salt and a stainless steel scrubber, when they need to be seasoned i rub lard all over the entire pan including the exterior and place them in a 200 degree oven for two hours. i only do this twice a year, july 4 and christmas.
olddad at 6:16PM on 02/09/09
I used to use the salt trick, but the seasoning on my pans was too new to be able to handle the abrasion, so keep that in mind if you have a fairly new pan. Now I use hot water, and a little dish soap if it needs it, and it's holding up much better. I do love the trick of making bacon in the pan periodically - it does seem to keep it in season better than anything else.
cyberroo at 6:21PM on 02/09/09
Hot water and a dish brush, then I wipe it dry and put it on low heat for 5 minutes max, occasionally wiping with a smear of oil and a paper towel before I put it away.
But I store it in the oven. So if I'm preheating the oven for something, I leave the pan in there. Don't have any problems with it so far, and I am not about to run the oven for several hours just for an empty pan.
renzata at 6:51PM on 02/09/09
can someone explain the salt scouring exactly? Sounds like a good method, I want to make sure I understand it.
southeasterneater at 9:58PM on 02/09/09
@southeasterneater: I start by rinsing out whatever i can with hot water. Then sprinkle coarse kosher salt over the entire inside; this probably requires about 3-4 tablespoons. Then I attack with a plastic scouring pad, and rinse with very hot water at the end. Very rarely, I have to repeat the process to get really burnt on foods off. Nearly always works the first go-around.
Embackus at 4:10PM on 02/10/09
@olddad, I dropped it! I cried. But I was really glad it was me and not one of my kids - I am fearful of just how angry I would have been.
And as to it being "incorrect" - the kitchen police aren't allowed in my house. I shoot them on sight.
lemons at 4:28PM on 02/10/09
southeasterneater, the salt scouring idea goes back to the days before nylon and stainless steel scrubbers were invented. salt was a gritty substance that helped clean the pot and was readily available in the kitchen. i still use salt and a stainless steel scrubber even though i don't need the salt, mom and grandmom used salt and that's all i need to know.
olddad at 8:45PM on 02/13/09