cast iron skillet cleaning?

[Brandi]

I just adopted this cast iron skillet that belong to my friend. It is well seasoned and all but how do you clean it? And what if something sticks really bad to it? Do have scrub and reseason it?

[Kimmyt]

If the mess is bad, I put a little bit of light oil (like corn of veggie) in it and put it in the oven on warm for a few minutes to warm the oil up, then I sprinkle a fistful of salt into it and scrub at it with a washcloth or towel. It's a lot of work so I only use my castiron once in awhile. After enough scrubbing the oil gets absorbed and the salt will start flaking away (i do this over a sink to eliminate too much mess), taking with it any particles that are on the bottom of the pan. Once when I got a really bad caked on mess I used a metal spatula to scrape the gunk off, but I don't like to do that. After I'm done I'll try and rub some more oil in so it's lightly coated and not dry.
THere may be better ways to do it, if so I'd love to know!

K.

[Becky]

I usually just wipe it out with a paper towel or clean rag, or maybe a quick rinse. For really gunky messes, I do the salt trick that kimmyt describes. Occasionally, I am forced to scrub and re-season, but I try to avoid this as much as possible.

[newfsmith]

Copper Choregirls are softer than iron so they can also be used with care on cast iron. My mother always washed our cast iron chicken fryers in the sink, with dish detergent and gentle scrubbing, rinsed well, then dried well over a low flame, and finally moistened a rag slightly with vegetable oil and wiped the inside. If something got really burned on, before she washed it she would partially fill with soapy water and simmer it for a half hour to help loosen the crust. If the pan loses it's cure, after cleaning coat it liberally with vegetable oil and bake the empty pan for 3 or 4 hours in a hot oven (375-400 F). By the way, one of my aunt's never used oil on her cast iron griddle. Before she poured a batch of pancakes she rubbed the griddle with a rag with 2-3 TBS of salt in it. It always worked for her, although I never tried it.

[alpinerabbit]

Soak in water containing dishwashing powder. The enzymes contained in it will degrade any caked on protein they can get.

If that does not help: oven cleaner.

If that still does not help: A wire brush thingy to fit onto a motor drill. it's what my dad uses for cast iron pans and grill grids.

[mimitabby]

I soak in water. if it's bad i use soap, but that's pretty rare. I have several cast iron pans and use them frequently to cook in.

[michelem]

http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/0,21770,1178519,00.html

Cleaning and Seasoning a Cast-Iron Skillet
With a little TLC, this versatile pan will take care of you for a lifetime

Christopher Baker

Seasoning
Traditional cast-iron skillets don’t emerge from the box with a nonstick surface. That comes with seasoning, or coating the skillet with cooking oil and baking it in a 350° F oven for an hour. It won’t take on that shiny black patina just yet, but once you dry it with paper towels, it will be ready to use. You’ll reinforce the nonstick coating every time you heat oil in the skillet, and you can hasten the process by seasoning as often as you like. Or you can forget seasoning and go with Lodge Logic (available at hardware and cookware stores), a line of preseasoned skillets from Lodge Manufacturing, the oldest U.S. maker of cast-iron cookware.

Cleaning
A cast-iron skillet isn’t ideal for a set-aside-to-soak sort of person. For best results, rinse the pan with hot water immediately after cooking. If you need to remove burned-on food, scrub with a mild abrasive, like coarse salt, and a nonmetal brush to preserve the nonstick surface; you can also use a few drops of a mild dishwashing soap every once in a while. If the pan gets a sticky coating or develops rust over time, scrub it with steel wool and reseason it. To prevent rust, dry the skillet thoroughly and lightly coat the cooking surface with cooking oil. Cover with a paper towel to protect it from dust.

Tips

Although everything from Dutch ovens to cactus-shaped cornbread pans comes in cast iron, nothing is more versatile than a basic skillet. Either a 10- or 12-inch will do.


There’s only one thing you shouldn’t attempt in cast-iron cookware: boiling water, which will cause the pan to rust.


Cast iron takes longer to warm than other surfaces but retains heat remarkably well and diffuses it evenly.


Cast iron remains hot long after you remove it from the stove. As a reminder to be careful, drape a thick towel or a mitt over the handle.


To avoid getting smudges on all your kitchen towels, designate one to use exclusively for drying your cast-iron skillet.


Cooking in cast iron increases the iron content in food. The longer the food is in contact with the skillet, the more it absorbs.

May 2006

[Blueberry]

Yep - that's about what we do (although we usually do use dish detergent and a soft cloth). Oiling after use is critical (that oil coating cooks the next time you use it and helps with the seasoning). Ours have a lovely, black patina and are pretty much non-stick. I can cook eggs in them:)

CA

[smilingcat]

I made a mistake of cooking deep dish pizza (real thick crust with lots of sauce) in my cast iron skillet. Bit of the tomato sauce spilled and stripped the seasoning off. Got more iron in that meal.

I do love my cast iron skillet. Just tad heavy and have to use both hands.

smilingcat

[wildhawk]

Looks like you have already received some great advice. The only thing I would add is to please, please do not EVER used Dawn dishwashing detergent on it. I did that once and my Dad nearly had a heart attack - his favorite cast iron skillet needed to be completely reseasoned after that. My sister just wipes her out with a paper towel. If something is stuck on there, she soaks it in hot water and gently scrubs it.

[wackyjacky1]

My sister just wipes her out with a paper towel. If something is stuck on there, she soaks it in hot water and gently scrubs it.

Ditto. If I have to wash it, I never use soap, just hot water and a Dobie scrubbing pad.

[Irulan]

I cook with dutch ovens outdoors, cast iron of course.
If your cast iron is hopelessly in need of a re season, what you do it build a big campfire and toss it in there until it's red hot, leave it until it cools and start all over.;)

[Brandi]

Alright! Thanks everyone for all your input. I now know how to take care of it. I made bacon in it this morning and just wiped it out after. Looks good.

[ibcycling]

The little Pampered Chef square plastic? thingies used for cleaning their pans work great on cast iron. I use those and water, wipe dry, and oil. Also you can pour a little water in the pan after cooking something that sticks and deglaze it right out. Just make sure not to let it sit with the water in it.

Lora

[Brandi]

Oh yea I have some of those pampered chef thing's. I will pull one out.

[LoriO]

The little Pampered Chef square plastic? thingies used for cleaning their pans work great on cast iron. I use those and water, wipe dry, and oil. Also you can pour a little water in the pan after cooking something that sticks and deglaze it right out. Just make sure not to let it sit with the water in it.

Lora

Yup, that is what I do, while the pan is still hot I pour hot water in the pan and use the metal flipper to scrape loose anything that is sticking. Just make sure it is hot water as adding cold water to a hot cast iron pan can cause it to crack. Wash out with hot water (try not to use soap if not well seasoned as the iron can absorb the soap and that doesn't tasts good!) and dry well. I will put mine back on the stove for a minute and let the heat dry it and then spray it with some Pam, wipe it with a paper towel to make sure it is coated well and then just put away until the next use.

I love my cast iron pans and I use them for everything. Once they are well seasoned you can cook just about anything in them and not have it stick.

The best place to find good cast iron pans are at tag sales and estate sales. Look for ones marked Griswold, those are the best and after that Wagner Ware. I've got a couple made in the late 1800's and there is no comparing quality compared to the new ones manufactured today.

I also do have one crappy quality one that I keep for when I make things that I don't want in my good pans, such as boiling hot dogs and stuff.

[Tuckervill]

The little Pampered Chef square plastic? thingies used for cleaning their pans work great on cast iron. I use those and water, wipe dry, and oil. Also you can pour a little water in the pan after cooking something that sticks and deglaze it right out. Just make sure not to let it sit with the water in it.

Lora


That's what I use, too. Perfect. And I never ever use any kind of soap on them. Verboten! It can get in the seasoning and flavor your food!

And I don't dry mine with a towel. I put them on the burner (or in the fire) and heat them up, and then let them air dry. Spray a little Pam if they're looking too dry.

Karen