Burnt crud in Cast Iron Skillet *****


 
Originally posted by Steve Petrone:
I cannot imagine an oven getting hot enough to dammage cast iron in normal use or in a cleaning cycle.
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Steve, the self cleaning cycle on an oven won't damage a cast iron pan, per se, but it will completely remove all of the seasoning and force you to reseason the cast iron pan.

You don't want to do this except under some extraordinary circumstances where you want to strip the pan and start over.
 
Originally posted by Erik G:
Ray, I have always been told not to use water to clean cast iron pots or maybe it was not to use cast iron to boil water, it might cause it to rust. Have I been misinformed?

Erik
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I boil water in my cast iron skillets to soften and remove grease and dried on crud. They say not to use soap on cast iron because it will ruin the seasoning. I haven't really tested that out, but I have occassionally used a little soapy water and it doesn't seem to hurt anything.

The pan won't rust unless you breach the seasoning. Boiling a bit of water for a few minutes doesn't hurt much. But it doesn't hurt to wipe a thin coating of fresh oil in the pan once it's dry, and maybe reseason it once a month or so.
 
I found a 8" cast iron skillet that was my wife's grandmothers. It had not been used in years. There was no rust but a lot of burnt flaky buildup. I decided to start over with the seasoning in effort to get the inside of the pan thoroughly clean, I used an angle grinder and a stripper attechment on my drill. I knocked the big chuncks off of the bottom of the pan with a chisel, but otherwise left the patina on the outside of the pan. When I finished, the inside of the pan looked brand new. I have given it a couple of wipedowns with peanut oil and heat cycles in the oven...so far so good. I have used it a few times and the coating on the inside looks to be getting better and better. I have found that while the pan is still fairly hot (not immediatley after removing from high heat, but pretty warm none the less) a little tap water and a scrape with the spatuala gets the pan very clean. I am new to using cast iron but am intrigued by the heat ditribution properties and durability that they offer at a fraction of the high end pans. Sorry for the novel.

Bobby
 
Several years ago on another BBQ forum there was a long post on how to renew old cast iron particularly ones that were purchased at garage sales and had some rust. If memory serves me right they boiled the cast iron in water and vinegar to remove rust and all previous seasoning. I have never used this method although I have purchased several pieces from yard sales. First in responce to the self cleaning ovens. All self cleaning ovens lock the door during the cycle so there is no way to place the cast iron in or take it out until the cycle is over. You can boil water in cast iron, but it will remove all the seasoning in the irons pores. If you have time, I have found that my chicken fryer which is only used for frying is seasoned the best. After you clean your grill pan, place a good amount of shortening or oil in it and let it sit on low on the cooktop. Good luck dealing with you crusty issue.
 
Since this was a brand new seasoned grill pan, I'd personally try to save the seasoning. I clean mine by putting some water in the pan and simmer on the stove top for a short while. This should loosen up the crud between the grooves. Remove from stove top and scrub with a plastic scrub pad, use the hottest water that you can stand for scrubbing and rinsing. You can repeat this cycle multiple times if need be. Just be sure that you dry completely when you are satisfied with crud removal and coat the pan's surface with vegatable oil, shortening or lard while the pan is still warm. I use a paper towel to apply. If you discover any rust, you'll need to strip the seasoning and reseason. Wire brushes, stainless steel scrubbers, sandpaper, etc. are all good tools for this.

I'll give you a little tip here too. On a new piece of pre-seasoned cast iron cookware, I usually add a coat or two of additional seasoning to the original before ever using it. Additional coats don't hurt a thing and it tends to help with clean up.
 
I use a small piece of wood to scrape the bits out of the grooves. Then I follow up with a plastic brush and/or scrubber. All of this while the pan is hot and full of hot water.
With a wire brush you might risk removing too much of the baked-on seasoning layer.

The cleaning approach depends a bit on just how thick your seasoning layer is. Soap can eat away some of seasoning layer, but if the pan is old and very well seasoned, you can afford to use a small bit of soap every so often.
 
The pan you are using. I use a lot.Boiling water in the pan after use and a little brushing should do the trick. These pans will have a little crud between the ridges.using or not using soap dates back to the days when a lotta of lye was in soaps. Still if you use soap the pan must be dry when done washing.I too like a wood scraper for hard to remove crud.The best part of these grill pans is the part the food touches is easy to clean.
 
Try placing a generous amount of salt in the pan prior to using it. The salt will absorb much of the grease thus reducing the amount of crud accumulating in the pan.
 
A slightly different question - We have a couple of Le Creuset skillets. I love using them but my lovely wife, who most often ends up do the cleaning if I do the cooking, doesn't like me using them to fry and saute, citing the difficulty of cleaning the skillets. This is a bummer since they are really good for frying bologna - which as we all know, is one of the great delicacies of life.

I probably should sell the Le Creuset and get a couple of plain old (and antique) cast iron skillets from my parents' barn to replace them, but the darn things were way expensive and they cook really well.

Do any of you guys have tips for cleaning the enameled cast iron that you would share with me?

Thanks,

Pat
 
Originally posted by Pat Smith:
A slightly different question - We have a couple of Le Creuset skillets. I love using them but my lovely wife, who most often ends up do the cleaning if I do the cooking, doesn't like me using them to fry and saute, citing the difficulty of cleaning the skillets. This is a bummer since they are really good for frying bologna - which as we all know, is one of the great delicacies of life.

I probably should sell the Le Creuset and get a couple of plain old (and antique) cast iron skillets from my parents' barn to replace them, but the darn things were way expensive and they cook really well.

Do any of you guys have tips for cleaning the enameled cast iron that you would share with me?

Thanks,

Pat
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Pat,

Here's what Le Creuset has to say about it.
Link
 
Originally posted by Pat Smith:
Do any of you guys have tips for cleaning the enameled cast iron that you would share with me?

Thanks,

Pat
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For stubborn cooked on food, I have had good success soaking in water with a little dishwashing powder... not the liquid, but the powder used in dishwashers. Use an enzyme-based on like Cascade. The enzymes do a good job breaking up the burnt on food.
 
For stubborn cooked on food, I have had good success soaking in water with a little dishwashing powder... not the liquid, but the powder used in dishwashers. Use an enzyme-based on like Cascade. The enzymes do a good job breaking up the burnt on food
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Slightly different tack, but when I read Le Creuset's care instructions, I almost fell over when they said that their enameled CI cookware could be washed in a dishwasher. The only downside that they noted was that automatic dishwasher detergent mide cause the enamel finish to dull over time, not affecting performance of course.
 
I guess the internet shows us what we don't know - I had always been told NOT to wash Le Creuset in the dishwasher. Never questioned why except that I knew not to wash my antique cast iron in the dishwasher (I wash it by hand, soapy water, towel dry, wipe the inside with oil before storing).

I don't think I want to toss the Le Creuset in the dishwasher!

Pat
I
 
The reason you do not want to use soap or cleaners is it can flavor the Patina of the cast iron. I have used the green/yellow sponges {green side is rough} and I heat up the dutch oven and run the green side over the gunk after boiling water in the dutch oven or skillet. the goal is to build up the patina so major cleaning attacks defeat the purpose.

Also acidic foods like Tomatoes are frowned on as that also attacks the patina. I bet if you heat up the skillet with water then use the hard sponge {wearing a nice pair of GLOVES to protect da hands} and the major gunk will be removed and the stuff you want to keep {the patina} will stay.


keep in mind, My opinion and 89cents will get ya a large coffee at 7/11....if you bring your own cup

Dan
 
I've been using cast iron frying pans, griddles and dutch ovens since the 70's starting in Boy Scouts and still use many I've had for 25+ years.

What I've always done is clean, season, and then use well. Cleaning is just boiling water and using a corm broom like brush (usually found at trapper rendezvouses) or use a scotch (green) pad or the brass brushes mentioned before. Once your get it as cleaned as you possibly can, season it. One method is like this, though we do it differently on campouts with similar results. Then use the heck out of at least 10 times cooking only fatty things (bacon or sausage we've found is the best) cleaning only with hot water and brushes and "oilying" with bees wax after each use. After the 10 times you can cook anything. cleaning and waxing/oiling after wards each time. We have cast iron over 60 years old in the troop boxes that's in great shape. Works for us.
 
I have noticed that using a even a small amount of mild soap like ivory over time will destroy the seasoning on your pan or dutch oven.I just use hot water and a stiff bristle brush.Rubbing a little kosher salt around with a stiff brush works well in a warm pan too for tuff jobs.Also, instead of applying vegetable oil to pan when finished try using mineral oil .Vegetable oil or cooking sprays get sticky and nastey after a while of just sitting there where as mineral oil doesn't do that.I have 1- 12in.,2-10in.& 2-6in. pans,1-5qt. dutch oven,and 2-corn stick pans and haven't had a problem for several years now since cleaning with just hot water and wiping with mineral oil when finished.I season season my stuff once a year weather it needs it or not.I do it on New Years Day.I apply a thin layer of Crisco and thorw them in my Weber Genesis for an hour at 350.I figure why not,I'm just gonna lay around all day anyway.
 
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