Cleaning a Cast Iron Skillet


 

BobJ

TVWBB Super Fan
For those who use a cast iron skillet how do you clean it? I know you are not supposed to use water, soap, or a scrubby, but after a hard use those are the only things that work. And yes, I oil it a bit after.

So how do you get off the really crisped on crud?
 
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For those who use a cast iron skillet how do you clean it? I know you are not supposed to use water, soap, or a scrubby, but after a hard use those are the only things that work. And yes, I oil it a bit after.

So how do you get off the really crisped on crud?
Use whatever you need to and reseason if needed. I season mine at least five times after I restore mine.
 
For those who use a cast iron skillet how do you clean it? I know you are not supposed to use water, soap, or a scrubby, but after a hard use those are the only things that work. And yes, I oil it a bit after.

So how do you get off the really crisped on crud?
You certainly can use water, soap, and a scrubby. If it's just oil and/or butter left in it, I just wipe it out. When it needs more cleaning than that, I usually use just hot water on mine, and a blue (blue only, non-scratch) scrubbing sponge. The green ones will eventually damage your seasoning. When dealing with a particularly big mess, a little dish soap is fine, and won't damage the seasoning, but will strip off any residual oil from the surface. Put a small amount of canola or grapeseed oil in it, and wipe most of it out when storing, don't leave it extra oily or it will become sticky with time. In essence, clean it as gentle as you can, but don't be afraid of using soap if needed. Hope this helps.

Charlie
 
I am with C Lewis. He treats his CI pans exactly like I do. If you get something really bad stuck on and have to get aggressive with it, then you simply have to do what you have to do and start the seasoning process over again. No big deal.
As C Lewis says, if I am doing something like a grilled cheese, I simply wipe the pan out with a dry paper towel and put it back in the cupboard. No water, no soap, no muss, no fuss.
 
Here's a thread I posted on the topic - I still like my camp chef cast iron cleaning/conditioning products with the chainmail cloth

 
Awwww skip the beeeeesssss. Just use some hot water and either a SS scrubber or one made of plastic. And then reseason with a mixture of flaxseed oil, canola, grapeseed and some beeswax.
 
My sister got me one of those chain mail things for gunk removal, it works pretty well, no noticeable breakdown in seasoning, but for the most part I give it a hot rinse when I’m done while the pans still warm and wipe.
I picked up some avocado oil spray at Trader Joe’s so, I have taken to a very quick spritz and rub it down. So far no complaints
 
For those who use a cast iron skillet how do you clean it? I know you are not supposed to use water, soap, or a scrubby, but after a hard use those are the only things that work. And yes, I oil it a bit after.

So how do you get off the really crisped on crud?
Man you're hard @ssed on your stuff.
 
I use Dobie (sp?) pads a a drop of dishwasher soap. Note that the seasoning is polymerized oil and soap like dawn will not break it down. If I need to scrub out residual build up, I will use a bit of bar keepers friend. Salt works too. Haven’t re-seasoned a pan in 10 years.

I do apply a very thin coat of oil after each use…
 
I use Dobie (sp?) pads a a drop of dishwasher soap. Note that the seasoning is polymerized oil and soap like dawn will not break it down. If I need to scrub out residual build up, I will use a bit of bar keepers friend. Salt works too. Haven’t re-seasoned a pan in 10 years.

I do apply a very thin coat of oil after each use…
Perhaps mechanical breakdown is necessary. All my CI is reseasoned in beeswax, flaxseed oil aka linseed oil, and then there are grape seed and canola oils.
 
I use Dobie (sp?) pads a a drop of dishwasher soap. Note that the seasoning is polymerized oil and soap like dawn will not break it down. If I need to scrub out residual build up, I will use a bit of bar keepers friend. Salt works too. Haven’t re-seasoned a pan in 10 years.

I do apply a very thin coat of oil after each use…
Add some bees wax. It's very durable.
 
What I do.....if it's just lightly soiled just wipe it out with a paper towel. If stuff is stuck on I put some course salt in the pan and whatever oil I have, (usually olive, rice bran, avocado etc.) and scrub then wipe out, repeat until the paper towel only picks up a little color.
 
A plastic scraper works great to dislodge anything stuck in place.

You should be drying the piece on a stove burner or in a low oven when you’re done. Oil +beeswax is a nice protective coating .
 
Perhaps mechanical breakdown is necessary. All my CI is reseasoned in beeswax, flaxseed oil aka linseed oil, and then there are grape seed and canola oils.
Flaxseed oil is about the worst thing that you can put on cast. It looks good at first, but eventually will chip off. Many collectors these days don't want to purchase cast that has been flaxed. Grapeseed oil and canola are great choices though. Plain old Crisco works well. I personally use a product called Crisbee and Larbee for my seasoning.
 
I've been using a Larbee puck but I just switched to Crisbee Cream. I like it. Just a few drops works. I've got the plastic scrapers, the chain mail scrubber etc. I will use dish soap on occasion. I've found it works fine and doesn't hurt the seasoning. I heat up the pan on the stove an rub in a few drops of Crisbee Cream.
 
I've been using a Larbee puck but I just switched to Crisbee Cream. I like it. Just a few drops works. I've got the plastic scrapers, the chain mail scrubber etc. I will use dish soap on occasion. I've found it works fine and doesn't hurt the seasoning. I heat up the pan on the stove an rub in a few drops of Crisbee Cream.
I saw the cream recently but haven't tried it yet. Sounds like it's working well for you, I may order some.
 

 

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