I had a real hard time trying to season my cast iron pan using the "scientific" methods of wiping on the perfect amount of fat and leaving it in the oven at a perfect temperature for a perfect amount of time. Eventually I just said screw it and started cooking on it... after a week or so I had an amazing non-stick seasoning that eggs just slide off of. Convinced me that a lot of people just overthink this stuff way too much. I can't imagine my great grandma carefully pre-seasoning these pans in the 1920s, she'd just cook on the damn things.
@dealbreakerc8 ай бұрын
It's not a difficult process. Just a quick water rimse and maybe some dishsoap and wipe with a cloth, a good dry, a bit of oil (say a little bigger than a dime to a quarter depending on the size of the pan) and then a good wipe around with paper towel on the residual heat. It's not any more care than most pans really. You shouldn't leave food to get stuck on on any pan as it's much easier to clean fresh off the heat in the first place.
@DreadKyller8 ай бұрын
The main reason it's recommended to add thin layers is for bonding, if you add too much oil it can become sticky and not polymerize fully, leaving a sticky, gunky feeling to parts of the pan. A very thin layer will polymerize more completely in less time and is more likely to bond to the other layers, but because it's thin you need to apply a lot of layers for any substantial effect, and an improperly cured layer can make it difficult to add additional seasoning layers. And when I say thin I mean you should basically not see any oil when applying it, it should look almost dry, it's almost impossible to get all the oil off a pan with some form of towel so there's almost always an extremely thin layer left. When I started seasoning some pans I thought that was too little and applied enough oil that I could still see the shine from it, and the seasoning did not turn out good at all. The thing about pre-seasoning is more for at the beginning or after a heavy restoration, a completely fresh pan will have very little seasoning and can be so sticky it's nearly impossible to cook with, so a lot of people don't want to cook with the pan for 4-5 cooks until it starts getting more non-stick. And if you end up needing to restore a pan, say the seasoning is ruined and it starts rusting, it's important once you remove the rust and seasoning layers to preseason as quick as you can, as the raw cast iron will rust readily and impart unenjoyable iron flavors into your food. If a pan already has enough seasoning that you feel good using it, then by all means use it often and all good to go.
@walterw28 ай бұрын
yeah, no need to be precious about it; what helped me get a feel for how to approach this stuff was a couple of those "cowboy cook" videos where the guy would just rub some oil on a pan and stick it in a campfire until it smoked a little and the pans come out a beautiful glossy black hell, one time adam ragusea just got one hot on his stove and (after turning the flame off!!) hit it with some cooking oil spray, whereupon it set instantly like "seasoning spray paint"
@axeavier8 ай бұрын
there are many methods, another one is simply getting something like grapeseed or rapeseed oil and pouring it out just so the entire bottom is coated and no more. Then leave it on high for a bit and dump it out. It's a great way that'll work every time but it'll waste the oil. But simply cooking on it works too
@bramvanduijn80868 ай бұрын
Also, it really matters what you cook in it. Some things you can mess around, mess up, and your pan will be fine. But if, for example, you cook with tomatoes often then in my experience you need to also pay attention to re-doing the seasoning.
@dr.kraemer8 ай бұрын
Y'all are so good at answering practical questions using clear language and staying focused on the most important ideas.
@cebo4948 ай бұрын
The only truly important tips are "don't scrape too much or too hard" and "keep it dry". If you cook normally, clean it normally, and just do a good job of drying it, then it will be fine. I do usually heat my cast iron and carbon steel after I clean to dry it though, my climate isn't dry enough to leave them out. Doubly so for carbon steel pans (my wok) which tend to have a thinner layer of seasoning, get scraped more, and which often have various joints or rivets for handles and stuff which can get water trapped in them. When I dry my wok over the fire, I tilt it towards the handles and there's always a bit of fizzing from them. Although, it is admittedly a fairly cheap wok, so your mileage may vary.
@MichaelFairhurst8 ай бұрын
Even scraping often/hard can be a good thing as it evens out the bumpy texture over time!
@cebo4948 ай бұрын
@@MichaelFairhurst If you do that though, it's gotta be done really evenly. It's very easy to scratch a pan with a fork or the corner of a metal spatula if you're not careful. Nuance dies on the internet, so it's generally easier to say "don't do it" than to say "sometimes it's fine, but only if you do x, y, and z"
@MichaelFairhurst8 ай бұрын
@@cebo494 I use a metal spatula, aggressively, all the time and haven't experienced issues. But I'm sure one day I will because you're right, everything is more nuanced than it appears online. Cheers!!
@KaiserTom8 ай бұрын
Keeping it dry is very easy if you just leave the oily residue from the last cook until you use it again. Then just break out a sponge and soap and clean it when you need it. The oil from the last cook keeps water off the pan very well.
@kaitlyn__L8 ай бұрын
The handles are the issue on my wok lately yeah 😅 I prefer a carbon steel frying pan over a full cast iron as well though, mostly for weight reasons. I have a better seasoning on that than the wok though, I guess due to a thinner layer from the factory like you say. Maybe I should try to start again with my wok… either grind it back, or just buy a new one and be a little more careful drying the handles.
@Pfhorrest8 ай бұрын
My first exposure to cast iron pans was when I was asked to do the dishes after a meal at stranger's house and when I started to apply the soapy sponge to a cast iron pan someone freaked out at me. That has made me think "well fuck these prissy pans that get ruined by ordinary washing!" ever since. This video helpfully clears up that that person was just overreacting.
@QuinnGIn1080p8 ай бұрын
Exact same thing happened to me with a roommate I had a while back except the dishes had been piled up and just sitting in the sink for almost a week before I got tired of it. I was almost done cleaning everything when they came in and the first thing they did was start freaking out that I was washing the cast iron with soap. Only difference was that I was aware that seasoning them was a thing, just didn't know that a light soap scrubbing would completely "ruin" it. I told them "can't it just be re seasoned?" But they obviously didn't want to hear that since they couldn't even wash dishes and worked at home.
@volbia128 ай бұрын
The only rule I'd say cast iron has is "don't leave it visibly wet". hit it with a dish towel after you're done washing and it's fine. Other than that you're basically cooking with the toughest thing around.
@YouzACoopa8 ай бұрын
yep if dish soap ruins it, it's not seasoned. Oil layers that are too thick or not properly heated will wash out... and they should be washed out.
@clayw88848 ай бұрын
Who tf asks a guest to do their dishes? I mean I kinda get it if you offered to do them, but even then a normal host would insist that they’ll do their own dishes. The only way this could possibly make sense to me is that this didn’t happen in America because almost everyone I know would have just said “fuck off” and left immediately after the hosts asked that.
@iansammons27308 ай бұрын
No steel scrubby, no dishwasher, no soaking... soap and normal abrasive plastic, bamboo, etc) are fine. Just dont go crazy.
@DoctorX178 ай бұрын
I had no idea modern soaps wouldn't instantly strip the seasoning! Good to know :)
@FlexibleToast8 ай бұрын
Yeah, this is the most shocking part of the video.
@FlexibleToast8 ай бұрын
@quercus3290 if it can strip polymers, I wouldn't know at all what it could do to my skin. I don't know if my skin is at all similar in chemistry to a polymer.
@Ucceah8 ай бұрын
deglazing with wine or tamato juice, t make a pan sauce for yoyur steak, does more damage, than a bit of dish soap an scrubbing could ever do
@emilymarriott59278 ай бұрын
Technically old soaps shouldn't either. Soap is made with lye, but if the soap is properly made, no lye will be left in the soap. Modern dish soap isn't even soap, it's a detergent, and it will in no way harm your seasoning :)
@nyanuwu42098 ай бұрын
@@Ucceah Few drops of soap while it's still plenty hot then hit it with some tap water - enough to get the soap foaming and steam hissing, but not enough to plummet the temp. Basically deglazes with the soap and water, barely even need to scrub. Non-stick pans are a scam.
@billmankin62048 ай бұрын
My 12" cast iron skillet was my grandmother's. Had to do a bit of restoration due to poor storage, but now it's my most treasured piece of cookware. Everything you said here is spot on, and I would add, if you treat it well, it will treat you well for a lifetime. Maybe longer.
@joeschmo6228 ай бұрын
My mum was gonna toss out a small (8"?) cast-Fe pan, until I said, "Screw that... gimme!", and that became my fave for eggs. Was all pale gray and rusty, just nekkid Fe. Sanded down the shiite out of it , smoothed it, seasoned it, and it's one of my faves.
@ThePatente3 ай бұрын
My kit is on it's second life (Me, my grand father bought it new) It's 95 years old and still looks like new. :) Best thing ever. I don't have kids, but someone will inherit those. :)
@argentosebastian2 ай бұрын
Can you imagine how many meals your grandmother s skillet already has.
@ThePatente2 ай бұрын
@@argentosebastian Probably something like 30 000 meals?!?! In 95 years. 3 generations. I still use it one or twice a day. :)
@chillsahoy26408 ай бұрын
One of the best things about cast iron pans is that it's really, really difficult to do any permanent damage to them. Sure, if you don't take good care of them you could strip away the layers of seasoning, or worst case scenario you expose the iron underneath and let it rust. But again, it's not permanent: with some iron wool you can scrape off the layer of rust, and re-season afterwards. Sure it's a hassle but nothing that you can't resolve with a little time, oil and heat; no permanent harm done.
@ThePatente3 ай бұрын
My kit is 95 years old. Still looks new. No, I didn't bought it new, I inherited them from my grand father. :)
@aaa-gt8by2 ай бұрын
Or remove the rust via electrolysis. You can set it up pretty easily. You just need a basin to hold electrolized water and use connect a battery to the pan.
@buxombobaАй бұрын
When I was newly moved out I got a cast iron pan. I didn't care for it very well, and it rusted... I threw it away because I thought it was completely ruined. I still kick myself for that lol.
@chillsahoy2640Ай бұрын
@@buxomboba It's just a learning experience! I'm sure that the next cast iron pan you'll know how to care for it.
@buxombobaАй бұрын
@@chillsahoy2640 I ended up inheriting one a few years later from a passed family member and I treasure it! I learned how to care for them and I'll keep it until I pass it on someday
@Kade8281.8 ай бұрын
my teacher sent our class one of your videos and from the start of the year, the videos really helped me out as a food and nutrition student. I've subbed ever since. love your vids, keep it on❤❤
@ameliamelendez15748 ай бұрын
Could you please make a video on Wooden spoons, Wooden cutting boards, etc.? I hear some people with allergies worry about their ability to cross-contaminate from previous uses. Others just feel they can't get clean enough so its gross. I don't have allergies & don't get grossed out so I use them often - but im curious about whether I should stop!
@dealbreakerc8 ай бұрын
Wooden spoons and cooking utensils are fine. You should ideally be giving them a quick wash immediately after use and drying them with a towel as much as possible (as opposed to just letting a soaked spoon air-dry) but you aren't going to get anyone sick unless you don't wash a wooden spoon after using it with raw meat or just letting it sit out unwashed for a long time. For wooden cutting boards, same thing. Every now and then (as in once or twice a year) you may want to sand it down a bit and apply some neutral food safe oil (usually mineral oil - you can also use this one wooden spoons and such but since spoons tend to be so cheap it's not really worth the added effort ot sand and oil them like it is with a good wooden cutting board).
@kaitlyn__L8 ай бұрын
@@dealbreakercoh, good tip. My favourite cutting board is looking a bit scarred-up with dry patches now, and I wondered what could be done with that. It makes sense that treating it like my guitar fretboard (polish, perhaps a lot more vigorously with the cutting board, and oil) is the way to go 😊
@Cream_of_sum_yung_gai8 ай бұрын
I grew up in a home where my mother prepared raw chicken on wooden cutting boards with wooden spoons, washed with ordinary dish soap, and I'm still alive many decades later.
@user-ne9sd4ow1o8 ай бұрын
My mom uses plastic cutting boards and she got cancer.. I only use wood because I don't like eating microplastics
@Cretaal8 ай бұрын
Kitchen woods are used because of their anti-bacterial properties. The gouge marks are the same as with plastic, but the plastic isn't trying to combat the bacteria, and putting microplastics into your prepared dish. Wash the wood, run it through the dishwasher to sanitize and you're better off. Yes, the wood is more porous, which gives more hiding spots, but those spots are inhospitable to things like e-coli and salmonella due to the wood resins and oils. As long as you sanitize and dry it out, you're safe.
@PTNLemay8 ай бұрын
It's like those "Forever Stew" or Forever Soups. Where the same dish has been cooked and served and restocked for decades. So long as you don't get chemical contaminants in, and so long as the heat is high enough, no germs can propagate in it.
@anthonyjoshder43958 ай бұрын
Perpetual 1-day blinding stew
@priestesslucy8 ай бұрын
@anthonyjoshder4395 blinding?
@AdrianRP19958 ай бұрын
@@priestesslucy It's a meme, look it up it's quite funny
@claytonberg7218 ай бұрын
There was a 1500 year old pottage in france that got interrupted in WWII. I think the oldest pottage is now 300 years old.
@JimmyJones-w3p8 ай бұрын
I've made a pot of stew then just added vegetables as it got low. I think it lasted about a fortnight maybe a little longer.
@mirrikybird8 ай бұрын
Your first cast iron video answered so many of my questions, but this video really rounded it all out and answered my core question of cleaning them and what "seasoned" actually meant.
@Margen678 ай бұрын
birb
@LivingOnADime8 ай бұрын
As a soapmaker I have to correct one thing...Lye is used to make soap but there is no lye in properly made soap as it has had a chemical reaction to it and is not longer lye...it's soap. It won't strip your pan if you use lye soap but using a straight lye water bath can strip your pan if you need to.
@KingofJ958 ай бұрын
This is true now since we know the science. Back in the day, this wasn't the case. People used wood ashes for their base, and the lack of consistency in that meant a very high chance of unreacted base left behind.
@thegoodwitchluzura7 ай бұрын
False. Just like baking a cake doesn’t make the flour or egg in it disappear, soap made with lye will always have lye in it.
@prodihue7 ай бұрын
@@thegoodwitchluzuraconcept of what a "thing" is changes a bit when it gets down to molecular level. The chemical process in which soaps are made is called saponification. When making soap, you'd mix lye (typically NaOH sodium hydroxide) and oil (chain of fatty acids). Lye is first carefully measured according to amount of oil being used and dissolved in water - this causes the lye to ionize into sodium and hydroxide (OH-). Hydroxide ion then combines with a hydrogen from the fatty acid to create water (H2O) and sodium ion bonds with the rest of the acid, creating soap. So, what used to be components of lye are something entirely different. The lye, as long as the formula is correctly balanced, is no longer there. If you baked that cake of yours until it burned to ashes, what you have there aren't eggs, it's just soot and a very upset grandma.
@falleithani5411Ай бұрын
@@thegoodwitchluzura Oh boy. You and @LivingOnADime are both half-right, at best. If you thoroughly mix vinegar and baking soda in the correct ratio, you will be left with absolutely no vinegar, and absolutely no baking soda. Instead you will have _only_ water, carbon dioxide, and sodium acetate. That's it. That's because of _chemistry._ Cooking and manufacturing both involve a _lot_ of chemistry, and the only substances that chemistry cannot break down and transform into new, different substances are the _elements listed on the periodic table._ Lye is not one of those. In fact, what makes Lye a _base_ is that it is very _easy_ to break it down and transform it into other substances by combining it with other stuff, which is also destroyed in the process. With that said, modern dish soaps will destroy cookware seasoning, even if they don't contain any lye. Cookware seasoning is made out of the exact same compounds as the tough brown-black crud left on glass and ceramic bakeware after use. Any soap which can be used to break down and clean that crud off that bakeware will attack the seasoning on your pans.
@JdotCarver17 күн бұрын
@@falleithani5411 Dude, you- I mean they obviously are having trouble understanding basic life if whenever they make a cake they are wondering where their egg went.
@AMTunLimited8 ай бұрын
Super cool to see an Adam Ragusea shout-out, especially that episode. One of his best science explainers, I think
@Lizard-8138 ай бұрын
That was a particularly great video of Adam's as well. I think about that one a lot
@BuzzingGoober8 ай бұрын
He's a tool
@keppycs8 ай бұрын
@@BuzzingGoober You're a tool
@3katsime8 ай бұрын
@@BuzzingGoober what'd he do
@vaylonkenadell7 ай бұрын
@@BuzzingGoober Buttmad that he's not a right-wing nutjob like Alton Brown?
@lisab14198 ай бұрын
My Mama and Grandma used soap on theirs and then dried them on a burner on the gas stove. If something was really stuck on them as it sometimes will, they just put some water in the skillet and simmered it for a little bit, dumped the water out, wiped it dry, then put it on the gas stove burner with a little bacon grease rubbed in. That kept the beautiful black seasoning/coating looking and cooking beautifully BTW, they're both gone now, and I'm cooking on their 100yr old passed down cast iron. 😊
@kathyrodriguezrojas4273 ай бұрын
this☝️
@JackofThings8 ай бұрын
THANK YOU. I've always wanted to use a cast iron pan. But after all the research I did about how to clean it I got so overwhelmed and confused. I only ended up using it once and called it quits. I'll use this video from now on!
@ek95898 ай бұрын
It’s really so simple and people will try to convince you it’s so complex, like many other things on the internet.
@yearginclarke8 ай бұрын
@@ek9589 It's easy to misunderstand how to clean, was my biggest problem when starting out with cast iron. Actually I had used them for years before I learned how to properly clean them.
@senorpepper34058 ай бұрын
Gimme da pan
@WayStedYou7 ай бұрын
they literally take me less time to clean than most people spend cleaning their "non stick" pans the only downside is the first seasoning part
@yearginclarke7 ай бұрын
@@WayStedYou You just have to know how to do it, that's all. There's alot of wives tails and stuff like that which persist to this day, which causes much confusion about a simple thing. I'm also thinking back to years ago before you could just research this stuff online. I remember my mom saying they can't ever touch water and all this stuff, without ever explaining how to do anything about cleaning them. That's all that's nonsense, cleaning is very easy.
@TomatoFettuccini8 ай бұрын
Essentially, the fat and oils turn into a plastic surface, something that 3M has been trying to replicate for years with Teflon.
@miinyoo7 ай бұрын
@@SimonWoodburyForget Agreed. Teflon is a special case. An amazing molecule but only good for low and slow cooking with liquid. Or eggs which are notorious. I don't use teflon unless I know I don't want any other flavor to partake and (important and) I know the heat will not get above 350F/170C. The minute you get teflon above 400F/200C, it's breaking down and getting into your food. It's non-toxic so that's cool but your non-stick is becoming less non-stick every time you do that. But this happens to all teflon pans eventually because hot spots occur. Nothing teflon lasts particularly long and there is no way to refurbish it unlike cast iron which isn't as non-stick but does much more than the sum of its parts in the end. TL;DR, Teflon is great for dialing in exact flavor without outside influence. Cast Iron is the opposite, whatever flavor you (without knowing) left in the pan will enhance or compete with the next dish you cook in that pan.
@ano_nym7 ай бұрын
@@miinyoo Teflon is not non-toxic... I cook eggs on a carbon steel pan with a little butter and have literally never had any problems with it. Don't know why people freak out about eggs.
@tims56777 ай бұрын
@@miinyoo Teflon is VERY toxic lol
@zachweyrauch29887 ай бұрын
@@miinyoo Where did you hear that teflon wasnt toxic? Like im pretty sure it is, but maybe im wrong.
@Thesupremeone347 ай бұрын
@@miinyoo not only is teflon toxic, its one of the incomprehensibly toxic forever chemicals that will poison our great grand children and give them cancer and bone disease because it cannot be removed from the water table
@JarOfGibbons8 ай бұрын
3:38 Lye-Less Minnelli for the dish brand name is CRIMINAL lmao
@pkre7078 ай бұрын
I like how you delineate between “gross” and unsanitary. While meanings of these words normally have a good amount of overlap, they are not the same. One is a social/psychological construction and the other is based objectively on wether something is sanitized (without bacteria) or not.
@babilon60978 ай бұрын
Pantastic video. I can see that you are a seasoned pan user. I had a great pun watching your video, as usual.
@ianism38 ай бұрын
Bad babilon, BAD!
@babilon60978 ай бұрын
@@ianism3 Did you notice that a "seasoned pan user" can mean a "user of seasoned pan" or a "seasoned user of pan". And both are true here. Isn't that neat?
@MeriaDuck8 ай бұрын
unbeatable comment 😲
@babilon60978 ай бұрын
@@MeriaDuck Meh. I bet you could easily pun-ch my lights out if you tried.
@YouEra8 ай бұрын
Go straight to jail! Do not get 200 dollars
@ajchapeliere8 ай бұрын
It's nice to see folks correcting misconceptions about cast iron pans. I've met some people who insist that their sticky or outright greasy pans are "properly" seasoned, pay no mind to the residue they were leaving on other surfaces. I also dated a guy who never considered that the soap issue could be related to how the soap is formulated (he had taken a lot of chemical engineering classes so I'm still a bit surprised by that). In a similar vein, people mistakenly think you *need* to use unsalted butter when you're baking. The biggest reason that advice existed was because butter was *heavily* salted for preservation before we figured out refrigeration. Like it straight up had to be soaked before use to draw out the excess salt, and you could be left with a variable amount of salt depending on soak time. These days, the salt is just enough for flavor, and the package tells you /exactly/ how much salt is in the butter, so you can adjust if needed. (Learned some of that from another of Adam Ragusea's videos 😂).
@WobblesandBean8 ай бұрын
I never use unsalted butter when baking, and I'm a very prolific baker. I only buy salted, cuz that's what I like on my toast. Never had everyone tell me my goodies were anything other than delectable.
@drewfromyay8827 ай бұрын
Most people consume way too much salt. I never buy salted butter.
@caryeverett89147 ай бұрын
@@drewfromyay882Some people don't consume enough salt. I was making myself sick for years by not getting enough salt, which is an essential nutrient. I was eating about a third of the daily minimum, far less than even 1/4tsp a day. So to clarify, people who eat nothing but processed foods consume too much salt, as processed food is very heavily salted even if it doesn't taste salty. But people who mostly or exclusively eat fresh foods actually need to be pretty heavy handed with salt to come remotely close to their daily required amount to not be chronically malnourished. As fruits, veggies, and fresh meat have close to zero salt.
@Virtuous_Rogue6 ай бұрын
To be fair, soap is made of fatty acid salts. The gut instinct would be for soap to be acidic or neutral especially if you are aware that they add enzymes to some detergents. Evidently raising the pH enhances micelle development, forming a greater amount of smaller and tighter micelles in the soapy solution. Lye would have been used to make solid soap bricks (your salt anion is also your alkylating agent, 2 for 1 deal) but probably caused a lot of skin irritation.
@eragonawesome8 ай бұрын
Personally I do put my seasoned cast iron in the dishwasher once in a while, just not often. I've never had any issues with it stripping off the seasoning with normal dishwasher detergent, just don't use the extra strong detergents or whatever and it's fine More often though I just use copper wool to scrub the pan with Dawn dish soap in the sink, then pop the pan back on the stove on high heat, spritz with olive oil (i like how shiny it ends up) and boom, reseasoned as much as I need on a regular basis
@kaitlyn__L8 ай бұрын
Yeah sometimes it’s nice to be really sure of cleaning every nook and cranny, and get a good view at the coverage of the “bronze” colour of a thinner seasoning to check on its natural progress of building up.
@mhkhusyairi8 ай бұрын
Thanks
@darrenb13678 ай бұрын
I use my pan virtually daily. I got into the habit of leaving it as is, then I clean with boiling water from the kettle and a good brush after I heat it up for next use. It's a nice balance to save having to reheat after I've eaten.
@Peter-ff1tp6 ай бұрын
So you literally leave a dirty pan sitting on your stove until you cook with it again. You’re gross.
@mrmoshpotato8 ай бұрын
The title of this video really should be "Cast Iron Cooking Is Not Gross".
@austindavis47088 ай бұрын
Yeah but this title actually hits the target demographic of people who are concerned about cast iron.
@TheCudmaster8 ай бұрын
Bait is the best strategy for winning KZbin.
@mister-zen84918 ай бұрын
T H E A L G O R I T H M R E Q U I R ES E N G A G E M E N T.
@mrmoshpotato8 ай бұрын
@@mister-zen8491 Wang Chung tonight! 🤘
@NinjaThatLongboards6 ай бұрын
More like "cast iron cooking should not be gross." Considering a lot of these comments, people aren't actually cleaning their pans
@johns70166 ай бұрын
Chemistry student here: I felt a little bit nervous at 5:08: she says the heat during the next time you cook will kill off "any little nasties" left in the pan. But what gets you sick from bacteria growing in your food is their waste products, or metabolites (toxins) left over AFTER they metabolize sugars. If bacteria has been consuming carbs in your pan all night, they excrete waste products (toxins) into their immediate environment. The toxins are chemical compounds, many of which are not destroyed by heat. Sometimes their metabolites are good for us, like in yogurt. Other times, like in botulism, they can kill us. The organisms will die from heat. But any waste products left behind from what they already metabolized will remain in the pan, unchanged by heat.
@TheGuyCalledX3 ай бұрын
Botulism isn't a great example. The botulinum toxin is broken down by thorough cooking. While you're right that there are some toxins that survive the cooking process, the danger is definitely mostly in not killing the microbes in your food. The microbes multiplying in your body and producing more toxins or outcompeting the microbes already in your gut to throw off your digestion is the main concern.
@sMv-Afjal3 ай бұрын
But would the bacteria survivethe cooking process aand being left in a dry pan?
@Anno_NymousАй бұрын
I finished my degree in microbiology, yes botulism is a potent toxin but the bacterium producing it can't grow on a gunky pan. We can rule that one out. The chance you get foodpoisoning from a pan is very very small.
@TuiCatNZ8 ай бұрын
The MYTH that you shouldn't clean cast iron with soap is infuriating! So many people just don't clean them at all because of this.
@leadpaintchips94618 ай бұрын
Goes hand in hand with the myth that *not* scrubbing them down with soap is unsanitary.
@miniatureface8 ай бұрын
I use “cutting board soap” on my carbon steel, because I assume it’s just soap that is less likely to impart bad soapy flavors.
@Meton25267 ай бұрын
The only myth is WHY you shouldn't. I don't use soap on my cast iron because it makes the next thing you cook in it taste like soap, and it's completely unnecessary. Soap is only needed to remove grease from pans, which doesn't make sense with cast iron since you're just going to polymerize that oil and create a new top layer for your pan's coating. The people who think they've unlocked some secret by putting soap on their cast iron pans are infuriating.
@B3OWULF4167 ай бұрын
You're being a princess, Tui
@Giganfan2k17 ай бұрын
There is no reason to use soap in cast iron. None. I would rather dunk it in vinegar for a couple days or give it an electrolysis bath if I need to deep clean it.
@shinybaldy8 ай бұрын
It is always amazing how on the internet there are entire forums dedicated to OCD seasoning and make cast iron and carbon steel seem extremely difficult. Meanwhile at any restaurant, whether western carbon steel or asian woks, grandmother cooks - you just cook. Wash the pan as one would then dry it with a kitchen towel. Meanwhile some bro who only cooks steak and eggs will go around telling everyone how soap never touches his pan, he bakes it in the oven to reduce moisture and treats a hunk of steel like it is more fragile than a Teflon coating.
@NicholasSandar8 ай бұрын
I cook a lot in my cast iron, and even leave food overnight occasionally. I found that a good modern Lodge pan stood up to this abuse much better than a cheaper, thicker Chefmate that was my first exposure to cast iron. I’ll also say that when I got my second Lodge, I noticed the difference between “brand new” and “well used for the last 3-4 years”. Putting it to use and throwing it in a preheating oven a few times over the first couple months really seemed to help it build seasoning faster. Which is to say, the oven stuff can go way too far, but it’s not useless either, like with a new piece, or restoring an old one.
@nyanuwu42098 ай бұрын
There are literally zero forums anywhere dedicated to OCD seasoning.
@uponeric368 ай бұрын
@@NicholasSandar I found the oven is more useful for Carbon steel than cast iron if you have an electric stove top. Often times electric heats up too much because the temperature is harder to control and you end up burning your season instead of polymerizing it properly; whilst the oven has much better and even temperature. It's also good for doing multiple pans at once, you can go ahead and give all your pans a touch up at the same time.
@uponeric368 ай бұрын
@@nyanuwu4209 Probably means the cast iron or cooking subreddits. I've certainly seen people recommend creative ways to wash a cast iron, the weirdest I've seen being salt and water lmao
@nyanuwu42098 ай бұрын
@@uponeric36 I know what he means. But there's no OCD there. Salt will certainly work if you've got stuff stuck on (and didn't wash while it was still hot which is basically deglazing with soap and water), being abrasive and all, but it's a waste of salt.
@Legohaiden8 ай бұрын
a very informative video for those that dont know the wonders of cooking in cast iron. I have both a Black pot, and a skillet. Basically the two cooking items that get used the most in my house. After cleaning i always reheat and pop a touch of oil with a paper towel to make sure no rust happens and to re-up the season layer. love cooking in cast iron.
@lucasroman65108 ай бұрын
im curious tho, since usually oils and fats burn and become carcinogenic and dangerous because of the high heat, what about the oil layers that are heated on high temperatures over and over, same with the burned pieces of food; im less worried about microbes but more about the carcinogenic effects of burnt oils; (real question not just trying to be negative)
@1dgram8 ай бұрын
That's a concern over a grill where the food can be exposed to many hundreds of degrees. The cooking surface of cast iron cookware shouldn't exceed 400 degrees F or so. If it does, the smoke will let you know that you've gone way too hot
@babilon60978 ай бұрын
@@1dgram But we do see the smoke in the video when the person applies oil to season the pan.
@nhanlenz8 ай бұрын
Perhaps there is a discussion more about browning food vs burning food (black). And furthermore. If a seasoned pan is non-stick, the polymer should not be sticking to your food. You are eating your cooked food, not the polymer.
@1dgram8 ай бұрын
@@babilon6097but it's not much above the smoke point, and when actually cooking you should be below the smoke point
@oliviacarolinanogueira77698 ай бұрын
You are not supposed to eat the polymers
@Neiot8 ай бұрын
Man, I love this channel. It is a shame it isn't getting more of the attention it deserves.
@acecabezon4 ай бұрын
Any bacteria on a dirty pan is likely to die instantly when the pan is heated back up, but doesn’t some bacteria produce a toxin that is not neutralized with heat? What about that being left behind on your pan?
@tommyhodgins33046 ай бұрын
I don't know why I started watching this video, but I know why I finished watching it - it's great! Thanks for sharing all this information. I haven't been able to use a cast iron pan for a few years, but I understand them a lot better now!
@erichildebrandt94908 ай бұрын
I cook on cast iron 60% of the time, and stainless the remaining 40%. I always use soap. Every time. If you have built up a good thick layer of seasoning, any soap made within the past 50 years will not hurt it. The only “never do” things I found are: clean in the dishwasher, let soak overnight, cook highly acidic foods, overheat an empty pan (this can burn off the polymerized layer if it gets hot enough).
@claytonberg7218 ай бұрын
You can cook highly acidic foods like spaghetti sauce, but you'll have to re-season afterwards. I prefer to make stuff like chili and spaghetti sauce in stainless steel.
@Meton25267 ай бұрын
@@claytonberg721 No you won't. I cook tomato sauce in my dutch oven all the time and there's no special care needed.
@claytonberg7217 ай бұрын
@@Meton2526 my skillet is only like 3 years old, maybe you have better seasoning on yours. I'm not saying it wrecks it, it just needs a layer of oil and an hour in the oven afterwards,.. Or you can cook a package of bacon in it the next day or something.
@Leightr8 ай бұрын
The first cast iron pan I bought was a brand new Lodge. I'd cooked in older, "family" pans though and had an idea what I wanted. The first step in my break-in of the pan involved an angle-grinder and a several sanding flap discs. I think I ended on a 400 grit. Then I scrubbed the hell out of it and then immediately got to seasoning. In my area (western WA state) clean, unprotected iron or carbon steel will start to rust in minutes in the damp air. I would never grind a vintage pan, but they tend to be smoother already. Lodge is still an excellent deal for the cost, but I don't feel guilty adding a step to their production.
@urielchami45568 ай бұрын
I simply clean my pan exactly as I would a teflon one. Just soap up, scrup lightly, rinse and drain. My pan is used every single day and 99% of the time I don't bother to do the extra oiling and heating up process. If you use this things often, they are the cheapest, most realiable, best way to cook pretty much anything.
@EverettWilson8 ай бұрын
Yeah.. If your seasoned pan can't handle some scrubbing and soap, then it isn't really seasoned. And I always laugh when I think of home cooks 200 years ago babying their cast/carbon cookware like we baby ours.
@matthewread90017 ай бұрын
Soap used have a lot more lye in it. Lye does actually break down the polmerized layer
@urielchami45567 ай бұрын
@@matthewread9001 yeah like i'm the 60s. I've been cooking for 10 years now... In my life it has not been a problem. And my suggestion stands. The past is of non importance regarding wethether you should clean your pan or how to do so
@Shaneofthefuture7 ай бұрын
I'm calling hte police.
@matthewread90017 ай бұрын
@@urielchami4556 I was more responding to Everett who mentioned cooks 200 years ago where it might have actually been an issue at some point
@koalasez12006 ай бұрын
I have my great grandmother’s cast iron skillets from the late 1890’s. Most still have the carbon on the outside from being used on wood stoves and I don’t obsess over all the “seasoning” issues. I wipe mine out and if needed, scrub debris off with one of those green scrubbers. If you have a sticky spot after frying, say, bacon, put the pan aside for a couple minutes, bring it back to the burner, do a quick scrape and voila….those fried eggs will slip out perfectly 😊
@KaiserTom8 ай бұрын
I live by the motto of "If it comes off with dish soap, its not 'seasoning' or anything I want real seasoning to adhere to." It's really important to remove as much as possible that isn't seasoning. Seasoning attached to junk that isn't attached to the layer below it will just come right off. And that kind of applies to resistance to scraping too. A true seasoning should handle scraping really well. Unless you scrape it with a knife or something dumb. Most of what's going to come off wasn't that well attached anyways.
@meatmanek8 ай бұрын
Totally agree. I use soap and a sponge on my cast iron every time I cook with it, and don't bother post-seasoning. I occasionally (about once a year or if some mishap happens that damages the seasoning) do a few rounds of seasoning in the oven. If you've ever had oil baked onto a baking sheet, you'll know how nearly impossible it is to get polymerized oil off a pan with regular soap and water.
@kaitlyn__L8 ай бұрын
I once was a bit too vigorous with a metal spatula, but yeah it’s handled everything else fine 😅
@KaiserTom8 ай бұрын
@@meatmanek I thought I had a black baking sheet until I took metal wool to it. It's metal colored. And it wasn't a black oxide coating.
@nancyevans54778 ай бұрын
Thank you for explaining it that way. I finally understand my cast iron pans better thanks to you.
@graysonwolf80418 ай бұрын
As someone who watches, Adam Ragusa, I’m so happy that you mentioned him in the video
@_Morri_8 ай бұрын
I bought a cast iron grill pan a while ago, and I love how my tasty my vegetables come out of it. I clean it right after cooking, under hot water with a plastic dish brush. I then wipe it dry with paper towels and will put it on the stove a bit to dry after which i rub some oil (peanut oil) on it before putting it away. My problem is that every time i wipe a paper towel over it, it'll come off black, no matter how often i wipe over it. There do not seem to be any pieces of food stuck to it anymore, but it keeps coming off black. The reason I got a cast iron was to get away from the cancer risk that is Teflon, but I'm worried that the black means there might be burned stuff in there that will end up being more unhealthy in the long run. Should I be worried? The pan was pre-seasoned when we bought it, but we did put a thin layer of oil on it and put it on the stove to bake in before using it a first time.
@MemoGrafix8 ай бұрын
That is oxidation. I wipe off until paper towels don't have any more black/gray residue. I re-grease and fire My Irons. If it really bothers Me visually. I scrub My Irons with scrubbers and re-season. Not a problem for I've been doing that ever since I was young girl (now 50+).
@_Morri_8 ай бұрын
@@MemoGrafix I can keep wiping though; it doesn't stop. But i took a wooden spatula to it yesterday and scraped hard between all the grooves, and a lot of sut and black shavings came off. I think maybe the plastic dish brush i use for cleaning is too soft and doesn't clean it properly? I hope it's leftover burnt food residue and not the protective seasoning of the pan that i scraped off :s Now that most of it has been scraped away, there's hardly any black coming off anymore when i wipe a paper towel over it, just a few gray stains, so hopefully the problem is resolved if i clean it with a wooden spatula after every use. I hope it's still anti-stick and i didn't ruin it. Fingers crossed!
@murphygreen84848 ай бұрын
Thank you for not pan-dering to the haters
@WobblesandBean8 ай бұрын
She better steel herself for the haters to come for her, though.
@snicklefrieghtz8 ай бұрын
Can you do a similar video about wood cutting boards? I've understood for years that wood is naturally antibacterial. I only wash with water (even after meat protein) then dry with a cloth before putting away. But I never use soap. I'll re-oil my cutting board but it's seldom. I'll flip the board if I need to chop veggies.
@PTNLemay8 ай бұрын
Bamboo spatula is pretty good for scrapping the bits of food away. I find it has just the right amount of "toughness".
@ALaughingMan8 ай бұрын
Hi, chef here. I must say, those french pans are my favorite pans ever, and I got soooo giddy when I saw them feature in this video.
@ghostflame92118 ай бұрын
wow, a 5 minute super concise video that basically taught me not to overcomplicate a cast iron pan and just clean it normally. do you guys sell your own cast iron pans cause i'd love to buy my first from you lol
@SkylerL2 ай бұрын
this channel is so clear and concise, i love it.
@fivelakesyj8 ай бұрын
Thank you for this video. I'll be honest, when I clicked on it, I wasn't sure which direction you'd go. I don't remember having watched your videos previously. I have several hundred pounds of cast iron cookware collected over the decades. I'm not old, I've just been young for a very long time. I have fry pans, bread pans, cornbread pans, indoor and outdoor dutch ovens, chicken fryers, and presses.. I treat them all the same, exactly the way you described. My oldest camp dutch oven is over 40 years old. Looks like new. Some of my cast iron was salvaged from garage sales as rusty hulks. My oldest fry pan is only a couple years younger. Again, thank you.
@user-gk7dz9wx9u8 ай бұрын
for many years, use it, into the oven for cool down and storage, maybe scrape out pre next use. (dependent on intended dish)
@beansnrice3218 ай бұрын
Yoooo! The point of seasoning is just an old method to make a non-stick surface. Just like how a liquid mirror can be the smoothest, the liquid oil can settle into a smooth coating and, with heat, polymerize into a smooth solid/hard surface for cooking. It's like cooking on a custom made ice rink, only the ice is frozen carbon residue.
@MMuraseofSandvich8 ай бұрын
My parents used to run a restaurant that had a nice big carbon steel griddle that was likely used to cook cheesesteak for hoagies. What they would do to maintain it is fairly aggressively scrape off the grease and other bits, maybe throw some water on it to dislodge gunk, and get rid of the grease and gunk. They might have tossed some oil onto the griddle at the beginning or end of the work day. I also tried flax oil before... never again, that stuff flaked off after a month.
@imnotdavidxnsx8 ай бұрын
You had me til the end when you suggested that not cleaning your pan AT ALL is fine because of the lack of moisture and/or preheat for the next meal. Keep in mind that there are bacterias that grow not just in H2O but can grow in lipids instead (lipophilic). So your oily uncleaned pans can still grow bacteria without moisture. For example Bacillus cereus can come from meat and milk, is lipophilic, and is extremely heat resistant to beyond boiling temps for a certain period. You definitely don't want oily residues in your pans for extended periods of time if you can help it.
@48956l2 ай бұрын
That life can exist and grow without water is news to me
@Varooooooom2 ай бұрын
@@48956lYou gotta look into extremophiles, they’re fascinating
@firestorm2082 ай бұрын
@48956l A straight up miracle that we have survived for as long as we have when there's bacteria that doesn't need water, is resistant to heat, and comes from meat and dairy. What's the point of washing our dishes at all if those super bugs don't care! Edit for clarification: Wash your dishes if you can, but don't worry if you forgot or didn't. Preheating your pan will be good enough especially if you're doing any cooking that lasts longer than a few minutes. High heat and time kills all things.
@Homiloko2Ай бұрын
Wrong. Lipophilic bacteria still require water, even if fat is their 'home'. At the very least, they will need a certain amount of moisture.
@imnotdavidxnsxАй бұрын
@@Homiloko2 yes, an amount of moisture sufficiently available on an otherwise dry oily pan.
@christopherd59418 ай бұрын
I usually skip the additional heating step, but do it around once a month. I’ve found ~ 20 good uses of the pan with a high smoke point oil is the pinnacle of nonstick. I usually don’t have to use anything besides hot water and a scrub daddy to clean the pan after use. I clean with mild dish soap about once a week or every other week.
@Phriedah8 ай бұрын
I think the only thing I've heard of that isn't addressed in this video is the concept of simmering acidic foods for long periods of time (like a marinara) that CAN strip some seasoning.
@dealbreakerc8 ай бұрын
Yes but unless you are doing that often it won't be enough to really damage the seasoning if a well seasoned pan and it won't result in a really perceptible taste difference in the food nor a meaningful increase in the amount of iron you consume. So as long as you aren't make sauce or chili every week you don't need to even think about it.
@kaitlyn__L8 ай бұрын
@@dealbreakercOTOH I have been using my wok for such stews a lot (with a high intensity pre-fry of a lot of the veg) and the seasoning is definitely thinning faster than it gets applied. So it’s a useful wee reminder that I should supplement my wok’s seasoning in a way my bacon-and-eggs pan doesn’t need.
@kaydreamerАй бұрын
I have a gorgeous red cast iron skillet, which is about 7 years old now. It's close to non-stick, and all it needs for cleaning most things off it is warm water and a rag, and maybe a scrub with some steel wool for anything more stubborn. I never had any luck bake-seasoning it when it was new - I just wound up cooking on it all the time, and it got better and better with age. (And yes, I cook tomatoes with it.)
@sus12218 ай бұрын
I have no issue using soap on cast iron - even soap made from lye. The saponification process transforms the lye into soap - just because lye is an ingredient doesn't mean it's present in the final soap (kind of like baking - saponification is transformative!). I can definitely see how a bad soap batch with the wrong proportion of ingredients could potentially have extra lye left over...but if there's enough lye to hurt your pans, it would also be likely to hurt you - wouldn't want that stuff in your eyes or on bare skin. So I think the risk of traditional soap on cast iron is WAY overblown.
@thegoodwitchluzura7 ай бұрын
False. Just like baking a cake doesn’t make the flour or egg in it disappear, soap made with lye will always have lye in it.
@gwcoty07152 ай бұрын
@@thegoodwitchluzura False
@crow-dont-know6 ай бұрын
For my carbon steel pans I used chainmail and soapy water. Rinse off the soapy water and then heat it on the hob, rub in a tiny bit of oil, get it up a heat where there’s wisps of white smoke, then either turn it off or turn it down to low and leave it for 5 minutes. I absolutely love the chainmail scrubbers, they’re also great for cleaning items covered in cheese, wet flour, and porridge which typically gum up a sponge.
@jacopodamico49596 ай бұрын
Thanks for your great videos! I a a big fan of cast iron etc too. But a question: are we sure that the polymers that are being formed in layers in the pan are safe to eat? Since for sure some of them does goes into the food while cooking with utensils..is there any reasearch at all?
@Zuel1222 ай бұрын
That's also my concern about cast iron seasoning. There's really a lack or research if this polymer is toxic, when we've eventually discovered that every other nonstick polymer for pans is toxic and comes off into our food. When I've voiced such concerns on a different website before I just got bagged on and told it's safe with no scientific evidence to back up that claim.
@JockoV6 ай бұрын
I'm not into food or cooking at all but the mystery behind "seasoning" a pan and what it is was always interesting and confusing to me because so many people had a different opinion about it. This was a very detailed overview that explained everything so well that my curiosity has finally been satisfied. Thank you 🙂
@polythewicked8 ай бұрын
Thank you for this. I get so tired of explaining the soap thing to people who still believe you shouldn’t use soap.
@guilhermesalustiano96108 ай бұрын
Hey, I would love to listen about cutting tables. Is plastic cutting tables safe? How do not eat microplastic? How to proper clean and how often a wood cutting table? I love your channel, thanks!
@fab1862 ай бұрын
Anti soap people would be shocked at how well seasoned my pan is despite scrubbing it with soap daily
@jayfisher33592 ай бұрын
Hmm chemicals.
@plixplop8 ай бұрын
For some reason I also like the "ritual" aspect of cleaning, heating and oiling a pan to a nice shine after use
@SwirlyTurtle8 ай бұрын
this was really helpful and insightful. thanks for the content!
@kmcsciguy8 ай бұрын
All the content you’ve made on cast iron has taught me so much!
@javieraleman36118 ай бұрын
Great video, could you talk about the carbon build up that may happen
@annabraithwaite96118 ай бұрын
With seasoned pans that are looked after properly what is the risk of allergen cross contamination.
@nicksamek128 ай бұрын
5:12 isn’t the worry with many microbes the toxins they leave behind, not necessarily the organisms themselves?
@blairhoughton79183 ай бұрын
Even in Phoenix you can get rust if you leave water on your seasoned cast iron. Wiping won't get all the tiny droplets out of any cracks or crevices, like in the lettering or designs or any chips in the seasoning. BT, DT, so now I warm it to dry it and oil it for storage every time, and season it when I feel like it (it'll season anyway when the protective oil gets heated next time I use it).
@GrCent3 ай бұрын
When thinking seasoned, I always think of the term seasoned veteran.
@SteelsCrow8 ай бұрын
I leave pans on the stove and reuse them every few days for weeks on end, without washing them. I can firmly attest that nothing ever grows in a pan that I've let dry out, but just a little moisture held in place by a closed lid will get mold spots after just a few days. So I just leave lids slightly ajar when not in use and only bother washing them if oily crusts on the underside get thick.
@TheBrandiersProject6 ай бұрын
Avoiding bacteria is like trying to avoid your feet.
@tapewerm67166 ай бұрын
Not really. How you handle your food and cookware makes all the difference. Bacteria thrive in some mediums and on some surfaces, but not on others. Because you can heat cast iron to very hot temperatures, it tends to destroy any bacteria present in any residue left from cooking.
@sprites47384 ай бұрын
i mean, sure, some bacteria is inevitable. but just like it's easy to go the whole day without licking your feet, it's also easy to avoid getting an excessive amount of contamination in your food by doing simple things like washing your hands and using clean dishes when you're cooking.
@radiognomeinvisible2 ай бұрын
As a restaurant owner, I told this to the health inspector just the other week
@mangoxmochi32058 ай бұрын
is there any chance the leftover food bits could be burnt and increase the risk of cancer instead?
@iseslc8 ай бұрын
Thank you for clarifying that using soap to clean a cast iron or carbon steel pan won't send you straight to hell... Just make sure to dry it well and re-season it every now and then, no need to be so nerdy about it...
@HarpaxA8 ай бұрын
Bacterial stuff might die under high heat, but how about carcinogenic stuff that left over from previous frying if you don't clean it up.
@fish462628 ай бұрын
easy fix: clean the pan.
@joeg45898 ай бұрын
Think of an outdoor grill. Do you aggressively wash the cooking surface of your grill with soap and water? Nope.
@fish462628 ай бұрын
yes!! this is such a perfect example for this kind of pan
@dr.emilschaffhausen46838 ай бұрын
I don't cook on my grill in a layer of oil.
@joeg45895 ай бұрын
@@dr.emilschaffhausen4683 which further drives my point home
@joeg45895 ай бұрын
@@dr.emilschaffhausen4683thanks for sharing. How does that information apply to my analogy though?
@dr.emilschaffhausen46835 ай бұрын
@@joeg4589 You implied that a grill and a cast iron skillet were somehow similar cooking apparatuses, and that if you don't clean a grill with soap and water why would you clean a cast iron pan with it. I was simply stating a difference to show that there is a reason why one would occasionally clean a cast iron pan with soap and water. If you cook a dish with a lot of oil and there is a layer of liquid oil, cleaning with soap and water is appropriate. I've never had a layer of oil on my grill. Unless you were talking about a cast iron, flat grill? Is that what you meant? If so, then I would also clean that with soap and water if needed.
@improvwithlions41738 ай бұрын
Great video with great info. In my experience, maybe it's because we were working with new pans when I was first learning about this, but I do remember having to basically start over if someone messed up and used detergent to clean the pan. Now that we've had them for years, I've also noticed that it's never a big deal to use a cloth that had been in sudsy water. I think that could be explained either by the detergent having no effect and it just being not well seasoned enough in the first place, or that the detergent is capable of making a dent in the polymer, but not enough to reverse years of work.
@brothermine22928 ай бұрын
Is there a loophole in that claim of safety near the end? Although the old food particles were dried out, if the pan is stored in a humid environment then the particles would presumably absorb some moisture from the air, allowing microbes to grow. And if the microbes produce toxins, the toxins might not be broken down by the next cooking even though the cooking kills the microbes.
@AySz888 ай бұрын
Hmmm. At the humidity levels required at that point, wouldn't pantry/cupboard food items also be going bad? (Or even, rust would start to be an issue?) I'd hope at that point you've made some cool, dry place to store things, or learned to be extra careful with food residue.
@twoblink3 ай бұрын
Pan being at ripping hot temps kills everything; I don't worry about it.
@arcticrevrus98838 ай бұрын
*thank you* for the lye statement. I had always been wary about people telling me soap is fine and they use it all the time and it doesnt hurt their seasoning. I would often notice my seasoning was nice on my pan and just wrote off their anecdotes. Now im realizing that is more likely because i put alot of effort into my initial seasoning, while the people I have ignored are likely working off of the factory season.
@Alex-qq1gm8 ай бұрын
no its because soap is fine to use
@chrisowen54977 ай бұрын
Good advice. I use my cast iron pans daily to cook and have for years. My ritual is to heat it back up immediately after I finish cooking, then spray it off with HOT water in the sink. For stubborn stuff, I use a plastic scrubber to knock it loose and hit it with the sprayer again. Dry it off with a paper towel, then apply a coating of oil.
@AloisMahdal8 ай бұрын
But still.. Anything you say about the bacteria etc. is 100% convincing if you think about 99% of the pan surface, but what about borders? What about the triangle where the handle joins the pan? Are they guaranteed to be hot enough? I mean, isn't there a "goldie-lock" zone which is not as hot enough as the center of the pan, but close enough the bits of food will occasionaly touch it (before or after cooking)? How does the gradient look like?
@russianbear00278 ай бұрын
The pan handle tends to get pretty hot in my experience. But you can also usually stick these in the oven unless they have a wooden handle
@iseslc8 ай бұрын
Just clean every bit of surface with soap and dry it well afterwards (either with a towel, or by firing it up in the stove). I think the video states clearly enough that soap does not destroy the polymer layer.
@mateicristi25248 ай бұрын
You had me at yucca scrubs, I use the same scrub and it woks perfect.
@inyobill8 ай бұрын
03:52: This is what I've been doing with my new cast iron griddle. sometimes, usually by accident, I do something right. BTW, Can't beat the pancakes I cook on them, and zero sticking.
@robertlunsford13507 ай бұрын
I just use dawn and a plasic scrubby to clean mine. I have been usung my pan for decades. I never oil mine after cleaning. Just heat them till they are dry.
@stuntmonkey008 ай бұрын
Most people are doing the seasoning wrong. You hear a lot of advice like "just cook with it" but the polymerization doesn't happen unless the temperature is high enough, long enough and if the oil is applied thin enough. A lot of people are cooking with a basically oiled-pans.. they're slick because there's un-polymerizaed fat on them, but that DOES wash away with soap unlike a proper seasoning coating.
@pierrecurie8 ай бұрын
What's not obvious is what is the temperature? Somewhere between "typical cooking temp" and "molten iron", that polymer is going to combust or something.
@stuntmonkey008 ай бұрын
@@pierrecurie It's 450F for about 30min to an hour. it will get smokey. You can do it on the burner, but it takes more finesse... bring the temp up *very slowly* to the smoke point, white off excess oil as it beads and make sure you have lot's of ventilation. Use the thinnest layer possible with the heat applied as gradually as you can. Then repeat. Each time you can a new layer, the deeper layers carbonize... that's what gives seasoning that dark appearance. When you're done it should feel glassy hard, if it feels tacky then the temp wasn't higher enough or there was too much oil applied.
@ion5998 ай бұрын
3:35 Do you have a primary source for that statement about lye in old soap? Properly made soap has no residual lye in it. If it did, the soap would cause chemical burns on whoever used it. It would also damage fabrics and wood surfaces.
@techheck33588 ай бұрын
Short of a modern laboratory it’s pretty difficult to get a fully reacted lye soap. There’s always a little lye or a little fat more than there should be. The danger is the unreacted lye
@Radhaun8 ай бұрын
In addition, it's good to remember that pure fat (like an oil or lard) with no sugars doesn't have anything for bacteria to eat. Butter can go off because it still has tiny amounts of lactose (really tiny amounts) and oil will eventually go rancid but not from bacteria, from oxidation. So if oil/pure fat is the only thing in your pan, it's also safe (if you didn't pour off your bacon grease, you can use it to cook your eggs tomorrow).
@GaryMeadowsMusic7 ай бұрын
I've been using cast iron my entire life,(67),even as a kid that's what we had. Always washed them, put a little oil in them, heat them up on the stove top for a couple minutes and good for the next time.
@vangildermichael17678 ай бұрын
"SEASONING" for cast iron Now, that is a thread that a person could talk on for at least a half hour. Sure there is the "seasoning" that comes from years of cooking, and not washing very hard. BUT, there is also "flax seed" oil. Bake it on the skillet at about 400 degrees (I dunno, I baked my in the BBQ. lots of smoke). Really thin coats of flax seed oil @ 20 minutes each. About 12 coats. Once that stuff bakes on there. It's not coming off, with soap. But, even so. I have never tried the dishwasher. And I don't have a reason ever to. Nothing "sticks" to flax seed. My skillet is clean with a paper towel.
@johnagen36888 ай бұрын
Flaxseed oil is pure poison for cast iron!!!! Cast iron and Flaxseed oil should not be used in the same sentence!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely heed warning!!!!! NEVER use Flaxseed oil on cast iron!!!!! Absolute nightmare!!!!
@bonniereiley79682 ай бұрын
I scrub mine with steel wool and soap. Rinse and dry . Don't add oil. Just before it use it I heat the skillet really hot and add butter or oil and it does not stick
@taotaoliu22298 ай бұрын
Could you do a video about vertical farming? 🌱
@bensrandomshows14828 ай бұрын
Any videos about the science of farming would be awesome
@DynamicalisBlue2 ай бұрын
Just a heads up about soap cleaning. Yes, most soaps won’t affect the seasoning but there are some common ‘extra power’ soaps that will affect the seasoning.
@ProfessorJayTee8 ай бұрын
I don't use cast iron simply because they're a pain in the ass, causing more work to do in the kitchen. To those who say "it's not more work" I suggest you compare that process to washing a pan and hanging it up to dry, in about one minute.
@techheck33588 ай бұрын
It’s pretty much the same
@Barrylocke8 ай бұрын
Ironically, one of the biggest reasons I love using my new cast iron pan is because it makes for a a bit less work in my eyes my favorite thing about the pan is that you can sear food on the stove top and then put the whole pan in the oven to bake, and it doesn't require dirtying two different cooking things.
@atcaleb6 ай бұрын
I use dawn and blue scotchbrite sponge pads. Bar keeps friend will clean too far. I bake and fry food in my irons. This video is great info. Everything useful is discussed, and their experiences match mine.
@scotthuffman3462Ай бұрын
You could chop vegetables with this woman's S's
@quitlife92797 ай бұрын
I almost never clean my pans unless it's really covered in food, and the leftover crumbs does actually season food. The umami flavour is amazing.
@LucidDreamer543216 ай бұрын
Cast iron cookware is disgusting. "Hey let's cook our food in rancid grease."
@ElementalAer6 ай бұрын
That's the thing, if the seasonig/polymerasing process isn't done right, the oils will get funky. By this, it's better to always wash it, even with a drop of soap.
@misisipimike80202 ай бұрын
I love my cast iron pan. I had a vintage one but my roommate washed it and got it rusty. So I got a Lodge preseason pan (and got rid of the roommate) and I really love it. I highly recommend cuz they are very inexpensive and super fun to cook with.
@spamuel988 ай бұрын
So, basically it's turning food fats into plastic.
@msl7586 ай бұрын
When I first got cast iron I was meticulous about seasoning, cleaning, drying, avoiding soap etc... but over time i've learnt that these things can take an absolute beating. I have found that the best way to look after them is to just keep using them. No need to clean them after use, just a good wipe is all that is needed. My $20 skillet is going on 15 years old now and it's much better than it was brand new.