How to Clean a Cast-Iron Skillet (Yes, You Can Use Soap)

A good cast-iron pan can last decades, but it requires a little TLC along the way. When stubborn grime and even rust (*gasp*) rear their ugly head, you’ll want to have some of these techniques in the bag to keep your pan at its best without ruining the seasoning.
More tips on caring for cast-iron: wrctr.co/2mCiagm
To season or re-season a pan from scratch: bit.ly/1cNhBDN
How to clean stainless steel cookware: • How to Clean Stainless...
How to clean nonstick cookware: • How to Clean Your Nons...
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[@G8tr1522]

If you keep getting rust or pitting, it’s time to start over. Put the pan in the oven, and run an oven cleaning cycle. It’s will get so hot that the seasoning comes completely off. Then reseason. Remember, many (I do like 8-10) thin coats are superior to a few thick coats. Thick coats lead to chipping and pitting, and it’ll soon be time to season again.

[@supercooled]

So hot the seasong comes off? If I did that, the FD would show up.

[@G8tr1522]

@@supercooled The oven cleaning cycle locks your oven shut. You physically can not open it. This also means it's airtight. So if there even was a fire, it would get quickly snuffed out, from the limited supply of oxygen. Deep frying on a stovetop is 10x riskier than doing this. Ask your local Fire Department if you don't believe me.

[@supercooled]

@@G8tr1522 I'll take your word for it. I'm not in a position where I can afford an oven that self-cleans. The one I have has grease literally backed into its walls from cooking by the previous residents. I cannot use it without smoking up the apartment. So what kind of oven do you have that self cleans? I'm guessing there are hose attachments for a water line? Does it steam clean and or use a detergent on a automated cycle? Fancy, fancy, fancy. One day, perhaps.

[@kayleedavis5832]

@@supercooled most modern day ovens have a self-clean setting. How the oven self cleans is by heating up well over 500 degrees F to burn off any crud in the oven. There is no soap involved or water lol!

[@popenieafantome9527]

@@kayleedavis5832 figured this out unexpectedly at a college apartment. Closed oven, somehow activated self clean and whole place smelled of burnt food for an hour. Probably wasn’t that dirty since smell went away relatively quick, but didn’t know ovens like this existed.

[@melintheskywithdmns]

This videos are great!

[@thegazetteyt]

I use the second sink method with a bit of soap in my salt the put it on the warm stove to dry. Haven't had to season my pan in two years.

[@slinnky]

Just followed the article by Wirecutter on how to add extra layers of non-stickness. Used coconut oil and put it in the oven at 500 degrees. Had to turn the oven off after 20 minutes because the entire oven started smoking heavily. Are you sure coconut oil is the right oil to use? It looks like it has a much lower smoke point than say peanut oil.

[@Paelorian]

Sounds like you used way too much oil. You should put on such a thin layer that it looks dry. It's supposed to smoke, since we need to raise the oil above the smoke point to get it to polymerize. But if you put on an appropriately thin layer, there will hardly be any smoke. There won't even be much of a smell. If your oven is billowing smoke, you are certainly doing it wrong. Too much oil won't make an even coat, anyway. The thinner the layers, the more even the final surface. Otherwise oil will season irregularly. You may get streaks and drops of raised areas. They may come out sticky due to their thickness. You want many thin, even coats.

[@slinnky]

Paelorian Thanks for your response. It’s possible I put too much on but I’m pretty confident I had an appropriately thin layer. I noticed that all the oils have a smoking point below 500 degrees, so the smoking won’t be exclusive to coconut oil. Could you point me to some literature mentioning why we have to exceed the smoking point? I looked at Lodges website for care of their pans, and they explicitly say 350-400 degrees. Given that exceeding the smoking point of oils creates carcinogens, I’m wondering where this 500 degree rule is coming from.

[@wirecutter]

We would agree with Paelorian! You may also want to try flaxseed oil. Some light smoking in the beginning is normal. We recommend a high temp so the fat polymerizes to create a glossy seasoning. Bake your pan, inverted, in a 500-degree oven for one hour, then turn off the oven and let your pan cool completely inside it. You may need to repeat several times until you achieve an adequate seasoning. Here's a great resource for more about the science of seasoning: sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

[@G8tr1522]

Some blogpost I read by a chemist said flaxseed oil is the best seasoning oil. Apparently avocado oil and linseed oil make better, more non-stick surfaces, but they produce carcinogenic compounds in the smoke and seasoning. Flaxseed oil is what I only use for the initial seasoning. Haven’t had to reaseason anything since.

[@G8tr1522]

Crazy Cajun lol, calm down

[@Paelorian]

Yep, just use a soap with a standard sponge that says safe for non-stick pans. You know how hard it is to get brown spots of burned-on oil off of stainless steel? That's seasoning, the same as on cast iron. A minute of regular soapy sponging won't take it off. What will take of seasoning is major scrubbing with scouring pads or harsh, more abrasive scrubbers (especially hard stuff like metal, ceramic, and stone). Good advice, though this reminds me why I bought my extra-thick and heavy layered stainless steel pan. I still have some carbon steel, because sometimes you just need the weight and the cost of many pounds of stainless steel often isn't practical. A commercially produced stainless baking steel would probably sell for hundreds of dollars. The best cookware for you depends on how you cook and your priorities. Cost, maintenance, performance, weight, ease of cleanup, etc. Generally all of the common types of pans excel in some respects. Cast iron and carbon steel offer the best heat retention, ideal for searing. You can get a stainless pan that holds that amount of heat, but they're rather exotic and much more expensive (Demeyere, etc.) You can cook almost anything in cast iron, except simmering acidic foods like tomatoes which will dissolve the seasoning.

[@stephenarling1667]

Season with lard. Clean with water and a chain mail pad. Granny knew best.

[@pag345]

Yes this is correct... One of my pans is over 80 years old, and its never seen soap. a properly seasoned pan will never rust, and never get so crusty that you need to scrub it like that. About once a month (or after I've cooked something acidic) I like to you cisco as you mentioned. rub all over, put the pan back on the burner upside down on low for about five min. as the pan heat up it absorbs the cisco (or lard) . wipe dry and your good to go.

[@johnmimist]

Explain seasoning to those who are not aware before you say, don’t remove the seasoning.

[@johnmimist]

Put them in the oven!? What are you talking about.