Cast Iron pans and skillets

[Rmauch20]

My wife seems to go through a lot of pans quickly, basically the coating started to flake off on the cooking surface. So I bought our first cast iron pan. It's a lodge 12" deep pan. First thing I noticed was I hope she never cracks me over the head with it because the thing has some weight to it. I seasoned it once using canola oil and placing in the oven at 300 for 30 minutes.
It said it came preseasoned but I was bored today and off work so I went ahead and did it again.

It seems everyone has a different opinion on the cleaning process of it. To use soap or not use soap. Those guys using just hot water and scrubbing do you ever worry about food contamination, or does it get hot enough cooking to pretty much kill everything off?

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

Never use soap, I always felt like they held the taste of the soap. Hot water or as some do an never really wash them, I use mine mostly for cooking eggs and bacon for the bacon flavor and always leave a little bacon grease in it for flavoring.

I've never worried about food contamination, never been sick from one. But I really never cook much chicken it's always bacon, elk or beef mostly. And contamination is possible I'm sure but I've never had a problem.

 

[go4thegusto]

I run tap as hot as it will go ands scrub pan with a sink brush...no soap. Dry with paper towel and prop to dry. Metal is warm now so dries quickly. There should not be ant food scale left to contaminate. If there is use a plastic scraper when cleaning.

 

[mtswampfox]

Been using cast iron for many years. Collecting it can get addictive. Just bought an old griswold two burner stove. Griswold on ebay is one of my favorite go to places. Have some old dutch ovens my moms aunt got used, if they could only talk. Just guessing they are from mid 1800s .Stick with a good scratcher, stainless or copper, and running water. Detergent will work too but it displaces the seasoned oil and may leave behind soap residue if not rinsed well. My favorite oil is olive or peanut.

 

[mntnguide]

If you use soap ever it will start to stick more and more... that and using soap on cast iron will get you shot by any true Dutch oven cooks ive been around!

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[PJG]

Don't use soap, use warm water and a scrub pad (scotch brite).

Once rinsed, dry with a paper towel or towel and place in the oven until preheated to 350. Once preheated remove from oven, allow to cool a few minutes and then coat with a layer of canola oil. Always store with a thin layer of oil.

 

[Daniel_M]

Coarse/Koscher salt, warm water and a paper towel is my preferred method of cleaning.


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[Grumman]

These work really well.


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[16Bore]

No soap. If you manage a super messy situation, put it on the burner with water and let is simmer itself clean. Once you start doing steaks in one, your grill will get lonely.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

Warm water and towel dry is what we typically do. If it needs a real scrubbing kosher salt gets added.

 

[ben h]

No Soap ever, just scrub, scrape and wipe out with a paper towel. My retarded sister in law put our cabin cast pans in the dishwasher not knowing this.

 

[Nuke Man]

No soap for sure. Cast iron will self sanitize when heated so no worries on contamination. Also the new cast iron cooking surface is not as smooth as the old stuff. I run a small orbital sander on my new stuff and reseason it. It doesn't take much to knock off the gritty feel and make it smooth as a baby's butt.
Always after you wash it with water heat it up again to dry it out and wipe it with an oily lint free cloth. You never want to wipe cast iron with paper towels! I just keep an oily rag in a zip lock to reuse. Sometimes I use olive oil, but mostly I just use bacon grease.

 

[16Bore]

I've got an ancient Griswold cast iron pan that's like that. The old ones pretty damn cool.

 

[mfolch]

For the most part, I just wipe my cast iron pans down with a cloth or paper towel--no water, no soap. If really dirty, water and a brush.

 

[BroodBuster]

I scrub it as clean as practicable in the sink and let it dry over med heat. Once dry I oil the snot out of it. If I happen to miss a little food oh well, it'll get used tomorrow .

Give it a month or two. You'll be pissed you ever cooked with a disposable pan!

 

[FreeRange]

I'm a diehard cast iron guy but I'll add that if you're having trouble with coated cookware wearing out, a few decent annodized aluminum fry pans and a copper/stainless pan will round out your collection. The only thing I don't like about cast irons is that the don't conduct heat as well as the two types I mentioned above so they can be more prone to hot spots.

My favorite piece of cookware is a 12" cast iron that was passed down to me by my grandma, cooked my wife breakfast over a fire on it the first time we went camping and I'm sure our kids will still use it many decades from now. It gets used every day. That's the kind of heirloom I really enjoy.

 

[kylem]

Me and my wife use our cast irons every day, if not multiple times a day. 95% of the time they never see soap and just get wiped out, but when something sweet and sticky is cooked in it, like a stir fry or certain sauces, we use soap. One thing is we DO NOT soak them and as soon as they are cleaned we put them on a burner to heat them up and completely dry them then add a little oil. I have never had any issues using soap on ours when we treat them this way.

 

[Shooter19802003]

No soap!

 

[4ester]

Cast Iron is the original nonstick. Try not to use soap, but I've done it and it's fine once and awhile. Trick is to cook lots of bacon.

After cleaning it, put it back on the burner to evaporate all the moisture. Then rub some oil on it and let it cool.


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[Whisky]

Coarse/Koscher salt, warm water and a paper towel is my preferred method of cleaning.


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This is exactly what I do. And I do alot of cooking. Kosher salt is a fine scrubber on cast iron. Hit it with a little oil and hang up for next time use. Works for me.