How clean is your cast iron?

[blazinfire]

So a dumb thought came to me the other day.. It has been a month or so since I've restored my iron skillets after finding them hidden in the oven drawer.. Been using them every day since. Got them seasoning pretty good on all 3 of them. I made a pizza in the 12" skillet the other day, when cutting it the pizza just spun around not sticking to anything!

The thought I had was basic cleaning of cast iron consists of water and a rag.. If my pans don't have anything stuck to them. I'll just run hot water and wipe it out with a rag.. dry it off and coat with oil... Then throw it in the oven for storage. If there is little bits stuck to the pans I'll put a little water in the bottom and put it on the stove to get the water to boil while taking a spatula to loosen everything up.. then hit it with a rag..

How clean are the skillets really? I mean every other dish in the house gets washed with soap water.. what makes just wiping down with water safe? is it the fact the skillets are screaming hot when wiping them off? and Is there any unseen residue that stays with the pans?

Not looking for "oh its safe, go ahead and continue cooking" I plan on continuing to cooking, I love my cast iron skillets, especially after using them every single day for the past month. I'm just curious to know the overall cleanliness of the pans by just wiping them down and recoating with oil lol

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

I do mine the same way, unless I get slack with it and the leftover food stays in the pots for a while. That is the only time dish detergent touches them. Now how clean they are is a very good question. I feel overall we have gotten kind of sensitive to that topic, and we do a lot of "preventative" measures now that aren't necessary.

[Stlsportster]

I treat my blackstone and my cast iron the same.

Cook, light scrape with the spatula as I’m serving, then eat and let it cool. After eating usually still slightly warm. Light water/scrape/wipe till clean then a light coat of oil for storage.

TBH I’ve let a cast iron pan sit on the stove with residue from yesterday’s omelet for 24 hours, used a wet paper towel to scrape and wipe clean then re-heat with oil and let the heat dry it as I cook today’s breakfast.

[blazinfire]

I treat my blackstone and my cast iron the same.

Cook, light scrape with the spatula as I’m serving, then eat and let it cool. After eating usually still slightly warm. Light water/scrape/wipe till clean then a light coat of oil for storage.

TBH I’ve let a cast iron pan sit on the stove with residue from yesterday’s omelet for 24 hours, used a wet paper towel to scrape and wipe clean then re-heat with oil and let the heat dry it as I cook today’s breakfast.


Yeah 90% of the time after I serve, i put up left overs, and clean out the iron skillets before I even sit down to eat. To me.. I feel the skillets are clean, I just don't see why or how they could not be cleaned? Just a random thought I had but nothing will change lol

[smoke ninja]

a tiny bit of soapy water has never hurt my skillet. i dont worry if it's just cleaned with water as long as there is no organic material left behind I dont see what could grow on them. I think any dish would be safe thorough rinsed, soap just makes it easier to get clean

[blazinfire]

a tiny bit of soapy water has never hurt my skillet. i dont worry if it's just cleaned with water as long as there is no organic material left behind I dont see what could grow on them. I think any dish would be safe thorough rinsed, soap just makes it easier to get clean


oh for sure. I wipe my skillets real well to make sure there is no left over materials. Now that I've thought about it tho, your right.. why wouldn't it be cleaned after a thorough rinse and wipe down? especially if there's nothing left behind on the pan.

[frankenfab]

a tiny bit of soapy water has never hurt my skillet. i dont worry if it's just cleaned with water as long as there is no organic material left behind I dont see what could grow on them. I think any dish would be safe thorough rinsed, soap just makes it easier to get clean

My Grandmother laughed at me when I suggested soap wasn't supposed to be used on cast iron cookware.

Now LYE soap from the old days would surely cause a problem.

[cowgirl]

a tiny bit of soapy water has never hurt my skillet. i dont worry if it's just cleaned with water as long as there is no organic material left behind I dont see what could grow on them. I think any dish would be safe thorough rinsed, soap just makes it easier to get clean

Same here. I use soap when needed with no problems at all.

After each use, I dry the pot/pan over heat til it's bone dry. Then wipe it down inside and out with what ever oil/fat/lard, I have on hand. Heat again and let it cool down before storing. I like to place a paper towel between pieces that are stacked.

I like to treat what cookware I have with me, when camping too.
https://i.imgur.com/gyRYxPZ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CZ0tAIU.jpg

One good friend never uses soap. The downside is, her tatoes, cornbread, cakes, biscuits, etc., all taste like rancid fat.
It doesn't hurt to give a skillet a quick rinse with a soft cloth and a drop of soap when it needs it. imo. Just treat well after.

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

Same here. I use soap when needed with no problems at all.

After each use, I dry the pot/pan over heat til it's bone dry. Then wipe it down inside and out with what ever oil/fat/lard, I have on hand. Heat again and let it cool down before storing. I like to place a paper towel between pieces that are stacked.

I like to treat what cookware I have with me, when camping too.
https://i.imgur.com/gyRYxPZ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CZ0tAIU.jpg

One good friend never uses soap. The downside is, her tatoes, cornbread, cakes, biscuits, etc., all taste like rancid fat.
It doesn't hurt to give a skillet a quick rinse with a soft cloth and a drop of soap when it needs it. imo. Just treat well after.

Very good point about your friend's cast iron. If you aren't careful and allow it to sit too long this is very likely to happen.

[frayedend]

Even if there is residue you kill all bacteria at 250 degrees F. You may eat some leftover debris but you aren't going to get food poisoning.

I wipe my pans out with a paper towel and water. You can tell when you've gotten most residue out but I don't go to any crazy effort to make it perfect.

[cullenbranson]

I pretty much follow the maintenance guidelines on castironcollector. Which is pretty much cowgirl's preferred method.

Where is everyone getting you shouldn't use soap n such? I don't get it. Ick. No lye, and make sure it's got a good seasoning.

[Crispy Bacon]

I rinse out with water then scrub with some kosher salt, rinse out . Then on the stove, then oil.

[WilliamKY]

I rinse my skillet and Dutch oven and then let them sit in the sink filled with hot water for an hour or so. I use a nylon scrub brush and hot water to clean them up. After they dry I might or might not oil them. If they have an unseasoned dry look I will give them some oil but if not, back in the cupboard for next time.

[blazinfire]

Same here. I use soap when needed with no problems at all.

After each use, I dry the pot/pan over heat til it's bone dry. Then wipe it down inside and out with what ever oil/fat/lard, I have on hand. Heat again and let it cool down before storing. I like to place a paper towel between pieces that are stacked.

I like to treat what cookware I have with me, when camping too.

One good friend never uses soap. The downside is, her tatoes, cornbread, cakes, biscuits, etc., all taste like rancid fat.
It doesn't hurt to give a skillet a quick rinse with a soft cloth and a drop of soap when it needs it. imo. Just treat well after.


Very interesting opinions here.. How about a drop of Dawn? I have never had anything else in my house hold as far as cleaning cookware. Wouldn't that stuff easily ruin the seasoning?

But I think I remember the whole thing "don't wash with soap" does start from the old timers and LYE..

Now about your friends cast iron... Items they cook taste like rancid fat? any idea if they clean their pans after each cook? Seems like a situation where they aren't taking very good care of it? Because as far as I can tell by looking at the pans after I clean them there's nothing to them to cause that problem.. Just curious to know what causes the problem you describe so I can avoid it.

[cowgirl]

I pretty much follow the maintenance guidelines on castironcollector. Which is pretty much cowgirl's preferred method.

Where is everyone getting you shouldn't use soap n such? I don't get it. Ick. No lye, and make sure it's got a good seasoning.

I've not heard of castironcollector. I've had cast iron longer than I've had the internet. :grin:
I'll check em out, thanks!

[thirdeye]

Mine are seasoned so well I rarely need any help from soap, but I'm not afraid to use it. After washing and drying by hand, I put them back on the stove for 5 minutes, then as they cool I'll give them a light coat of oil. Lodge sells a set of small hand scrapers with different contoured corners to match up with CI skillets and griddles.

[cowgirl]

Very interesting opinions here.. How about a drop of Dawn? I have never had anything else in my house hold as far as cleaning cookware. Wouldn't that stuff easily ruin the seasoning?

But I think I remember the whole thing "don't wash with soap" does start from the old timers and LYE..

Now about your friends cast iron... Items they cook taste like rancid fat? any idea if they clean their pans after each cook? Seems like a situation where they aren't taking very good care of it? Because as far as I can tell by looking at the pans after I clean them there's nothing to them to cause that problem.. Just curious to know what causes the problem you describe so I can avoid it.

I use Dawn, that's all I keep on hand. Just a drop with a damp paper towel and a quick "swish" will get rid of any off odors, fish, lard, etc.. but I make sure to dry the iron, bone dry, over heat, and re-oil before storing.
I've never had food stick, they are slick as non stick cookware.

My friend never washes her iron, just wipes it out.
Her husband likes my cooking. :laugh: I know why!

[halfcocked]

In my experience you can't hurt a well seasoned cast iron pan with soap. Use it most times. However, I will say that no matter what I do, I cannot get the surface so there is no color on a paper towel after wiping. (Maybe I just refuse to scrub that long.) Light coat of oil before storing. Definitely clean with soap and hot water before next use.

[blazinfire]

I use Dawn, that's all I keep on hand. Just a drop with a damp paper towel and a quick "swish" will get rid of any off odors, fish, lard, etc.. but I make sure to dry the iron, bone dry, over heat, and re-oil before storing.
I've never had food stick, they are slick as non stick cookware.

My friend never washes her iron, just wipes it out.
Her husband likes my cooking. :laugh: I know why!


Yeah. I do way more than just wiping it out. I scrub it with a rag until I am content on it being clean. So I probably benefit a lot from doing that.



But thanks all. Interesting topic

[Dustin Dorsey]

I just make sure I get any food particles out. Sometimes I use a little bit of dish soap. Whatever it takes to get the job done. I also warm them up on the stove top and wipe the inside with a light layer of crisco and heat it until it just barely starts to smoke and turn it off.

[Badjak]

Just hot hot water in general.
If necessary, I may use soap.
But too be honest, I find most things quite easy to clean with just hot water, as long as the water is really hot. I do not use a lot of dish washer

[mike243]

Soap and water here then straight to the stove for a heat up and a shot of oil, I don't let them stand in soapy water because it will peel the coating, I also don't cut any thing in them, move to something else and saw away.ymmv

[Pulmah Finger]

i try to avoid too much water, i usually use some mortons salt and a paper towel to get rid of the stuck on bits and a little fat or oil once its all clear.