I’ve always heard no soap! I just bought my first one.
But the instructions on the skillet packaging say to wash with hot soapy water but no scrubber (every time, not just before the first use) .
What do you do?
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I never clean with soap. After use, I'll wipe it down with a paper towel (wet or dry, depends on what was made). If there are some stubborn things or my husband used it overnight and didn't clean it out, I'll pour in some table salt and use that with a dry paper towel. I also tend to re-season it after every cleaning (just the smallest amount of vegetable oil rubbed all over the pan). This seems to work really well for us!
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@smuckers: thank you! That’s what I always heard too.
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I never use soap on mine. We use this or something like it
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That's so weird (the directions) because I agree with everyone else that I've heard the opposite: with a scrubber but no soap. My DH loves his cast iron pan and is pretty careful about taking care of it.
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I use soap on mine. I dont get how it can be clean without using soap?
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No soap! My husband put my new enameled Dutch oven through the dishwasher 🤦♀️
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I always heard no soap. Actually replaced our cast iron with enameled cast iron because DH didn't like the no soap (for the record, I don't think there's any problem with the standard care, but his view was that pans need soap to be clean
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no soap! just hot water and a scrubber or kosher salt. and make sure to season it in the oven.
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@Mrsbells: I agree that it doesn’t feel right lol. But people who are very serious about cast iron cooking say to never use soap. The oils absorb into the cast iron to create better flavors and nonstick.
Someone also told me that since it absorbs things it can absorb the soapy flavor too. But I’m a novice so no idea If its true. -
@smuckers: does it matter what kind of oil? I never use ours because I don’t understand the cleaning, but DH did this weekend and used olive oil, which seemed wrong. I want to make a cast iron skillet cookie for his bday this month.
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@SweetiePie: wow... this is all new to me
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@Foodnerd81: everything I’ve read says vegetable oil. But it’s just a very thin layer. Like put it on a paper towel and then rub it around.
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No soap, I use a cast iron scrubber like pictured above and then coat with oil and wipe that out with a paper towel.
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@Foodnerd81: you wipe it down with vegetable oil, and you can quick cure/easy season it in the oven at 375° for an hour right after you wipe it down. Put it on the rack upside down.
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Kenji Lopez Alt of Serious Eats/Food Lab says it's fine to use soap, but you should minimize total time in contact with water. He says he dries with a towel immediately after washing, but I generally dry mine by heating it up with a tiny bit of oil to re-season.
https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/the-truth-about-cast-iron.html
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I never used to use soap, but then I read that it’s fine to use soap since it doesn’t contain lye these days. So now I give it a quick wash with a soapy brush, dry it on the stove top and swirl some oil in the top before storing. I’ve had mine for years with no issue.
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So I USED to be firmly in the no soap camp until I sat down and did some serious research. Apparently rancid food residue is more of a deal killer than a tiny bit of soap. A bit of soap won’t kill seasoning or affect flavor. Soap has changed. It’s more important that you do a tiny seal after each use (and really,DRY thoroughly.). So this is my regimine:
Cook
If there is a ton of dried on crusties, I use salt and scrub with my hands and a rag. Then a tiny bit of soap on a sponge and water. I use a bamboo scraper if there are still bits. I just don’t ever let it soak in water.
Rinse
Put over a low flame until dry
Wipe lightly with veg oil while still hot -
@SweetiePie: once I started using a small amount of soap, it got so much easier to clean and I started actually using it! To me the major no no is any soaking in water. Or leaving in the sink with water.
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To all of the soap users, this actually makes me really happy
it went against every fiber of my being to not use soap (I am so worried about bacteria and food poisoning and spoiled food in my kitchen) but thought I HAD to do no soap. This feels much better.
I only used it once so far (tonight) and didn’t do the heating and oiling after. Though I did dry it with a towel, I usually let dishes air dry. I’ll rewah with a little soap tomorrow and do the whole heating then oiling thing. -
No soap!
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DH told me you weren't supposed to use soap, but if I'm the one cleaning it, there's definitely soap being used. Just a little, but I just can't help myself.
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@SweetiePie: I've had my castiron pan for over 10 years and totally use soap and never do the proper seasoning thing by heating it up with oil. I just quickly soap with a scrubby handled brush, rinse with hot water and towel dry immediately. No issues whatsoever. Blasphemous I know but it works!
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@Mrs. Pajamas: It seems like it’s just some weird oldworld rule that’s totally outdated and people are starting to rebel and realize it’s just fine
I did the heating and oiling this morning because it is really easy and I was in the kitchen getting kids breakfast anyway.
And for the record, I made skirt steak for the first time using cast iron last night and it was EXCELLENT and so easy and I can’t believe at 37 I’m only discovering this now. I made a simple chimichurri sauce to go over it.
I want to try fish next (esp while I still have some chimichurri left over) but I’m nervous! -
@SweetiePie: agreed that its old info and that cast iron is awesome. I remember that you are not a big cook...is this a 2019 thing for you? Steak with chimichurri sounds amazing!! I haven't braved fish in cast iron honestly. Actually I'd do salmon or swordfish or something meaty, but never flaky whitefish. I do that kind of fish in a pan in the oven.
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@Mrs. Pajamas: Not really a 2019 thing. I’ve just been finding it’s harder to figure out what everyone is eating now that the baby is eating what we eat. I still order in and pull some stuff from the freezer lol. But I’m trying to cook a couple days a week.
For this in particular, I was inspired by a couple we went to dinner with last weekend. They were talking about steak in iron skillet and how good it is and I thought what the heck. I had most of the ingredients for the chimichurri and that’s actually one of my husband’s fave things when we go out to eat.
I like simplicity and this was so simple!
I also usually do fish in the oven but the texture is always kinda blah to me. I am hoping I can sear some fish and get a nice crispy crust. That’s how I love it at a restaurant.
I found this easy recipe and I want to try it:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017360-pan-roasted-fish-fillets-with-herb-butter -
@SweetiePie: @Mrs. Pajamas: I often do fish in a cast iron. It’s super easy since it’s basically nonstick. Use a thin fish spatula so you don’t destroy it when turning, but it’s no harder than a steak, honest!
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@rattles: tell me more!!! What kind of fish? How long per side?
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@SweetiePie: I don’t care for salmon, but I’ve done tilapia, cod, haddock and snapper without problems. Put oil in your pan, then heat it up on medium/medium-high. Cook until the edges look golden and opaque, then flip until cooked through. I’d say 2-3 minutes a side for thinner fish like tilapia filets and maybe 3-5 for thicker steaks? If you google for pan-seared fish, you’ll probably find more specific recipes or tips too. Work in batches if you’re making more than 2-3 filets (or any meat really). Crowding the pan prevents browning. Oh! And if the fish has skin, do that side first on a little higher temp for a minute or so, gently pressing down on the top with your spatula so it doesn’t curl.
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@rattles: thank you! I also don’t like salmon. Or skin! This is in line with what I’ve read too. Ok I’ll give it a go and report back
).
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