Another cast iron cleaning thread

Mack Tripper

Mack Tripper

500+ Posts
I've had my current cast iron pan for about 2 years now. Over that time, its become nice and seasoned and completely non-stick. I usually clean it with hot water and a plastic brush and some coarse salt. However, a few days ago, I did some seared/pan roasted mahi. Two days later, the flour tortillas I was warming up for breakfast tacos tasted like fish. Is there a way to get the fish oil/taste off the pan without resorting to washing it with soap and killing off my nicely seasoned pan?
 
I wash my seasoned CI fairly regularly w/ soap and water. I'm just sure to dry it really well.

I'd try rubbing a cut half of a lemon on it as you wash, that might help kill some of the fish taste.

Personally, I think the whole "never wash your CI, you'll ruin it" thing, is a bit over done. There are some things I've cooked in mine, that just willl NOT be cleaned out w/o a little soap and a good "flushing".

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Definately do not want to put it in the rack to drip dry but towel dry should be fine. What about putting it in the oven for a few minutes to make sure?
 
I've read differing opinions about what type of brush to clean cast iron cookware with. Steel wool will damage the seasoning, right? What kind of stiff brush works best?

Also, after you're done cleaning it, how do you get the grease off? Just wipe it with a cloth? I know the grease adds to the seasoning of it, but I don't want to store them covered in grease.

I just got a new set last night and I'm working on the seasoning so I want to make sure I'm cleaning them right. I wiped them down with vegetable oil before I put them away. I'm just curious how to get the cooked-on bits of bacon or whatever off without damaging the pans.
 
I've been using a plastic bristle brush and wiping off the excess grease with a paper towell. I usually put it on the stove and turn the burner on low for a few minutes to dry.
 
You do realize that cast iron has been around for ages? Do you think your great-grandmother worried about proper seasoning or not washing it with dish soap? Dry it after washing it in soap and water, perhaps give it another coat of veggie oil and cook it on in the oven if it's a fairly new piece. But the stuff's been around for ages for a reason and it's not because it's difficult to care for.
 
Honestly, once your pan is seasoned, soap won't bother it at all. Just don't let it soak in soapy water, as it will absorb the soap.

To get out the fishy taste, boil water in the pan...and maybe add some lemon juice to the water. Boiling water always seems to get my cast iron clean.
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Oil works, but Crisco works much better. A friend who is a Dutch Oven pro--three cookbooks and a fourth is about to come out--gave me this hint. I read on here somewhere that it is due to longer molecules or something like that.
 
Whenever I cook fish, I use soap afterwards to get the taste out and then heat it on a burner to dry it off well.

For bacon bits, I just boil some water in the pan and scrub it out.
 
I would just wash it with soap and water and towel dry it. Boiling water in it works well for stuck on food too. Like other posters mentioned, don't worry about ruining it. I just wouldn't soak it overnight.
 
In terms of cleaning, I normally try to run hot water in it while it is still hot. That sure cleans up the sausage bits remaining.
 
I often fill the pan with hot water and let it set for a few minutes. Then, I scrub it with a stiff plastic brush and towel dry it. After a few uses, I rub a light coating of Crisco on the pan and heat it on the stove on medium-low for 5 or 10 minutes. If the oven's hot, I'll throw it in there instead. Always works for me. However, I can't say I've had to deal with the fish taste before.
 
I believe I have found the holy grail of cast iron cleaners: wadded up aluminum foil.

Seriously, a bit of hot water and soap, then ball up some foil and scrub as hard as you need to. Wash it out, pat dry, and either dry on the burner for a few minutes or a few minutes or in a hot oven. If it's a newer pan, I just put a little splash of oil in there and wipe it around with a paper towel before using the oven/stove.
 
This stuff ain't teflon, I use a one of them curly stainless steel pads, no soap and scrub the **** out of it, if the stuck on stuff is really bad I dump some water in and boil the hell out of it and then scrub again till it's clean.

cast iron ain't delicate, but it is brittle so don't drop a new pan or it might crack, using it tempers it somewhat so it gets less brittle.

if I cook something stinky in it, I just put it on the stove after I scrub it and let it heat up nice and hot and burn the stink out.

I use mine mostly for cooking steaks when I don't want to bother with the grill and I get it hot hot hot before putting the steak in, and I don't cook eggs or stuff like that in it (that's what teflon pans are for) so I don't have to worry so much about the seasoning. for cornbread the trick is to have it hot and some oil in it before you put the batter in so the bread dosent have a chace to stick. course the one I got is a chicken fryer that's probably 40 or 50 years old, ex-fil got it a a garage sale and I dissappeared it during the divorce.
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i heat some oil (not too hot) in mine and then wipe everything out with a bunch of paper towels.

next, heat just a little oil again and make sure enough to cover the whole pan.

finally, wipe the oil dry so it helps season but also plenty dry
 
So, every time we have one of these threads, I hear people saying how seasoned cast iron is extremely nonstick, but then we have all these other discussions about how to clean the stuff that sticks.

Mine definitely gets stuff stuck to it, and I have to scrub it with kosher salt each time I cook. Is mine not seasoned enough, or is all the nonstick talk overstated?
 
Once they get enough carbon on them they are very nonstick. It is different than a teflon coated skillet.

For example if I heat a nonstick skillet and toss a steak in I can move the meat around instantly. If I take a bare stainless steel one I cannot move the meat at first but eventually it will release its hold as it cooks. A well seasoned cast iron skillet is in between the two. But cleans up as easy or easier than the teflon one.

My old Wagoner skillets are over a 100 years AFAIK (old in any case) and are very slick. My Lodge ones vary from a couple of years to maybe 25 years old. They all clean easily under running water while they are still warm.

I own a bunch of teflon coated stuff and I almost never use any of it. Until your cast iron gets a good coat of carbon built up I wouldn't cook things that are mostly water or highly acidic as it seems to take you back to square one on seasoning.

I wouldn't do it in my newer stuff but I can make something like macaroni and cheese in my old Wagoners and it just slides out like a teflon pan.
 
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