Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Neither soap nor water ever touches my cast iron. They are beautifully seasoned and work like a non-stick pan now.
I scrape off the big stuff with a stainless steel spatula and rub the whole thing down with oil. If there is small stuff that the spatula can't get I rub the pan with oil and some salt. Always finish with a nice light oil coating before storage.
I agree. NEVER use soap of any kind! If you're consistently getting stuck-on bits it's because it's not properly "seasoned". On the very rare occasion when something sticks, I let the pan dry then add salt, then heat over a low flame while scraping with a spatula. The gunk easily comes off and then I wipe it all off, wipe a layer of oil over the pan and it's ready to go.
On the very rare occasion when something sticks, I let the pan dry then add salt, then heat over a low flame while scraping with a spatula.
Coarse koshering salt works best.
(Nearly all salts, including table salt, are kosher; the coarse koshering salt, normally referred to as kosher salt, is used to draw out the blood after the slaughtered cow has been processed into retail cuts of beef, and then, after absorbing the blood, the koshering salt is rinsed off.)
A cast iron grill pan is exactly like a cast iron skillet. No soap, ever. No scouring pads except plastic. No chemicals. A properly seasoned pan will just wipe clean. If not, put it back on the burner and carbonize all of the stuck food and then wipe it off in water and a plastic brush. Then lightly coat with vegetable oil (Crisco not olive oil) and put it in the oven for a couple of hours at 350 F.
I guess we all have a favorite way to clean our ironware, and it's a matter of anything that works without ruining the seasoning on it.
Wilson513, can I ask why you say not to use olive oil on a skillet? I use it because it does not go rancid, as many oils do, but if there is a reason it should not be used, I may have to rethink the whole thing.
I have found olive oil to make a sticky mess when the pan is used at heat high enough to get crisco to a light smoke. It may be that the olive oil has a lower point at which it decomposes.
Lodge recommends solid shortening, but I don't bake and don't usually have it on hand so I use Crisco Oil which is supposed to be the same as far as characteristics are concerned.
I Don't cook with olive oil, just rub a thin film of it on the ironware after it has been washed and completely dry. I usually cook with lard. I guess it is just a matter of whatever you get used to.
I have found olive oil to make a sticky mess when the pan is used at heat high enough to get crisco to a light smoke. It may be that the olive oil has a lower point at which it decomposes.
Lodge recommends solid shortening, but I don't bake and don't usually have it on hand so I use Crisco Oil which is supposed to be the same as far as characteristics are concerned.
Crisco is better but lard or ghee even better!
Quote:
Originally Posted by masonsdaughter
I Don't cook with olive oil, just rub a thin film of it on the ironware after it has been washed and completely dry. I usually cook with lard. I guess it is just a matter of whatever you get used to.
Do you know how to make clarified butter? I can't buy it close to where I live, and would love to try it. Do you use it just as you would other shortenings?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
They are beautifully seasoned and work like a non-stick pan now. 
If you're consistently getting stuck-on bits it's because it's not properly "seasoned". On the very rare occasion when something sticks, I let the pan dry then add salt, then heat over a low flame while scraping with a spatula. The gunk easily comes off and then I wipe it all off, wipe a layer of oil over the pan and it's ready to go.
