I wipe any fat or oil with a paper towel into the trash then I rinse it with soap and water and I have a regular plastic brush I use to wash it then dry it off with a paper towel and heat it up and add some avocado oil then wipe the excess all around
what's the best material for wiping out a cast iron skillet?
Submitted 3 weeks ago by unemployedclaquer@sopuli.xyz to [deleted]
Comments
xylol@leminal.space 3 weeks ago
tyrant@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Yeah this person knows what’s up. Don’t fall into the cast iron cleaning cult bs
Eczpurt@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I’ve been doing my best to follow cowboy kent’s method where if you can, while the pan is still hot, run it under hot water and scrape away with a wooden spatula or other flat tool. I’ve had great success with most cleanings and anything stuck on I just do as the other user said and scrub with a abrasive sponge and a little soap and warm water until I’m happy.
eezeebee@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
This is what I do too. If there is something really stuck on then you can put it back on the stove and add a little water which will sizzle and lift the rest up with minimal scraping.
unemployedclaquer@sopuli.xyz 3 weeks ago
yeah this is like running a flat grill in a restaurant
Death_Equity@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
This is what I started doing a few months ago and it works great.
CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 3 weeks ago
Soap and water. It’s cast iron, not silk.
Echo5@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Try not to use soap if possible, it can get into the iron since it’s porous and become a part of the “seasoning”. Same goes for mortar and pestle care
krakenfury@lemmy.sdf.org 3 weeks ago
This is not the case for modern detergents, but is held over from when soaps were all made from lye. The polymerized layers of oil that you have will stay mostly in tact with some dish detergent and a light scrub sponge. After washing and drying mine off with a towel, I apply some oil and heat it on the stove for a few minutes to maintain the seasoning.
But absolutely mortar and pestle should never ever get soap, particularly something like a molcajete made from volcanic rock. I just wipe mine really thoroughly with a clean, damp cloth.
FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
victoria (cast iron maker that’s a above lodge but below others,) recommends using a little dish soap.
even if the soaps do remove some seasoning, you should have enough on there, and cooking with enough oil that it regenerates. That’s the secret to cast iron’s longevity, in point of fact. Every time you cook with it, you add some more to the seasoning. (it also can develop some marvelous flavors if you’re intentional in how you cook with it.)
BreadOven@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
unemployedclaquer@sopuli.xyz 3 weeks ago
that precisely decribes my scenario yes
BreadOven@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I’m yet to decide if that gut biome is a nerf or a buff.
FoxyFerengi@startrek.website 3 weeks ago
When I bought my house I discovered a treasure trove of old cast iron in the (very modern) oven. They all looked like this and smelled like rancid oil. It was not fun to deal with lol
BreadOven@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Sounds terrible but also awesome if they were good enough to be used after cleaning. I know that smell though… terrible.
RBWells@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
If I am babying them, kosher salt and oil once it’s cool enough, then rinse & dry. Otherwise I scrape at it with the metal spatula then wash with soap and a scratchy sponge, it’s fine as long as you don’t soak them, and do dry them well after.
We do have a chainmail scrubber - my husband was soaking the skillets and killing the finish, he likes the chainmail scrubber.
unemployedclaquer@sopuli.xyz 3 weeks ago
haha tell him to stay over there with the washer machine
cloudless@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
I use chain mail.
Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
I had to scroll way too far to find this. Chainmail, salt, water, wooden utensils, and whatever you season with (I use Crisco).
Reading comments in this thread reminds me why I don’t let anyone use my cast iron.
unemployedclaquer@sopuli.xyz 3 weeks ago
if you want to destroy the pan, yes
edgemaster72@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
To be fair, that could just be how they interpreted the phrase “wiping out”
Kolanaki@pawb.social 3 weeks ago
Paper towel.
tyrant@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
People are so weird with their cast iron care… I scrub it with hot water, a brush, and maybe some soap depending on how dirty it is. Then I dry it off LIKE A NORMAL PAN and heat a little oil in it again to keep it from rusting. The only thing you need to do different than a normal pan is get some oil on it and heat it up after washing. It’s a ferrous metal so it’ll rust if it isn’t protected.
Brkdncr@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Modern soaps lack the phosphates that really mess with cast iron. I typically do this.
Little bit of water, heat on high until it boils most things off the pan.
Scrape with metal spatula and stick items.
Hit it lightly with soap and sponge.
Dry with paper towel.
Spray with oil.
Wipe oil all sides.
Mesophar@pawb.social 3 weeks ago
Only missing putting it back on heat after drying with a paper towel to boil off any residual water
StrawberryPigtails@lemmy.sdf.org 3 weeks ago
I tend to use a paper towel with a little bit of canola oil, after hand washing it lightly with soap and water.
My cast iron won’t win beauty pageants, but they are functional equipment, not wall decorations.
moseschrute@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Probably a second cast iron skillet
Kurious84@lemmings.world 3 weeks ago
I turn up the heat then throw water. It boils and cleanup with paper towel. Use tongs.
BassTurd@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
We have a plastic scraper that gets anything off with a bit of water. Then I hit it with a rough sponge and water, towel dry, then stovetop dry. While still hot, I like to put a thin layer of Crisco on all surfaces with a paper towel and wipe any excess off. Having a well seasoned pan, warming up before cooking, and using enough fat or oil makes cleaning and maintaining a lot easier.
protist@mander.xyz 3 weeks ago
Scraping with plastic is a good way to create microplastics. Better to use a wood or metal tool
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
scraping with wood is a grate way to get, uh, sawdust.
apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I use a green scotch brite pad and occasionally a modicum of dish soap.
dubyakay@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
So microplastics and soap embedded in your iron. Yum.
apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
You should go back to reddit. ✌️
IWW4@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
The amount of energy spent online about cleaning cast iron skillets blows my mind.
They are just slabs of iron.
unemployedclaquer@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
i don’t ask LLMs anything ever and sticky iron is annoying
neidu3@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
I’m convinced there’s no right answer to this. Whatever works for you. The internet will never agree no matter what you do.
Personally I put it on the stove just to heat it up slightly, and them I rinse it under hot water while scrubbing with a light plastic brush just to get and chunks and gunks out. Once done I put it on the stove to burn/polymerize any leftover grease and add to the seasoning.
Schlemmy@lemmy.ml 3 weeks ago
I’ve found brushes with natural bristles (not sure of the material but the handle is made out of wood) to hit the sweet spot between abrasive and gentil on the coating.
disco@lemdro.id 3 weeks ago
Stiff wooden brush, oil and salt
njordomir@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I could probably learn a lot from the thread. If I don’t clean it while it’s still warm, I tend to resort to coarse salt, a bit of oil, and a scrubby sponge. Either way, it’s not easy for me to clean, especially after eggs.
RBWells@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
If eggs don’t release well, it’s not seasoned well, most of mine are pretty nonstick but I struggle with the biggest one, the surface is not as good.
I would say baby that one. Clean it immediately then dry, wipe some oil in, almost none, and heat it while wiping it. Or make pancakes, that seems to rehab them. Long slow cooking with fat in there and something that doesn’t want to stick, getting scraped often.
TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I use this kind of metal rag/ sponge?
it’s between a sponge and a rag and it’s metal rings
WhiteOakBayou@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Chain mail scrubber. That’s my go to as well
protist@mander.xyz 3 weeks ago
Sounds like chainmail
DoubleDongle@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Paper towel
Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
I’ve gone paper towel free in my house. Every need for a paper towel has been replaced in my home care, except for this one purpose.
I use a coffee filter.
Witchfire@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Everyone has a different 8 step program to cleaning cast irons. I just scrape the fuck out of it with a chainmail “sponge” and water, maybe some coarse salt or s pinch of soap if it’s nasty. I dry it with a towel. I’ve had mine for yeaaaaars and it looks just fine.
Tracaine@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I just put mine in the dishwasher. Generic soap. High heat, full cycle. Let it drip dry. No wiping out needed.
Fedizen@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Immediately after you’re done using it: rinse and scrub it like anything else. Let it dry, then apply oil to it.
Cast irons do really poorly if you don’t clean them out immediately but I just use a normal sink scrub brush for cleaning.
False@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I use hot water and a chainmail scrubber
firewyre@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Umm, a towel?
bizzle@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
My dad sands his silver and just washes it regular
FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
generally speaking, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get stuff off. I generally use blue scotchbrite scrubbie pads. They’re non-abbrassive and have no metal or cleanser in them; but they’re scratchy while being soft enough.
Other things that gets recommended is “washcloths” made of maille links (for example.)
The next stuff is some generic recommendations that you may or may not find useful (or have already heard.), but they’re key steps in getting that truly nonstick surface… and it starts with how you maintain and cook with it.
Cast iron needs to be maintained- it was the original non-stick pan, mind you, but that nonstick surface needs maintenance. I typically season mine with avacodo oil applied in very light coatings and kept in a 350f oven. it’s best to stay below the smoke point of whatever oil you’re using; so check that and go 50-100 degrees under. The oil is polymerized when it’s no longer tacky; and I tend to apply about a teaspoon at a time using an old microfiber cloth. (Less is best. I place the cloth on the top of the oil bottle and give it a quick flip-and-down. that’s enough. for a full 12" pan, and probably enough for 16" if you have one.)
once its seasoned well, you can maintain it by occasionally putting a light coating of oil after use, cleaning and drying.
Also, it’s important to remember that you need some kind of oil in the pan for it to be truly non-stick. I use avocado oil as my go to; it has no real flavor and it doesn’t smoke like olive oil does. If you want to use butter, you can also get cute and add both avacado and butter and avoid burning the butter that way. It doesn’t take a lot- a tablespoon is frequently enough. for something like bacon, I put a light “seasoning” coat on before cooking- you don’t really want animal fats to season, it’ll burn and turn bitter.
colourlesspony@pawb.social 3 weeks ago
I use a lot salt + paper towel. I never wash mine with water.
witty_username@feddit.nl 3 weeks ago
I print some of the endless online discussions about cast iron care. The paper, the ink and the opinions make for an excellent mild abrasive that doesn’t permeate the pores or excessively damage the seasoning patina
Natanael@infosec.pub 2 weeks ago
Make sure to use food grade ink