Cleaning
How to Season (& Clean) Your Trusty Cast Iron Skillet
If you treat a cast iron pan right, it'll last a lifetime (or two, or three).
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27 Comments
This is for regular cleaning after use. When I have acquired a pan with carbon buildup, I use the oven cleaner/plastic garbage bag method to strip before washing and seasoning. The chain-mail type cleaners also work well for getting cast iron clean.
Noel Bouck
Having no outdoor space of my own, I do the oven-self-cleaning option. At such a high heat, the coating that protects the iron from rust turns into a fine dust. It's a little tricky, because the iron will be SUPER sensitive to moisture and start to rust immediately. As soon as the cast iron is able to be handled, it is wiped free of the dust, coated with oil, and baked in the oven. This process is repeated a few times until there is a polymerized coating that once again protects the iron from moisture.
1. In the early days of your cast iron, use it for least-sticky cooking. (Fried egg with a good amount of oil/butter, nuts that release oils, shallow deep frying, etc.) This will allow you to build your seasoning naturally.
2. Clean by wiping/rinsing cast iron, putting it on the stove for a min on high heat to ensure dry if rinsed, rub a touch of oil around whole warm/hot pan.
3. When food sticks, while pan is still crazy hot, gently push the end of a fish flipper against the surface so you're coaxing food off rather than scratching pan. Continue until you can run it along surface without catching anywhere. (a little water sometimes helps) Wash, rinse, oil.
And as much as rust is the villain, if you've stripped it and re-seasoned and it's still a touch red, that's okay. It'll darken over time.
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