How to clean a cast iron skillet

For a really cruddy cast iron pan, put it in the oven and run the self-cleaning cycle. Scrape out as much gunk as possible before you put it in the oven. After it has cooled enough to handle, wipe clean and reseason.

I wash, dry, and heat up my skillet and apply olive oil every time I use it. People FREAK when I say I wash my pan every time. I live by it.

The above advice is spot on. However if subby is trying to restore a neglected Cast Iron Pan...take it to a metal shop, autobody shop and have it sand blasted, or acid washed. You'll have to re season it of course.

Here's some great tips from "Real Simple" magazine: rinse the pan with hot water immediately after cooking. If you need to remove burned-on food, scrub with a mild abrasive, like coarse salt, and a nonmetal brush to preserve the nonstick surface; you can also use a few drops of a mild dishwashing soap every once in a while. If the pan gets a sticky coating or develops rust over time, scrub it with steel wool and reseason it. To prevent rust, dry the skillet thoroughly and lightly coat the cooking surface with cooking oil. Cover with a paper towel to protect it from dust."

Here's a tutorial! http://food52.com/blog/3589-how-to-clean-cast-iron