Shelling is correct. As you cook, the seasoning builds up and eventually creates coating. Your pan will always have black on it that comes off. Here is a nifty little video that Amanda did a while back. You'll need to re-season your pan.

https://food52.com/blog...

For the record; it's not appropriate for cast iron, but for non reactive pans (stainless, enameled, anodized etc.) burned on gunk is removed much more effectively by boiling water with a lot of baking soda in it than with water alone. Vinegar works too, but is expensive and reeks to high heaven- it doesn't work as we,ll either.

You're not supposed to scrub a cast iron pan. I don't wash mine. I clean it by applying a thick coat of Kosher salt to the pan while it's still warm. I use a pad made of sturdy paper toweling to wipe the pan clean. The salt acts as an abrasive, and as the pan cools, the "dirty" salt is easy to pour out and discard.

Hi Nicole,
This is Laura and I work for Lodge! I'd recommend that you use something very abrasive like steel wool to scrub the black bits completely off, then re-season your skillet. And since you'll be re-seasoning, go to town on that soap if you have to! Here's a quick video showing how to do that: https://youtu.be/Gg6S6vWyPH8...

With cast iron, very high heat can cause things to stick, especially if there's little or no oil in the pan and especially if the ingredients are cold. Cast iron retains more heat than other pans, so medium/high heat is plenty high to sear meat, and veggies usually require low or medium/low heat. Here's another quick film on searing steak: https://youtu.be/7QmCVjSoY_w...

Hope this helps!

-Laura

when i was a little kid, my dad took a circular metal brush attachment for his drill to the insides of my mom's cast iron pan which surface had become irregular due to build up. it was beautifully seasoned and returned to that condition quickly as he smoothed out the cooking surface. it survived for many decades.

You can also put it in the oven through the cleaning cycle. Bakes everything off the pan and then you can re-season.