How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet
How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet: Learn how to do it the easy way, and maybe a little lesson on How to Season a Cast Iron Skillet as well!
Cast Iron Skillets
I get a lot of questions about cooking with and cleaning cast iron skillets. Maybe it’s because I live in the Carolinas.
I will say, my cast iron skillets do have a much better season going on than they did before we moved here. Families in the south pass on well-seasoned cast iron like a precious heirloom.
Things To Know Before Cleaning
So I’d like to clear up a few misconceptions about cast iron.
The first thing to know about cast iron skillets is that they must be “seasoned” in order to cook as a nonstick surface. The seasoning is a protective nonstick layer sealing the iron. This layer is developed over time by the microscopic pores in the iron absorbing fats.
In order to keep the seasoning, you must never wash a cast iron pan with dish soap, which is a degreaser. If you do, you strip away the protective coating, which will cause your skillet to rust.
Let’s first talk about how to season a cast iron skillet, and then I’ll go into how to clean a cast iron skillet so you don’t lose your seasoning.
Most skillets you buy nowadays are sold as “pre-seasoned” but I always season them anyway, just to be sure.
I’ll save my soapbox message on false advertising.
How to Season a Cast Iron Skillet
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack.
Vegetable Shortening
- Then rub the skillet’s interior with a generous layer of vegetable shortening. Place the pan on the middle oven rack, up-side-down, over the baking sheet.
Cast Iron Absorption
- Bake the skillet for approximately 2 hours. The pores in the iron will open and absorb the shortening, and the excess fat will drip down on the baking sheet.
- After 2 hours, turn off the oven and allow the skillet to cool to room temperature in the oven.
Cast Iron Improves with Time
You should do this to new, or newly acquired, cast iron skillets and again anytime your seasoning seems to be wearing off, i.e. when the babysitter puts your cast iron skillet in the dishwasher!!
However, if you care for your skillets properly after you’ve seasoned them… You may never have to season them again. Through cooking and proper cleaning, the seasoning will improve over time.
How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet
So now that you have a newly seasoned skillet, how should you clean it?
Ingredients and Materials
With salt. And oil. And a little bit of fresh water if needed.
That’s it.
Here’s how to do it…
- Place a spoonful of salt in your dirty skillet. Pour an equal amount of cooking oil over the salt.
Salt Paste
- Using a paper towel, rub the salt-paste over the skillet in a circular motion to loosen debris.
- If the food is really caked on, use a flat metal spatula to scrape it off.
Wipe Out Excess
- Then, and this is important, wipe the salt out of the skillet and wipe out any excess oil.
The oil not only helps loosen the crud, but it also adds a little more “seasoning” to the skillet every time you clean it.
Think of it as skillet moisturizer.
If you happened to overkill on the salt (or burnt something in your skillet and have a TON of debris) you can rinse your cast iron skillet with fresh water and dry thoroughly.
Then you’ll need to rub the skillet again with oil to make sure you’ve added that thin layer of seasoning.
Worried About Germs?
I can feel some of you out there brooding over germs. Yep, I’m talking to you… You want to add a drop of dish soap to your skillet when no one is looking.
RESIST!
Did you know salt is antibacterial?
Rubbing your cast iron skillet down with salt and oil is not only safe for your seasoning, but it naturally kills germs in the process. (Like swigging warm salt water in your mouth when you have a sore throat or sore gums.)
And remember, this is a tool that gets heated to scalding temperatures day after day. Germs are not an issue here, I promise.
As long as you remove the debris with salt and rub the skillet with oil, each time you use it, your seasoned cast iron should just keep getting better and better with age!
I’ve always cooked spicy/savory dishes in my cast iron skillet. It seems to retain the onion/garlic/spicy flavors a bit which hasn’t been an issue until now that I’ve come across a dessert recipe i’d love to try. is there a way to remove these flavors or do i need 2 skillets, 1 for savory and 1 for sweet dishes ?
Hi Alison, the salt scrub should help remove the flavor.
i’ve worked and worked with oven cleaner, metal brushes, steel wool, straight razor sacrapers, and the like. i have 5 skillets and a dutch oven with zero “removable” cooking debris, and i still get a dirty towel when i wipe them down to set up curing procedure. the patina is a dull dark grey for the most part…lovely to look at, but still dirty. what’s going on? please help me.
Love this tutorial! I have one question though. I don’t use paper towels, would I just rinse it? Is there another alternative?
An old dish towel would work. :)
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I am seventy nine and the only skillets my mother had were different sizes of the iron skillet and used them three times a day. We had to wash dishes and always washed them in the dishwater at the end and never knew about seasoning. they were always slick in the bottom and I have some of them now. Never knew of them rusting. Have bought some of them in later years and had trouble with rusting and sticking. My dad bought one of the iron dutch ovens and cooked beans in it and they turned black and you can imagine what happened to that. Also heard a doctor’s wife say that cooking in the iron skillets was so much healthier than thes newer coated skillets. Am using a large skillet now that burns and sticks to the food but will try to use your remedies to correct that.
I’m now Happy Happy Happy!! I have my large cast iron skillet and it’s one more MESS! My son got hold of it and he never does dishes, except this time.. and ruined it! Now I know how to clean all the gunk out of it! I’ve tried everything from oil to Scotchbrite.. the HEAVY stuff.. this all stands to reason! Now. when I finish getting all the crud out, should I re season it the way it should have been seasoned in the first place? My Grandmother used to season her new cast iron by cooking Salt Fat Back in it and then just wiping it out…..I have never ever seen her have a problem with any of her skillets after doing this. She just always used to cook her salt fat back in the cast iron skillets. I suppose I will give it a try! It sure can’t hurt it! Thank you so much for the tip!!
Do you clean the cast iron skillet every time you use it? I’m thinking about getting a cast iron skillet and the cleaning process seems somewhat complicated, I wouldn’t want to have to do it every time.
Hi Gibson, You do need to rub it with salt and oil every time to keep/improve the seasoning, but it’s worth it!
Hello,
I just bought 5 preseasoned cast irons pans for Lodge. Thank you for the information, I just rec’d them so they had their first wash with soap and water BUT no more.
Have a question, I’ve heard not to use metal spatulas etc on these pans, but I see people on the Food Network using them.
Thank you
You know, I think some people are worried they are going to scratch their seasoning off, but I still use them. As long as you’re not too rough on your skillets, it should be ok.
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Can I save a cast iron skillet that has some rust inside on the cooking surface. It was given to me and I would really like to try and save it. Its not thick rust just a few spots on the surface but I’m not sure if I should use it or not.
Yup, to get the rust off you can use whatever it takes (metal spatula, steel wool, etc.) as long as you then treat it like an unseasoned pan and do the full seasoning procedure, ideally a couple times. Cast iron can always be saved and pampered back to health, so don’t hesitate to buy rusted out cast iron at garage sales or thrift shops. :)
Thank you for the information, BUT, MY QUESTION IS, I obviously have been mistreating my cast iron griddle because I wash it with dawn every now and then and now I am having a problem with black flakes coming off onto my food. I was wondering if you know how to get the flakes off the griddle. It’s like it’s chipping off around the edges. Any info would be great.
Thank You
Hi Melissa, the black flakes are burnt on food. Try giving it one last scrub down with steel wool, then “season” it and start fresh. :)
My mother showed me how to clean stuff burned in a iron skillet..we were cooking sliced apples with a lot of sugar to carmalized them,,,soooooooo good…but the skillet was a mess…she put just a spot of soap in skillet with about an inch of water and brought to a boil until it all turns loose and smooth and clean…then she seasoned it afterward…it is a lot easier then trying to scrape it off.
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How do you get rust off? My skillet got left outside and it is now a globe of rust. Any ideas? Thanks so much, Pam
This is great so glad I came across it… Curious if you or anyone has ever tried it on a cast iron grill pan and if its same process just longer due to the grates?
Hello –
I haven’t read through all the comments yet so I’m not sure if this has been addressed yet. Would coconut oil be OK to use to season? Or even to clean along with the salt?
Thanks for your help!
Hi Debbie,
Coconut oil would work great! :)
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP! I bought another cast iron skillet (smaller than the first) because I liked the first one so much. I will season it with coconut oil!
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If you use water to clean it, put the cast iron in the oven before putting more oil on it. This way you don’t lock the water in with the oil because oil rises and the water will be sitting on the cast iron. You want it to be completely dry before adding oil.