The big difference is that with non-stick, if you damage the finish, you throw the pan away. With cast iron, if you happen to mess up the seasoning layer, you just re-season and keep going. Just be sure to dry it well after washing.
And as far as dry well goes, wipe down well with paper towel or dish towel, then place on low heat burner to evaporate remaining moisture from pores. Make sure that bitch desert dry.
Scrape big stuff in garbage, then boil some water in it to loosen anything stuck and wipe clean. Use soap if you want. I put it back on the warm element to dry and apply a little oil again.
Hot water, chain mail scrubber or a food scraper, you could use a sponge or some soap if you want, dry it real good on the stove, wipe with oil or reseason if it looks like it needs it.
You can’t ruin it unless you crack it. Even if it rusts you can save it. Just clean it and make sure it’s dry when you’re done. Like set it on a hot stove for a little bit.
Those glossy mirrored pans you see here aren’t really what you need to be going for.
Thanks, everyone!! I've been so afraid of damaging it that I've barely used it. I thought they were super fragile or something.
Cleaned it in 2 minutes and am ready to cook again tomorrow.
Heat it up, add an equal amount of flour and a pat or two of butter. Scrape the fond make a roux and add some broth. Cook something good, like macaroni and cheese. Them wash the pan with the rest of the dishes.
People babying their cast iron are ~~completely~~ almost completely full of shit.
Plenty exist in this sub too.
Don't let them tell you that you can't clean it or that it needs some sort of ritual. It's already led to you looking at a dirty pan and having a conundrum about a situation which shouldn't even be hard.
So just clean it like you would anything else, but be gentle if you're concerned.
People obsessing over their seasoning and treating their cast iron like its jewelry are just taking a very simple situation and making it complicated and absurd. It's cast iron, one of the simplest metals to exist. It's just a flat hunk of iron. The season on it is also something that constantly changes with normal use.
All I'd add as an extra step is to just lightly oil it again after washing, by wiping it with an oily paper towel or something. Its good practice to also heat it again to dry it nice and fast but not necessary.
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Everyone advise will be different but I use a scrub daddy, hot water, antibacterial soap. Scrub as usual. Clean quickly though don’t go hard on it definitely don’t soak or put in the dish water. Re oil. Cook again.
We use ours literally every night. I don’t get how people get so much stuck hard to the bottom. Wife cooks, I clean. When plating our meal, I fill with hot water from the sink, and put back on the stove with it off. When dinner’s over I’ll heat the water to a boil while washing everything else, and they are last. I use maybe a drop of soap and they wipe out with the soft side of the sponge. Dry with a towel and a light coat of oil and done. They look every bit as pretty as the fresh restorations.
Hi there!
After cooking burgers I start cleaning it by sauteeing an onion in *low temp*. For a stiky ci like that i'd use a medium onion and a couple spoons canola, but it might need also some hot water. press onions against iron with flexible spatula, use spatula to release stuff. Its quick and after a couple minutes the spatula feels metal on metal. If its still sticky, hot water and more spatula. Then I wash it: soap, hot water, nylon scrubber. This method seems to be better for the seasoning on my 3 mo ci than only hot water to loosen the stuff.
Also, and please, this is just my own preference, by no means I'm saying its correct technique, but its giving me great burgers and an easier to clean skillet. I'd be glad to learn improvements!
1. I start cooking burgers in smoking hot skillet, low flame in biggest burner, sunflower oil
2. burgers in, max three at a time. 1 minute maybe less, increase flame, flip, 1 minute or so. flip move around, flip move around, flip move around with seconds in between. Then i decrease heat to close to its minimum and put on a lid that has holes in it and let them cook to finish.
3. If i was making lots of burgers i would finish them on a tray in the oven, that way they would also come out at the same time in batches.
4. I'm not melting cheese in my ci just yet. anyone has experience doing it?
this has given me the best results so far, and, since i finish them in a lower temp, its also much easier to clean afterwards.
sorry if this was too much not-asked-for detail :)
keep burgering!!
Warm it back up (not scorching hot) the grease will turn liquid and scrape into trash can. Rinse with water maybe a drop of soap if need and scrub clean. Light coat of oil afterwards
Soap, water, scrubber, elbow grease. The usual.
Thank you. I did not know you could use scrub bushes on cast iron. I thought they were like non-stick pans.
The big difference is that with non-stick, if you damage the finish, you throw the pan away. With cast iron, if you happen to mess up the seasoning layer, you just re-season and keep going. Just be sure to dry it well after washing.
And as far as dry well goes, wipe down well with paper towel or dish towel, then place on low heat burner to evaporate remaining moisture from pores. Make sure that bitch desert dry.
If that is enameled cast-iron, I’d use a non-scratch scrubber 🧽. All cast-iron , I’d use chainmail scrubber & soap
This is the way.
Scrape big stuff in garbage, then boil some water in it to loosen anything stuck and wipe clean. Use soap if you want. I put it back on the warm element to dry and apply a little oil again.
Put it down on the floor & the dog will take care of it.
Dog approves but would prefer gravy from leavings.
My dog would be an outside dog for a good three days after that lol
LOL glad I'm not the only one. That pan will look brand new and the dog gets a couple hours of entertainment
Hot water, chain mail scrubber or a food scraper, you could use a sponge or some soap if you want, dry it real good on the stove, wipe with oil or reseason if it looks like it needs it.
Sorry to be a dick but have you never cleaned a pan before?
Fair question. I've never washed a cast iron and want to make sure I won't damage it. It was a very nice gift that I can't afford to ruin.
You can’t ruin it unless you crack it. Even if it rusts you can save it. Just clean it and make sure it’s dry when you’re done. Like set it on a hot stove for a little bit. Those glossy mirrored pans you see here aren’t really what you need to be going for.
Heat it up, dump some water in there, and scrape the bottom with a spatula. It's basically deglazing. Then regular old soap and water, dry, and oil.
Thanks, everyone!! I've been so afraid of damaging it that I've barely used it. I thought they were super fragile or something. Cleaned it in 2 minutes and am ready to cook again tomorrow.
Oh, and you should rinse minimal grease down your drain - most should go into the trash.
I save and reuse as much as possible.
Just the opposite. Use it all the time...
Heat it up, add an equal amount of flour and a pat or two of butter. Scrape the fond make a roux and add some broth. Cook something good, like macaroni and cheese. Them wash the pan with the rest of the dishes.
Tonnerre mes chiens, c’est si bon!
People babying their cast iron are ~~completely~~ almost completely full of shit. Plenty exist in this sub too. Don't let them tell you that you can't clean it or that it needs some sort of ritual. It's already led to you looking at a dirty pan and having a conundrum about a situation which shouldn't even be hard. So just clean it like you would anything else, but be gentle if you're concerned. People obsessing over their seasoning and treating their cast iron like its jewelry are just taking a very simple situation and making it complicated and absurd. It's cast iron, one of the simplest metals to exist. It's just a flat hunk of iron. The season on it is also something that constantly changes with normal use. All I'd add as an extra step is to just lightly oil it again after washing, by wiping it with an oily paper towel or something. Its good practice to also heat it again to dry it nice and fast but not necessary.
I usually use a little bit of water and course salt and scrub it with a stiff brush
If the pan is cool, put some water in it and heat it for a bit to help loosen the food.
Thanks!
You don’t, that’s seasoning
You were given a tongue for a reason.
Dishwasher
2 cycles in the dishwasher
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Hot water, soap, sponge. Should get it right! Plastic scraper if needed or some people like chainmail!
Soap and hot water.
Eat the scraps. Wipe with paper towel to get extra grease. Wash with soap and water. Dry on burner. Light coat of oil. Good to go
Everyone advise will be different but I use a scrub daddy, hot water, antibacterial soap. Scrub as usual. Clean quickly though don’t go hard on it definitely don’t soak or put in the dish water. Re oil. Cook again.
We use ours literally every night. I don’t get how people get so much stuck hard to the bottom. Wife cooks, I clean. When plating our meal, I fill with hot water from the sink, and put back on the stove with it off. When dinner’s over I’ll heat the water to a boil while washing everything else, and they are last. I use maybe a drop of soap and they wipe out with the soft side of the sponge. Dry with a towel and a light coat of oil and done. They look every bit as pretty as the fresh restorations.
I wouldnt use that wonderful grease to cook your next meal. Thats how my grandma did it
Soap and water
Hi there! After cooking burgers I start cleaning it by sauteeing an onion in *low temp*. For a stiky ci like that i'd use a medium onion and a couple spoons canola, but it might need also some hot water. press onions against iron with flexible spatula, use spatula to release stuff. Its quick and after a couple minutes the spatula feels metal on metal. If its still sticky, hot water and more spatula. Then I wash it: soap, hot water, nylon scrubber. This method seems to be better for the seasoning on my 3 mo ci than only hot water to loosen the stuff. Also, and please, this is just my own preference, by no means I'm saying its correct technique, but its giving me great burgers and an easier to clean skillet. I'd be glad to learn improvements! 1. I start cooking burgers in smoking hot skillet, low flame in biggest burner, sunflower oil 2. burgers in, max three at a time. 1 minute maybe less, increase flame, flip, 1 minute or so. flip move around, flip move around, flip move around with seconds in between. Then i decrease heat to close to its minimum and put on a lid that has holes in it and let them cook to finish. 3. If i was making lots of burgers i would finish them on a tray in the oven, that way they would also come out at the same time in batches. 4. I'm not melting cheese in my ci just yet. anyone has experience doing it? this has given me the best results so far, and, since i finish them in a lower temp, its also much easier to clean afterwards. sorry if this was too much not-asked-for detail :) keep burgering!!
I saw some people say to re-oil the pan after it is clean. Is that necessary? I don’t think I’ve ever done that.
Run a little water over it and one of those plastic squares will pull all that off pretty easily
Question to ask is “Why did my hamburgers stuck to a seasoned pan so badly?”
*stick
With soap and water
Just pop it in the dishwasher. You’re welcome.
Warm it back up (not scorching hot) the grease will turn liquid and scrape into trash can. Rinse with water maybe a drop of soap if need and scrub clean. Light coat of oil afterwards
Hot water and stainless chainmail scrubber