How do you properly clean cast iron pots and pans?

Answer 1

"CAUTION: Wear rubber gloves and eye protection while doing this!!

Begin by spraying the pan with oven cleaner and putting it in a plastic bag for a couple of days. The bag keeps the oven cleaner from drying out so it will continue to work. After a couple of days, remove it from the bag and scrub it in a solution of dish soap/water. I use a brass brush purchased at a super market, or my favorite, a brass brush I purchased at Rite Aid Pharmacy in their automotive counter. This brush is marketed for cleaning white wall tires. It is just the right size for doing pans. If all the burned on grease doesn't come off, repeat the process, concentrating the cleaner to the areas not cleaned.

For bulk cleaning, you can prepare a soak of one and a half gallons of water to one 18 ounce can of lye in a plastic container. Lye like oven cleaner is very caustic and will burn you. Always wear rubber gloves. Mix enough in the plastic container to cover the items to be cleaned. Leave the pieces in the soak for about five days. Then scrub the piece. You can use the lye mixture several times. Do not use oven cleaner or lye on aluminum! It will eat the aluminum! Lye and oven cleaner will also eat the finish off wood handles and japanned pieces, and will dull porcelain finishes.

To remove rust, buff the pan with a fine wire wheel in an electric drill. Crusted rust can be dissolved by soaking the piece in a 50%solution of white vinegar and water for a few hours. Don't leave it more than overnight without checking it. This solution will eventually eat the iron! It is now important to neutralize and stop the action of the vinegar. To neutralize the acid action of the vinegar again apply the oven cleaner and let the piece soak over night. You can also soak the piece over night in an alkaline solution such as washing soda which is available in the cleaning dept of most supermarkets and also some hardware stores. The washing soda neutralizes the vinegar so it will not continue to attack the iron. Then scrub the piece in dish detergent and hot water before seasoning.

After removing the burned on grease you are ready to season the piece. Preheat the oven to 125 degrees. This removes any moisture in the oven which could condense on the cold skillet leaving a very fine gold or rust color. Then preheat the pieces in the 125 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until they are hot. After the piece is heated remove it and apply shortening. I prefer solid Crisco. Some prefer lard or bacon grease. Oil does not work as well as these three. Apply solid Crisco; it flows right on. Of course you have to use a hot pad or rag to hold them. Return them to the oven right side up and raise the temperature to 225 degrees. Leave them for 1/2 hour then remove them and wipe any pooling of the shortening, leaving the piece still shining wet. The timing is important here because if you leave them in the oven to long the shortening begins to thicken. Put them back in the oven for another half hour. When you remove them this time let them cool down a bit, but are still hot, then wipe them to a dull shine. The initial seasoning should be accomplished at the point, However, typical of cast iron cookware, the more you use it (and don’t abuse it) the better it will be. It is generally recommended that you cook fatty foods in the pan as this adds to the seasoning process."

Answer 2

Wash them by hand in warm soapy water. Rinse well and dry. Air dry or with a towel. Oil the skillet with some vegetable oil, making sure you rub the oil everywhere really well. This is how I care for my iron skillets which have been handed down for 3 generations in my family, so we must be doing something right. My family seemed to like the old Crisco shortening for oiling their pans, but I think any cooking oil will do. If you always keep your pans oiled, stuff will be less likely to stick. Also if something gets burnt on them so bad that it won't come out by soaking in soapy water, you can burn the skillet. Build you a little fire in a BBQ pit or on the ground and throw the skillet in, let it burn until all gunk is gone, turning with fireplace tongs. Remove and let cool, wash a couple of times and re-oil the skillet. When you oil it this time, do it pretty heavy and place in the oven at about 350 for 30 minutes. Remove and lightly oil the skillet on the inside again. Hope this helps. Oh yeah, just for information, this process of washing and oiling your pans is called "seasoning".

Answer 3

My husband is an expert on cast iron, and I learned this from him.

After use, run hot water over the item and scrub it out with a dish brush. Rinse thoroughly to get rid of all food particles. Fill the pan 1/2 with water and put back on the stove. Turn the burner on to high or medium high and let it boil for a bit (don't let it boil out though). After it has boiled, pour out the water and dry it with a cloth or paper towel. Cast iron needs to be "cured" occasionally, as well. When the metal begins to look "dried out" or if there are "rusty" looking spots, use a small bit of cooking oil on a paper towel and rub the metal.

Answer 4

You can scour them once in a while with soap and water, but you will have to season them immediately after. Generally you boil water in them until the food comes off with a wooden spoon, wipe them clean, and put them away. The base of oil in a properly seasoned pan will keep it clean with just this method.

Answer 5

Use very hot water, and no soap or very little if you need to. Rinse really well. Then put a little oil in it, rub it in with a paper towel, and put it away.

Answer 6

AS SOON AS YOUR DONE USING IT SOAK IT IN HOT WATER WITH A CONCENTRATED DISH SOAP AND CLEAN REGULARY. THEN TO DRY.. PUT BACK ON BURNER UNTIL THE HEAT HAS DRIED THE POT. THIS HELPS SO IT DOES NOT RUST.