Cast Iron Skillet in DISHWASHER, help!!?

Question

Soemone pu my cast iron skillet in the dishwasher, When it came out it had white spots embeded in it. I've had a couple of tupper wear pieces look like this after taking them out of the dishwasher. I'm pretty sure its the soap. Its gets really hard and wont stratch off. I scrubbed, but it seems like its really IN the pot.

So I tried to cook in it. When I put oil in it it boiled, and there were lots of bubbles. This had never happened before. Is it completely ruined, or can I do something to it. No matter how much I scrub, I can still see faint circles of white on the bottom.

Answer 1

The white circles on the bottom sound like you've still got soap embedded on the surface of the skillet.

I would try putting plain water in the skillet, and simmering it for a long while. Dump out the water, refill with water, and keep repeating. Set a timer so you keep checking the water level. You do NOT want it to boil dry.

What you're trying to do here is to get the soap to dissolve in the hot water. Each time you dump the water out of the skillet and refill it, a little more of the soap should dissolve.

If this doesn't seem to get all the soap out, try adding a little bit of vinegar to the water. Vinegar is acetic acid, a mild acid (slightly lower than pH 7). You may need an acid to neutralize the soap, which is basic (higher than pH 7). Vinegar cuts through soap, and is often used as a substitute for dishwashing rinse agents because it helps to cut soap residue in the automatic dishwasher.

Once you have gotten all the soap out, THEN you can season the skillet. If you season it while the soap is still there, you will continue to have problems.

Good luck!

Answer 2

you need to season you skillet .... heat on high heat for 15 mins remove with pot holder or pliers. Look out it will be vary hot. Let it cool down some place safe. Scour the cool pot with steel wool and wipe clean. DON"T use any soap of any kind. STEP 4: coat the pot or fry pan with good old LARD. You can still buy it at most stores near the vegetable oil or the dairy case. Let it cool and wipe off any excess. All you need is enough to wet the surface. Don't use vegetable oil it will go rancid and turn into glue. I The lard doesn't go rancid if you get it hot enough on the pot. If you like, put the pot or pan in the oven at 350 deg for a while. When you want to use the pan just wipe out the dust and cook. NEVER,NEVER,NEVER use soap on the cast iron. If something sticks or burns just boil water in the pot and scrape out the food with a plastic or wood spatula. Dry out the cast iron on the burner and coat with lard. Processed lard has less saturated fat than butter. You won't be eating more than a drop of lard per use .

Answer 3

Try and clean your cast iron skillet while it is still hot.
Rinse it with hot water and scraping when necessary.
Do not use a scouring pad or soap on your cast iron skillet as it will break down the pan's seasoning.
Always completely dry your cast-iron pans / skillets. You can do this by is to putting the cast iron skillet on top of the burners. Or you can put them in the oven for a little while to dry on a low tempature.
Depending on the condition of your skillet, after the pans are dry give them a light coat of oil to keep away the rust and then place in the cupboard
Always dry your cast iron skillet before putting it away, or it will rust, then you will have another issue on your hands.


Never, never put a cast iron pan in the dishwasher.

Answer 4

First thing, oil does not boil. So something else was boiling.

Anyways, it is not completely ruined. You may have to reseason the pan again. That is get it very hot and then put in oil into the pan so it goes into the pores of the pan. There are seasoning techniques on the net.

I don't have dishwasher but I regularily wash out my cast iron frypan with soap, steel wool, very hot water. Never had a problem with it.

Answer 5

Its not ruined, but you will need to season it to get it back to where it was. First off, put it in hot water (no soap!) for about 20 minutes. Use a scrubber (like a 3M pad) to give it a really thorough cleaning. Dry it and put it in a 300 degree oven until its heated through. Take it out (carefully, its hot), and rub it all over with a paper towel dipped in vegetable oil. Put it back in the oven for 20 minutes, and then repeat this process 4 or 5 times. This will give you a start, the pan will get better with regular use. DO NOT use soap to clean it , EVER.

Answer 6

Well, I'd give it a good scrub. With my other pots when someone does something less-than-intelligent with them I put water and baking soda (or a drop of soap depending on what type of pot) and let it boil. Then turn it off and soak.
With the Cast Iron Skillet though, I usually let it soak with just some boiled water to get out whatever is on there, and then give it a good scrub with a 3M pad or just the scrubber side of the regular ol sponge. Then put it on the stove on high and watch the water evaporate away, and my pot is good as new.
Then I oil it , drop of EVOO and rub around with a paper towel (please don't let the towel bit get stuck in the iron though) and put it in the oven for storage. (it's off, and clean, no dust to get in my freshly cleaned, oiled pot.)

Good luck to you though, hope you find a good answer from someone. :)

Answer 7

clean cast iron cookware. Although it's more prone to stains and rust than the nonstick variety, many folks swear by their iron cookware. You can remove even the toughest burned on food remnants in your iron pots by boiling 1 qt. of water with 2 Tablespoons of Baking Soda for 5 minutes. Pour off most of the liquid then scrub it lightly with a plastic scrub pad, rinse well, dry and season with a few drops of peanut oil

Answer 8

I would heat it up and season it with the oil a few times. If this does not cure the problem I would take it to a machine shop where they can sand blast it (mildly). Then I would take it home and season it agian severail times and then just rinse it to get any sand out. It is best not to wash cast iron with soap. Just rinse and dry.

Answer 9

"JulieD" is correct along with a few others... this will help season your pan. I have had this happen numerous times and now when ever I bake, I spray my pans down with nonstick spray and set on the bottom of the oven while I do my baking.

: )

Happy Wednesday !!

Answer 10

Rub down with shortening and place in a warm oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.