How do you clean a really gross cast iron pan?

Question

I know you aren't supposed to use soap on a cast iron pan, but I found one at the bottom of a pile of dirty dishes thats really crusty, and I don't know how to get it clean without soap. Any ideas? Can I use soap if I re-season it? (How do i do that?)

Thanks!

Answer 1

My cast iron skillet belonged to my great grandmother and I have NEVER used soap or water on it.

Pour some salt in it (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) and use paper towels to scrub it out. The salt will absorb any grease and scrub off the "crusty" stuff. Continue using the salt until it's clean.

Answer 2

if it has rusted, you can use an abrasive cleaner or steel wool type soap pad.

you can scrub it clean, removing all of its' rust.

dry the pan thoroughly inside and out.

coat the inside AND the outside with a thin layer of crisco shortening (the white kind NOT the liquid)

you can "re-season" the pan in the oven, just be sure to put a baking dish under the pan you are seasoning so the crisco does not drip into your oven.

Heat the oven to 250° - 300°

Coat the pan with a solid vegetable shortening. do not use a liquid vegetable oil because it will leave a sticky surface and the pan will not be properly seasoned.

Put the pan in the oven. In 15 minutes, remove the pan & pour out any excess grease. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for 2 hours.

Repeating this process several times is recommended as it will help create a stronger "seasoning" bond. Also, when you put the pan into service, it is recommended to use it initially for foods high in fat, such as bacon or foods cooked with fat, because the grease from these foods will help strengthen the seasoning.

GOOD LUCK!!

Answer 3

There are several options depending upon the degree of dirt and build-up. The first is to fill the pan with very hot water and add some liquid or powdered dishwasher detergent and let it soak. The second is to add "oxyclean" to the pan just like the first. And, if you have residue build-up from a gas stove or the pan has a lot of burn residue take the pan outside and spray it with Easy-Off oven cleaner. This is pretty drastic but it will remove that sticky matter that builds up over time from gas on the outside of your pans. But for for every day, nothing beats a soaking with Cascade and steamy, hot water.

Answer 4

You can use soap if you plan on reseasoning it. After cleaning and rinsing well, lightly coat the inside of the pan with shortening. Place in a 350 degree oven for an hour. Let it cool and wipe with a clean cloth. If the pan is really crusty and hard to clean, place it in a garbage bag and set a small bowl partially filled with ammonia in it. Seal the bag and let it sit overnight. It should clean easily then.

Answer 5

I use soap (Dawn) on mine w/hot water all the time--then set in on the stove and turn the burner on underneath it to dry it out-and some lard on a paper towel wiping all over the inside of the pans helps after it cools.

Answer 6

Heat works real good. If you have a self cleaning overn put it in there upside down the next time you clean the oven. Or you can make a campfire in the back yard and put it into the hot coals. I clean mine this way everytime I go camping. Let it cool naturally afterward though, I set mine in the snow once and it shattered.

Answer 7

they make a special "stone" to keep cast iron clean. Try searching for it on the internet. You just rub the stone over the surface and it cleans the metal.

Answer 8

We always used Brillo pads or SOS pads. Right or wrong that is what we've been doing since the 50's.
Then we added some bacon grease the next time we used it to fry something.