Wiping out cast iron pan

[avendesora]

We have eggs fried in our cast iron pan every morning. I tend to not wash the pans, but rather just give them a quick wipe, and trust that the reheating process the next morning will sterilize whatever is left.

What do you wipe your cast iron with?

I use paper towels. We use cloth for everything except toilet paper and cast iron pans. Wash cloths leave behind lots of lint, and I don't think that the grease will wash out of other cloths well. Do you have a small stash of linen cloths (like the ones sold for drying wine glasses), specifically for wiping out your cast iron pan? Or is there something else I'm missing...

Thanks!
Aven

[Shantimama]

I use a microfiber cloth designed for picking up grease. I give it a quick hand wash with dish soap if it gets grimy and put it through the regular wash whenever needed. It works well for us.

[WuWei]

I just purchased a very old cast iron skillet (groddy on the exterior/well used ). It appears to have been scrubbed out (chemically cleaned??) down to the clean cast iron metal on the inside of the skillet. How do I reseason it?

Then, no soap/abrasives in the skillet, correct?


Pat

[Shantimama]

Rub the pan thoroughly with vegetable oil and then put it in a 300 degree oven for an hour or two.

[avendesora]

Originally Posted by Shantimama

I use a microfiber cloth designed for picking up grease. I give it a quick hand wash with dish soap if it gets grimy and put it through the regular wash whenever needed. It works well for us.

How did you find one specifically for grease?! Lint free, I suppose? Can I ask what it was labeled as? Thanks!!

Aven

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by Shantimama

Rub the pan thoroughly with vegetable oil and then put it in a 300 degree oven for an hour or two.

Thanks.


Pat

[lissybeth74]

best info I've found on seasoning pans...

http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/20...ing-cast-iron/

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by lissybeth74

http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/20...ing-cast-iron/

Very informative. thanks!


Pat

[Arduinna]

I use lard for seasoning, I also wash my pans even with soap if they have been fried in.

Be careful when using oil for seasoning if you put too much on you will get a horrid sticky coating. I had to strip one of mine and reseason after my husband messed with it once.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by WuWei

I just purchased a very old cast iron skillet (groddy on the exterior/well used ). It appears to have been scrubbed out (chemically cleaned??) down to the clean cast iron metal on the inside of the skillet. How do I reseason it?

If it was chemically cleaned, do NOT try seasoning it until you get all the chemical residue out of it.

I bought a used one also and had the same problem. Get yourself a lemon, a container of salt, a steel wool pad (I use copper instead of steel, but same diff), and you'll need a chunk of time. You might want gloves, too. With the hottest water possible, scrub, scrub, scrub every inch of the interior. Rinse. Sprinkle with salt, scrub, scrub, scrub. Rinse. Sprinkle with salt again and squeeze the lemon juice over it. Scrub, scrub, scrub. Rinse. Then put the pan on the stove and turn it on. If you can smell the chemicals, they're not gone yet. Repeat all the above. Keep doing it until the smell is gone. I think this took me about half an hour.

Then and only then is it "safe" to reseason it.

[WuWei]

Thanks for the info. The link above cautions about using vinegar on the pan. I wonder what the acid in lemon juice does?

Pat

[raksmama]

I have a similar problem. I did not use chemicals, but when I first got my caste iron skillet I did not know how to clean it. Everytime I used it I cleaned it with dish soap and scrubbed it with the rough side of a sponge. I wondered why everything stuck to it! (duh)
I think I ruined it. Is there still hope? Can I season it with oil and put it in the oven too?

[mamadelbosque]

Yup. Just put a nice thick layer of oil down on it and stick it in the oven at 350 for an hour or so. Then maybe deep fry something in it. And from now on make sure that you always start with oil when you use it, and you never use soap/detergent on it - just hot water, a little scrubb'n and dry on the stove/ in the oven, then put away. Good luck!

[WuWei]

Chemistry of Cast Iron Seasoning: A Science-Based How-To

The link above cautions NOT to apply a thick layer of oil when seasoning. The author recommends wiping off ALL oil and seasoning (in the oven) multiple times (with flax seed oil) to make a shiny, slick surface. And says that dish soap is ok, but not to scrub with abrasives.


Pat

[redvlagrl]

I wash mine with hot water and salt and a scrubbie. Then I put it on the burner to dry it v thoroughly. Sometimes I will wipe it out with a tiny bit of EVOO or I will just leave it as it is well seasoned now.

ETA: I just drizzle some EVOO on and spread it with my fingers (once it's cool, of course!)

[Naomismom]

In case your pan gets too gooped up from eggs, try scouring it with salt and oil. It always leaves mine VERY nonstick.

[houseofblues]

I usually wipe mine out with a paper towel, but newspaper works really well too. I also use newspaper for soaking up excess grease in the pan after I fry something.

After scrubbing the pan with hot water and sponge, I dry it over a burner turned on low, and if the surface of the pan looks dry, i pour a little vegetable oil in, let it heat up and rub it into the pan. Make sure you wipe up as much of the oil as possible, because it will get sticky and if it sits for long in the cupboard it will get rancid too.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by WuWei

Thanks for the info. The link above cautions about using vinegar on the pan. I wonder what the acid in lemon juice does?

The lemon juice just helps cut the chemicals. It's what was recommended I use when I asked on these boards, and it worked.

[avendesora]

It's not a good idea to use vinegar/lemon/tomato in a cast iron pan on a regular basis, as it will remove your seasoning. But if you're trying to remove chemicals and not currently worrying about the seasoning, then you should be fine.

Aven

[Mom2M]

Originally Posted by lissybeth74

http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/20...ing-cast-iron/

Wow, what terrific info! Thanks for posting it.