My husband vs. Cast Iron

[BeckC]

So I don't know how many times I've told my husband how to wash our cast iron pans. But apparently he doesn't listen. : He also insists that his family has a ton of cast iron pans and he's always washed them this way. Um, yea right. I've never seen a cast iron pan in any of his family's cabinets. His grandparents don't even own plates for crying out loud. Ok, mini-rant over.

Anyway, we got a brand new cast iron pan and haven't seasoned it yet. He washed it with soap and water. What should I do with it? Just boil water in it and season it? I can't imagine that it's totally ruined, but I'm still pretty ticked.

ETA: This is the same man who washed our dishes one day with Lysol. I guess I shouldn't be suprised about the pan. Also, we no longer keep Lysol in the house.

[lisser]

I thought you were supposed to wash and rinse them thoroughly when they were brand new, then season them? No harm done.

[ledzepplon]

The pan will be fine. The soap just isn't good for the seasoning. But it won't harm the pan before it's seasoned.



However, this

Originally Posted by BeckC

ETA: This is the same man who washed our dishes one day with Lysol. I guess I shouldn't be suprised about the pan. Also, we no longer keep Lysol in the house.

is just so wrong!

[His Own]

The pan will be un-harmed. Just season it well, and avoid bashing hubby with it next time he washes it for you.

[beccalou79]

Well, er, um, for what it's worth...

I also wash our cast iron with soap and water. :

Yes, I've read all about how to 'properly' clean that stuff, but you know-- in this household at least-- the mess just doesn't come off that way. Also, I've read that restaurants also use soap on their cast-iron, lest the health/sanitation folks get on their case... so it can't be too bad, IMHO.

Last but not least, I've also read (though don't know how accurate this is) that every time you cook with oil, you "re-season" your pan. I hope that one's true!

[lightheart]

Last but not least, I've also read (though don't know how accurate this is) that every time you cook with oil, you "re-season" your pan. I hope that one's true!

yep more food you cook that is oily/greesey the better seasoned your pan will be.

Whenever I use soap because of something getting stuck and plain water and the scrubber won't get it out I will be sure to fry bacon or use the pan for deep fried french fries next time.

For the origional poster, think of it a good thing that he washed it this time with the soap because the pan just might of had a weird coating on it from the store/maunfacture so give him a hug and thank him this time, then next time you can use the skillet as a weapon like you see in the cartoons!

[cristeen]

Just be sure to rinse it really well with hot water to make sure there's no soap residue left on it. It is a good idea to always wash a new pan to remove factory coating. I know when I bought my pan I had to do a lot of scrubbing because the first time I heated it up my house stank.

I'll point out that my stepmother washes her cast iron with soap every time, too. Then she coats them with oil and sticks them in the oven to reseason. I don't wash mine with soap because I think it's a waste of time and resources to reseason it every time I use it... because I use it pretty much every day.

I use a metal spatula to scrape off anything stuck on, give it a good hot water bath, and I have a metal scrub brush if there's still stuck on gooeys. Then I dry it on the stove, no reseasoning required.

[littlecityfarmer]

My understanding is that while detergent will strip a seasoned cast-iron pan, mild dish soap and water are fine...

[MomInFlux]

I wash my cast iron with soap and water too... Then I wipe the inside with coconut oil and put it away.

[savithny]

Originally Posted by beccalou79

Well, er, um, for what it's worth...

I also wash our cast iron with soap and water. :

Yes, I've read all about how to 'properly' clean that stuff, but you know-- in this household at least-- the mess just doesn't come off that way. Also, I've read that restaurants also use soap on their cast-iron, lest the health/sanitation folks get on their case... so it can't be too bad, IMHO.

Last but not least, I've also read (though don't know how accurate this is) that every time you cook with oil, you "re-season" your pan. I hope that one's true!

I wash mine with a bit of soap, too. Runs some water into it, a small (pea-sized) pump of dish soap, swish it out, rinse well.

Then put it on the burner to dry, and when its hot and al lthe water has boiled off, I grease it up with oil or bacon grease (inside only, obviously, but rub it up the sides, too.

So I re-season every time

[springbabes]

Ugh, my DH and I fight about this too. He thinks it's ok to run them through the dishwasher:.

[tightwaderin]

I think I scrub mine too hard (hate leftover crusties) because it never seems to get seasoned enough to be non-stick. I do know that baking soda & water boiled on the stovetop will soften just about everything I've burned on any of my pans, cast iron or stainless. Maybe the baking soda is removing the seasoning?!

[lillydilly]

I've had mine for about 20 years, and it's been washed lots of times. I read somewhere that it's better to season it with fat rather than oil though. Oil is supposed to leave a sticky residue. I use mine for making pancakes so it's still got a good surface