How To Clean Sticky Oil From A Cast Iron Skillet

Learning how to clean a cast iron skillet properly is important if you want to keep this essential piece of cookware at its best. Information technology requires a trivial more love and care than you accept to give to other pans since the material is easily damaged, just once you know how to do information technology, you'll find yourself using your all-time cast iron skillet on a weekly, or even daily basis.

This trusty piece of cookware is sturdy, lasts almost forever, and you don't have to worry most scratches ruining its value. Even better, taking intendance of a cast iron pan isn't as hard as y'all'd think!

Cleaning a cast iron skillet is similar to knowing how to cleaning a washing machine, how to descale a kettle, or how to clean an oven—once y'all do know how, information technology really is uncomplicated to do. Only finding out the correct way to clean yours thoroughly, and without causing the pan any damage, is the key.

How to clean a cast iron skillet or pan in three simple steps

Cleaning your bandage iron pan/skillet just takes a bit of know-how, similar to learning how to make clean a burnt pan. Every bit our steps below show, the key to effortless cleaning is to wash it as before long as possible after apply. Nosotros've provided specific tips to remove burnt-on nutrient, and on how to restore your cast iron to its former glory if it'southward looking a piddling worse for habiliment.

Much like cleaning a kitchen, post-obit this step-by-pace procedure will mean you can become the task done in a flash, and without as well much sweating over the sink...

one. Clean your cast iron immediately after cooking

Afterward a long, hard day, it can be hard to resist letting your pan soak while yous eat dinner. Sometimes the temptation can atomic number 82 to soaking your pan all dark (something we oft do with our best food processor, or our best blenders), but don't give in! If at that place is merely ane thing yous need to know most cleaning a cast fe pan, it'due south to clean information technology as soon as possible after utilise, and non to allow it soak for too long. Your cast atomic number 26 pan is non rust-proof, then if you allow it soak, it volition certainly rust.

What'due south more, if you have it soaking in dish soap, the porous cast fe will absorb all the scents, and nobody wants to cook on a pan that smells like perfumed dish soap.

With that existence said, when you go the urge to procrastinate washing your cast atomic number 26 (like near of us practice), push button through it and go the job done.

Fix? Here's what you demand to do every bit presently as you lot've finished cooking.

2. Remove burnt food and rinse

The first thing you'll desire to do when cleaning a cast iron skillet is to remove burnt nutrient. In that location are a few methods to do this, but here are our recommended (and crucially, non-abrasive) techniques.:

Use Kosher salt and paper towels - Chances are, you've been faced with an ugly, pan-seared blend of food stuck to the lesser of your pan, and not the kind that'southward easy to scrape off. We're talking nigh the kind that makes you desire to throw your whole pan out. But never fear: it's something that happens to all pans—even our best induction pans, which are meant to exist easier to clean. Thankfully though, in that location is a fairly easy solution to the problem. The easiest mode to practice this is to simply bunch up a slice or two of newspaper towel, and utilize Kosher salt or coarse sea salt to scrub off whatever remains. Add approximately one cup of kosher salt to the skillet and use the paper towels to gently scour the surface—the burnt food should first to come off fairly hands, with a piddling bit of force. Afterward, rinse off the table salt with warm h2o.
Apply a wooden spoon and hot water - If you don't have salt or paper towels at manus, this method will exercise the trick. Earlier jumping into this bang-up cleaning method, you lot need to know that hot water and a hot iron pan volition brand steam. Therefore, you need to be very alert and careful when combining the two. Additionally, don't try to cut corners and utilize cold water to clean a hot cast iron pan. The difference in temperature will impairment and crack the pan. You don't want to ruin your precious bandage iron before y'all had the chance to enjoy its lifelong benefits! To get started, brand certain the pan is hot itself, and gently identify it under hot running water. Scrub at it (gently), with a wooden spoon—or a safety spatula if you don't have a wooden spoon. The food and any backlog dirt on your pan should rub right off. Once you lot've lifted them off, rinse the pan. If you let your atomic number 26 absurd off afterward cooking, don't worry. You can easily put the pan dorsum on the stove burner to estrus it back up while you're warming up your running water.
Cook away the burnt $.25 - It seems counterintuitive to put a burnt pan dorsum on the stovetop, but this is a quick way to loosen the burnt food on your skillet. To try this method, add h2o to your pan to about halfway then put it on medium heat. The burnt pieces volition start to pause abroad from the bottom, meaning you can hands remove them. Utilize a wooden spatula to gently budge them. Do not use metal utensils on the pan every bit this will scratch it.

3. Dry your cast fe skillet immediately

All of the higher up steps should clean your cast iron effectively using plain water. However, if yous find that some small-scale marks persist, experience free to use a little warm h2o and mild dish soap if needed and scrub information technology gently with a soft and not-annoying sponge. In most situations, withal, this shouldn't exist necessary.

It's important you dry out your cast iron pan straight after cleaning it. Use a newspaper towel, clean rag, or one-time dishcloth. Information technology will likely stain, so avoid using a clean, new kitchen towel. Resist the temptation to exit information technology on the drying rack, as moisture volition crusade it to rust.

And voila! That's it. The primal matter to recollect is that you need to clean it fast, using not-abrasive techniques, and dry it quickly too.

How to remove rust from your cast fe skillet or pan

If y'all're annihilation like the majority of cast iron cooks (especially new ones), so you may accept already fabricated a mistake or two, and now your frying pan is seemingly rusty beyond repair. The good news is that it isn't! Cast iron may rust hands, only it tin can likewise be restored easily.

Much like when y'all make clean your stainless steel sink, your cast iron pan just needs a bit of love and attention to assistance information technology look its best again.

The solution to restoring your cast iron is to soak information technology in an even mixture of water and distilled vinegar for about an hour. Keep a close eye on it and rinse it out sooner if the rust has lifted.
And then sprinkle your pan with blistering soda and scrub it downward with steel wool or a metal scouring pad.
Don't use the scented ones from the grocery shop that come up with detergents already in them. But use plain steel wool.
Keep rinsing until all the rust is off and immediately dry with a paper towel until the grime stops coming off.
So, bake your pan in your oven, set at 350, for well-nigh 10 minutes, to cure it.

A cast iron skillet on a tea towel on a wooden table

Equally you may be starting to realize by now, cleaning your cast iron cookware isn't nearly as bad every bit you may take imagined. When you lot actually know how to clean a cast iron skillet/pan oven, the process can be fairly quick and easy. And when cleaned correctly, your cast iron pan tin final a lifetime.

Amy Hunt is an experienced digital journalist, currently working as Life Channel Editor at womanandhome.com. She began as the magazine'south features assistant before moving over to digital as a News and Features Writer, before becoming Senior Author, and at present a Aqueduct Editor. She has worked on other women's lifestyle websites previously also—including Woman's Weekly, Goodto.com, Woman, and Woman'due south Own. In 2019, Amy won the Digital Journalist of the Year award at the AOP Awards, for her piece of work on womanandhome.com.

She is obsessive nearly everything homes and interiors—whether she's sniffing out the very best deal on a KitchenAid stand mixer or keeping upwardly the latest Dyson release. And when she isn't editing or writing manufactures on interior trends or the latest home gadgets, she's passionate almost books—you'll commonly find her with her nose in a gripping thriller at the end of the working day.

With contributions from