If you are the proud owner of a cast iron skillet, then you might believe some of the most oft-told tales about what you should and shouldn't do with cast iron cookware. There's so many stories out there that reaching for a cast iron skillet, pot, or pan can seem a little intimidating, but don't worry - the truth isn't as complicated as you might think.
First, the good news! Cast iron is actually very low-maintenance once you know how to properly care for it, and it's very durable. If properly cared for, there's no need to worry about anything going awry.
There's an idea floating around the cast iron community that the pans are delicate, but there are some that have stuck around through generations. Need proof? Head to an antique store, estate sale, thrift shop, or auction. Chances are pretty good that you'll see some cast iron cookware that's been passed down for years, and that doesn't really make you think "delicate," right?
The biggest myth around cast iron skillets is that they cannot be washed with dish soap, as it'll ruin the seasoning. Though dish soap is made to strip oil, it cannot remove the skillet's seasoning because the seasoning itself is not just a coating of oil.
You build up a skillet's seasoning by pouring a small amount of oil into the hot pan and smoothing it over the surface with a paper towel. By heating the pan as you smear the oil, the oil cooks onto the pan and chemically attaches itself to the metal. While you definitely shouldn't soak the skillet in soapy water, using a bit of dish soap and warm water to clean your pan will not do any long-lasting damage.
After your skillet has been cleaned, you should re-season it, too. It's another falsehood that pre-seasoned pans don't have to ever be seasoned again. To do so, you can place the skillet on a burner set to the highest heat to let the remaining water evaporate. After the skillet is dry, just add and spread your oil. When it smokes, smear it around again and remove it from the heat to cool.
It's that easy! Now, there's no more kitchen confusion… about cleaning your cast iron, at least.
Watch this video for more myths about cast iron skillets you need to stop believing!
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I own a 15 inch cast iron skillet. I have loved and used it for years. I'm 72. the damn thing weighs to much for me to manage. I switched to Lodge Hi Carbon
If this video wanted to be actually useful, they'd tell us the best oil to use for seasoning and re-seasoning... ::runs off to check another source::
Holy shit her voice is so annoying.
You do not use dish soap because you do not want your CI to pick up the flavor of soap not because with will mess remove your seasoning. You can use metal untinziles but you don't want to scratch your seasoned CI. I also never heard of CI being delicate.
I have a cast iron skillet that belonged to my Grandma.
How is the narrator's voice so comically annoying....
Hey can I use pompeian grape seed oil to season the pan or what oil is recommended to season. I just bought a pre seasoned pan from lodge and I’m just looking at it clueless at what to do first. Should I first wash it first with soap? Then what oil should I use after washing?
When my pan gets too crusty, I throw it into a bonfire. After the fire burns down, I re-season it. Good as new!
The best cornbread on the planet is made in a cast iron skillet. The problem is Millennials didn't learn how to cook.
Use dishsoap on my skillet & I'll jam a rusty, dull flathead screwdriver through your elbow - & that's not a myth, THAT'S A PROMISE.
Dumb question here. Anyone think the narrator sounds like Stevie from Good Mythical Morning?
If your cast iron is coated in enamel or ceramics(like the dutch ovens/braisers shown in parts of this video)... do NOT use metal tools, it WILL chip/scratch away at the coating.
Seasoning is a polymer bonded to the iron. It is not burned oil. It is hard, durable and resistant to most things. Acids and extremely high heats will break it down. If you ever want or need to completely strip the seasoning off of cast iron, you can do it with the self-cleaning function of your oven.
That guy has a funny voice
Boil a LOT of hot water in it and the crap comes loose
My youngest skillet is over 55 yrs and some near 110 yrs
How about acidic foods such as those that contain tomatoes?
BS: You don't have to re-season after washing or cooking every time. Only if the pan has been over heated so the polymer coating (seasoned coating) gets cooked off. BS: I have never heard that CI is delicate in any way except for possibly cracking if immersed in cold water while still vert hot.
You are wrong about washing cast iron pans with soap. It definitely does take seasoning out. I have been using cast iron all and i do not allow anybody to use soap on my pans. Because even after re-seasoning food continues to stick for a few uses. Also. Never use oils to season pan. Use lard.
Not once have I ever heard anybody say anything about usin metal utensils on cast iron. That's a teflon coated pan rule.
I do everything that they said not to do with my cast iron pans. I have soaked my pans for hours then washed them and never bothered to oil them and they are just fine. I use cast iron pans because they are the cheapest pans at the store that are not out right crap.
Our family as far back as I can remember still uses cast iron skillets in Amsterdam.
Cast iron delicate? Lmao go to any black woman over the age of 50 and ask her where that pan came from. Go ahead
We use a 100+ year old cast iron skillet every day. Nary a problem.
All we use it cast iron. Some of it over a 100 years old. Wouldn't use anything else.
Thanks
I inherited some of my Uncles thing and I took his pride and joy, his 80 year old cast iron dutch oven.....It looks like it was made yesterday. I recently bought a smaller cast iron dutch oven for making my no knead bread. You gotta try it....super great and easy.
Cast iron isn't delicate, it's brittle. Sure you don't have to handle them like they're glass but there are things to be mindful of. Do not drop them. They do not handle shocks well and can crack or break when dropped. Do not thermal shock them. Don't take a hot piece of cast iron and rapidly cool it down. They can crack and break. Do not leave empty cast on hot burners for extended periods of time. It's less prevalent with newer, thicker cast, but the older thinner pieces can easily warp. The term for these are "spinners". Warped pans function poorly for indoor cooking. I have pieces that are 5-10 years old. I also have quite a number that are 70-130 years old. If taken care of they do last.
I have a Lodge that has been sitting on my stove for 20 years. It's the only pan that remains year after year.
This woman does not mean the things she is saying.
Geez! What an annoying voice.
I love my cast iron weather enameled or bare,but the rest of my family has no respect for it 😕
No pan heats evenly. Not even copper.
We love our cast iron skillet. The more you use it, the better the flavor it gives. Cast iron is easy to care for and can be an item to pass down to future generations.
lol ”soap dosn't unseason your pan, you just have to reseason afterwards” lmao
Good grief. What an obnoxious voice. Couldn’t watch to the end.
Take a shot everytime she says skillet :p
To get rid of the scorched food stuck on it, boil hot water with baking soda.
Season your cast iron with Flax oil and it will be the BEST non-stick cookware you will ever own. If you wash with soapy water, simple re-season the pan and VOILA...non-stick just as good as ever.
I spray painted ( black) a nice cast iron hanging pot ( my GG would be pissed) ,,ruined?
Ive not heard any of these myths and I have cast iron skillets that are over 100 years old. However, if you want to strip all the seasoning off of a skillet and re-season it. Put the skillet in an electric oven and push the "clean" button. Once the oven has finished the clean cycle the skillet will be cleaned down to the cast iron and you can go through the initial seasoning process again.
Grandma's rolling in her grave about now!
We inherited a cast iron set 45 years ago, already seasoned. It can take anything. And if you make a mistake (letting it soak too long, not drying right after washing leading to rust, burning the bottom, scratching it) cast iron is extremely forgiving. You can repair it. I can even take steel wool to a rusty skillet, wash it, dry it, then rub a little oil on it before storing, and it just as non-stick as before.
Well, that’s 3:55 of my life wasted on a totally useless video.
Didn’t really give any new info. Maybe you should’ve titled this for beginners. I’d be interested to hear about something like: “Some people grind the pan smooth to get rid of the rough texture from sand casting and then re-season to create an even better non-stick surface”
OMG this voice-over is soooooooooo perky-smiley......... yeesh
I love using these pans but had to stop because I have hemochromatosis in which my red blood carries too much iron. My liver doesnt process iron. My Dr advised me not to use them because of the iron. Is this true?? Or a myth?? I miss my cast iron pans!!!!
Heavy not for ladies.
I've been a chef for about 20 years and I've never once heard any of these myths. This is just a fluff video with made-up info for views.
Straw man arguments.
i didn't even get half way through this video as this woman's voice is just so incredibly annoying.
Put a cold skillet in a cold oven, crank the heat and the oven and the skillet come to temp EVENLY together
also I only use avacado oil in my cast iron skillet as it has a highest smoke point of any generally available oil.
I'm sorry, but shouldn't a requirement for voice-over work, be that you don't sound awful and squeeky?
These pre-fabed, overly produced videos suck
I couldn't watch this because of the bitch's voice narrative. Totally sucked
These pre-fabed, overly produced videos suck
I WON'T ALLOW CAST IRON IN MY HOUSE! I've been married for 19 years. A cheap aluminum pan over the head hurts a lot less.
ok boomer. funny stuff. are you watching petticoat junction re-runs right now?
Give the lady a gold star. She got it right from start to finish.
LOL
🤣🤣🤣Dish soap will leave the a fragrance residue in the cast iron the first time you use it no matter how much water you use to rinse it. FACT.
Use lard (never goes bad) and coffee filters (no lint).
My cast iron Dutch oven heats evenly. It took awhile to figure that out, but it just does. The best advice is to get a cast iron skillet and cook with it yourself to understand what it can actually do. Good video to start the conversation.
Cast iron is porous and that is why it needs carefully cleaned and preferably without soap. If a little soap is used then it needs thoroughly rinsed and dried right away.
Her voice. So annoying 🙄
Boy, that was annoying.
"There is an idea floating around the cast iron community that the pans are delicate." Bullshit. Total, absolute bullshit.
I called Cast Iron Protection Services on my brother for washing his cast iron in soapy water. They removed his cast iron from the home and his cast iron is in foster care now. I wasn't allowed to take them because I have a history of seasoning my cast iron in bacon grease.
@Captain Sunday From my experience, its really only people new to using them that believe they require a lot of care. I mean, yeah there's some steps that we take to properly care for them to future-proof their use, but imo its mostly good maintenance habits anyways.
Well, they're probably referring to the old ones like Griswalds and Wagners, which are thinner than new ones on the market today. Believe it or not, cast iron will warp if subjected to sudden temperature changes, and they can certainly crack if dropped on a hard surface.
@Christopher Parks That is so funny but you are right!
It's poor, lazy, unimaginative writing. She just means the "myth" is that they need a lot of care. Which is true.
I can believe whatever I want to believe, like man.
Ignore their stovetop seasoning advice. You wind up with partially polymerized layers of seasoning. They build up and then start flaking (meaning that your seasoning is failing). You don't need to do this after washing either. Let's face it, it takes days to weeks to strip the seasoning with easy off or a lye bath. Soaking for short periods of time with dish soap won't harm your seasoning.
To get the hard crusty stuff off the outside, put the skillet in a fire, like a wood burning stove or fireplace.
To get the crusty stuff off, heat the pan, dump in some Kosher salt and rub with a couple of wet, wadded up paper towels.
i agree with everything, but NO SOAP!
Thanks for the tips. The thought of using a dirty cast iron pan to protect the seasoning did sound ridiculous.
I can speak from personal experience, washing them with dish soap DOES remove the seasoning. All we use now is hot water and a brush.
How can you be sure it removes the seasoning?
Don't heat them on high using an *electric coil* stove. The electic stove heats unevenly and that can lead to a sudden crack. We cracked a limited edition celebratory pan that way.
@Doc shymansky Even going cold to high? I saw that others had had similar issues when I searched online right after.
ZapDash That must have been a faulty pan. We cook in cast iron almost every day on a coil top electric stove and we have never had an issue.
Too heavy...
So it's low maintenance but then she says that after cleaning, you have to re-season it? How is that low maintenance?
@Karl Rovey You got it. Just use it. Gets more non stick as you go.
You don't need to reseason every use (and certainly not with their stovetop seasoning method). Normal use will put more seasoning on than the negligible amount of seasoning you lose when washing with dish soap (seriously, just about everyone has the baking sheets with baked on oil that just won't come off no matter how many times it gets washed). The exception is when you use something like tomato sauce. You might need to touch up your seasoning then.
I am 47. I have my great grandmothers cast iron that HER mother used in a covered wagon coming to Missouri. So yeah it lasts. It’s just a matter of learning to care for it properly. Or knowing how to burn it off and reseason it you do screw it up...lol
That is a treasure!
Who tf fries an egg in a cast iron pan
Me.
i only cook in cast iron. Never a problem if you know what you're doing. Mine work as good as teflon.
Was gunna watch this video, until that voice came in....
sexist
God, her voice is so irritating.
I love my cast iron skillets
1:05 That looks like an absurd amount of oil for seasoning.
It was. A thin coat is all that's required.
@gorillawarfair It is still too much for seasoning. You could dip your paper towel/oiling cloth in oil a single time and have enough oil for seasoning.
If youre seasoning a pan you should be doing both inside and outside the pan, so it's not too crazy an amount they showed.
Absolutely HATE cast iron! Get with the times get non stick instead of your nasty unwashed pan.
💩💩💩
I THOUGHT ALL OF THIS WAS COMMON SENSE...GUESS NOT...
My cast iron acts ghey sometimes but always gets the job done.
Be very careful using cast iron on flat surface stoves. They’ll crack in half if you heat them too fast!
the danger on flat stoves is not cracking the pan, it's cracking the stove!
Hated mine and threw it away. Way too heavy and used to get rust spots. Pretty sure food used to stick in it as well.
Lol cowboy Kent rollings would cringe at this
Made some chicken fried steak with mine last might for the first time in a long time. It was amazing
On washing, I will stick with Great Grandmother, use the absolute minimum soap IF you need any AND rinse it out thoroughly and immediately.
BTW, hot water will clean anything just fine without soap.
Delicate? ... no, but they can be broken. Don't drop them, bang them together, or dump cold water into a very hot pan. Acidic foods are okay for established seasoning if you clean right after cooking. An immature season might be set back a little but not ruined. The WORST thing that you can do to cast iron is put it in the dishwasher. The long, very hot, detergent laden cycle will strip the seasoning (It is, however, a good way to start over seasoning if there are problems or a pan from a questionable source.) My recipe for success is to clean them, by hand, in hot of water (as hot as you can comfortably put your hands in) with a relatively stiff brush before they get cold (this really reduces sticking), oil sparingly (a 100% flax seed oil supplement from the fridge is my favorite oil and dosage for a 12" pan inside and out), and USE IT OFTEN (you can't build a seasoning layer by putting it away.)
I used a cast iron pan to cook my breakfast in as a kid.
Cooking with my great grand moms cast iron skillet love it 🥰
You better stop believing these myths audience or I will f*kkin do it.
I've been using cast iron skillets for about 50 years. That are virtually indestructible. If they are rough on the bottom, just take some sandpaper and sand them smooth. And if they get too dirty, you can sand or scrub the dirt right off, without a care. I use mine in the oven too for every thing from roasted chicken, meatloaf to cornbread and even a deep dish peach pie. 😊👍
I use mine for baking things in the oven also!👍
Dish soap used back then would ruin cast iron, so it was not a myth. New commercial dish soap is Alright but if you don't season after washing you may have problems with tasting afterwards it may be just me but I always a strange aftertaste so don't do it anymore
Anyone who buys a cast iron piece and reads the instructions knows they're not delicate and you can use metal utensils on them. The seasoning instructions come with the pan. Any books on cast iron cooking has these same instructions. I don't know where you heard these crappy myths but I have never heard any of this crap outside this video. Get real.
These comments are more interesting and relevant than this silly video.
Lodge of TN honestly is not great. Its widely sold but it can rust, wear, scuff quickly. Cast iron cookware is not ideal with 🔌 stoves, stove tops. Lodge cookware seems best for camp fires, bbqs or gas ranges.
Do not put a cast iron frying pan in a dish washer unless you want your wife to yell at you.
Omg... a vegan associate I have husband scrubbed, or what he thought was cleaning, her family cast iron to the point it was a silver color😬. She posted it to us & is a very great cook! I’m sure he paid well for the mistake 😃😂😂
Soap, paper towel, enamel...I'm out. Idiotic video.
...and that is not how you season a pan.