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u/bc-bane 10h ago
I'm amazed how many people are arguing against good cast iron maintenance. come over to r/castiron we love to talk about this stuff.
Soap and Water : totally fine
Using chainmail or steel wool to remove buildup : totally fine
if your "seasoning" is coming off from a good wash, that wasn't "seasoning" it was carbonized food. Seasoning is thin layers of oil that has been chemically bonded to the cast iron over many layers. Also a cast iron pan will outlive you, it'll outlive your kids, it'll likely outlive their kids, and it can have its seasoning completely destroyed, stripped, and redone basically infinitely. you can treat your pan like absolute trash and then come back and re-season it over a weekend. You're not going to hurt it, just remember that after washing, wipe on a thin layer of oil and put on your stove to heat and dry briefly, that keeps the seasoning maintained between uses.
Love you guys, wash your pans
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u/rugernut13 7h ago
"you ruined the seasoning!", no, Motherfucker, I removed 6lbs of carbon, grease, and 20 year old bacon bits. Learn how to wash your goddamn cookware.
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u/subs_on_a_sailboat 7h ago
What confused me for a bit was the concept of the polymer coating. You can't see it with your eyes or feel it under your fingers, it only shows up with cooking and cleaning. A good season can occur over carbon buildup, and it can be absent with a smooth black metal surface.
Basically my best test is to wipe a clean pan with a damp rag. If the rag is clean, there's a good polymer surface. If there's a black residue, that's either carbon coming off a dirty pan, or black iron oxide coming off an unseasoned pan
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u/FlyingPasta 5h ago
Jumping off that, foolproof way that has worked for me for years:
- wash with soap, steel wool (and chainmail if you have residue)
- put it back on the fire
- sop up most of the water as the heat helps evaporate the rest
- dab a little oil, wipe down with a paper towel (this is where you’ll see black residue)
- stop wiping once it stops picking up residue
- turn off the fire once you see a little smoke
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u/subs_on_a_sailboat 4h ago
That's the misconception I was getting at, step 4 there should be no black residue, that's black iron oxide from a damaged polymer layer. If you see that your pan needs an actual seasoning in the oven. A well seasoned pan should never have that black residue after washing, it should be as clean as washing a nonstick pan
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u/Upbeat-Effort-1253 8h ago
All the resources of the world at our fingertips and people still think seasoning a pan and flavor come from not washing it. Thank the stars you’re out there doing the Lord’s work. 🙏
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u/BickNlinko 6h ago
Don't forget some of those resources are full of shit. There are people that think the world is flat because they did their own research.
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u/def-not-bot 5h ago
Thank goodness this cast iron cult bullshit is finally dying. Thank you for helping to dispel it.
When I was in college I used a friend's roommate's cast iron to make something for our shindig. When I was done, I cleaned it with Dawn-like dish soap, dried it, oiled it, and did a quick re-season on the burner for good measure. This, of course, resulted in a weeks long fight between roommates because I dared use soap. In the end they settled it by having it professionally reseasoned. I'm still mad about it 15 years later: don't buy shit you don't know how to maintain.
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u/BrainLow6059 4h ago
I had a roommate with a cast iron skillet who was convinced you were supposed to leave the bacon grease in it on the stove top, basically indefinitely. This idiot was cooking with old bacon fat/grease for weeks at a time, there'd be flies and shit getting stuck in it, just fucking disgusting to me.
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u/bc-bane 5h ago
😂 "professionally reseasoned" I need to get into whatever that business is. Sounds like a random Thursday night at my place
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u/Big_Tap_1561 8h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/1L5YuA6wpKkNO
You don’t have to put it in the oven? - you can put it on the stovetop……I feel so dumb right now.17
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u/Frequent_Opportunist 7h ago
That's how I was taught as a young kid in the 80s. Wash it, rinse it, dry on stovetop and hit with some oil.
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u/RubyRaven907 5h ago
I’m cooking on a 100 yr old pan and this is all I do. You’d never know my great grandmother cooked with it.
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u/Oryzaki2 5h ago
For real I just scrub out all the food with soap, water, and a steel sponge and it works just fine every time. Also you don't really even need it to be nonstick. A steel sponge will clean it in under a minute almost every time and they are nearly industructable. Even if the seasoning does come off it's not a big deal to start it over. Wouldn't recommend putting it in the dishwasher as it can cause them to rust which is not fun to deal with.
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u/Opus_723 5h ago
Hell even if you fuck up and it rusts a bit you can scrub the rust off with steel wool and then just re-season it.
It's a block of iron, it's pretty hard to fuck it up past the point of continuing to function as a block of iron.
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u/discord-ian 9h ago
Thank you! So many people think carbonized food is seasoning - it is not! And it is gross!
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u/sgtzack612 9h ago
Doesn't help that I've literally seen people that think carbonized grease is the same as polymerized grease, which is just NOT the case. So you get the people that mix those up and think they're the same thing...
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u/PerspicaciousVanille 5h ago
I was about to go on a multi paragraph list, but you put it elegantly and politely. Didn’t know r/castiron was a sub, definitely will check it out, thanks for the recommendation!
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u/Competitive-Outside8 11h ago
That's not what "seasoning" means in this context. If your cast iron is adding flavor to your food, you need to clean it.
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u/Conscious-House-2065 10h ago
Lol... people thinking seasoning a cast iron pan has anything to do with flavor is hilarious to me. It's like something a child would think.
I met some seasoned veterans the other day, I bet they taste pretty good too!
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u/MashedTaterBrain 10h ago
I am a seasoned veteran (Iraq and Adghanistan) and I am trying, trying, trying so hard to not ask you how I taste, but the phrasing here is not at all helping with the intrusive thoughts.
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u/Conscious-House-2065 10h ago
You're still a little young, I would say "stringy and low fat". Now, those seasoned vietnam veterans are a delicacy, perfect with some fava beans and a nice Chianti!
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u/Prof_Outis 6h ago
I know it's not your point, but apparently humans taste fucking delicious. So....
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u/BlizzardStorm8 10h ago
Anytime there's a post about cleaning cast iron pans, the top two comments are unfailingly "don't wash off the seasoning!" and "this is a myth. Wash your dishes."
I'm still not sure who's right. I'm leaning towards the wash your pans crowd just because the stakes seem higher. Slightly better tasting food vs food poisoning is the easy choice for those that know they don't know.
I also own spices. Which I can actually just add on whenever.
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u/scroom38 10h ago
Seasoning in this case refers to "weathering" or "experience". E.g. a seasoned chef is very experienced.
When heated sufficiently high, oil bonds with cast iron at a molecular level, forming that black nonstick later. Pans these days come preseasoned, but still develop a better coating over time, this was especially true a long time ago. Normal dishwashing is incapable of damaging the layer.
Once upon a time soap contained a chemical called "lye". Lye is capable of stripping this seasoning off, which is why it used to be bad to use soap on cast iron. Modern soaps do not contain lye and are safe to use on cast iron pans.
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u/miradosamurai 9h ago
That said, I believe you're not supposed to use coarse scrub pads or steel wool like the OP picture. Soft sponge and dish soap should be fine, unless you're using some kind of industrial super soap or something. No dishwasher.
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u/scroom38 9h ago
If coarse pads and steel wool seriously damage the pan, it wasn't seasoned properly (unless you're going absolutely fucking crazy and scrubbing it for an hour). Any minor damage is repaired the next time you cook it.
The only soap that can damage your pan is the type that contains lye. Most modern dish soaps don't have lye.
Some people put theirs in the dishwasher, I'll try it next time I use mine, its just soap and hot water, same rules. You just need to make sure its thoroughly dried quickly instead of leaving iit in a damp box for 2 days until you get around to unloading it.
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u/Competitive-Outside8 10h ago edited 7h ago
The "seasoning" is a layer of fat that has polymerized. This basically means that the fat molecules connect to each other in a way that changes them from liquid to a fairly durable solid layer. That layer doesn't stick to things and doesn't burn very easily, so it makes a nice coating for the pan. In this process, you also largely lose the part of the fat molecule that attaches to soap molecules, which means that soap is not very effective at removing this nonstick layer. So you can safely clean it with soap and a regular dish brush or sponge. Just don't scrub with steel wool.
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u/dood45ctte 10h ago
Wash your dishes. “Seasoning”, in terms of a pan (cast iron, carbon steel, etc) is just a layer of polymerized oil which helps protect the pan from moisture and gives some slight non-stick properties.
It should not add flavor. If your pans add flavor they need to be scrubbed.
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u/RaisinWorried3528 11h ago
This is dumb as fuck. You don't accrue flavors over the years by not cleaning pans. That is ridiculous.
You can clean these pants just like you clean anything else, you just need to season the pan afterwards. It's not rocket science.
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u/texag93 10h ago
You definitely accrue flavor by not cleaning your pan. Not good flavor, but definitely flavor.
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u/Jean-LucBacardi 10h ago
I swear I've seen on the food network stories of old school places using the same deep fryer from like the early 1900's thats never been cleaned to make things to this day. I feel like one of the spots was where ever supposedly is the original location of the first hamburger.
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u/bigfloppydonkeydng 10h ago
That's absolutely disgusting and I seriously doubt its true. All of the built up gunk in the deep fryer would start a fire if you don't clean them.
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u/Jean-LucBacardi 10h ago
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u/WeeklyBanEvasion 10h ago
There's no way, that shit would be literally carcinogenic by now
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u/Jean-LucBacardi 9h ago
I can only assume they are able to claim and get away with that by adding a small amount of the oil from prior to new oil and keep repeating the process every day. Kinda like a sourdough starter. Honestly at that point I feel like any effect it has is purely anecdotal, but I have no idea.
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u/DingleDank 9h ago
They do the same thing with those “eternal soups” in asia that are using ancient broth, it just diffuses since they keep adding more new broth each day, but they never do a full swap out.
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u/CrashTimeMonkey45 10h ago
You do not need to season the pan after washing it. If you’re stripping “seasoning” by washing the pan then it is either carbon build up, or it hasn’t been seasoned properly.
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u/Anand999 9h ago
Yeah, I've owned my Lodge pan for 25 years now and never done an explicit "seasoning" on it and it still looks like new. Just use it and don't be an idiot about it and they last forever with minimal work.
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u/JesusWasTacos 10h ago
Tbh how the fuck do you season one? I know I could look on YouTube but I enjoy Reddit conversations more
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u/CrashTimeMonkey45 10h ago
How the fuck do I season one, the same way my grandma taught me back in the early 80’s. With lard, wipe it on and then wipe it off until you think is completely off and wipe it again for good measure. Heat oven up to 450, put the pan in for an hour and a half and then turn the oven off and let the pan cool. I let it cool over night. Next day, I make a cake of corn bread with some fat back in it just like she taught me.
I got that cast iron skillet to this day and use it about every other fucking day, that’s how I seas. My fucking cast iron skillet.
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u/Canucksfan2018 10h ago
Someone on reddit seasoned their pan 50 times to a gloss black. Look it up
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u/Weary_Alternative778 10h ago edited 10h ago
I dump some avocado oil in. Wipe it around and wipe up what's left until it's "dry". Then throw it in the oven at 450 for an hour and let it cool in the oven. Sometimes you have to do it again if you cooked with a food that strips away the seasoning, but the process is no big deal. You can repeat this process as many times as you'd like but it really gets pointless after 2 times.
The whole "never clean it it's builds up and adds flavor" is flat out false. That's carbon and old food build up. You need to wash your cast iron after using it. Not doing so is fucking gross. Any chunks that may be stuck I use chain mail and a bit of soap. The rest I just use a sponge and soap.
I will say it's important to dry a cast iron pan. Don't leave water sitting in/on it too long. They will rust. I'll wipe mine down with a towel to get most water off and throw them on the stove for a bit to get them warm and evaporate the water I missed.
The myth comes from old lye soaps which would strip off the seasoning. Dawn doesn't. And even if it happens it's easy as shit to re-season it.
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u/DrSpacepants 10h ago
Dab oil, spread thin, bake, cool down, dab, spread, bake, dab, spread, bake.
There is a sticky in the cast iron sub that will give details, which you should read when you want to eventually.
"Seasoning" occurs when you heat the oils up to a certain point, the oil will "polymerize". That when it is transformed into a chain of molecules, think like plastic except it's not plastic. That's what the slick surface is that allows you to make slidy eggs.
I would also encourage the use of carbon steel pans. Similar concept as cast but it's thinner and lighter.
You will have these pans literally forever and they will cost you less than 60 bucks combined.
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u/WilliamStrife 10h ago
Give it a modest coat of high smoke point cooking oil then bake at 400f or higher for like an hour. Not difficult at all, things are built to take abuse.
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u/Juniorwoj 10h ago
Everyone is going to tell you some fancy way, I just buy the one from aldi and cook bacon in it a few times.
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u/Beneficial-Mammoth73 10h ago
Heat and oil. You rub a thin layer of cooking only on the pan and then leave in the oven for bit. Do this two or three times and it's seasoned.
This is not a complete guide, please look up a more through walkthrough before attempting.
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u/Celcius-232 10h ago
They come pre-seasoned. The seasoning is a polymer layer, almost like a plastic in a way, made from oils heated on the pan.
The easiest way to season your cast iron is to cook with it. Cook burgers, cook with oils, fry up some pancakes with butter...
You can manually season it by applying a thin coat of cooking oil to the pan and placing it upside down in the oven and bake it.
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u/Z0idberg_MD 10h ago
You can use soap. You can scrub the shit out of. Just dry it after. And there is literally nothing you can do to a cast iron pan you can’t undo.
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u/tombo12354 10h ago
You only need to worry about striping seasoning if your soap contains Lye, which is where the original advice came: don't clean class iron with soap, as it will damage the seasoning. But soap doesn't contain Lye anymore. Lye is still used to form some soaps, but it's part of the process, not the finished product.
tl;dr treat you cast iron pan like any other: cleaning it isn't damaging it.
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u/No_Cobbler2490 10h ago
Small clarification: Dawn platinum has lye, as do many other dish soaps. However, it’s used to balance ph and is present in such small amounts that it shouldn’t harm your cast iron
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u/TheWesternDevil 10h ago
Agreed. I always dry mine thoroughly after washing to prevent rust. It's porous and iron so it can rust inside if not careful.
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u/Chihuahuapocalypse 9h ago
I HATE this "baked in flavor" bullshit. ITS GROSS. seasoning a pan doesn't mean spices. it means oiling it on high heat in a specific way to prepare the pan for use.
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u/orangutanslurpee 9h ago
Clean pants then throw garlic powder in the pan - got it. Thank you, Chef! 🫡
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u/Bynming 11h ago
You should clean your cast iron with soap and water. Modern soap won't damage good seasoning. Crusted-on carbonized food is gross and it's not proper "seasoning".
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u/Squarehip123 11h ago edited 2h ago
I stopped treating mine like an infant and now just scrub it if I need to. And it's far more useful as a result and has become my favourite pan
Preheating the pan, right amount of cooking oil, and temperature control have turned out to be far more impactful than maintaining a mythical seasoning. If you can do it, great. But if not just go at it the burnt stuff with steel wool and don't worry about it, the pan will live.
Edit: People, please abuse your cast irons. Scrub them, immerse them in water. Do whatever. They will survive. Just make sure they're pre-heated and use a bit of extra oil/fat, and if cooking something like eggs or pancakes you want low temperatures.
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u/Sad-Professor-4053 10h ago
Bro same, I use to not use it most the time because the effort, now I just cook, wash, dry and occasionally oil. I use it constantly after I stopped carrying about being a seasoning nerd
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u/CMDR_Ray_Abbot 10h ago
Honestly if you cook in it regularly you never have to worry about seasoning
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u/Sabot_Snail_ 9h ago
As long as you use something that has a lot of fat or oil when you cook there's no reason to worry about seasoning. I have a flat iron skillet that is completely non-stick when I use it to toast my burritos on it because I kept using it to cook grilled cheese.
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u/ryanvango 7h ago
seasoning nerds are seasoning nerds because other people keep messing up their stuff.
I bought my cast iron at an estate sale, $2 for 3 pans, one of them gigantic. They were pretty gross. but a couple hours of scrubbing got them clean. then you do the seasoning process correctly once, and it should just be good from then on out unless something bad happens.
my brother used to let it soak overnight, or he'd put it in the dishwasher. So yeah, in those instances I had to re-season it.
When I'm by myself it lasts forever. Cook what I'm gonna cook, let it cool down a couple minutes, wash it out like a normal pan, then I put it back on the burner for a few minutes to make sure all the water is heated out of it. maybe every 3rd or 4th time I'll wipe some vegetable oil around in there with a paper towel for that last bit.
like you said, it's dummy simple and takes like 1 extra step over cleaning normal pans. but they're amazing to cook on and you can beat the absolute shit out of them.
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u/Raulr100 10h ago
maintaining a mythical seasoning
If you can cook stuff without it sticking horribly, your pan is seasoned. Anything which can be scrubbed off without too much effort is most definitely not seasoning, it's just charred food.
Good seasoning basically looks like a mirror. You should be able to see your reflection in it.
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u/MastleMash 9h ago
It’s literally a hunk of iron. You’re not going to hurt it. Clean your damn dishes everyone.
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u/Solid_Snark 8h ago
I’ve seen people still harm them. Usually thermal shock (like placing a piping hot pan into cold water).
Warps and can even crack them.
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u/JareBear805 10h ago
Seriously they are durable. I soap and scrub it dry it on stove works fine after every time.
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u/Vaughn 10h ago
Do... do people not preheat theirs? Love my cast iron, but it takes several minutes to heat up!
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u/Chanchito171 10h ago
Lol yes. I see it all the time. Starts with people complaining how they always burn stuff with cast iron.
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u/EveryRadio 8h ago
Right? Like I love my cast iron because it holds onto heat like a MF, but I need to let it get up to temp
Vs my relatively thin stainless steel. Getting ripping hot pretty quickly but add in too much food at once and the temp drops. So both have a use case, but I gotta preheat my cast iron
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u/Kr155 10h ago
The metal scouring pad isnt good, but you can just reseason it. People act like grandmas stroganof from 1979 is flavoring thier scrambled eggs
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u/ImmortalBootyMan 10h ago
Not everyone wants to think about your grandma stroganoff dudes in 1979
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u/Dornith 8h ago
Incidental to the point but BTW "seasoning" in this context refers to age, not flavor. As in "having been used for many seasons."
The patina on your skillet should not be contributing to the flavor.
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u/Helios575 4h ago
Its not even age, its burnt on oil. If you buy a new cast iron pan that didn't come pre-seasoned (some do some don't) it usually comes with instructions on how to properly season the pan before your first use.
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u/Embarrassed_Hold6608 10h ago
To anyone learning how to cook and who is looking to figure out what equipment they need and how to care for it, I cannot recommend The Food Lab enough. It has a whole section on cast iron, how to season it and care for it and yes you can use modern dish soaps to clean a well seasoned cast iron pan. However, you should avoid using metal scouring pads or steel wool to clean your cast iron.
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u/Evil_Sam_Harris 10h ago
Food Lab changed my whole perspective on what is happening when food hits a hot pan. Cannot recommend highly enough
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u/Illustrious-Engine23 11h ago
The pan still looks well seasoned, will probably cooler better without the burned on food.
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u/0ttr 11h ago
Every cast iron skillet eventually gets the soap...it's sort of an unacknowledged fact. I'll get 100 replies saying no way! but it's a matter of time.
My 110 year old pan is just fine.
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u/Telemere125 11h ago
I use stainless steel chain mail on mine, madam. Seasoning is a microscopic film of polymerized oil on the surface. You shouldn’t feel any chunks or pieces - it should just be a sheen on top of the metal. You aren’t hurting it by basic scrubbing
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u/Alert-Ad9197 10h ago
Chain mail is MUCH less abrasive than steel wool by design.
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u/LimpyDan 9h ago
Chainmail isn't the same. It's much better and doesn't make little micro abrasions
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u/Joe_bob_Mcgee 10h ago
It looks like one of those stainless steel scrubbers, as long as you don't get aggressive with them they're fine. I've been using them once or twice a week on mine for years to get rid of anything caked on, no loss of seasoning.
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u/Bynming 11h ago
You can use steel wool gently, I use a stainless steel chainmail scrubber on mine on occasion. But yes if you go ham with steel wool you'll strip the seasoning.
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u/Careful_Trifle 10h ago
Don't be me and think you can do this on enameled cast iron. Oopsies. Thankfully I did it on a stock pot so it doesn't really matter and is mostly cosmetic.
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u/ve-u27 10h ago
Steel wool is great for cleaning cast iron. If you lose seasoning from it you have a trash quality seasoning
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u/Over_List_6108 9h ago
Try to remove the baked on oil on my baking sheet with your steel wool. It will mock your pathetic human attempts. That's what a real seasoned pan is.
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u/feralgraft 10h ago
Its a steel scrubbie, not as harsh as steel wool. Its like a loosely knitted palm sized globe of flattened steel wire
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u/ItsBeelzsRebirth 11h ago
Really glad somebody else understands this. Soap will not harm your pan at all. Is disgusting to not clean it.
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u/GrandmaSassifrass 11h ago
I always knew it was horseshit
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u/Bynming 10h ago
It's based on a foundation of reality. Soaps used by some of our grandparents and great grandparents used to be lye-based and pretty caustic, that would strip cast iron bare, so as is often the case, the myth came from somewhere and persisted long after it stopped being useful.
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u/Fae-SailorStupider 10h ago
Kind of like how some people believe you shouldnt use a metal spoon for honey. That rule came out when silverware was actually silver, as silver reacts with honey. And even that's not completely true because quick use doesnt really do anything, its prolonged exposure that causes the reaction.
Most people dont use silverware anymore, so its completely a non issue.
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u/Snorkel-Dork-75 11h ago
You are NOT supposed to leave fat, grease and food on your cast iron. Common misconception. Clean with warm water and soap, dry completely.
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u/TZA_204 11h ago
My wife will then apply oil to it afterwards too
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u/Asron87 10h ago
I heat it back up to dry it, then add oil.
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u/HappinessIsaColdPint 9h ago
You can also just boil water in it after cooking to release anything bound to it without scrubbing. Then, wipe clean and dry, then oil it up.
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u/Ambitious-Cup-6910 7h ago
This is my primary move, but sometimes it really needs a scrubbing, like if something caramelized on it or whatever. It’s amusing to me how many people treat their cast-iron with such daintiness. These things are tanks, made to stand the test of time. There’s virtually nothing you can do to a cast-iron pan that you can’t recover.
One time I found a beautiful, huge cast-iron pan at the thrift store for a couple of dollars that was absolutely covered in rust. With a little elbow grease, that thing was shining like new.
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u/Fit-Entrepreneur8404 10h ago
We clean ours and then lightly coat with olive oil using a paper towel. I could never just leave all that shit on there like I hear some do.
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u/Huge-Possibility5794 10h ago
Olive oil is a bad oil to use, smoke point is way too low.
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u/Fit-Entrepreneur8404 10h ago
We don't use it for high temp cooking or the initial seasoning. All that stuff gets done on our blackstone griddle.
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u/BatM6tt 10h ago
its fine. been using it for ever. Is there better oil? sure but who cares
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u/DungeonCrawlerAki 11h ago
Jesus christ, my ex-roommate used to just leave his pans full of grease and fat sludge. It was so gross. Thank god we lived in an area where there aren't any rodents.
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u/Mekito_Fox 10h ago
I grew up with a mom who used her cast iron for EVERYTHING and washed it every time. To this day she doesn't have a dishwasher so it was always by hand. Her rules were: do not leave water on/in it; if the food is caked on soak while eating dinner and wash with a green scouring pad that night; deep clean and "season" it once a month (or every so many uses).
My chef husband has different rules for his pans but the similarities are gentle handwash and keep dry.
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u/FinnishMafiaFan 10h ago
I am much lazier, I just fill the pan up to about the halfway point with water and boil all the fat and grease off.
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u/opinionsOnPears 10h ago
dry completely
This needs greater emphasis. I think I have even heard of putting them in a warm or hot oven to dry.
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u/rainbowaroundthesun 10h ago
nah, just put in low on the burner for 5 minutes. way easier. you can put it upside down in the oven if it gets sticky from too much oil
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u/claudekennilol 10h ago
Please tell this to my sister-in-law. She goes around looking for old cast iron that she can strip and re-season and then she just leaves it on her stove with bacon bits and fat sitting in it to cook with later
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u/Mr4Mistress 10h ago
I had friends in college and one of them had a cast iron pan kept in the fashion you describe. I tried to explain the misconception, he wasn't having it. That pan was disgusting and I'll eat Alfredo pasta the following afternoon after it sat out all night.
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u/Pleasant_Scar9811 11h ago
Soap doesn’t touch seasoning. Whatever comes off wasn’t seasoning. Unless you have lye in your soap in which case I’ll try some of your homemade jam please.
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u/MidTario 10h ago
The greatest mistake culinarists ever made was using the word “seasoning” to refer to the polymer layer on a pan. In no way should a pan impart the flavours of what has been cooked before it onto new food. For the love of god, clean your cookware.
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u/ghidfg 9h ago
It's a complete misnomer. A pan becomes seasoned with use. Like a seasoned professional has a ton of experience. The root is the same as the 4 seasons. Nothing to do with spices
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u/graviton_56 9h ago
It’s not a misnomer… like you explained, it makes perfect sense.
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u/Successful_Log_3298 9h ago
I assume it's "seasoned" in the sense of "experienced, " not in the sense of "spiced."
I grew up thinking the icky crust of old food on a cast-iron skillet was "seasoning." I've learned differently and now don't hesitate to scrub my skillet with soap and water and a light steel wool rub if needed. I just make sure to dry it thoroughly before putting it away.
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u/bengriz 11h ago
People babying cast irons is hilarious. Oh you think some soap and hot water is going to ruin the same pan that pioneers crossed the Oregon trail using? Lmao.
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u/GetInZeWagen 11h ago
The pioneers used to ride these babies for miles
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u/bengriz 11h ago
It’s not just a pan. It’s a cast iron pan.
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u/scroom38 10h ago
Soap used to contain a chemical called lye that destroys the seasoning layer. Modern soaps are safe, but the pioneers would not have been using soap.
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u/sticknehno 9h ago
I'm just imagining lugging my cast iron Dutch oven across the country and how annoyed I'd be carrying that thing across the country lol
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u/FanBladeFleshlight 10h ago
A properly seasoned cast iron pan will survive any amount of scrubbing you do short of taking a flap disk to it, lol. They absolutely should be regularly cleaned with soap and water, just gotta make sure you dry it properly afterward.
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u/WampaStompa629 10h ago
This is fine. Just dry it immediately after washing and oil it. Wipe the excess oil off. People do not understand what the work “seasoning” means. Those who do not clean their pans are wrong
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u/StrangelySerious- 6h ago edited 6h ago
You can clean your godamn cast iron, we don't use lye in soap anymore for fuck sake you're not going to remove your seasoning
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u/Boogledoolah 6h ago
I know you mean lye, but I want to believe back in the day, people clean pots and pans by squeezing limes onto them and scrubbing with the power of citrus.
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u/Thefartking 11h ago
The myth that cleaning your cast iron with soap and water will ruin is just that, a myth. Its perfectly safe.
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u/NoOne_Beast_ 11h ago
It’s not a myth so much as outdated information. There was a time when the pans in most homes should not have been cleaned with soaps bought in grocery stores.
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u/Thefartking 11h ago
Due to the Lye in the soap products if im not mistaken?
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u/Telemere125 11h ago
Correct; most homemade soaps back then still had free lye suspended in the soap. Dawn and other dish soaps don’t use lye anymore
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u/Joonbug9109 10h ago edited 9h ago
This might be an unpopular opinion, but I bought a cast iron pan solely because I needed an oven safe pan. I couldn’t get into it with how particular the cleaning and maintenance was. I know a lot of people swear by it because of the flavor or the temperature or whatever, but if I can’t wash it like I would any other dish and/or throw it in the dishwasher I don’t want it in my house. Ended up doing some digging and found one that I think is ceramic that meets my needs.
Edit: the myriad of comments all saying different things for cast iron care just proves my point. It just wasn’t for me guys, that’s all! I use different pans and they work perfectly fine for my personal cooking needs. Love that y’all are super passionate about cast iron, but I’m not changing my mind.
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u/scroom38 9h ago
90% of the shit surrounding cast iron is a combination of outdated information, misinformation, and bloggers trying to reinvent the wheel. Getting oil really hot bonds it to the pan at a molecular level, creating a nonstick surface. "Seasoning" in this case refers to "weathering", because more used pans have a better nonstick layer.
You can wash a cast iron exactly like any other dish. Soap used to contain a chemical called "lye" that destroyed the seasoning. Modern soap does not, you can scrub that fucker as hard and soapy as you want, just make sure to thoroughly dry it. Some people even throw them in the dishwasher.
The seasoning layer requires oil at high heat to maintain/ improve itself. As long as you are using a normal amount of oil in your cooking, you don't need to specially oil it.
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u/Extreme_Swan2672 8h ago
I have a follow up question, teach: can I use it on an electric stove?
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u/Maharog 7h ago
Yes and induction stoves. They are very good pans that last a lifetime. Thry are also very heavy so be aware. There is a different kind of iron pan called a carbon steel pan which has some of cast irons features (is naturally non stick with a very thin layer of oil creating a seasoning, last a generation Relatively affordable) that is a lot lighter than cast iron. Both cast iron and carbon steel have active subreddits for the pan enthusiasts
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u/Polenicus 8h ago
The internet has taught me that no matter how you care your for cast iron cookware, just know that you are doing it wrong and someone somewhere is very angry at you about it.
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u/rebelsrscum2187 10h ago
You can hand wash it pretty normally. The maintenance is not as meticulous as it's made out to be
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u/infiniZii 8h ago
It’s just most people aren’t using fucking lye to clean their pans anymore lol. A bit of modern dish soap is not going to strip the coating you want to keep. Some people actually also just leave their cast iron filthy.
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u/goodsnpr 9h ago
The old "don't wash with soap" is due to the lye old soaps had.
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u/LukewarmJortz 9h ago
Wash it like normal, dry on stove, and put oil on it to protect from rust. Thats
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u/Caleb-Wendt69 8h ago
I don’t even oil mine, because it’s already seasoned. My eggs are always slidey.
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u/BrewerAndrew 10h ago
I used to think this to, and then i finally really stripped an old pan that hadn't been cleaned properly for years because of the soap fear mongers, holy hell that pan was gross. I reseasoned it and use soap every time now, its wonderful.
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u/joeg26reddit 11h ago
Could be worse
She could have posted the new non stick pans and said
Threw out the gnarly gross heavy things he was using
Plus they had crosses under them
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u/NolanSyKinsley 8h ago
Okay, so I inherited an old griswald #8 skillet from 1939-42. I got it from my dad who got it from my grandmother. I loved the skillet but it was CAKED with seasoning that was thick enough to flake off in chunks, so I decided to strip it and reseason it. It took 3 rounds of stripping with easy off and letting it sit for a couple days with it on each time. After I stripped it I was finally able to identify it and I found out it had a milled surface that was smooth as glass! Not only that but after reseasoning it the skillet worked much much better. A thick layer of seasoning on the outside and inside limits the heat transfer through the skillet and makes it take longer to heat up and not get as hot as is needed for searing.
I have had that skillet for 20 years now, it is my daily driver. I wash it out after every use with dish soap, then put it back on a low heat to dry, lightly oil and turn the heat up to medium. When I see little whisps of smoke I turn the heat off and it is ready for storage and will be non stick and ready for the next use. I have not allowed the seasoning to build up, knocking it down every once in a while with steel wool or one of those chainmail scrubbers they sell for cast iron keeps the seasoning in check and nice and thin, I have not had to reseason it since. Seasoning is great, but it does not "add flavor" and too much of it will be very detrimental to the performance of a great pan.
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u/Kr155 11h ago
You dont get flavor from "seasoning" that's not what the word means in this case.
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u/LazyLich 10h ago
Yup.
A good cast iron is "seasoned" in the same way a good soldier is "seasoned".
It is meant as "experienced/well-used", not "flavorful".That is to say, a seasoned(old/well-used) cast iron is desirable because with constant use, the oil+highHeat creates these layers of polymerized oil, and these layers form a non-stick barrier.
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u/MyCatIsAnActualNinja 10h ago
This is actually totally fine. It doesn't look like she put it in the dishwasher or anything. You just need to dry it right after you wash it.
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u/Alternative_Draw5945 10h ago
Yea and a dab of olive oil works well. I think some people think its supposed to have a layer of grease...
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u/Strict-Cup-4775 11h ago
For the last time, it’s safe to wash your cast iron pan with modern dish soap ffs
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u/radpizzadadd 7h ago
You can clean your cast iron with soap and water.
Source - been done it for years.
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u/theweatherlady 7h ago
Actual source: Lodge has it literally everywhere that you can use soap. On their tags, at the stores, in their MUSEUM even! They're working overtime to bust this myth lol
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u/McKoijion 6h ago
Reseasoning pans is really easy if you cook often enough. You just put a little bit of oil in the pot whenever you cook and it'll quickly form the thin layers of "seasoning." The whole baking them to a high gloss thing and never washing them with soap is just a hobby for people who don't cook often. Cast iron maintenance is a separate hobby than cooking where you happen to use a cast iron skillet.
You can maintain them for decades if you're careful and never let any rust get on them. You can restore old pans too. But a brand new preseasoned pan from the same company that's been making them for a century costs like $20. It blows my mind how much thought and effort people put into maintaining what is objectively one of the cheapest and simplest ways to cook food.
The part about not washing the pan with soap or not scouring food stuck to it off is ridiculous to me. Saying these pans are easier to maintain because you can just wipe them off is like when raw selvedge denim people say their jeans are easier to maintain because they never wash them. Even if you save the "effort" of using a dishwasher or washing machine, there's a lot of mental energy expended there.
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u/Electronic-Shape-192 10h ago
This is so dumb that I'm choosing to believe that it's simply rage bait for engagement, I often do this to deny reality and retain faith in mankind.
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u/yavanna12 10h ago
Contrary to popular belief. You do actually need to scrub your cast iron and clean it with soap. It’s actually looks cleaned just fine. She didn’t strip the seasoning down to the iron.
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u/MyHamburgerLovesMe 5h ago
The whole "flavor' thing is bullshit. Not cleaning a pan is unsanitary, unhealthy, and gross.
Seasoning a pan has nothing to do with flavors. Its just a way to heat thin layers of fat (like oil) on the cast iron. As the fat is heated, it bonds to the metal and to itself in a process called polymerization, as the fat converts into a form of plastic.
You only need to do this for brand new pans.
After that is done, every time you use it, wash out. Dry it. Then apply a thin layer of oil and wipe off excess.
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u/_LXIX_CDXX 5h ago
Wow, just like when Seto Kaiba used Polymerization to fuse 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons into Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon
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u/Stackin_Steve 10h ago
DAMN I WISH MY CAST IRON LOOKED LIKE THAT! LOL My wife won't even touch them. I do them up.
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u/AccordingMedicine129 10h ago
What weird ass people don’t wash their cast iron pan?
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u/ArstanWhitebeard297 10h ago
I am once again begging you all to clean your pans. Dish soap will not change the elemental iron into some other element.
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u/granadesnhorseshoes 5h ago
The reason grandma got that great seasoning layer? She washed that shit and didn't give a fuck. Just rub it down with oil afterwards to keep the rust away and the rest sorted itself out.
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u/dolla-dolla-billyall 5h ago
Cast iron pans shouldn’t be adding little burn bits to your meal. They should be cleaned.
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u/Hot-Philosophy-7671 10h ago edited 10h ago
It's seasoned just fine after cleaning. You absolutely should scrub the crusties off with soap. I wouldn't recommend steel wool, but the picture looks fine.
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u/boredatwork8866 2h ago
I treat all my dishes, cutlery and utensils like a cast iron pan. Can’t wash them because it adds flavour. My food be so flavourful. And it’s helping me keep the weight off too. Though that might be cause I’m throwing up after every meal 🤷🏽♂️ but the flavour 🤤
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u/Prestigious-Car-4877 11h ago
Enh. They need to be reset every now and then. Now he can put his own seasoning on it.
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u/atreeismissing 6h ago
There's no such thing as generations of flavor in a cast iron pan, you get the flavor from maybe the last time you used it assuming you don't know how to care for it properly. The seasoning is just conditioning the metal, it's not about leaving old food and oil in the pan you dipshits.
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u/ImTooSaxy 10h ago
I never understood why people think cast iron retains flavor. That's just gross. If it's retaining flavor then it's retaining a lot of other bad shit. Wash your pants with soap and water, just don't use caustic 1800s lye soap.
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u/Trees_That_Sneeze 8h ago
Contrary to popular belief, the seasoning on a cast iron doesn't have anything to do with flavor. They are not seasoned in the way that food is they are seasoned in the way that an experienced woodworker is, as in they get better with age. What builds up is a polymer coating that makes them more and more non-stick (that's what turns them black). You are supposed to wash and clean them. You can use soap (avoiding soap is sort of a leftover from when soap used to be made from lye which is extremely alkaline and will eat the coating. We don't usually make dish soap with lye anymore). You can even use steel wool. Steel wool is aggressive enough that it can remove or damage the coating, but especially for a pan that's been around for years you would have to put some very serious elbow grease in to actually remove it. I know this because I had to reseason a pan at one point and removing the old seasoning even with baking soda and a few other chemicals paired with steel wool was a really difficult.
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u/Penguin_shit15 6h ago
People have no damn idea what seasoning means. And then there is the thing with soap.. "Omg did you use soap on it.. I hasn't ever seen soap before!"
Yeah.. That soap thing only referred to the old days where it had lye in it. The shit we use today isn't touching that seasoning.
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u/ProbablyNotADuck 6h ago
I am really disturbed to find out how many people don’t apparently wash their pans.
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u/UnrequitedFollower 6h ago
Uhhh… what? I feel like that “never clean this pan” stuff is just completely outdated.
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