Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for May 11, 2015

One doesn’t scrub cast iron pans with soap and water; one seasons them, gently, with oil. Arlo seems to know about it, but Janis does not, so he’s going to do it (sort of) himself. If she doesn’t know by now, she never will.

Sometimes the mess requires drastic measures. Occasional use of soap & water is okay, as long as you carefully re-season the pan.

Well, if you’re going to be protective of how to clean your cast-iron, then maybe you shouldn’t leave it lying around dirty.

Is anyone else thinking she mean “Granny” (and her threatening cast iron skillet) as in “Tthe Beverly Hillbillies” granny? Or is it just me and the very early (for me) hour?

I find the comments about never using soap and water on an iron skillet puzzling. My mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, grandmother-in-law and I all used cast iron and all washed it with soap and water after each use, dried it and put it away until next cooked meal. We even used Brillo pads on occasion if needed. The only time we ever had any reason to “season” was if it was a new one and then it was still wash and season only a few times.

Hey, it is great on a grill, in the oven, or as a handy weapon! Crack someone over the head with that if an intruder breaks in & you do not have a weapon handy!

I still have Granny’s Grizwold pan and Chicago Foundry Dutch oven. I think they were wedding presents.

Not according to the chefs/cooks on Food Network… The heavy hitters like Michael Symon and Bobby Flay love them!!

I don’t see it as not being trusted. Since he fried the cutlets he feels responsible to clean the pan. I may be over-thinking this as I do everything.

Sad, but true. No-Stick Cookware" has ruined the skills to care for a cast iron skillet. I have both, but after my wife put my well seasoned iron skillet in the dishwasher, she is no longer allowed to touch it. (There are thinks of her’s that I am not allowed to touch, so it is fair.)

things

We have some nice modern frying pans, but for everyday use (frying an egg, etc.) I got a 10 inch cast iron skillet at an antique shop for about $10. My wife used it once to make cornbread in the oven. Apparently flaking teflon is bad for you.

@LayneggYou must know all the rituals that go with new cast iron cookware. They must be “seasoned.” When properly seasoned, they are non-stick and so do not require being washed. You just wipe them out with a cloth with a little lard or tallow to prevent rust.

My mother was raised in south Georgia. I have cast iron pots that were used by my grandmother, my mother, and now me. Except for the skillet my wife put in the dishwasher, I have never seen them washed.

I love my cast iron pans. I have 8 or 9 of them, from 3" to 14" and a couple of griddles. But I mostly use 2 or 3 of them daily and the others come out for special use. The more you use them the better they get. The only other one I have is a stainless steel pan which also works pretty well. I’ve tried expensive non-stick pans and non of them work as well as the cast iron ones.

They also serve well as anchors…

They also serve well as anchors…

Ditto….

I too prefer a cast iron skillet but, it will scratch our new smooth-surface cooktop. As Charlie Brown would say: “Rats”.

A little fact about Teflon: It is dangerous to use around birds. Teflon, especially new teflon, gives off fumes that will quickly kill a bird. Do not break in a new piece around a bird, and be sure not to overheat an old piece. It’s best to just not even have it in the house. You may not realize that some appliances, like toaster ovens, are lined with it. It is very easy to overlook something like that.

The following tip (sorry I don’t remember it word for word) came from Alton Brown: when you need to clean a cast-iron pan, heat some oil in it over medium heat, then add a cup of salt. Swish it around with paper towels, then wipe clean.

If you have a recipe which calls for pounding a chicken fillet until it is thin, just use your cast iron skillet instead one of those little mallets. A couple of good whacks and you’re all set.

I don’t have to worry about my wife’s casual attitude toward my cast-iron anymore; she has shoulder problems & can’t lift it now.The Farberware she had when I met her is still serviceable; the few pieces of All-Clad we’ve picked up at garage sales is great; but to cook as an art form requires cast iron – stovetop, oven, campfire, it doesn’t care, it just works perfectly.If a paper towel & hot water won’t do the trick, I keep a plastic scrubby that’s never seen soap.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/the-truth-about-cast-iron.html

If you failed to wipe it out hot, put some water in it and let it boil for a while then wipe it out with maybe a little help from a scraper. It’ll come clean without removing the seasoning. Be sure to plop the pan back on the hot stove for a couple of minutes to make certain it is totally dry!

I agree with the warm oil and salt method of scouring. Salt provides an abrasive, but doesn’t remove the polymerized “seasoning.” A good way to clean cast iron before redoing botched seasoning is to run it through a self-clean cycle on an electric oven. You can redo the seasoning completely.

rub the greasy, dirty pan with coarse salt. shines it right up. Teflon is a Killer!!!!!

VINEGAR is the Answer.

“my mess, let me clean it up”and poor arlo is condemned

I use it for 18th century cooking at reenactments. I also use it for 21st cooking. My cast iron pan is kept on the stove because I use it almost daily.

I use a non soap steel wool pad on mine. I wash with hot water and same. Dry with paper towel and then put on the stove (electric) for 8 minutes to let all the water evaporate. At reenactment events I put it back over the fire. I wash them there with a minimum of water, swirled in it and scrubbed as above (health is more important the authenticity and it is done at the end of the event). Dump the water and rinse with a small amount of more water, dry with paper towel or a piece of fabric and then back on the fire to dry.

And should have been cleaned with salt!