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I've written pretty extensively in various cooking groups about caring for and maintaining cast iron. This article is pretty much true, but I take issue to som

I've written pretty extensively in various cooking groups about caring for and maintaining cast iron. This article is pretty much true, but I take issue to some degree with their preference for "a little soap". The author is absolutely right that most folklore about cast iron is grade A BS. Soap is one of those things. The thing most people seem to have missed is that dish soaps in the current era are significantly different from dish soaps even 30-40 years ago, much less at the turn of the century when most of the folklore of cast iron started being passed down from our great-great grandparents to their children. You cannot damage the seasoning of a cast iron skillet using any amount of modern dish soap (Dawn, Palmolive, or similar) and a sponge designed for non-stick cookware (blue scotch sponge, not the green scratch pads). It simply cannot happen, because modern soaps are not caustic like lye-based soaps of the past, they are primarily synthetic surfactants and various alcohol-type solvents. Dawn and most dish soaps are specifically formulated to have a PH between 7-8, as a neutral cleaner. Use as much soap and elbow grease as you need to make your pan clean. The most important thing to do is to ensure it's /really/ dry after you finish washing the pan, which can be done easily just by putting it back on a burner on low for 15-20 minutes while you do other things and then just turn the burner off. Water is the enemy of iron, because it causes rust. The seasoning helps prevent rust by creating a barrier against water, but if you soak a cast iron pan or fail to dry it sufficiently it can and will rust. Rust is what you're trying to avoid for surfaces other than the cooking surface. For the cooking surface, seasoning also builds to create a natural non-stick surface. Cleaning shouldn't require much effort. For most cases, it's sufficient to pour some sea salt on the pan, scrub with a paper towel, heat the pan until it's quite hot, and then steam it with hot water from the tap, wiping dry (and removing the salt). Nonetheless, using modern dish soap is not going to hurt your cast iron in any way.

jdavis703 5y ago
Why do you recommend drying on low for 20 minutes? I usually do high for 5 minutes… Is this harmful or a personal preference?
- tristor 5y ago
  It's not necessarily harmful, and it depends on your situation. Until very recently I cooked on a glass cooktop, and if you go straight to high with a cold pan you have a high risk of warping it (which you'll know if it spins on a flat surface) which makes it heat unevenly. If you use a gas cooktop, you kind of don't have to care as much. A warped cast iron pan still can cook just fine on gas, but it won't work as well on a ceramic cooktop. Low temps guarantee you won't warp or crack the pan. But if you're not super worried about it, go ham.
Tomte 5y ago
> Cleaning shouldn't require much effort. For most cases, it's sufficient to pour some sea salt on the pan, scrub with a paper towel, heat the pan until it's quite hot, and then steam it with hot water That only works so-so for me. What always works is baking soda with a little bit of water and heat. The fat and meat residue just cooks off into the water and cleaning after that is a breeze.
morsch 5y ago
Has anybody done a back of the envelope calculation regarding the energy efficiency of various cookware? Watt-hours delivered to the food / Watt-hours delivered to the cookware (+ Watt-hours spent for cleanup) Maybe microwaves would win? Note that I'm not saying that should be the be all end all. I'm just curious. Although the amount of recipes that want you to crank up the oven just to brown half a cup of almond slivers is pretty annoying.
- OJFord 5y ago
  > Although the amount of recipes that want you to crank up the oven just to brown half a cup of almond slivers is pretty annoying. I would definitely do that on the hob. Not even for energy efficiency, just.. why not? You can see them better, keep moving better, avoid burning better. Also, not something you could do in a microwave! So the suggestion you didn't make really doesn't fly anyway, they have their place (defrosting and reheating something I made a batch of, for me) but they don't really replace anything. Arguably a kettle, but then so does a hob (and better).
  - morsch 5y ago
    Turns out, you totally can do that: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/how-to-toast-nuts-in-the-microwave/ https://www.melskitchencafe.com/how-to-toast-nuts-in-the-mic... Never tried it, but now I might. I'm already frying onions in the microwave: https://www.seriouseats.com/fry-garlic-shallots-in-microwave https://www.seriouseats.com/fry-garlic-shallots-in-microwave

jdavis703 5y ago

Why do you recommend drying on low for 20 minutes? I usually do high for 5 minutes… Is this harmful or a personal preference?

tristor 5y ago
It's not necessarily harmful, and it depends on your situation. Until very recently I cooked on a glass cooktop, and if you go straight to high with a cold pan you have a high risk of warping it (which you'll know if it spins on a flat surface) which makes it heat unevenly. If you use a gas cooktop, you kind of don't have to care as much. A warped cast iron pan still can cook just fine on gas, but it won't work as well on a ceramic cooktop. Low temps guarantee you won't warp or crack the pan. But if you're not super worried about it, go ham.

Tomte 5y ago

> Cleaning shouldn't require much effort. For most cases, it's sufficient to pour some sea salt on the pan, scrub with a paper towel, heat the pan until it's quite hot, and then steam it with hot water That only works so-so for me. What always works is baking soda with a little bit of water and heat. The fat and meat residue just cooks off into the water and cleaning after that is a breeze.

morsch 5y ago

Has anybody done a back of the envelope calculation regarding the energy efficiency of various cookware? Watt-hours delivered to the food / Watt-hours delivered to the cookware (+ Watt-hours spent for cleanup) Maybe microwaves would win? Note that I'm not saying that should be the be all end all. I'm just curious. Although the amount of recipes that want you to crank up the oven just to brown half a cup of almond slivers is pretty annoying.

OJFord 5y ago
> Although the amount of recipes that want you to crank up the oven just to brown half a cup of almond slivers is pretty annoying. I would definitely do that on the hob. Not even for energy efficiency, just.. why not? You can see them better, keep moving better, avoid burning better. Also, not something you could do in a microwave! So the suggestion you didn't make really doesn't fly anyway, they have their place (defrosting and reheating something I made a batch of, for me) but they don't really replace anything. Arguably a kettle, but then so does a hob (and better).
- morsch 5y ago
  Turns out, you totally can do that: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/how-to-toast-nuts-in-the-microwave/ https://www.melskitchencafe.com/how-to-toast-nuts-in-the-mic... Never tried it, but now I might. I'm already frying onions in the microwave: https://www.seriouseats.com/fry-garlic-shallots-in-microwave https://www.seriouseats.com/fry-garlic-shallots-in-microwave