Secondly, you can sign up for my free ebook and free printables library. How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet: Learn how to do it the easy way, and maybe a little lesson on How to Season a Cast Iron Skillet as well! Once we picked our five methods (a few of them are little iterations of themselves, but boy, do they have different results! They can be used for cakes, nachos, chickens and a lot more. Watch. For this option, you’ll need salt with larger grains (like rock salt, sea salt, or kosher salt). The appropriate care of all your cookware ensures that they will last a long time. Another myth is that you can’t use steel wool on a cast-iron skillet. This will make the work so much easier. Some coarse salt, a potato, and oil will remove stubborn rust and make your skillet safe to use. This is my cast iron cleaning secret weapon: steel wool. Here’s one do: Do follow these steps and you’ll be able to keep your skillet clean, rust-free, and well-seasoned. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. By using our site, you agree to our. Some people store their skillets in the oven, others hang it up. It’s so much easier to clean and maintain a cast iron skillet than you might think. When it is a question of rust or cleaning a cast iron skillet with burnt-on food, the usual rules can bend a little. A Labor of Love. Cast Iron Skillets. Using salt – For really tough bits of food, you can use salt. How to Maintain a Cast Iron Skillet. If you can get all of the sticky stuff off just by scraping, then more power to you! If your skillet hasn’t been seasoned yet, rub it with oil and heat it. You can use a safe, gentle, food-based abrasive material such as coarse sea salt (Amazon) or cornmeal to clean your griddle. I love using my cast iron skillet and carbon steel wok, but on occasion I'll forget to clean them… Hang your cast iron skillets on this Kinetic wrought iron pot rack from Amazon. Spend a minute or two ironing the salt, which should clean the bottom of the iron completely. % of people told us that this article helped them. Be sure to wipe off the bottom of the iron with a clean rag after putting the ammonia on it so that you don’t transfer the pungent ammonia smell to the next thing you iron. You will love using your cast iron skillet! 3 If the food is impossible to dislodge, bake the cast iron. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 28,625 times. Learn the secrets to Removing Rust From Cast Iron without toxic chemicals or harsh treatments. Potatoes are used because they are great for cleaning up rust. The history of cast iron cookware goes back at least as far as 6 th century China, but we are perhaps most familiar with its history in Colonial America. “Seasoning” is the act of adding “season” to your cast iron. The myth goes like this. Save Pin It See More Images. Clean Cast Iron and Carbon Steel Cookware with a Salt Scrub. It’s almost enough to scare a cook off from cast iron completely! wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. The coarse salt will act like little scrubbers, grabbing the rust and dirt and pulling it up. Be sure to get along the edges— you … As a result our cast iron skillet was completely rusted. If you wipe out all the old food, rinse it, and then season it correctly over low heat, it is safe to use again. Helping you be the keeper of your home and the woman you were created to be! Then use a bunched-up paper towel to scrub the bottom of the pan with the salt. Potatoes contain a non-toxic acid that forms a compound with the iron ions in rust. It’s science! If you have a huge mess on your hands, like burned on food residue, you may need to do a little dry scrubbing. I get a lot of questions about cooking with and cleaning cast iron skillets. It’s completely safe to use soap on your cast iron skillet. Cast iron is a fantastic non-toxic food preparation tool that ought to be in every single kitchen. This is particularly helpful if you are trying to remove something waxy that is stuck to the bottom of your iron. However, you can use a brush – in fact, they make cast iron skillet brushes. Make sure you wash off any remainder of the cleaning solution after you finish cleaning so that it doesn’t accidentally transfer onto the next thing that you iron. But when cleaning cast iron, you are rinsing off all of the salt, so there is no time for rust to develop. Remember to turn the iron off for this step, otherwise you risk burning yourself. Using regular rock salt, sea salt, or kosher salt, you can simply iron over these large-grained salts to remove stains. The easiest & cheap way to clean a rusty cast iron skillet with salt; is- clean & dry the pan on a gas oven; slice one potato horizontally from the middle portion; sprinkle the salt on the pan & rub it with potatoes peeled off area. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. How To Clean A Cast Iron Skillet With Salt . If you want to use soap, you can. Most often you can clean a cast-iron pan by simply wiping it down with a dry paper towel or cotton dishcloth. Related Reading: How to Season Cast Iron | What to Do with Mini Cast Iron Skillets. Dry with a kitchen towel or use medium heat to dry it. We make homemaking simple through building systems and routines that work for you and your family. You can use soap and even a brush to clean it if you want. The best part is that you already have all that you need in your house! 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