How To Clean Cast Iron Pans After Use
Thoroughly dry your cast iron pan after cleaning.
How to clean cast iron pans after use. Use coarse kosher salt as a gentle abrasive scrub to remove stuck on food. This seals the metal and makes sure no moisture causes the cast iron to rust. Seasoning is a layer of baked on grease that will theoretically make your cast iron pan almost as non stick as teflon. Doing any of these things can ruin its natural seasoning. Add approximately 2 tablespoons 30 ml of salt and with a paper towel bunched up and held in some tongs caution hot iron use the paper towel and the salt to scour the bottom and sides of the pan until the brown bits are gone the salt will be dirty.
Just apply a small amount of salt to the pan rub with a damp sponge and rinse. The cleaning process i recommend will keep your lovely seasoning layer intact and slippery. Use either a dry cloth or paper towels or briefly heat on the stovetop over low heat to prevent rust. Turn off the oven and let the cast iron cool down. Heat upside down in a 350ºf oven for one hour.
Instead use very hot water and a mild non abrasive sponge to clean the pan after each use. Dab a paper towel in olive grapeseed or canola oil and rub it over the cast iron. 5 rinse out with some hot water caution hot steam and return to the heat. After cooking let your pan cool then wash it with a little dish soap plus a little water and a gentle. A little soap won t ruin your pan s seasoning if that s your preferred cleaning method.
A cut potato with the cut side down on top of the salt is a clever way of moving the salt around to scour the residue away. If you use your cast iron cookware daily this step is not necessary. Once you have a good one built up you don t want to ruin it. Clean a cast iron skillet with salt to remove burnt residue on a cast iron pan take a warm pan and then use a coarse salt scrub with a spoonful of coconut oil for lubrication. The whole key with cast iron pans is the seasoning.