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Cleaning a Cast Iron Skillet is not like cleaning other pots and pans! No soap needed, learn to quickly and easily clean your skillet by deglazing and then cleaning with salt. It's just a few steps, no matter how caked on the dinner mess is!
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Why I Love Cooking In Cast Iron
I love cooking in my cast iron skillet, I have the Lodge 10.25 inch Cast Iron Skillet. It's such an affordable pan, lasts a lifetime, and is so versatile for so many recipes. It's especially great in the winter. It often beats heading outside to grill, and works just as well for a lot of recipes.
I use it for searing chicken breast for taco night, searing ham steak with mustard and honey. For cooking Skillet Burgers with caramelized onions, Gnocchi with Italian Sausages, French Dip Sandwiches, and frying potatoes.
It can be used on the stovetop or in the oven, we love making Cheesy Honey Skillet Cornbread with Chili. So it's perfect to sear meat on the stove and then finish cooking it through in the oven, a very versatile pan!
But, how to clean a cast iron skillet with burnt on crusty cheese and chicken? I had no idea, the struggle to clean it made me rarely want to use it! I knew you weren't supposed to use soap, but getting all that mess scrubbed off just seemed like too much work!
Not anymore! With this foolproof cleaning method, you can use your skillet for any job. Clean up takes a couple easy minutes!
Instructions - How to Clean A Cast Iron Skillet
Step 1 - Get it Hot!
The dirty skillet is sitting on your stovetop, you've eaten dinner, and cleaned up everything else. But, cheese and burgers are crusted to the bottom of the skillet in a greasy mess!
First, scrape as much as you can into the garbage with a rubber spatula. You don't want that grease going down your drain. Put the skillet back on the burner and heat it back up, high heat for a minute or so until it is really hot.
Step 2 - Deglaze the Skillet
Turn the heat off and pour about a half cup of water into the hot skillet. This is deglazing. It's what you would do if you wanted to turn those pan drippings from your steak into a sauce, you'd deglaze with wine to scrape them up to get their flavor.
Here you are deglazing the skillet to clean it. As the water sizzles and pops and hisses, gently scrape the skillet with a sturdy rubber spatula, loosening the cooked on food. Be sure to hold the handle with a hot pad!
Step 3 - Rinse
With a hot pad, carry the skillet to the sink, dump the water off and spray it out with your faucet sprayer.
Step 4 - Use Kosher Salt as an Abrasive
Set the skillet back on the stove. Next, add a tablespoon or so of kosher salt (this is the salt I use for all my cooking) and rub the salt around the skillet with a paper towel.
The salt will turn grey as it acts as an abrasive scrubber, removing any remaining bits from the pan.
With a hot pad, hold the skillet over the garbage and wipe all the salt into the trash with the paper towel.
You're done, put your clean cast iron skillet away for next time!
Julie says
Doesn't work. I followed the directions exactly but still have stuff stuck on the bottom.
Meryl Downing says
Hi Julie, sorry this didn't work for you. If you have really stuck on food, I usually just repeat the process. Heat the pan up again, add water and scrape again, then scrape more in the sink under running water. Maybe even do it a third time. Hope this helps!
Erin says
Also an Oriole trick cut a potato in half add a little water, some coarse salt and rub the potato over the salt. You can do it on low heat on your stove for really stuck on remains.
Bessie Joubert says
My way to clean a dirty cast iron pot or skillet: Cover the bottom with water , little less than 1 cm .
Sprinkle with a heaped tablespoonful of Bicarbonate of Soda and bring to the boil .
Scrape off all the hard bits with the blunt square edge of a metal egg-lifter or spatula while boiling till most is off , and leave to cool . Scrape off again and discard contents .
Leave upside down to dry , and then next, add a tablespoon or so of kosher salt (this is the salt I use for all my cooking) and rub the salt around the skillet with a paper towel.The salt will turn grey as it acts as an abrasive scrubber, removing any remaining bits from the pan.
Meryl Downing says
Thanks, sounds similar, I'll have to give it a try!
Kathy says
How do you clean it when it has rust on it
Meryl Downing says
Hi Kathy,
You'll need to re-season your skillet. Scrub it with steel wool in warm soapy water. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Then apply a thin layer of cooking oil with a paper towel or rag. Bake it upside down in the oven at 450°F for 1 hour. You may want to put a baking sheet below it to catch any drips. You can apply another coat of oil after 1 hour and bake another hour. Then turn the oven off and let it cool completely in the oven.