Clean it warm.
Hot water and a brush, Scotch-Brite pad, or modest scrub usually do the job. A couple drops of dish soap are fine when the pan needs them. I do not use much, but the pan will survive.
Cook Better · Cast Iron
Cast Iron Without All the Rules
Use it. Wash it. Dry it. Repeat. The pan has been around longer than the bloggers.
Start with everyday care ↓
The short version
It needs attention, not ceremony.
There are a lot of rules about cast iron. Mine has been simple: use the pan, clean it while it is still warm, dry it immediately, and do not leave it soaking in the sink. I have followed that routine for years without performing a full restoration every weekend.
After dinner
Wash. Dry. Put it away.
Never soak it.
This is the rule I stand by. Water sitting against bare or imperfectly seasoned iron invites rust. Clean the pan and get it out of the sink.
Dry it immediately.
Use a towel, then put the pan briefly over low heat if you want to be certain. The remaining moisture disappears quickly.
Oil it occasionally.
A handful of times during the year, I wipe on an extremely thin coat of oil after cleaning. I am not sure the pan always needs it, but it makes me feel as though I am maintaining it.
When something goes wrong
Clean it and reseason it.
My own skillet was a two-dollar garage-sale find. After using it for camping and then leaving it in the garage, I brought it inside and restored it. I do not remember every detail of that cleanup. There was scrubbing, vinegar, steel wool, Scotch-Brite pads, oil, and time in a hot oven. I followed one of the established guides online rather than inventing my own method.
That remains my advice. If a pan is rusty or badly neglected, use a complete restoration guide. If ordinary seasoning gets damaged, remove the loose material, clean and dry the pan, apply a very thin coat of neutral oil, and reseason it. Cast iron is repairable.
For a measured restoration and seasoning process, see Lodge's restoration guide and seasoning guide.
One pan, many jobs
Why it became my favorite tool.
Stovetop
Eggs, sausage gravy, onions, sauces, and anything that benefits from steady heat.
Stove to oven
Sear first, then move the whole pan into the oven without changing cookware.
Roasting
A whole chicken and its vegetables can cook together in one pan.
Over fire
The same skillet works directly over a campfire—the reason I bought mine in the first place.
From this kitchen
