I am pleading complete ignorance right from the start.

Recently I have acquired a few cast iron skillets that have been in the family longer than I have been. I never paid attention to how the skillets were cleaned up after the meal was prepared.

How are you cleaning up the stuck-on grit?

Thank you for your input.

If stuff sticks that bad you might look into reseasoning.
Plenty of good vids on YouTube I find grape seed oil works best for me.

look up Kent Rollins on YouTube, he shows you how to cure new cast iron all the way to bringing back old cast iron

Scroll down a bit to the thread about chainmail scrubbers. Also I have pretty good luck scraping the big stuff with a plastic scaper, then scrubbing with coarse grained kosher salt and a dry cloth as it doesn't remove the seasoning.

Thank you guys for the information. I figured I would ask here before I ventured on to YouTube and screwed up my skillet. I appreciate your help.

You cant really screw them up.


The old slimy and greasy ones should be stripped anyway and started over with.


Seasoning should not be gummy or sticky.

This.

+1 You can always strip and re-season

I use hot water and plastic bristle brush.

Dry it and leave a light coat of oil on it.

Same. 97% of the time this gets all the residue out. If it doesn’t, I’ll bring some water to a simmer and it then brushes off.

Heat to dry. Dab of oil smeared around with a paper towel. I heat until I see a whisp of smoke. Right or wrong, it’s what I always do.

If a pan has really gone to Hell, I break out a brick

Link to grill brick

Yes sir. We’re on the same track.

Does do prewash, depending on use. Anything left gets a soak in the sink.

Everyone gets worked up over scrubbing CI. If it needs it, it gets it. Some things just stick. I’ll scrub with a green scotchbrite sponge. Rinse, wipe dry, onto the stove. When it’s hot, it gets sprayed with cooking oil and paper towel wiped. Then it’s ready to go.

Thanks.

I will get that skillet and a couple other pieces in working condition today. I appreciate the information.

Jim

I visited my son over xmas and found that they had left all 4 cast iron pans out in the weather, for months.... 3 were rusty, like 100% coverage of orange, one musta been used to fry bacon before being left out uncleaned, so much grease it couldn't rust, but it collected a pound of dust and dirt.... that one was easy, boiling water and paper towel repeat, again and again.... the others each required an hour of the various stainless steel wire brush wheels (set from harbor freight $8) on the hand held drill. Got all the rust and old seasoning off and reseasoned them (wipe with oil and bake), they are as good as new, maybe better.

That’s the beauty of them. They are never really too far gone.

I like to season with lower smoke point oils.

After I clean mine I put coconut oil them. Once it cools I wipe off the excess!

From my experience w CI, the only time I saw a skillet I couldn’t restore is when it had a bullet hole in it!

Dear friend who was an iron guru soaked old pans in a water and molasses bath. Not sure of the ratio, but he got the molasses at Agway. He liked it better than using harsh chemicals such as lye or electrolysis. Posted a pic of how it would lift grime off a pan (in this case a Griz that was submerged a few inches below the surface) in the Image Gallery if someone would care to move it over.
He used Flax Oil for seasoning.

Had an old “corn cob” cornbread pan someone gave me.

Knowing the person, it likely came from the dump.

Harder to clean because of the “kernel” grooves.

Put it in a hot campfire. Cleaned up nicely.

Too much heat can warp or crack a pan.

Flax seed oil has been the darling if seasoning oils for a while. Grapeseed oil is coming on strong.

I’ve only used vegetable oil, canola oil, crisco, or lard though because that’s what was on hand.

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I got some flax oil and have used it, but convenience is king.

Bill Poole:



Is he still alive?

Been using flax seed oil for a few years, not sure its better than others

I bought one of those Lodge skillets that had the real ruff "Non stick coatings" on it. I took a sander and some 180 grit sandpaper and in about 5 or 10 minutes had the skillet as smooth as a babies bottom. I then seasoned it and proceeded to cook some taters and bacon in it. The skillet was just about like any other well seasoned cast iron I have. After a couple more cooks in it, you can't tell it from an old skillet.
I did not like that ruff finish that Lodge used and was not crazy about whatever coating they had added to it.

I wash mine with hot water wipe it out. Put it on the stove and heat it up. pour some oil in it and wipe all around with a paper towel to coat then put away. Been using cast iron for years and mine is all slick.

That is how I do mine as well after cooking

I wash mine with hot water wipe it out. Put it on the stove and heat it up. pour some oil in it and wipe all around with a paper towel to coat then put away. Been using cast iron for years and mine is all slick.

I use bacon grease or olive oil after cooking and cleaning the pan. As stated, oil, heat until it smokes then turn off the heat.

I will not buy any more new Lodge cast iron. Their rough coating on the interior cook surface is schit. I've tried 3 in the last couple years. No thanks. I'll stick with old Griswolds.

I'd sand it.

you must do this outside away from your home its a mess to do > to clean a cast iron skillet soak them in red vinegar over night completely covered in vinegar use a plastic wash tube, then dry them and with a cordless drill use a adaptor with a heavy metal brush spin and grid down to bare metal . but it will take a few days of soaking and gridding tell its down to bare metal., once you are down to bare metal in all of pan inside and out now its time to season. 1st wrap aluminum foil on grates of oven real good ,now take bacon grease or pork lard wipe a thin layer on all of the skillet inside and outside ,turn upside down in oven above the aluminum foil ,turn oven on to 400 degrees and bake for for 2 1/2hrs. let skillet cool down in oven then repeat with another thin layer of bacon grease on all of skillet ,repeat back in oven for 2 1/2 hrs. 400 degrees do this 4 - 6 times and your finished , 6 times is the best for a great seasoned finished.there are no short cuts, i feel bacon grease or pork lard works better than vegetable oil that`s what old timers used bacon grease always. fry an egg in a little vegetable oil and egg will still stick some ,fry an egg in bacon grease and it never sticks ,believe me bacon greased season is by far better for a tasty steak with no sticking fried in butter.

This griddle was cracked, I brazed it on the back side.

I figured that as magical as they are, they would clean themselves.