Cleaning a Cast Iron Skillet Is Astoundingly Quick and Easy

My all time favorite type of pan is cast iron.  It’s sturdy, can cook anything, anywhere, and it’s super duper easy to clean.  Did you know that cleaning a cast iron skillet is one of the easiest kitchen clean up jobs there is?  Once you get the hang of using and cleaning cast iron, chances are you will love it too.  And if you haven’t fallen in love with cast iron, maybe it’s time to give it another chance!

Tips for Cleaning A Cast Iron Skillet

First, food rarely sticks onto cast iron, unless there’s a problem.  If your food is sticking, the first thing you should try is to make sure that it’s seasoned.  You season cast iron by basically covering it a thick layer of oil (coconut oil works great!), then pop it into the oven at 350 for an hour.  Bam!  Your pan should be shiny and black.  If it’s not, do it again.

Second, if you’re still having food sticking to your pan, make sure you are letting your pan heat up BEFORE you put the food in.  Eggs can be especially bad about this.  When I cook eggs, I heat up the pan and the oil, spread a nice thick layer of oil around the entire pan, then add the eggs.  It takes them just seconds to cook, and they usually all come out of the pan with almost none stuck behind.

If you’ve messed up, and you have food stuck all over your pan, don’t freak out, just use your dishcloth and a bit of salt and use the salt to rub off the stuck food.  But seriously, you should almost NEVER have to do this when you clean a cast iron skillet.

The BEST WAY to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet

Cleaning cast iron is so easy, half the time I do it before I even stop to eat dinner.  Pick up your hot empty pan with a potholder.  Wipe it out with HOT water and a dishcloth.  Put it back in a hot place.  Usually my oven or glass stove top have residual heat from cooking, so I pop it there, and by the time dinner is over, it’s all dry, happy, and ready for the next meal.  Heck, I STORE it in my oven because we use it multiple times a day.

If you’ve made something particularly fragrant or gunky that you’re worried might not get completely clean, use a drop of dish soap.  Seriously.  You’re not going to break it!  You might need to add a little extra oil or butter before you start cooking next time but that’s it.

Bam!  Super duper easy clean up for those of us who hate doing dishes 🙂  Need something to cook in your pretty clean cast iron?  How about trying these delicious beet brownies?