c/cast-iron-care

Switched to metal spatula full time and my seasoning finally fixed itself

I was babying my pan with plastic tools for almost 2 years and the seasoning kept flaking off in spots. Started using a flat metal spatula every day about 3 months ago and now the surface is dark and smooth. Has anyone else noticed their pan looking better after ditching the silicone stuff?

My grandma's lye trick for stripping cast iron

My grandma always told me to use a bath of lye and water to strip old seasoning, not the self-cleaning oven method. I ignored her for years until I tried it last spring on a rusty #8 skillet I found at a flea market. That lye bath worked WONDERS in 3 days with no warping, has anyone else gone back to old school methods like that?

Always thought flaxseed oil seasoning was overhyped until I tried it on my old #8 skillet

After 6 months of using Crisco and getting so-so results, I figured what the heck and gave flaxseed a shot - that first egg slide sold me. Anybody else sworn by one method for years and had their mind changed by something totally different?

Forgot to dry my cast iron after washing it. Big mistake.

Last night I cooked bacon, did my usual clean with hot water and a scrub brush, but got distracted by a phone call. Left the pan in the drying rack for like 2 hours before I remembered it. When I came back there was orange rust spots all over the cooking surface. I had to scrub it with steel wool and reseason it in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour. Now I set a timer every single time I wash it so I never forget again. Anyone else have a rust disaster happen from something dumb like this?

Accidentally stripped my seasoning off with a SOS pad last night

Was cleaning my Lodge after making bacon and eggs, grabbed the wrong scrubber off the sink. By the time I noticed it was one of those green scouring pads with soap built in, half my seasoning was gone in streaks. Tried to save it by doing a quick stovetop season but now the pan looks blotchy. Anyone dealt with fixing patchy seasoning without a full strip and redo?

Just realized people are using soap wrong on cast iron

I saw a guy at a campout last weekend scrubbing his skillet with dish soap like it was a regular pan. The soap is fine if you use a tiny drop and rinse quick, but he lathered it up and let it sit for 5 minutes. Has anyone else seen someone totally overdo it with soap?

TIL you don't need to baby cast iron at a campsite

I used to treat my pan like glass until I took it camping near Lake Tahoe last fall. Let it sit with leftover chili overnight by accident, scrubbed it with sand the next morning, and the seasoning survived fine. Anyone else find their pans are tougher than people say?

Vent: someone at the flea market told me dish soap ruins cast iron

Overheard a vendor yell at a buyer for using soap on their pan. Told them that's just old wives' talk - modern soap is fine, you just gotta dry it right after. Anyone else tired of hearing that myth repeated?.

The salt scrub trick I swore was nonsense until I tried it on a sticky skillet

I was always team chainmail for stuck on bits, but a friend in my cooking group kept going on about using kosher salt and a paper towel. Last week I had a pan with some burnt on cheese that just would not budge. I dumped in about 2 tablespoons of salt, scrubbed it in circles for maybe a minute, and it all came right off without scratching the seasoning. Felt silly I waited so long to test it, honestly. Has anyone else had better luck with one method over another for tough residue?

Just realized most people scrub their cast iron way too hard

I watched my roommate scrape his pan with steel wool for 10 minutes last night to remove some stuck eggs. He was going at it like he was sanding wood, right down to the bare metal. I showed him how a quick salt scrub with a paper towel gets everything off in 30 seconds without wrecking the seasoning. He looked at me like I was crazy until he tried it himself. Has anyone else noticed friends or family mangling their pans with heavy scrubbing?

Pro tip: stop using soap on a brand new preseasoned pan

I mean, I keep seeing people scrub their Lodge skillet with dish soap right out of the box, and that's just stripping the factory seasoning. After I ruined my first one that way, I switched to just hot water and a stiff brush, and it's been nonstick for like 6 months now. Has anyone else had better luck just wiping it down with oil instead?

Bought a $40 chainmail scrubber and it saved my skillet big time

I was fighting with stuck on bits after making some bacon with brown sugar glaze and nothing worked. Got one of those chainmail scrubbers from Amazon for like $38 and it took off everything without messing up my seasoning. Way better than the plastic scrapers I was using before. Does anyone else use these or just go with salt and oil?

Soaking my pan in soapy water - salvageable or trash?

I left my 10 inch Lodge skillet in the sink with soapy water overnight last week, total brain fart after a late shift. Woke up to a rusty mess, orange spots all over the cooking surface. My mom always said never let soap touch cast iron, but I see folks online saying a little dish soap is fine now. I scrubbed it with a chainmail scrubber and tried to dry it on the stove, but the rust came back after 15 minutes. Thinking I need to strip it down with vinegar and start over, but some people swear by just scrubbing with salt and oil. Has anyone brought back a pan that looked like it was done for, or should I just buy a new one from the thrift store?

Swapped my $5 chainmail scrubber for a $30 one and it was worth every penny

I picked up a cheap chainmail scrubber from a discount store last year and it was just too flimsy. The rings kept popping apart and leaving little metal bits in my pan. So I spent $30 on a nicer one from a local kitchen shop in Nashville and it's been solid for 4 months now. No broken rings and it actually strips stuck on food way faster. My seasoning stays put too because I don't have to scrub as hard. Has anyone else had bad luck with the bargain versions?

I was skeptical about oven seasoning vs stovetop until I tried it on a whim last weekend

Been using my cast iron for about 3 years now and always did the stovetop method with grapeseed oil. Thought oven seasoning was just extra work for no reason. Then I burned some onions real bad on a Wednesday and stripped the pan down. Decided to try oven seasoning at 450 for an hour with three thin coats. The color came out way more even and that first egg slide was wild. Has anyone else noticed a big difference between methods or is it just me?

Last Tuesday my eggs slid right off my skillet without sticking at all

I've been fighting with this old Griswold pan for months, and out of nowhere after 4 seasoning rounds in a row, breakfast just worked perfectly. Has anyone else had a random perfect day like that where your pan just decides to behave?

Hit 100 seasoning layers on my old Lodge and lost count twice

I was wiping on another layer of flaxseed oil last week when my kid asked why the pan had more coats than we have socks, and I realized I'd passed 100 without even noticing, which is wild because I only started tracking when I got obsessed with that mirror finish you see on YouTube.

Finally got the seasoning right on my old skillet after 3 tries

I kept seeing people online say to use flaxseed oil for seasoning, so I tried it on my grandmother's skillet. After two rounds the seasoning flaked off in the sink when I washed it. I asked a guy at a farm supply store and he said to just use plain vegetable oil and heat it longer. I did that last Saturday with three thin coats at 400 degrees and now the pan is slick as glass. Has anyone else had trouble with fancy oils not sticking?

Heat gun vs torch for stripping my skillet, I chose wrong

I saw a guy in a Facebook group say a torch is the only way to strip old seasoning, so I bought one for my 10-inch Lodge. After scorching the handle and almost warping the pan, I'm wondering if a heat gun would have been gentler and just as effective. Has anyone else had a torch job go sideways on them?

Hit 100 layers of seasoning on my skillet before I realized I lost count 30 layers ago

Overheard my neighbor say soap ruins cast iron, almost spit out my coffee

I was out back grilling some chicken thighs last Saturday and my neighbor, Tom from three doors down, was telling his buddy that you can never use soap on cast iron because it'll soak in and ruin the seasoning. I just stood there with my tongs in the air, trying not to laugh. Look, I've been using a dab of Dawn on my Lodge skillet for like 5 years now and my eggs slide right off. Has anyone else had to politely correct someone on this old myth without sounding like a know-it-all?

I had to pick between vegetable oil and flaxseed oil for my new skillet's first seasoning

Went with flaxseed oil after reading a ton of forum posts, and now 3 months later the seasoning is flaking off in weird patches, has anyone else had that happen with flax?

Watched a guy scrub his cast iron with dish soap for 5 minutes at a cabin last weekend

I was at my buddy's family cabin up near Lake Arrowhead. We're cooking breakfast and this dude just grabs my skillet and starts hittin it with dawn and a scrubby sponge. I had to literally take it out of his hands. He goes "it's fine, it's just soap" like I'm the crazy one. Look man I know modern soap is gentler but you don't need to use it every single time. A little hot water and a chainmail scrubber does the job. Why are people so scared of a little stuck on egg?

My favorite skillet cracked right down the middle last night

I was heating up my old 12 inch Lodge to sear some steaks and heard this loud pop... looked down and there was a hairline crack from the rim to the center. I guess it was from putting cold water in it too fast after cooking last week. Anyone else had a pan just give up on them like that?

Bought a $45 chainmail scrubber and it saved my skillet

I was so tired of scrubbing stuck-on bits from my cast iron pan with regular sponges. They never got it clean and always left little shreds behind. So I finally broke down and bought a chainmail scrubber for about 45 bucks off Amazon last month. Honestly, I was skeptical at first because it looks like a medieval glove for your hand. But it works like a charm! It gets every last piece of food off without scratching the seasoning. The only downside is it feels a little weird to grip at first, but you get used to it quick. Has anyone else tried one of these or do you still swear by salt and a paper towel?