16
I used to think soap was the enemy until my bacon stuck last Tuesday.
I was always told a little soap ruins the seasoning, but after scrubbing with just salt for months, my pan's surface got gummy. The moment a strip of bacon welded itself to the center, I caved and used a drop of Dawn. It didn't strip anything, it just cleaned off the old grease buildup. Anyone else find their 'no soap' rule was actually causing more problems?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
richard_shah11d agoTop Commenter
Grandma's skillet being slick as glass means she cooked enough to build that perfect seasoning. That gummy layer you had is exactly what happens when grease just sits without getting cut by soap. A drop of Dawn after a bad bacon weld won't kill your pan.
7
daniel5113mo ago
My grandma's cast iron skillet is probably 60 years old and has never seen soap. That thing is slick as glass. The gummy layer you had sounds like the seasoning wasn't fully polymerized, it was just built up grease. A little salt and a good hard scrub with a dry towel after each use should take care of that without needing soap. I'm not saying soap will ruin it, but it's just not necessary if you build up the seasoning right.
3