My friend said to use soap on my cast iron. I was terrified.

Friend is a chef downtown. Told me to scrub my 12 inch Lodge with regular dish soap. Said the seasoning is polymerized oil, not butter. Cracked me right up. I was raised never soap. He showed me his 20 year old pan. Looked perfect. Tried it myself last month. No rust. No bad taste. Eggs still slide off. Are any of you using soap now too?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliotl241mo ago

Got a buddy who owns a diner in a small town. He's been cooking on cast iron for like 40 years. One time I was helping him clean up after breakfast rush and watched him grab a bottle of Dawn and go to town on his big 14 inch skillet. I nearly had a heart attack right there. He just laughed and said the old wives tale about soap is from when soap had lye in it. Modern dish soap is totally different. He scrubs his pans every single day with soap and a stiff brush. His eggs slide like glass on Teflon. Been doing it his whole career without a single rust spot or flavor issue. I was still nervous about doing it myself at home but I tried it on my 10 inch after seeing his setup. No problems at all. The whole no soap thing is just passed down from our grandparents but it does not apply to today's soaps.

wilson.emma1mo ago

Gotta love how we just pass stuff down without ever questioning it. I've noticed that with so many things, not just cooking. People just keep doing what their parents did and never stop to think if it still makes sense.