Saw someone scrub a cast iron skillet with steel wool at a friend's cookout last weekend

I mean I get it if you dont know better but it was a nice vintage pan from the 60s and they just went to town with SOS pads. All that seasoning just stripped right off in like 2 minutes. I had to bite my tongue for a while before I pulled them aside and showed how to use salt and a potato half instead. Has anyone else had to rescue a pan from a well meaning friend whos just trying to help clean up?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan8511mo ago

That's rough. I've had to gently steer a few folks away from steel wool and into the salt method, it hurts to watch that seasoning get destroyed.

the_skyler1mo ago

Did you try telling them it's basically a museum piece first or just jump straight to the potato trick? @nathan851 and I once had to talk a guy out of using a wire brush on a Griswold he found at a garage sale.