TIL soaking cast iron in soapy water strips seasoning way faster than I thought

I left my skillet soak overnight after a greasy batch of bacon, and the next morning the seasoning was peeling off in patches like sunburnt skin. Has anyone else ruined a good seasoning this way or found a faster way to fix it without starting over?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamies451mo ago

Mythbusters did a whole thing on this back in the day, and it turns out even modern dish soaps aren't as harsh as the old ones. Still, soaking overnight is a recipe for disaster. Honestly, you might need to strip and reseason after that kind of soak. Next time just wipe the excess grease with a paper towel and call it good lmao.

beth_baker691mo ago

100% agree with @jamies45 lol. Overnight soak? That's not a cleaning hack, that's a whole science experiment. Hope you're ready to inhale the fumes of your mistakes tomorrow morning.