How to Clean an Iron-Cast Skillet

Regardless of how well you take care of your dishes, over time, they become less clean. As a matter of fact, sometimes it seems that it is impossible to remove fat and soot deposits.

Cookware is a pity to throw away, but there is not enough motivation to clean it either. What is to be done? Today, we will share with you tips on how to clean an iron-cast skillet, as well as remove dirt and soot from dishes. Your pots, pans, baking sheets, and stove wire racks will return to their former glory!

Although there are countless ways of going about it, this is perhaps one of the most effective. It will help to get rid of the dirt of epic proportions. If you know any other proven ways — share them in the comments.

How to Clean an Iron-Cast Skillet

Supplies:

• 3 ½ oz (100 g) soda;
• 3 ½ oz (100 g) silicate or paper glue;
• 3 ½ oz (100 g) mustard powder;
• 170 fl oz (5 l) water;
• container for boiling.

Instructions:

1. Put on your gloves and open the window.
2. After that, heat water in a large container.
3. Dilute the necessary ingredients in water one at a time: soda, glue, and finally — mustard powder; stir thoroughly.
4. If the skillet has a plastic handle, unscrew it to ensure that it does not suffer damage during boiling.
5. Fully submerge the skillet in boiling water.
6. Boil it under a lid for 15–20 minutes, if the soot is minimal; if it is dense and old, it will take from 45 minutes to 1 hour.
7. Cool the water and get the skillet. It can now be easily cleaned with a knife or a metal sponge.
8. To finish cleaning the skillet, you can use any cleaning agent. The method is suitable for cast iron, aluminum, and duralumin skillets.

There is another version of this recipe. For it, you will need household soap grated on a coarse grater.

Supplies:

• 2 ½ oz (70 g) paper glue;
• 2 ½ oz (70 g) soda;
• 3 ½ oz (100 g) household soap;
• 170 fl oz (5 l) water;
• container for boiling.

Instructions:

1. Put on your gloves and open the window. Heat water, not bringing it to a boil.
2. Grate soap on a coarse grater.
3. Add the grated soap to the water and mix thoroughly.
4. Add soda and paper glue, mix until the ingredients are completely dissolved.
5. Put the dirty skillet in the solution.
6. Boil the skillet for 45–60 minutes.
7. You can easily finish cleaning the skillet using any cleaning agent.

How to Avoid Burning Your Food

After cleaning old skillets, it often happens that food starts to burn because cast iron has lost its non-stick coating. To restore it, you need to do the following:

1. Firstly, grease the dish with vegetable oil on all sides. Temper it in the oven for 30 minutes at 390 °F. Let it cool, then repeat.
2. Secondly, pour salt on the bottom of the skillet and leave it over medium heat. Warm and stir the contents for approximately 20–30 minutes. After that, let it cook, remove the salt, and grease the inner surface of the skillet with vegetable oil.

How to Maintain an Iron-Cast Skillet

Cast iron heats up relatively slowly, but it perfectly accumulates and evenly distributes heat. That is why food cooked in cast-iron cookware acquires an exquisite taste.

A newly-purchased skillet needs to be prepared for use according to certain rules. These simple procedures will help provide it with long-lasting non-stick properties.

Firstly, thoroughly wash the surface of the skillet with a cleaning agent. New cast-iron goods are waxed to prevent rust and maintain their appearance. Wash off the wax and let the skillet dry.

The surface of cast iron has a porous structure, and the pores need to be filled with fat. Thus, the surface will become smooth, like ceramic or Teflon.

Traditional vegetable oil is not quite suitable for the purpose because it is too watery. It is best to use solid fat, such as margarine or pork fat (lard). You do not need to apply a thick layer; imagine that you are preparing the skillet for baking a pie.

Warm the oven to a temperature of 390 °F and place the skillet in it for an hour or so. Newly-tempered cast iron has a dark brown color, and over time it becomes black and glossy.

The more and the longer you use the skillet, the better non-stick properties it will acquire.

Other Tips for Maintaining Cast Iron

1. Do not put hot cast iron in cold water lest it will ruin the metal. Moreover, the skillet may crack.
2. Washing in a dishwasher and using powerful cleaning agents will destroy the soot deposit, and you will need to recreate it.
3. Wash skillets with hot water (the hotter — the better) to thoroughly remove excess fat.
4. Do not cook eggs, tomatoes, some sauces, or beans in a skillet until it acquires a good soot deposit.
5. Do not use a cast-iron skillet for cooking food over high heat: first, warm the skillet and then reduce the temperature.

Use our suggestions on how to clean an iron-cast skillet, and cookware will serve you for many years or even decades. Do not forget to share these tips with your friends; after all, they will appreciate information on making cleaning less stressful and tiring!

Valerie

I am an English major with a love of languages and fiction, and with an incurable travel bug. In my free time, I read fantasy, drink copious amounts of coffee, and like to go see movies. Culinary art means everything to me. My main hypostasis is the taster, though. The music school has taught me to appreciate the symphony of airy meringues, to create harmonious overtures of light snacks, hard rock of meat, fish, and vegetables on the grill. Choir classes have accustomed me to hear and feel the people nearby and create perfect harmonies of sounds.