No doubt many grandmothers will want to scold us, but the truth is, soap isn't going to destroy your cast iron pans.
While your pan is still warm, take it to the sink and wash it with a drop of dish soap. (Yes, despite popular belief, a little soap is fine if you remember to re-season your cast-iron skillet as needed.
Using soap will not ruin your pan. It is totally fine on enameled cast iron, and on plain cast iron, too. It's not going to destroy your seasoning. With enameled cast iron, you're done: Wash and dry.
This is what gives well-seasoned cast iron its non-stick properties, and as the material is no longer actually an oil, the surfactants in dish soap should not affect it” (emphasis added). Dish soap will wipe away oil and grease, just not polymerized oil and grease.
While soap will not hurt your cast-iron pan, water will, because it will cause the metal to rust, and so that is the thing you should not use on a cast-iron pan.
There's no need to throw away a cast iron skillet that's a little (or a lot) rusty. In fact, the next time you stumble upon some rusty pots and pans at an antique store or flea market, imagine the potential!
In short, yes, it is safe to wash cast iron cookware with mild dish soap or castile soap. However, avoid strong degreasing soaps and detergents to prevent damaging your pan's seasoning layer. Scrub lightly with a dish brush, rinse and dry well, and apply a thin coat of oil to the pan after washing.
The first is that since oil is used to season the cast iron skillet and create a nonstick surface, soap would effectively wash away the cure that you worked so hard to build. The second reason that this myth persists is that soap isn't the most efficient cleaner of cast iron.
Since cast iron is pretty nonstick, you probably have removed basically all food bits. You follow up up this by re-oiling the pan and heating the pan. The heat sterilizes them, the same way as water gets sterilized by boiling. BTW, most people who use cast iron pans do clean them with soap.
CLEAN CAST-IRON SKILLET AFTER EVERY USE
(Use small amount of soap if you like; rinse well.) Need to remove stubborn stuck-on food and grime? See our more intensive cleaning tips for tackling them.
The Cause:
Rust forms when the cookware is exposed to moisture for extended periods of time and is not harmful in any way. If cast iron is left in the sink to soak, put in the dishwasher, or allowed to air dry, it will rust.
To clean, just use mild dish soap (that's right, it's okay to use a little soap!) and a scouring pad or a cast iron pan cleaning brush. Wash it, scrub it, rinse it, then wipe it out well and season it with a few drops of oil and store with a paper towel covering the cooking surface.
lovely to look at, but still dirty. What's going on? Editor: It sounds to me like you might be cleaning a bit to rigorously and are removing the baked-on seasoning. If you're scraping down old cast iron to re-season from scratch, then it sounds like you've done enough and are ready to start re-seasoning.
After you've used your skillet, use a sponge to scrub it with water. But don't let it soak in water, as this can cause rusting. If it still needs a bit more attention, add some kosher salt to the pan and scrub with a damp sponge. The salt acts an abrasive cleaner without disturbing the seasoning.
You can use olive oil to season cast iron, but you need to choose a high quality extra virgin olive oil, which should have a smoke point close to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Everyday cleaning
Be sure to let the cast iron cool first to avoid damage from thermal shock, which could warp or crack either the pot or the enamel. For everyday cleaning, use a non-abrasive sponge such as a Dobie sponge with hot water and regular dish soap.
From a food-safety standpoint, the surface of a cast iron pan during cooking easily reaches upwards of 300 degrees, which is high enough to kill any bacteria that don't get washed away. You will not get sick from maintaining your pan this way.
Do not use scouring pads or steel wool on cast iron skillets as these will remove the seasoning. Dry the skillet immediately with a clean rag or paper towel to prevent rust. Do not let your cast iron skillet air dry. Lightly oil the skillet using a small amount of your high temp oil on a paper towel once it is dry.
How often to clean a cast iron is dependent on how dirty your skillet is. If it's only lightly soiled, then a quick wipe down or a quick wash with soap and water after use is plenty. If it's a little dirtier, or there's a little food stuck on then you may need to scrub a bit with some salt.
Cleaning cast iron when it is still warm will reduce the time and difficulty of cleaning your pan and help prevent food from sticking. If you are able to clean the skillet out by simply wiping it out, stop here. Having a small amount of oil after cleaning is not a problem.
All cooking oils and fats can be used for seasoning cast iron, but based on availability, affordability, effectiveness, and having a high smoke point, Lodge recommends vegetable oil, melted shortening, or canola oil, like our Seasoning Spray.
Be careful not to overheat your cast iron when using it on a campfire. Image Story: Don't overheat it. Sticking your skillet into a roaring fire might seem like a good way to heat it up in a hurry, but overheating or uneven heating can cause your skillet to take on a permanent warp, or even crack.
If your cast iron pan or skillet has a distinct musty smell and lots of rust on it, it probably needs to be replaced. Even if you try to clean the rust off your cast iron and make it look like new, it's more than likely that the process will permanently damage the pan.