My dad swore by using dish soap to clean cast iron, and I ruined a 40 year old skillet

My dad always told me to just scrub my cast iron with regular Dawn and a scrubby sponge. I did that for two years and wondered why my eggs stuck to everything. Then I found out you're supposed to use salt and oil and barely any soap. Has anyone else been given advice by a parent that wrecked their kitchen gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

nora_park7221d ago

Actually have to jump in here quick because @emmap16 is close but not totally right on the soap thing. Modern dish soaps like Dawn are totally fine to use on cast iron as long as you're not letting it soak or scrubbing it with steel wool. The whole "no soap ever" rule comes from back when soap had lye in it which would strip the seasoning. I use a tiny bit of Dawn on a soft sponge for stuck on bits and my 20 year old skillet is seasoned like a dream. The real trick is drying it immediately on the stove and wiping a thin layer of oil on before storing. So your dad wasn't totally wrong, he just might have been following old rules that don't apply anymore. Did you try reseasoning that skillet or was it too far gone?

emmap1621d ago

Heard on a cooking show that soap strips the seasoning, not just the gunk. That fact saved me from ruining my own pan.