Hot take: Should you wash your cast iron skillet with soap or not?

I grew up hearing never use soap on cast iron, but my roommate scrubs his with Dawn every time and swears it's fine. Last month I tried it on my skillet after a greasy chicken dinner, and it didn't rust or lose seasoning like I thought. Now I'm torn between the old no-soap rule and his cleaner pan method. What do you guys do with your cast iron?

2 comments

2 Comments

skylerm557d ago

Honestly, I feel your pain on this one. My grandma would roll over in her grave if she knew I even considered soap on cast iron, but last year I caved and tried it after a particularly nasty fish fry. Pan came out way cleaner than my usual salt scrub method, and honestly, no rust or seasoning loss either. Tbh, I think the old rules were from a time when soap was way harsher and had lye in it. Now I'm team "mild soap and dry immediately" for most stuff, but I still keep one skillet I treat like a sacred artifact and never touch with soap. You're not alone in being torn, it's a weird conflict between tradition and just wanting a clean pan.

sethr117d ago

Whoa wait wait wait, @skylerm55 did you just admit you wash your "sacred" skillet too? My jaw is on the floor rn.