Iron Skillet Question
 

I own one iron skillet that I rarely use. I went to use it tonight and it seemed scuzzy to me. I know the ideal is to "season" iron skillets, but I don't know how to tell "seasoned" from down right dirty.

Does anyone know how to tell if a skillet is "seasoned" or just coated with old, cooked-on food I failed to remove properly?

I should know this cause my mother used nothing but iron skillets. (I must admit that when I was 12 or 13, I thought I was really helping in the kitchen when I scoured one of her skillets right down to the iron and proudly showed it to her. She didn't react much, but she did explain the "seasoning" thing. Wish she was here to answer this question....)

Thanks for any info you can share.

DH uses our iron skillets all the time. As soon as he removes the meat, mostly T-bones, he pours a little hot water in it. He uses no dishwashing liquid but uses salt to help lift any drippings. Rinses well and wipes with a paper towel then finishes it on the stove on a flame. Low burner till it's completely dry. Uses canola oil to wipe it. Not a lot just a bit. There are many videos on You Tube. I just grab the non-stick. He does fine with it. Check out you Tube just type in seasoning for cast iron skillets. Good luck!

Clean it as well as you can, with soap and a scrubber, then coat with vegetable oil and bake for 20 mins at 350. It's seasoned. Then use normally. Repeated use causes a chemical reaction with the iron that keeps it seasoned. You only need to reseason if it gets rusty and you have to scrub that out. After several uses, you can even use it for acidic foods like tomatoes without fear.

I agree with Tessagin's advice--this is what we do. Most information says never to use soap in cast iron. If you are worried it is just dirty, rub it real well with coarse salt, rinse, oil and bake it for 30 minutes.

I love my cast iron. They are the main pieces I use to cook. Many years ago, I had a piece that had a lot of build up that I just could not get off. I put the piece into the oven, ran the self-cleaning cycle of the oven. It took off all the crud and I just had to season the pan.

I have a cast iron dutch oven that had been belonged to my mother and I have used it for fifty years. I do wash it with dish soap, dry it thoroughly and apply a small amount of oil on the cooking surface and store in a dry place. I do not have food build up on the inside and keep it seasoned so it doesn't stick. I do use a non metal scrubber on the outside if there seems to be a build up which seems to be a part of cooking. I really like to cook in it. I might take the advice above and put it in the oven when I self-clean the oven.

Paid $28 for a Lodge griddle. Biggest waste of money! It does not heat evenly and my pancakes are half cooked. Yes, i heated it up prior to using it. Tried it a few very dissapointing times. Very disappointed. LOVE my Hamilton Beach $12.00 griddle from Ktchen Collection. I keep adding Hamilton Beach cookware to my collection. Great non-stick!

sandy

I don't have an answer, but want to share a short story or two. I've picked up a few cast iron skillets from garage sales or GoodWill and we love making big choc chip cookies in them and I think their called dough babies. Mmm....good luck with your cleaning and may you enjoy many years with your skillet.

I use stainless steel pots/pans

I love mine and I clean it with salt and hot water like tests agin. I use it for Mexican Cornbread among other things. I love how you can go from stove top to oven.