Cast Iron Skillet Care

After I cook my bacon or steaks in the skillet there is a brown residue around the middle, should I try and scrape it off with a plastic spatula or?
I have been scrapping it off but concerned I might be scrapping away then rinse in hot water and wipe dry.

So what is the best way to care for your skillets?

Pictures of brown remnants.

I scrape with wood spatula.

You know what I’m gonna say.

I wanna hear......

Just rub a little dirt on it the rinse it off....

I'll use sand sometimes, no dirt though.

And to answer the question, I scrub that stuff out then reseason it. I have heard people say the can get their cast iron non stick, never been able to fry bacon or scramble eggs in one without scrubbing at least a little cooked on chit out.

I don't seem to have that problem with my cast iron skillet.

OK, that griddle is not seasoned well. It may have been coated in veggie oil instead. I have never seen brown patches boil up like that and it's a bit concerning. I don't think I'd use it until I cleaned and seasoned it.

So clean it. I would start at the glass blasting cabinet, you start at the sink. Hot, hot water and detergent like Dawn. Strip it well, rinse and repeat.

Then put it on a big hot burner. If it smokes a little, proceed, but it shouldn't smoke a lot as oil should be stripped away from the cast iron. If it smokes too much, back to the sink until it's de-oiled, or outside and burn it away until it no longer smokes.

Once clean and hot, season it with lard and repeat until it's nice and black.

Problem gone.

You use salt to properly clean a cast iron skillet

BTDT

Glass lasting works much better!

heat the skillet add a small amount of oil to and allow it to heat a little then add salt accordingly it doesnt take a lot and scrub it down real good ive done this many times and its a tried and true way to get it done now need to go crazy blasting it

Or you could just rub dirt on it....

NG, I wish you could’ve seen some of the nasty antiques I have saved with that blaster. Salt wouldn’t touch those. But yeah, i’ve used salt too.

The blaster gives you a fresh new unseasoned skillet.

Non stick serves,e fine.

It is a lodge skillet went to their web site and pretty cool info on there.
For whatever reason you have to click on the link to see the video?
[video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/user/LodgeCastIron[/video]

This is new. Lodge has recently changed their instructions and verbiage. Whoever wrote this was smoking crack. Once seasoned, NEVER wash with any kind of detergent. First time I've heard of "swirling" or using salad "olive" oil, that burns easily. Burnt.


Another trick I learned years ago if you really want non-stick cast iron - sand it! Get yourself some fine grit sandpaper and gently sand by hand until smooth, then wash re-season and use. Huge difference.

I also regularly scrape mine with heavy steel utensils. Sanding them is a great tip.

The old skillets are definitely smoother than the new stuff.

Yessr. I use wooden utensils only on mine though, I'm one of those guys. I also can't stand the sound of metal utensils scraping, drives me nuts.

yep, I've got one that was passed down from my grandmother, to my mom, to me ... very smooth slick surface. My dad would have kicked my butt if I ever used soap on one of his cast iron pieces!

You can use soap if its to clean and scrub it before going through the seasoning process. Use salt, as mentioned, to clean after cooking.

The easiest way to clean after cooking is to deglaze the skillet with hot water while the skillet is still very hot.

Last night the wife cooked hamburger meat in it so this am I ran it under hot water and like PKnTX said used a wooden spoon and scraped the bs off it, wiped then cooked bacon & eggs for the kiddos.

Notice not as much of the brown stuff on the bottom.

Also who splashes the hot grease over their eggs to cook the top without overcooking the whole egg.



This time I just drained the grease and wiped it down real good with paper towels, figured everything taste better with a little bacon flavor

i ALWAYS splash the grease over them lol and now my kids do too!

Splash the top or flip.

I seasoned mine with lard, but I don't use it much. Also, its in he garage. Still sticks in the center.

Those are called basted eggs. Great with grits.

We just call them fried eggs, have always done them that way.

Had been using oil to season my cast iron stuff and found that the seasoned cookware would be sticky. I busted out the soap and scrubbed my biggest one down real good then re-seasoned it with lard I had leftover from making tamales... much better result!

I just assumed that's how fried eggs are cooked as well.

Same here.....


And grits...

Same here on both counts

Zactly! Always flip grease on the top. I leave off an resemblance of grits though. Dad and whole family loved grits. He was raised in Mississippi. i'd just eat extra eggs and toast and bacon.

Grits Hominy Beets Those 3 foods I won't touch. If that's all there was to eat I'd lose weight fast.

I love all 3 of those things lol, especially beets.

Yes I do that with my eggs. I still remember my mom teaching me that when I was a kid.

When scrambling your eggs add some sandwich cheese. Just tear up and throw in egg mix then cook. Cheese eggs are the best.

Yep. Bacon first, then eggs.

Yep yep!

I eat 2 eggs every morning, scrambled with onions/jalapenos/bell peppers/mushrooms/& cheese. Top it off with a good dose of Louisiana Hot Sauce and a little bowl of oatmeal & honey on the side. Good way to start the day. Yes cheese eggs are the bomb. At home I'll add a little butter & milk to my scrambled eggs. Butter for flavor & milk to fluff them up. Milf does the trick.

I only use my cast iron skillets on my gas grill, all outdoor cooking. I have no issue with sticking. I clean by spaying with canola oil, get it hot, scrub with wood spoon, makes surface real smooth, then spay with water hose put back on grill to dry off. Occasionally, I leave skillet on grill, forget to turn gas off, and it burns everything off. Automatic cleaning no biggy. When this happens, rust is present, I get my drill and wirebrush on end, and it gets a good scrubbing with drill/wire brush, makes even more smooth, then season again and back in business with a better skillet.

Yeah I know lard is better than spay oil, but spray oil is more convenient. And I'm pro-simplicity.

......I think you’re on the wrong forum.....

Let the man speak.

Oops......but ya know^^^

You guys are making me hungry

Beat me to it.

I just season mine and all that stuff just wipes off with a little water and rag.

Queation for you guys. Bacon residue stuck to the bottom of my skillet. Scrub it out or leave it?

Scrub it out. Foods will stick to it.

Cool, thats the way I do it. You guys got me second guessing the way I do things. Stupid inter web.

Scrubbed, heat and a little lard.

Cast knows his sh#t…….

Previous thread with good ideas HERE