danbuter
Senior Cook
All the sources I've read say to just wipe a pan out and dry it. Won't this leave a danger of food poisoning the next time you cook?
All the sources I've read say to just wipe a pan out and dry it. Won't this leave a danger of food poisoning the next time you cook?
A glass casserole dish normally doesn't reach even one third the working temperature that a C.I. skillet does, which it far above the survival level for any bacteria! They are two different "utensils" used in two different environments.
I think if you did a google for 'cast iron cleaning' you would find fifty zillion answers, pretty evenly divided between 'you will suffer the fires of eternal damnation if ever a particle of soap touches your cast iron' and 'meh--wash it, scrub it, whatever, just make it sure it is dry and has a very slight film of oil on it before you put it away'.
I use soap on mine, and a nylon scrubby if necessary. After washing, I put them on the burner until they are hot, and put a teeny bit of oil in the pan, which I spread around with a paper towel.
I think safety is really not an issue--the pan should be hot before you put food in it, generally, and bacteria won't survive. Onion and garlic flavors, however, do survive if you don't scrub the pan. Nothing like a pineapple upside down cake cooked in garlicky cast iron. Ask me how I know!
I think if you did a google for 'cast iron cleaning' you would find fifty zillion answers, pretty evenly divided between 'you will suffer the fires of eternal damnation if ever a particle of soap touches your cast iron' and 'meh--wash it, scrub it, whatever, just make it sure it is dry and has a very slight film of oil on it before you put it away'.
I use soap on mine, and a nylon scrubby if necessary. After washing, I put them on the burner until they are hot, and put a teeny bit of oil in the pan, which I spread around with a paper towel.
I think safety is really not an issue--the pan should be hot before you put food in it, generally, and bacteria won't survive. Onion and garlic flavors, however, do survive if you don't scrub the pan. Nothing like a pineapple upside down cake cooked in garlicky cast iron. Ask me how I know!
Mine doesn't ever go that long. I use it at least every other day. Heating it to soften any grease, and then wiping it clean with a paper towel serves for most maintenance. Washing with very hot water and a plastic scrub brush works for most other cleaning.