How to clean non-enamel cast iron without using soap after greasy foods being cooked?

[chueh]

I tried not to use soap when cleaning the cast iron pan. However, it's so greasy after cooking beef. If I can let alone the grease, the fat smell remains....

What can I clean it with? I heard using straight salt without water? What else? Or what should I clean it with?

Thanks

 

[dragnlaw]

Soap. Not being facetious, but truly if the smell in the oil which is still in the pan - the best way to get rid of it is to use soap.
Salt, baking soda, all could potentially work with time and effort but really - soap is not going to hurt the cast iron and is the fastest and you already have a dish pan of it going. Wash, dry immediately, either on the stove (place on a hot burner for a few seconds and watch the moisture leave) or with a paper towel. Run a bit of oil on the pan - put it away.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I would use soap but if you don’t have access to soap try washing the pan and then bringing an inch of water to a boil in the covered pot.

The steam generated by the boiling water should help to remove the greasy film on the inside of the pan.

 

[thymeless]

Wipe it out with paper towels to start. And soap, use an unscented one. Soap is not the total enemy of cast iron and is sometimes it's friend.

 

[taxlady]

Soap. Not being facetious, but truly if the smell in the oil which is still in the pan - the best way to get rid of it is to use soap.
Salt, baking soda, all could potentially work with time and effort but really - soap is not going to hurt the cast iron and is the fastest and you already have a dish pan of it going. Wash, dry immediately, either on the stove (place on a hot burner for a few seconds and watch the moisture leave) or with a paper towel. Run a bit of oil on the pan - put it away.

That's what my mother did after cooking fish in her cast iron pan. She had a gas stove, so it got to sit on the stove for a few hours with just the pilot light heating the pan. I never saw a spot of rust on her cast iron.

 

[taxlady]

I usually put a layer of salt, dry, on the pan and heat it gently. Then I scrub with a dry wok brush or other natural bristle brush. If that leaves behind a smell of grease, I would wash it with dishwashing liquid; rinse really well; and dry it the way dragnlaw described above.

 

[Andy M.]

If your pan is well seasoned, a little soap and water will not harm it.

Also, you could wipe out the oil with paper towels then heat it on the stovetop to season it further.

 

[chueh]

all great suggestions. thanks

 

[Jade Emperor]

Also, you could wipe out the oil with paper towels then heat it on the stovetop to season it further.

This is the best method for taking the smell out of a cast iron pan. Wipe the offending oil off with a paper towel and then apply another coat of non-smelly oil with another paper towel and bring to a medium heat on the hob.
Let the new oil warm thoroughly, don’t let it smoke. Once hot, let it go for a few minutes and then turn off the heat and let the pan cool completely. Then just rub the pan with a clean paper towel and voila! No more smell, promise!

 

[chueh]

yes, that saves a lot of water and soap by using paper towels to wipe the grease out first. QUESTION: if I cook beef or fish, isn't its odor staying if I use it to season???

 

[Jade Emperor]

The new layer of oil that you use will draw the odour out and you just wipe that out off. It works, honestly.

 

[jennyema]

Use dish soap. It’s totally fine to use on a seasoned piece of cast iron.

please don’t reseason using used smelly oil

 

[Roll_Bones]

My wife always washed the 100-year-old cast iron skillet in the sink just like any other pan.
But she would dry it and oil it before putting away.

This brings up a question I have wanted to ask but did not feel it was thread worthy

This old cast iron skillet has a layer of baked on, cooked on grease and it looks like soot on the outside. It is very thick and would catch fire when frying chicken (this pan has fried more chicken than the Colonel).
I assume burning it off in my fire pit is an option. Scraping the majority off first. But I am afraid I will hurt the pan doing this. When I was working I had access to a sand blasting machine and that would have worked well if the pan was scrapped well first.
I do have a stiff wire brush, but don't want to ruin the brush.
The fire pit seems to be the best option?
Any ideas?

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Do you have a self-cleaning oven? Run the cleaning cycle with the cast iron pan inside and it will come out totally clean, of everything. It will need to be seasoned again, several times.

 

[Andy M.]

This is what a cast iron skillet looks like hen it's been through the oven self-cleaning cycle:

Perfectly clean and ready for seasoning.

 

[dragnlaw]

This is what a cast iron skillet looks like hen it's been through the oven self-cleaning cycle: View attachment 64661

Perfectly clean and ready for seasoning.

WOW.... l what happened to their famous black colour? and I'm not referring to baked on food.

 

[Andy M.]

WOW.... l what happened to their famous black colour? and I'm not referring to baked on food.

This is raw cast iron. The shiny black surface is the result of seasoning. Same skillet seasoned.

 

[CosyCarol1985]

Hi! I reccomend soaking it in water overnight and using an ecofriendly soap the next day, as it tends to be less powerful than normal washing-up liquid! Your Welcome!

 

[GotGarlic]

Hi! I reccomend soaking it in water overnight and using an ecofriendly soap the next day, as it tends to be less powerful than normal washing-up liquid! Your Welcome!

Hi, Carol. Welcome to Discuss Cooking

Do you happen to own any cast iron pans? It's not recommended to soak cast iron in water for long because it can cause rust. It's better to boil some water in the pan to loosen the debris, then scrub it out as others have described earlier.

 

[dragnlaw]

Aha! thank you Andy. (another of my posts typed at about 3:30 )

yeah, Carol, I go along with GG on this. Best not to "soak" cast iron. Soaking will leach out all the good oils you worked so hard to infuse into the iron.