How to Clean a Cast Iron Pan?

Some interesting facts about your pans

• While cooking, using high flame can be harmful to the pan. Also, leaving an empty pan over the hot stove for a long time can also damage the pan.
• The pans come with both hot spots and cold spots which are helpful in cooking your food evenly.
• Try to keep the handles of the pans cool at the time of cooking to take off the pan after cooking safely. This can be done by wrapping a foil paper on the handle.
• If you are using wood boards or any kind of butcher blocks in wood, avoid placing the hot pan on it as it may invite bacteria to the wood and activate them to live there.
• Make sure your pan has cooled down before you remove them for washing hot pans would make them hard for cooking.
• When the lid covering the pan gets stuck over it, instead of trying to pull it hard, simply turn on the gas for a minute or two. Doing so would increase the pressure and raise the lid slightly for the air to get out. This is the time to open the lid.
• The apple peels can help in cleaning the stains on the aluminum pans making them shining as before quickly.
• Using a tea bag for cleaning the gunk from the pan is the quickest and easiest way of cleaning the pan.

Excellent heat holding, robust non-stick exterior, unbeatable value, and durability. All these are the features that attract anyone to invest in a cast iron pan. However, the prime thing that bothers any user is how to clean a cast iron pan. However, while talking about cleaning the pan, it simply doesn’t mean cleaning the left-over food on it. It is much more than that.

Cleaning the cast iron pan includes maintaining the cycle of continuously improving the pan performance as well as keeping it proper shape with the process of priming for healthy seasoning in the future. But cleaning the cast iron pan is surely quite tricky. Yes, you can definitely not allow the dishwashers to clean the pans or even use any random soap or solution for cleaning the cast iron pan.

Are you also looking for some easy and effective ways of cleaning your cast iron pan? You are on the right page today then.

How to clean a cast iron pan?

While looking for effective tips on how to clean a cast iron frying pan, there are two best ways of cleaning and maintaining the cast iron pan as well as to keep them in good shape too.

Cleaning the cast-iron pan after using it every time

Thinking how to clean a burnt cast iron pan every time you use effectively? For cleaning the interior part of the cast iron pan, the process is required to be started from the very time when the pan is a little warm. Simply take some paper towel brush and dishwasher for cleaning the pan with the steps below –

• Firstly, take the paper towel and wipe the pan from inside with it to eliminate the excess oil and food from it.
• Rinse the pan using hot water (running) properly.
• Using a non-metal or non-abrasive brush, or scrub pad, scrub the pan for removing the food traces on it. Use a very nominal amount of dish soap for scrubbing.
• For the stubborn grime or food remaining on the pan, tackle them and scrub them again.
• Rinse with water properly.

Once when your cast iron pan is completely washed, here are the necessary steps that would help you in maintaining the pan for increasing its lifespan.

• Using a clean cloth, dry the pan thoroughly, however, make sure you don’t drip dry it.
• Heat the pan on medium flame till the interior surface of the pan is free from any moisture traces.
• Place nearly ½ tsp of oil in the pan and using a paper towel, spread the oil evenly.
• Lightly coat the entire pan till the surface appears smooth and dark.

Make sure the pan is completely covered with the oil, yet no residue is left. Allow the pan to cool down completely. Coating the pan with oil in this way would keep it in proper shape as well as would give it long life too with proper maintenance.

Removing rust from cast iron pan

Generally, the cast iron pan is maintained properly with regular seasoning. But there are times when the pan would still turn damaged or dull resulting in rusting of the pan. So, thinking how to clean a rusty cast iron pan! Here is how you can overhaul it.

• For making the pan lively again, the first step is to strip the pan for removing the rust.
• When the stripping is finished all you need to do is re-seasoning of the pan.
• Once the re-seasoning is completed, the next step is, to begin with, the oven and heating it for working on the surface of the pan.

Repeat the process of re-seasoning the pan around 6 times till you get a smooth and dark finishing on the inner surface.

Process of Seasoning the Cast iron pan

Is your pan old and blotchy too? Its high time you should not only look not only how to clean a cast iron pan but also seasoning it too which would provide it with some repairing. Here is the entire process of seasoning the pan.

Repairing with the stovetop

• Take the pan and heat it on the medium flame.
• Take around 2 tbsp of oil in a bowl and dip some paper towels in it.
• Using some tongs, hold the paper towels and wipe the inner surface of the pan.
• Wipe the pan till you find the oil completely smoked from the pan and there is no oil left.
• Reapply the oil around 3-5 times and every time you apply and wipe, make sure the oil smokes out and the pan cools down every time properly.

Repairing using the oven

• Heat the oven at around 500 degrees.
• Take some paper towels and 1-2 tsp of oil. Place the oil in the pan and using the paper towels oil the pan surface properly.
• Take some more clean paper towels and clean the pan for wiping out the additional oil from the surface to give it a smooth texture.
• Take the pan and place it inside the oven for around an hour.
• Remove the pan using potholders from the oven and allow it to cool down completely.

In this way, you can season the cast iron pan properly and add to its life.

What is Seasoning and which oil is the best for seasoning?

Seasoning is also known as recoating the pan with a new molecular layer which is similar to the plastic. The process is carried out using cooking oil and fat oil which is applied to the cast iron pan heated till smoke. The fatty acids of the oil get oxidized as well as reorganized creating a layer of molecules which becomes smooth, durable and slippery. When the seasoning is carried out on a regular basis, it becomes even more slippery than the non-stick pans.

Coming to the oil used for seasoning, the normal oil used for cooking is effective for the process. However, other oils beneficial for the process of seasoning includes polyunsaturated fat, flaxseed oil, and other vegetable oils which work effectively for durable seasoning. Also, other simple oils like soybean and sunflower oils work well for seasoning.

Keep in mind, to obtain the best results in how to clean a cast iron frying pan is to maintain it and prevent it from rusting. Regular and proper cleaning of the pan would surely add to the life of your pan. So, are you ready to maintain your cast iron pan with some easy step?