Folk 1. Do not let the soap touch your skillet!!
Misconception: All soap does is, cleaning. Do you want your seasoning to be cleaned from your cast iron pans? If not so do not use the soap.
Actual Perception: The thin layer (seasoning) you see on the cast iron pans are not just oil. After the seasoning, by heating the skillet and rubbing oil repeatedly actually turns the oil into ‘polymerized oil’ to be exact. The oil breaks down resulting into a plastic-like molecule which later gets bonded with the metal surface during the heating and oil rubbing process. This is how it turns non-sticky. So as now this makes a lot of senses and is actually true, do you find a reason not to keep your pan hygienic? So go scrub and wash your skillet with no doubts. And do not soak it for too long as because too much soaking rusts up the metal easily.
How to use: Keeping your cast iron pans happy!
There are some things you might want to know to keep your friendship with the cast iron skillet lasting.
- As soon as you hear ‘Cast Iron Pans’, Season it!! : Let your skillet be non-seasoned or pre-seasoned, season it as soon as you find it because extra protection can never be bad.
- Hygiene: It is important to keep your pans, utensils clean because they are going to the food which you are going to eat.
- Re-season it: After the washing, put the skillet on the stove over high heat so that all the water dries and the skillet turns very hot. Then put half a tablespoon of vegetable oil and rub it with a towel. And you are done, so let it cool for some moment.
- Use it to keep it: The best way to keep the skillet closest is by using it more and more because the more you use the stronger it gets.
- Keep it dry: Water is a foe to the metal or iron as everyone knows, so do not let the pan be even a bit of wet. Even a single drop can leave rust stain which we don’t want. Better use a towel or dry it up by keeping it on the stove.