Showerthought: why do so many people rinse their cast iron with soap?

I was helping a buddy clean up after a big dinner party last night and he grabbed my Lodge skillet and started scrubbing it with Dawn like it was a regular pan. I yelled stop and he looked at me like I was crazy. He said he's been doing that for years and his pans are fine. But I swear every time I've used soap on cast iron it messes up the seasoning and makes everything stick. I let my pans cool down then scrape them with a chainmail scrubber and hot water only. My dad taught me that trick when I was like 12 and I've never had rust or sticky spots. Has anyone else noticed a difference with soap versus no soap on their cast iron?

2 comments

2 Comments

theagarcia7d ago

Stopped using soap on my cast iron a few years back after a bad rust incident and switched to just hot water and a stiff brush. The seasoning stays way more consistent now and I don't have to re-oil the pan every time I use it. Idk maybe it's just me but that's what finally worked.

riverf347d ago

Read somewhere that chainmail scrubbers work even better than brushes for stuck-on bits.