How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet

People always ask me “How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet?” since they know there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t pull out cast iron skillet to make my recipes. I love mine (I have three of them actually) and it already became a staple in my kitchen. So, today I’m sharing with you, how I clean my cast iron skillet, all my favorite accessories to help to clean it and all my favorite cast iron skillet recipes!

You probably have noticed that I love my cast iron skillets by the amount of skillet recipes I have on my blog. In fact the most popular recipes here are made with a cast iron skillet such as my Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet, my Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet, my gluten-free and low-carb Ground Turkey Skillet with Green Beans, my Garlic Shrimp Asparagus Skillet and my Asparagus Sweet Potato Chicken Skillet.

Why I love my Cast Iron Skillet

I have three cast iron skillets (two from Lodge and one from Le Creuset) that I use them almost everyday in my kitchen because I love one-pan meals and this skillet is perfect for that.

I also love the fact that:

• It is great for cooking on high heat.
• It’s tough and super durable.
• Cast iron skillets retain heat evenly, which is great to cook perfectly any meal.
• You only need a thin layer of oil to cook the food evenly without burning it.
• These kind of skillets have no harsh/bad chemicals.
• And on top of that, this type of skillet is awesome for roasting, sautéing, grilling, broiling and shallow frying in a small quantity of oil, which means you can make almost everything with it.

How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet

One question that I always get from my readers on my blog, emails and social media is how I clean my cast iron skillet. So, I’m sharing with you today how to clean a cast iron skillet in three simple steps and super fast.

• First: After use the skillet to make your dinner, clean it immediately, meaning you’ll clean it while it is still hot or warm. Rinse the skillet under hot water. Please, don’t put your skillet in the dish washer. Instead, wash it by hand and also, don’t soak it and leave it in the kitchen sink because probably your skillet will rust.
• Second: If your skillet is not totally clean after you rinse it with hot water, use a proper pan scraper or a stiff brush (more about those below). If after this you still see some stuck-on food, just add 1/2 cup of water in the skillet and bring to a boil for 3-5 minutes. When the skillet is cool, use a scraper or a stiff brush to remove any stubborn pieces of food.
• Third: Rinse it again and immediately dry your skillet with paper towel. It’s very important that you dry your skillet otherwise it may rust.

4 Great Accessories For Cleaning Cast Iron Skillet:

These 4 great Accessories For Cleaning Cast Iron Skillet will make your like easier in the kitchen after cooking a delicious one-pan meal in your cast iron skillet. These are my favorite accessories for cleaning your cookware without damaging it.

1. Cast Iron Brush

When I first bought my cast iron skillet I was cleaning it with a sponge (so wrong) and obvious it wasn’t doing a great job. So I bought a kitchen brush designed specifically for cast iron. Wow what a great choice I made. Now if my cast iron skillet is not very dirty I just turn on the tab with hot water, scrub the skillet with the brush and done.

2. Lodge Pan Scrapers

This pan scraper is another great accessory to help you to clean your skillet. Sometimes, only a kitchen brush is not enough to get off food pieces that stuck in your skillet. So, this is a situation where you may need to use a pan scraper.  It’s super durable and it comes in 4 different shaped corners for cleaning any shaped pan.

3. Grips Cast Iron Cleaner

I found this grips cast iron cleaner the other day on Amazon and I fell in love with it. I mean this is genius. I love the design and the built-in sponge. It’s like a mix of sponge and scrubber. And the best part, this grip cast iron cleaner is a multi-use and multi-purpose scrubber since you can use it as a bbq grill brush, kitchen brush, pan scraper, scrub brush and it can be used for sink, glassware, stainless steel, pizza stones, pie pans, plates, baking sheets, tea pots, cookie sheets, kitchen faucets, and so on.

4. Cast Iron Seasoning Ultimate Bundle

This bundle comes with Cast Iron Oil, Cast Iron Soap and Cast Iron Scrub. The cast iron oil is great to protect and prolong the lifespan of your cast iron skillet, preventing from rusting. The cast iron soap is super natural and doesn’t contain parabens, phosphates, or synthetic foaming agents. The cast iron salt scrub is amazing to remove food residues, while protecting the natural seasoning. This kit is really good to help restore and maintain the natural seasoning of your cast iron skillet.

How To Season Your Cast-Iron Skillet:

All the cast iron skillets that I have, they’re already seasoned, but over time I do like to season my skillet. And here is how I do it:

• First: Spread a thin layer of seasoning oil, avocado/grape oil or vegetable oil over the skillet.
• Second: Using paper towel, rub the entire skillet to coat it evenly. Don’t forget to flip the skillet and do the same thing on the outside too.
• Third: Transfer the skillet upside down to an oven on a middle oven rack at 375° and bake it for 1 hour.
• Four: Bake for 1 hour, turn the oven off and allow the skillet to cool down completely in the oven. Done! It’s really as simple as that.

5 Best Cast Iron Skillet Recipes for Dinner:

My skillet recipes are very popular on my site and I think it’s because they’re made only in one single pan, only requires few ingredients and they’re healthy and easy to make. So, I selected the most popular cast iron skillets recipes for dinner that will please even the picky ones.

• Shrimp and Sausage Vegetable Cast Iron Skillet

• Chicken and Bell Peppers Cast Iron Skillet

• Italian Sausage, Onions and Peppers Cast Iron Skillet

• Quick Beef and Zucchini Cast Iron Skillet

• Easy Broiled Salmon Recipe