Hello World! Welcome Friends! So, you’ve purchased a brand-new cast-iron skillet and can’t wait to use it to cook anything from high quality steak, to paella to beautiful fajitas. In fact, the truth about cast iron skillets is that they are one of the most versatile tools that a chef can have in his or her kitchen.
Cast iron skillets can be cooked at incredibly high heat which can yield beautiful cooks for many different kinds of types of food. Whether your frying chicken or frying an egg, a cast iron skillet can do it!
With that being said, a cast iron skillet will only work well if it is kept clean and properly cared for. Quite simply, someone has to have a clean cast iron pan if they want it to work well. The reason why is because an unclean pan will ultimately lose its seasoning. The seasoning is the layer.
This all-important seasoning is made up of oil that is baked onto the cast iron skillet through a process called polymerization. Not only will a seasoned pan have a beautiful, shiny black look. Cast iron skillets will also form a natural, easy-release cooking surface that allows you to cook practically anything on it.
Photo by Food Photographer | Jennifer Pallian on Unsplash
How to Ruin your Seasoning
There are a lot of easy ways to ruin your cast iron skillet. Here are the most common mistakes that people make that take their iron skillets from treasure to trash.
Letting it Soak While Cleaning
One of the worst things you can do to your cast iron skillet is letting it soak in the sink after you use it. The reason why is because just like any metal, iron can rust. While a rusted skillet does not make it automatically worthless, it is going to take a lot of work to re-season your pan.
Putting It In the Dishwasher
While you want to clean the cast iron skillet for sure, putting your pan in the dishwasher is going to be a major killer. While you might be able to put simpler non-stick options in the dishwasher, this is not the case for cast iron skillets, especially if you want it to last for many years to come. All the hard work put into correctly seasoning a cast iron skillet can be wiped away in a quick hour wash in the dishwasher. For that reason, even on your busiest nights, never put your skillet through the wash.
Cleaning It With Soap
The final way to ruin your seasoning while cleaning is by using soap to try to break off any debris from your most recent cook. If you think about it, the reason not to use soap is quite clear. After all, dish soap is primarily used to break up grease from plates and pans. What is grease other than oil? So, soap breaks up oil. What that means is that soap can also break up the oil that makes up the seasoning on your pan. Not good for the life of your pan!
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