iStockphoto / pkanchana/RusN
a clean cast iron skillet in a bath of soap
Can you use soap on a cast iron skillet to get it clean and preserve its quality? My entire life I’ve been told ‘no’ and that I should only use hot water and an abrasive brush or chain metal. I remember the day I received my first cast iron skillet when I was still in college, as a present from my parents, and I hadn’t even finished unwrapping the present before they were yelling ‘NO SOAP’ at me.
Growing up in a ‘restaurant family’ I just assumed everyone knew what they were talking about and never second guessed that advice. But it turns out, soap is fine. How do I know it’s fine? Experts say so.
Can You Use Soap On A Cast Iron Skillet? Yes.
Scrolling through Threads last night I came across a reply from Lodge Cast Iron. I have included the screenshot below. Lodge is a family-owned cast-iron cookware manufacturer based in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. They have been in business since it was founded by Joseph Lodge back in 1896 and are one of America’s oldest cookware manufacturers.
After 130 years in business, if they don’t know how to properly care for a cast iron skillet then nobody does. They’re the experts through and through.
So when one user said they’d recently gone through their grandparent’s things and found an absolutely immaculate cast iron skillet and referred to the condition as ‘sorcery’ Lodge Cast Iron slid into the replies with a reasonable answer: soap.
Via Threads / @LodgeCastIron/HeresToYouMrsRobertson
Lodge Cast Iron explaining it is safe and good to use soap to clean a Cast Iron Skillet
If that image is too small for you to read, Lodge replied “Based on how it looks, we’d say she likely cooked with it regularly and washed it with soap. That’s the best way to keep your cast iron in tip top shape!”
That’s it. That is the advice. Yes, you can use soap. In fact, here is the official Lodge Cast Iron Skillet video on how to clean their skillets:
Taking things a little further though… Use a little bit of soap, never fully soak the cast iron skillet in order to loosen up food, still use a brush or sponge (or chain metal), dry it completely when done so the cast iron skillet doesn’t rust, and lastly, rub in a tiny amount of oil afterward if the cast iron looks dry after cleaning.
Towel drying after cleaning is VERY important. You can get rust if it sits wet and that opens up a whole new can of worms. So yes, use soap to clean your cast iron but make sure to dry it completely afterward and then put on a little oil if it looks to be dried out.