Cast-iron skillets

In order to complete my 101 in 1001 list item about cooking with my cast-iron skillet, I need to prep it. And I am now sure how.

See, we got it from Crate and Barrel as a wedding gift, so it probably came seasoned, but we let our lack of knowledge keep us from ever using it.so not only might it have four years of dust or moving taint on it, but when we had to pack away the kitchen for a week, it accidentally cleaved itself to a paper towel and I could swear done of it's fuzz stayed behind.

The Internet seems to advise against using water for fear of rust, and I don't want to scrub at it lest I damage the surface or the seasoning that is (was?) there. Any ideas how I can go about ing this ready for use without violating it?

Comments

[Katie]

I scrub my cast iron with soap and water all the time and it's kept its seasoning just fine. Our was not preseasoned, either. If you want to be gentle with it, what you could do is put it on the stovetop over low heat and add a splash of oil and a handful of kosher salt. Use a wad of paper towels and tongs to scrub the inside, then use a fresh paper towel to wipe it out. That should do the trick.

If you do end up scrubbing it with soap and water, you can reseason it by rubbing a thin layer of oil all over the inside, then sticking it in the oven upside down (with a sheet pan or something underneath to catch the drips) at 350 degrees for an hour or so. Wipe it out when it's done and you should be good to go.

[Jasmine]

The best way to get a cast iron skillet ready for use is to first wash it well, and then cook a lot of bacon in it. Take out the bacon, drain the grease, pour some kosher salt in it and scrub with a paper towel, then rinse with water and put on the stove to dry. Do that a few times, and it'll be well on its way to perfection. And then you get to eat lots of bacon, which is awesome.

[Beth C.]

You can wash it with soap and water no problem. Just don't let it air dry (that's what causes rust), put on a low burner until it dries and let it cool. If you aren't sure it's seasoned, just redo it, it won't hurt either way. After washing/ range drying, rub it very liberally with oil (veg or olive, whichever) and put it in a low oven for 15 minutes or so, basically until the oil is absorbed (put a cookie sheet in the rack below to catch drips so you doing gack up your pretty, new oven.). You should do this every six months or so anyway, regardless of how the manufacturer prepped it.

[Becca]

We only had cast iron skillets growing up, as they were hand-me-downs, and I agree with the above that we always washed (with soap and water)and dried them every time we used them, which was almost nightly.

I don't know about any reseasoning until I caught my dad cooking the skillet when I was visiting one time, and made fun of him, only to be informed that it was on purpose. That was less fun.

[Bria]

I scrub muck and guck (and, once, a firmly stuck paper towel, too!) out of my cast iron skillets with a combination of olive oil and coarse kosher salt. Dump in a few glugs of oil and a generous sprinkle of salt, then scrub with a brush. The salt is an effective abrasive and doesn't damage the pan. Once I've thoroughly scrubbed it, I rinse out the salt with a little water and wipe the oil away with a paper towel. Works beautifully every time.

[hannah]

Yup, you can wash with soap and water, and scrub the gunk out to your heart's content. Then put it on a low burner until it's totally dry, and rub some oil on it. If you really end up scrubbing off all of the seasoning, you can bake it as suggested above with some more oil in it, and that should be done regardless of how it looks once in awhile.
You needn't really be scared of the skillet; my husband and I cook in pretty much nothing but cast iron skillets, which take all kinds of abuse, and we've never manage to damage one even a little bit.

[Mrs. MidAtlantic]

I never use soap, but do wash it with water! I agree with the heat-to-dry method, and then you can rub some olive oil into it if you're looking for more flavor. If I can manage it, anyone can!

[Mandi]

I grew up with cast iron! It is amazing. That said, you CAN use soap, but you will have to reseason more often if you do (the soap degrades the oil/grease seasoning...like it's supposed to!) I try to scrub mine out with a non-soapy brush right after I use them but sometimes that just doesn't happen. But they're fairly easy to reseason, so don't stress too much about it. :)
BTW, your 101 in 1001 lists inspired me to start my own back in August and I'm having so much fun with it! It's so satisfying to cross items off.

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it accidentally cleaved itself to a paper towel and I could swear done of it's fuzz stayed behind.