Pro tip: I found out the hard way that dish soap ruins cast iron seasoning

I was scrubbing my grandmother's old cast iron skillet last week with regular Dawn dish soap, thinking I was doing it right. Then I read on a cooking forum that modern dish soaps are actually okay for cast iron, but the real problem is soaking it or using abrasive scrubbers. I tested it by seasoning the pan after washing and saw the seasoning flake off where I'd been too rough. Has anyone else dealt with this and found a gentler cleaning method that works?

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1 Comment

grace_hunt841mo ago

and that's EXACTLY what happened to me with my lodge skillet last month. I switched to using a chainmail scrubber with just hot water and a tiny drop of soap, then dry it on the stove immediately. The key is literally scrubbing as gentle as you can while still getting the food bits off, then wiping a thin layer of oil on before you store it.