Cast Iton pan cleaning

JMCXL

Am I the last one to buy one of these to clean your cast iron pans

any downside to using it.

seemed to get the baked on chicken no problem. Usually I just need a paper towel for cleanup but when things get stuck this seemed to work great

any thoughts

marysvilleksegghead

What's the recommendation for using?  swirl around in the pan or use it as a hand scrubber?

Cornholio

I use salt to clean mine if brushing with a wok brush doesn’t get it all.  

JMCXL

marysvilleksegghead said:

What's the recommendation for using?  swirl around in the pan or use it as a hand scrubber?

Yes, very simple 

DoubleEgger

I have one and never use it. Stuff never sticks to the Griswold.  I thought it was too hard on the seasoning that I was trying to build up on a Field skilet and various Lodge pieces. Water and a soft sponge is all I use these days 

vb4677

Love mine!  Wife made a frittata in my bigger CI skillet, then left the nasties in it for like 3 days.  A little hot water and my chain scubber and it was all gone! Super easy.

buzd504

vb4677 said:

Love mine!  Wife made a frittata in my bigger CI skillet, then left the nasties in it for like 3 days.  A little hot water and my chain scubber and it was all gone! Super easy.

If I don't clean mine right away, I just put some oil in it and heat it up again and everything comes right off.

Semi-related, I hate doing anything eggs in cast iron because the retained heat seems to do bad things to eggs.

kl8ton

@tarheelmatt turned me on to "the ringer" as its called and I love it.  There are members of my family that abuse our  CI and that gets stuff off!

northGAcock

JMCXL said:

Am I the last one to buy one of these to clean your cast iron pans

any downside to using it.

seemed to get the baked on chicken no problem. Usually I just need a paper towel for cleanup but when things get stuck this seemed to work great

any thoughts

I got one potiental concern.....don’t ask how I know. That rascal works well for the cast iron. Be careful it doesn’t slip into the disposal. If you run it and the scrubber is in the disposal......you will have many little pieces to fish out. Still have one I can’t get.....

JMCXL

DoubleEgger said:

I have one and never use it. Stuff never sticks to the Griswold.  I thought it was too hard on the seasoning that I was trying to build up on a Field skilet and various Lodge pieces. Water and a soft sponge is all I use these days 

That is my concern, it might take off some of the seasoning

Mattman3969

Generally hot water and a paper towel works just fine.  If the crud is rougher than that I’ll use one of the scrubbers I use on my glass cooktop 

Carolina Q

I use one of those green/yellow scrubbie things with soap and hot water. After I scrape it with a metal spatula.

https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/the-truth-about-cast-iron.html

Bentgrass

Love mine. Warm water, scrub, dry

vb4677

So, the wife made a dessert in our regular pots and the sugar more than carmalized... it cemented itself to the bottom of the pot.  So I broke the 'ringer' out on it and it worked like a charm.  Nothing else I had tried even came close (hot water soak, dishwasher gel, plastic scraper..)

Mickey

Used used one for years. Works great with salt for me. 

NPHuskerFL

Chain mail scrubbers have been around for years ..i have some from the early 1900s that are attached to a handle and still work great today.  I mostly use a sponge and occasionally a plastic scraper...my miniature plastic curved bowl scraper/dough divider works great and doesn't score the seasoning.

nolaegghead

I have one, works great.  No worries about removing the seasoning.

GrateEggspectations

northGAcock said:

JMCXL said:

Am I the last one to buy one of these to clean your cast iron pans

any downside to using it.

seemed to get the baked on chicken no problem. Usually I just need a paper towel for cleanup but when things get stuck this seemed to work great

any thoughts

I got one potiental concern.....don’t ask how I know. That rascal works well for the cast iron. Be careful it doesn’t slip into the disposal. If you run it and the scrubber is in the disposal......you will have many little pieces to fish out. Still have one I can’t get.....

Would one of these do it?

nolaegghead

GrateEggspectations said:

northGAcock said:

JMCXL said:

Am I the last one to buy one of these to clean your cast iron pans

any downside to using it.

seemed to get the baked on chicken no problem. Usually I just need a paper towel for cleanup but when things get stuck this seemed to work great

any thoughts

I got one potiental concern.....don’t ask how I know. That rascal works well for the cast iron. Be careful it doesn’t slip into the disposal. If you run it and the scrubber is in the disposal......you will have many little pieces to fish out. Still have one I can’t get.....

Would one of these do it?

Mine is non-magnetic SS.  So nope.

chzplz

JMCXL said:

That is my concern, it might take off some of the seasoning

Nope - don’t worry about the seasoning. The idea is that the chain mail slides around on top of the seasoning and knocks off any baked-on crud. I only use mine when a washcloth and water won’t work, but I use it frequently enough that I’ve never had to re-season any of my pans. 

ColtsFan

I use one, no issues with it

DoubleEgger

chzplz said:

JMCXL said:

That is my concern, it might take off some of the seasoning

Nope - don’t worry about the seasoning. The idea is that the chain mail slides around on top of the seasoning and knocks off any baked-on crud. I only use mine when a washcloth and water won’t work, but I use it frequently enough that I’ve never had to re-season any of my pans. 

The ringer completely removed the seasoning from a #10 Gris and a #15 BSR that I bought. No pressure while using the ringer. I believe the folks who owned the pans prior seasoning with that useless flaxseed oil that the internet thinks is so great. 

fishlessman

i just hit a hot pan with a 1/4 cup water and run the spatula around it, let steam do the work

SonVolt

kosher salt + paper towel + scrub works every time for me. 

nolaegghead

DoubleEgger said:

chzplz said:

JMCXL said:

That is my concern, it might take off some of the seasoning

Nope - don’t worry about the seasoning. The idea is that the chain mail slides around on top of the seasoning and knocks off any baked-on crud. I only use mine when a washcloth and water won’t work, but I use it frequently enough that I’ve never had to re-season any of my pans. 

The ringer completely removed the seasoning from a #10 Gris and a #15 BSR that I bought. No pressure while using the ringer. I believe the folks who owned the pans prior seasoning with that useless flaxseed oil that the internet thinks is so great. 

I would be hard-pressed to call it "seasoning" if it came off that easily.  Possible it was flaxseed or whatever oil it was could have been applied over an oxidized (or otherwise compromised) substrate.

northGAcock

GrateEggspectations said:

northGAcock said:

JMCXL said:

Am I the last one to buy one of these to clean your cast iron pans

any downside to using it.

seemed to get the baked on chicken no problem. Usually I just need a paper towel for cleanup but when things get stuck this seemed to work great
any thoughts

I got one potiental concern.....don’t ask how I know. That rascal works well for the cast iron. Be careful it doesn’t slip into the disposal. If you run it and the scrubber is in the disposal......you will have many little pieces to fish out. Still have one I can’t get.....

Would one of these do it?

No.....they are stainless and you get no sticky on the magie.

Edit: Sorry saw Nola's response after i responded. He is spot on.

dstearn

JMCXL said:

Am I the last one to buy one of these to clean your cast iron pans

any downside to using it.

seemed to get the baked on chicken no problem. Usually I just need a paper towel for cleanup but when things get stuck this seemed to work great

any thoughts

I use mine all the time. Works great!

DoubleEgger

nolaegghead said:

DoubleEgger said:

chzplz said:

JMCXL said:

That is my concern, it might take off some of the seasoning

Nope - don’t worry about the seasoning. The idea is that the chain mail slides around on top of the seasoning and knocks off any baked-on crud. I only use mine when a washcloth and water won’t work, but I use it frequently enough that I’ve never had to re-season any of my pans. 

The ringer completely removed the seasoning from a #10 Gris and a #15 BSR that I bought. No pressure while using the ringer. I believe the folks who owned the pans prior seasoning with that useless flaxseed oil that the internet thinks is so great. 

I would be hard-pressed to call it "seasoning" if it came off that easily.  Possible it was flaxseed or whatever oil it was could have been applied over an oxidized (or otherwise compromised) substrate.

My scientific conclusion is that it was half assed work. 

DoubleEgger

I keep wondering what the heck people are cooking that sticks so much that it has to be hard scraped out. 

SonVolt

I have to scrape the remnants of breakfast sausage patties out with a stiff spatula. 

DoubleEgger

SonVolt said:

I have to scrape the remnants of breakfast sausage patties out with a stiff spatula. 

I had that issue with the Field Skillet I mentioned. I started using a dollop of old grease to get it going just like my grandma used to.