My buddy said he never uses soap on his cast iron and I'm not sure about that

We were cooking steaks last weekend and I went to wash the pan after. He stopped me and said soap strips the seasoning, so he just uses hot water and a scrub. I've been doing that for a week now, but the pan feels kinda greasy after cooking eggs. I read online that modern dish soap is fine because it doesn't have lye anymore. Has anyone else made the switch to using a little soap and had it work out okay? I don't want to mess up my seasoning.

4 comments

4 Comments

nathan8517d ago

Yeah, the "soap strips seasoning" thing is an old myth. Modern dish soap is totally fine and cuts that leftover grease. My pans are way less gross since I started using a tiny bit.

skylerc867d ago

Totally agree about the modern soap thing! My grandma still freaks out if she sees me with the Dawn near my cast iron. She used lye soap back in the day, which actually would ruin the seasoning. I had to show her the bottle and explain it's not the same stuff. She still side-eyes me when I wash my skillet.

clairepark6d ago

Oh man, I feel that! My mom gives me the exact same look.

gavinperez6d ago

It's wild how myths stick around. @skylerc86 mentioning lye soap is key, that stuff was harsh. Modern soap is basically just a degreaser, it can't touch polymerized oil. The real threat to seasoning is acidic food sitting in the pan or using metal tools too rough. A quick soap wash and a dry on the stove keeps my pans in way better shape than the old "just wipe it out" method.