Showerthought: my brother-in-law saw my pan after washing and said I was stripping the seasoning by using soap every time.

I switched to just hot water and a brush for most washes, and my seasoning has actually gotten a lot darker and stronger over the last month, so has anyone else had this happen after cutting back on soap?

2 comments

2 Comments

knight.xena3d ago

My cast iron gets washed with a good scrub and dish soap after every use. The seasoning is polymerized oil, it's basically plastic. Modern dish soap doesn't have lye, it can't strip that off. A darker pan might just mean you're building up a layer of carbonized food gunk instead of clean seasoning. I'd rather have a clean, properly seasoned pan than a dark one that's just dirty.

brian_jackson3d ago

Wait, so the black stuff isn't all good? That kinda changes everything. I've been scared of soap for years.