How to Clean Cast Iron Skillet With Salt – A Detailed Guide
Cast iron cookware carries great importance in the kitchen. It is used for cooking several meals and is very durable. However, maintenance and cleaning of cast iron is quite hard. It is believed that cast iron cookware is very delicate. This is the reason why it shouldn’t be treated using harsh soaps.
The reality is far from this. A good scrub such as salt can really clean cast iron. If you are wondering how to clean cast iron with salt, this detailed guide is going to assist you well.
Scrubbing your cast iron cookware with salt will clean it properly. In addition to that, it will also assist in the development of the essential seasoning. If you are in search of the method which perfectly cleans the cast iron cookware, salt is your answer. It is a mild scrub that removes all the food residues without affecting the cast iron surface. If you are concerned about whether salt is good or not for cast iron. Read through!
Should One Use Salt to Clean Cast Iron?
Before moving onto the actual method on how to clean the cast iron with salt, we will first address this important concern. The straight answer is no, salt is absolutely safe for cast iron. Here’s why.
Salt is a hard agent but it is softer when compared to cast iron. Thus, you can scrub it without worrying as it won’t destroy the appearance of cast iron. It is a fact that soaking the dish in salt solution for long destroys the seasoning. This won’t be the case with cleaning as the cleaning is going to take a couple of minutes. This time wouldn’t do any harm. Therefore, you can use salt for cleaning. We are sure you will be impressed with the results.
How to Clean Cast Iron with Salt- An Extensive Guide
If you are cleaning your cast iron cookware with salt, you should adhere to the steps below. These are the detailed steps that describe each and every procedure. Let us get to the easy steps below.
Add the Salt
First, you have to add salt to the cast iron. The usual quantity should be around 2 tablespoons to 3 tablespoons. If you have a small cast iron cookware, reduce this to half.
Always make sure that the salt you use has coarse grains. The small grain salt is not as effective and wouldn’t perfectly clean the pan. The coarse grains when scrubbed will remove the food residue through the friction. They will provide the necessary traction to ensure proper cleaning.
Scrubbing the Cast Iron
Now is the time to scrub the coarse grain salt. You can take kosher salt or any other. For scrubbing, you will require a clean cloth or a soft scrubber. Make sure you take a plastic scrubber and not a steel one. The steel one will be too harsh for cast iron and the surface can be destroyed.
Scrub it well and hard until all the food is scratched. Add a little of warm water to remove the residue. Rinse the pan with lukewarm water. All the burnt food and residue will come off the cast iron. The cast iron will be clean.
Drying
Drying is a step you should not ignore or neglect. This is a very crucial step. You need to dry the cast iron cookware after rinsing with lukewarm water. To dry the cookware effectively, take a clean cloth and dry the pan. After that, put the cookware on stovetop and turn the flame on. Continue heating the pan for 10 minutes. The cookware will be perfectly dried and all the moisture will evaporate.
Seasoning
Before proceeding toward seasoning, wait until the cast iron cookware cools off. Take a little of vegetable oil. You can take any other cooking oil. However, the oil with higher smoke point should be preferred. Pour the oil on the cookware and spread it all over the surface.
Make sure that you take enough oil to cover the whole surface. It should not be too less that some surfaces left uncovered. Similarly, it should not be too much that the oil drips. After covering the surface evenly and uniformly, wipe off the excess oil using paper towel.
Now is the time to heat the cast iron cookware. You have two methods. If you have an oven, keep the cast iron cookware on the middle rail on an oven. The cookware should be placed upside down so that the excess oil drips. Place it in a heated oven at 350 Fahrenheit. Continue heating the pan for an hour. After which, repeat the coating process again and then heat it afterwards. Repeat this 5 times to season the pan perfectly.
You can also season the pan on the stove. After applying the oil, keep it over the flame for 10-15 minutes. After which coat with oil again and heat it over the flame. Do this process 5 times for effective seasoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
