Is it really safe not using soap on my cast iron skillet?

I learned in science class that the soap ha very little to do with the anti bacterial aspect of cleaning. Most of that is done with friction and water.

If your cast iron pan is seasoned correctly, soap should not be necessary.

Cast iron skillets are not like the Teflon ones. They should only require a wipe in order to remove the debris left over when it comes to cleaning. If necessary, use something more abrasive, but not soap. Here is another link that might provide a few tips.

On a tv show about girls who go abroad to live with their foreign boyfriends, there was one lady that emigrated to Marocco, to be with her guy.
She was going to assist him in his job, which was guiding tourists through the desert.
In the evening they’d cook traditional Morrocan food which they’d eat together with the tourists.
When diner had finished they did the dishes.
With sand. Apparently pretty custom in the desert.
So, maybe that is an idea for you?

Cast iron is the original non-stick cookware. Every once in a while, you season it. Heating the iron opens its pores and allowing the oil used in the seasoning to be absorbed into those pores and keep it non-stick.

So not much is really sticking to it to begin with. But the point of the story is this: If you really feel like you need to scrub it with soap, you can, AND you can re-season it easily. (Oven on 225 for two hours after coating the skillet with veg. oil or lard).

On the other hand, if you are trusting that the skillet is hot enough to cook your food to a safe consumption temperature, than any of those “germs” on the food to begin with that may remain on the skillet have also been rendered harmless. Water and elbow grease get off anything additional.

So, you don’t need to worry one way or the other. . . . either you are going to be doing alot of skillet seasoning, or you will get comfortable knowing that it’s safe not to use soap often.

And trust me, if there were a danger, the company wouldn’t recommend it. The last thing a company wants is for you to get e.coli because they told you not to clean their wares appropriately…

Using soap on a seasoned cast iron skillet will seriously affect the patina and make you have to re-season it. My wife did that to one of my dutch ovens and it’s taken me years to get it back to the way I like it. The patina is nearly pure carbon and nothing.. Nothing sticks to it. Better’n teflon.

If it’s been seasoned properly, you shouldn’t need to do more than wipe it down to clean it. Heating it afterwards with some fat on it (I prefer animal fats or coconut oil) will kill any bacteria, and allow the oils to create a good layer. I wash mine with water once in a while, but never soap, which would break up the oils and make it prone to rusting.

Maybe use soap now (one of the rare times) and then work at preventing it from needing soap. I have been wondering why we need cast iron skillets in the first place

@flo They heat more evenly, and as others have mentioned a properly seasoned cast iron pan is more non-stick than Teflon. There’s also the fact that Teflon can be toxic in several circumstances.

@flo, you also absorb iron from cooking wqith cast iron, so it has a nutritional element too. (along with being less toxic as @incendiary_dan said. )

@flo They can last for several generations if they are treated properly, unlike the throw away every 3 – 5 years type most people use.

They just cook things better.

It is safe to not use soap. Remember, you cook in these things. You don’t chop up raw meat and then throw it in the pan and then take it out and eat it. You cook the meat. That kills the germs. Most of the bacteria are already in the meat, anyway. I doubt that much would be picked up from your pan, and that is especially true if the pan is seasoned.

At least once a week, I wash our cast iron skillet with Dawn Detergent with Bleach. After the scrubbing and complety drying the skillet, I saturate the skillet with Canola Oil.

It’s now ready for the next batch of homemade cornbread, with no problems and a clean skillet.

Part of the pleasure of cooking with well-seasoned unwashed cast iron is the flavor it produces. It’s really unlike any other. Yes, you can wash it with soap and re-season it every time, but it kind of defeats the purpose. Great seasoning (and the great flavor that comes with it) takes time to achieve.

Augustian, I agree with you, mostly. I agree with the flavors a cast iron skillet can produce. We have six skillets and each one has a specific cooking purpose. I am the designated skillet cleaner. I have used soap and water, as a cleaning agent for several years. All of this changed, when the salt bag broke and was never replaced. A loaded salt bag is also an excellent skillet cleaner.

Okay everyone, I hear you all. I don’t know if the difference is worth it for me. Could they make them a bit less heavy, I get a hernia just thinking about the weight.

Re. teflon, toxic, thing, it has been ages since I heard that, and I thought it would be resolved by now. I hear from a indistry friendly chemist that the consumer shouldn’t be concenred but he is disgustingly industry friendly

By the way, I don’t know if it would work the same on cast iron, but for burnt food in a glass pot, (pyrex), try not putting liquidy stuff soften it up. Just remove from it from the stove and after it cools down completly, just scrape with a spoon. The burnt food comes off much more easily. I couldn’t believe it.

@flo The weight of those things can be hard to deal with, I agree. I’d still say it’s worth it!

Alright @augustlan, I know I have eaten food that is cooked in iron skillet without knowing it. I just never paid that much attention to it.

I agree with some of you who mentioned salt as a good cleanser. Baking soda is good as well, but I don’t know if it would hurt the skillet.

They are getting hard to find, but if you can find a Griswold cast iron skillet they tend to be a lot lighter than Lodge. They are also smoother and easier to season. Most are very old and anyone that has a good one will be loathe to part with it.

So I’m guessing it is safe to not use soap to wash dishes if you wash them before bacteria grow on them, and if you use salt.

@majorrich this looks like Griswold’s website but it is a collector’s site:
http://www.griswoldcookware.com/undersatnding_griswold.htm
Where is Griswold’s website?

…I don’t mean the site itself looks like the real thing I mean the google search result looks like the real thing. here

The original Griswold went out of business a long time ago, but their products are still used and loved all over. I had one that got broken by the movers when we came to this house. It broke my heart. I believe the name is licensed now.

Oh, of course they would be out of business.:)
I would have thought it is impossible to break those things

You can crack them easily, too, if you put a hot skillet in cold water. For such sturdy stuff, they still have their vulnerabilities.

I am so stunned by that

I just got a beautiful griswold on eBay for $30. It came in today. Nickle plated and much lighter than my other #10. Looking forward to seasoning this beauty. The bare metal is smooth as glass with no patina.

@majorrich how will you wash it?

There were a couple of rust spots, I hit them with steel wool and polished the metal smooth. I cooked some bacon in it and spread the grease around, then put it in the oven at 250 (or so, it’s a gas oven, not real accurate that low) It’s already well on it’s way.