I only use cast iron, and the only spatula I use on it is stainless steel. Never had any issues. Easy to keep clean, and on the rare occasion that something sticks to my well seasoned pans, I can get under it and lift it off.
If properly seasoned you should be able to use a metal spatula since plastic will degrade over time and a dish clothe with hot water to clean. Never use soap only hot water and re-oil pan when cleaned
I hear this often that you cant use soap and water on a cast iron pan. Why though? I have been cleaning mine with soap and water for 20 years and I havent noticed any issues.
In olden times, "Soap" == "Lye", and lye (ez off) will strip off most seasoning down to bare metal, so a lot of people still refuse to use soap.
I documented a strip and reseason, but don't feel like dicking with pic8 and server errors any more this morning.
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You strip the seasoning off. You my not notice but it drastically changes the flavors of thine meals. Like a coffee mug you don't wash only rinse it helps season the mug and offers a more rich robust flavor for your delight
I've been cooking with cast iron for a long time. I don't think I have ever washed one with soap. The best spatula is a a thin flexible metal one. Look for a vintage Cutco or Ecko or Flint. You can't hurt a properly seasoned pan with any spatula. Go to a hamburger joint where you can watch the cook flipping burgers. That griddle is the same as the surface in your skillet. It never gets washed with soap. When it gets gunked up, the cook sprays a little water on it and scrapes it off. At home, heat up the pan a bit, but not too hot. Spray or drizzle a bit of HOT water on it so it sizzles and boils. That deglazes the pan. Don't use cold water, or too much because the pan could crack. Scrape it out, dry it with a couple paper towels and set it back on the still warm burner to dry. When it cools down, you can wipe it with a little bit of oil if it looks like it needs it. Those chain mail scrubbies work, but if you need one on a regular basis, you're not doing it right.
No problem using metal on metal just don't scrape the patina off the skillet. When you're done, wash and dry it then put a little bit of oil in it. Paper towel the oil and put it away.
I only use iron skillets or heavy stainless steel. Stopped using coated cookware when I saw that shit flaking off on to the food.
It depends a lot on what you’re cooking. I mostly cook meat in cast iron. Heat until it’s just smoking then put the meat in seasoned how you want, no oil or butter. Few minutes depending on what it is. Flip with stainless tongs, another few minutes. Add a pat of butter, melt then flip the meat. Throw the pan into a quick oven until it’s done the way you want it. Enjoy.
Then move the meat to a plat, when the pan is still very hot from the oven… rinse with water and dry with a towel.
Learned this from grand parents. Still use their 100 year old skillets
yeah that is the way to cook some beef for sure!
Stainless steel is just fine. It helps knock off the high spots on the cook surface, making it smoother over time. In olden times, "Soap" == "Lye", so a lot of people still refuse to use soap. Use soap. Chain mail scrubbies work, but I stopped needing to use chain mail when I stopped using chain mail. If you have stuck-on food, just add water to the pan and boil. Stuck stuff will then wipe off. If you won't be using it for a while and don't want surface rust to form on the cook surface, just wipe on some cooking oil, then wipe it back off. The remaining oil will keep it safe. The seasoning layer can be on the cook surface, but doesn't need to be... the purpose is 10% rustproofing and 90% cosmetic. Just keep cooking in it and it will be fine.
>Use soap.
Fuck no. that thin coating of oil left behind is what carbonizes and makes the pan mostly nonstick. Dish soap strips this off. The carbon layer needs to be continually refreshed. A seasoned skillet does not rust if dry.
>The seasoning layer can be on the cook surface, but doesn't need to be... the purpose is 10% rustproofing and 90% cosmetic.
As I said above the "seasoning" is a layer (more accurately many layers) of carbon that both keeps the metal seperate form oxygen thus preventing rust but, also acts as a nonstick surface. So it should be on the cook surface. It's not there to be pretty. If your pans rust sometimes it's because you don't know how to use them.
>If you have stuck-on food, just add water to the pan and boil. Stuck stuff will then wipe off.
Anytime I have anything stuck on I can just scrub it off with a stiff brush and hot water. You can use a plastic brush if the pan isn't hot but, I would recommend a natural fiber brush as they can be used when hot and just seem to work better. This is because I don't use soap on my pans.
And before anyone brings it up anything living on the pan's surface is killed by the heat that you are supposed to apply to the pan before you apply the food.
If regular soap is taking off your seasoning, your pan isn't seasoned properly. If it's carbonized and can be removed with soap, it was heated far too high or too fast without first allowing it to polymerize. The goal is to polymerize it so it bonds to the iron.
If you go back and read what I said you will notice I said the soap strips off the oil. Later I said that this is needed to continually replenish the surface so that it can remain nonstick. Washing in soap occasionally is not likely to do harm but you will have a harder time if it is washed with soap often.
I've been using my cast iron skillet since the 90's. My procedure: heat it up to low, throw in a little real butter, cook (usually eggs) with a wood spatula, scrape it out with the wood spatula. If food is stuck, I put it back on the stove with about a pint of water and heat it back up and scrub it with the wood spatula. Every once in a while I heat it up and wipe butter all over it and burn it in. That's not proper seasoning, but I'm pretty sure it improves the flavor of anything cooked in it.
I tried that method, but it took a lot of time to heat back up to loosen the food, seemed like a waste of time and stove heat, also seemed like the boiling water was loosening the seasoning, it a fairly new pan so I know I need to keep adding more and cooking more (which I have been daily for a few months now).
Bamboo or wood only
To clean but to scoop use a fish spatula.
I'll be the contrarian here. Use a silicon spatula and scrub your skillet with soap. Retard boomers who go on and on about muh sEaSoInNG are just lazy slobs. Its a pan, clean it.
Start with enough heat and oil and nothing will stick in the first place
what and I should enjoy my rusty skillet flavor?
Imagine the absolute chore of having to dry a pan!!! Better to just leave the old grease in there and cook on top of it next week.
Wood or metal are alright, metal you'll have to be a little careful with as it can damage the seasoning. For cleaning get the faucet as hot as it'll go and heat the pan up, drench the hot pan and most of the food will come right off.
Pretty much anything works with cast iron. Stainless steel would be fine. I use a piece of chainmail to clean mine if stuff is stuck on too hard to just be wiped away.
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