Some people just love to cook. In some way, gathering ingredients, following steps, and creating something tasty, nutritious, and sustainable is therapeutic. Others, on the other hand, can’t stand the task of having to whip up a meal every day, be it for themselves or their families.
But whether you enjoy cooking or not, chances are that you’ve used an iron cast skillet once or twice in your life. And while this handy kitchen gadget makes cooking a whole lot easier and reliable because of its heavy heat resistance, they’re often a pain to clean. This reason is why one genius came up with a somewhat unconventional way to clean his iron cast skillet.
So instead of throwing your skillet out once you think it’s reached the end, or is too dirty to stand, consider this easy hack to make it look as good as new. Yeah, you’re welcome.
Firstly, here’s what you need: dish soap, kosher salt, a sponge or stiff brush, a clean, dry cloth or paper towel, and vegetable oil. Then, preheat your oven to 235 degrees F, wash your skillet with warm, mildly soapy water using a sponge or stiff brush, and use the kosher salt to scrub off stubborn bits of food. This make take a little elbow grease, it’s worth it. Scrub it down as best as you can, you’ll see why shortly and you’ll be happy you did!
Then, rinse and let your skillet dry. Once completely dry, apply a thin layer of vegetable oil to the inside and outside of the skillet – literally everywhere – using a dry cloth or paper towel. Next up, place the skillet upside down in the center of the oven with a layer of aluminum foil underneath to catch any drips. Let it bake for one hour.
Voila! You have yourself a good-as-new iron cast skillet that will retain its non-sticky surface for a while. And if you find it slowly getting gunked up again, do the process again! This will help you maintain your pan for years! Your bacon and burgers will come out crispy and delicious! You’ll be able to fry up frittatas, excel at eggs and surprise with stir-frys – pain-free!
Watch the entire tutorial below before getting started:
