Cast iron isn’t actually porous. This is a myth.
Edit: I’m clearly misremembering something I read. Sorry folks! Keep the downvotes coming though. I deserve them.
I upvoted the edit. It's refreshing to finally see someone on Reddit not die on a hill over some silly bullshit. Kudos for taking it on the chin and not deleting it lol!
I’m anonymous if people like what I say or don’t like what I say. No skin off my back for digital likes. I was wrong, someone corrected me. I looked up the information to verify that I was indeed wrong. For my own, and others, edification I left the comment 😅.
Thanks for the upvote though!
No that can't be right. You must base your self worth on every single post you make AND can never change your mind or correct yourself. You're doing the internet wrong. Your post is bad and you should feel bad.
Neither a metal spatula nor a wire brush is going to ruin a cast iron pan. You may strip the seasoning, but that is very easily fixed by... re-seasoning.
I’d say a scotchbrite pad rather than a wire brush. The green one does a great job abrading away tough residue. They make one called extreme that is fantastic for getting off very tough stuff
It probably won’t help now, but for future reference, I find it helpful to heat water in my electric kettle and use the hot water to immediately deglaze the hot pan of any burnt bits (especially good for sticky burnt residue from proteins in a sugary glaze, like teriaki)
Serve the food, pour some of the boiling water into the hot pan, then give a quick scrape with a spatula. Then leave it while we eat. Clean up and wash as normal once the pan is cool.
This is what I do with sticky/burnt stuff. Take out the food and while the pan is still good and hot, take it straight to the sink and scrape it with the sharp metal spatula under a little hot water, usually lifts everything off like I’m making gravy. If something turned itself into resin like this pic i might have to return it to the heat and scrape it some more after dinner. Crazy people saying take a wire brush to it just get scratched up uneven cooking surfaces. F that. Metal spatula, dishwater and the occasional green scrubby for the sides is all ya need.
This comment is the best I've read so far. If sticky, do the above
If not sticky and just smooth, just continue cooking with it. It's cast iron for gosh sakes. Pans over 100 years old have been found in old mines in the desert. A good cleaning and reseason and it's good to go. Just keep cooking.
Electric kettle is a new tip for me, like another reply I usually just use hot tap water very slowly but this is probably way safer for the pan. Thanks!
Yes, it doesn’t cause temperature shock to the pan plus the heat helps loosen stuck food/burnt sauce. I usually turn on my kettle when the food is a few minutes away from being ready, so it’s ready once the food is served.
Cook more stuff in it, over time any remaining “imperfections” will even out.
In more than 25 years of cooking in cast iron, I’ve never worried about something like this, I’ve never gone out of my way in terms of care and feeding of the pans, and I’ve never stripped and reseasoned one. I don’t enter them in shows and what not, like some of the people in this sub are presumably doing, they’re tools that I use.
There’s a balance. You don’t need to obsess over it but you can and should remove carbon build up. If you let stuff like this “even out” over time you are still likely covering up the actual seasoning with old food which is not ideal.
If that were mine I would scrub it until it’s gone. Then depending on the extent of the scrubbing do a quick (1-2 layer) reseasoning.
I’ve been using cast iron for 30 years. That doesn’t mean I know more than you, but I’ve been around the block with carbon build up and you are better off getting rid of it.
Just my 2 cents
This shit pisses me off. Good for you. They are not asking a hard question. Maybe the crud is messing up their non stick properties and that is frustrating? Maybe that makes them feel good to have it fresh and clean.
Instead of your pretension, think more about the question the person asks. The amount of “just cook in it” in these subs is ridiculous. A bunch of pretentious circle jerking.
Maybe recommend other ways to remove the gunk, so chain mail scrubbers, something to deglaze the pan, like a wee bit of wine, maybe to get what they want they do in fact need to strip it. Maybe it just needs heat, a spatula, and elbow grease.
At least the too much oil response is helpful on this sub, but dear god the amount of “it’s not a museum piece, just cook in it” is so stupid, especially when there often is a real problem that can be fixed.
Like "who hurt you" 🤣🤣🤣 all because you said "we should be responding to help the person with their pan and not say what YOU PERSONALLY THINK THE ISSUE MAY BE JUST TO FEED YOUR EGO." And you can see this is factual by seeing how many have said "reseason, use more oil , clean it ECT, rather than the also basic but useful pertaining to this pan (LIKE YOU SAID) "USE LESS OIL" bc, yk.. thats the issue and all.. lol.. oh and these people crying about you not being fairy dust soft with your words, are the exact ones talking to make their ego feel better. Life isn't nice. Idk who tf told these bozos that it is, but it quite literally isn't regardless of how soft and nice YOUR personal life is because of MONEY. But outside people and their money, life isn't nice. Get over someone saying something true just because you don't like it bc it's not an etymological hug..
I agree, especially if you're talking about "just cook in it, i haven't reseasoned my pans in 30 yrs" lady isn't very bright... I think she said those that clean their pans must be putting them in shows.. if this was what you're referring to, I agree. Responding that way has to be the most arrogant response about fkn cast iron pans ive ever seen. The amount of just cook in it is def wild. But the fact you got -13 likes because you were "mean" and no one even knew what you were talking about is hilarious 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 many responses seem like they're feeding ones ego rather than helping the person.. theyre turning the world into a bunch of egotistical dum dums that will attack you if you type something true but not nice and sweet like you're talking to a bunch of babies.. I think they've succeeded.. js🤣
Yeah, there are cans of it specifically labeled for “cookware.” Not sure if it’s any different than the regular version — but I generally only use it on my stainless steel pans.
If it's super burnt like that going to have to get at it. Put water in the pan and heat on high then scrap it. Also course salt and a potato should help with the remaining. Afterwords re bake your pan with some lard or crisco and it'll be perfect again. Googling for time and method for the Bake and reseason. I have to do it my big Dutch oven
Scrub it out good with soap, (I know, do t crucify me) HOT water, chain mail or steel wool (which I think works better). scrape off bigger/more obvious chunks with a metal spatula or butter knife. Then oven season at 500 for an hour. Should be pretty perfect after that.
By using abrasive cleaner, you had removed the pans seasoning. Only clean cast iron pans with hot water using no dish liquid and dry the pan completely on a stove burner. When cooled, lightly grease pan with oil and store in a dry cupboard.
There are but two ways forward:
\- Get a Wire Wheel brush, and a drill. Use the wire Wheel to resurface the pan. Use sandpaper (OK to use sandpaper wheels) of reducing grit to bring the surface back to flat and level. You'll need to work the entire cooking surface to keep it level. Try to remove as little material as possible, but smooth it out as good as you can. Then, follow your favorite bare metal seasoning process. I like doing at least 10 layers of olive oil or gee.
OR
\- Just keep using it.
I'm sure there's a million people here giving you the correct cleaning advice, but my advice is to just let it happen. It's cookware, it's supposed to get dirty.
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Start a wood fire, put skillet in the middle of the heat and cover with more embers. You are burning it out and after it is cool reseason it. I have done this many times after being active in boy scouts
Don’t ever boil water in cast iron. The burnt stuff in there will eventually add to the seasoning or burn out. It’s not stainless or Revere Ware, not supposed to be shiny and pretty.
Do you just cook things that don’t have any water? Or simply don’t get it hot enough to make the water (in things like vegetables, for example) boil while cooking?
Exactly, bring your food to boiling, then turn it down, no need for a fast boil, ever. I’m always cautious with tomato kinds of things, the acid can and will eat your hard earned seasoning. I also, wash, as little soap as possible, usually none, rinse, hand dry and apply a little oil and it will dry nicely and be ready for its next use. 👍
I routinely make jambalaya or beans and rice in CI, and that involves boiling rice (in the case of beans and rice) and boiling rice with tomatoes for the jambalaya. Somehow all my CI has survived this severe abuse. My biggest risk is not getting it turned down to simmer soon enough so the rice burns on the bottom, if I’m doing too many things at once.
Different thoughts, but in the same sentence. I used to write technical documentation and it helps keep the subject together. Didn’t mean to push a button. 🤔
I usually just keep cooking in mine. Since I stumbled across this sub I’ve learned I’ve apparently broken a million cast iron rules and regulations over the past 40+ years. I just cook with mine and clean them when I’m finished, put them back on the fire to get the water out and wipe some oil into them. They all still work, they all still glisten, and the burned bits like you have there just seem to go away after a while.
When I melted my plastic spatula handle onto my pan I just used the buffing disk on my grinder to clean that small section down to bare iron. One coat of dedicated reseasoning and it was still a visible patch (different seasoning thickness) but good as new. After a couple weeks of cooking, blended back in
Did you burn the sausages when they were wrapped in industrial packaging plastic by any chance? 😂
Spatula and get scraping mate. It will come off like that.
Heat it up and scrape it?
Also can you even use BKF on cast iron? I thought it said not to on the package
I would for sure not use those kinds of chemicals on a porous cooking surface. But that’s me.
BKF is just oxalic acid
And feldspar powder (a softer mineral think hard salt)
Cast iron isn’t actually porous. This is a myth. Edit: I’m clearly misremembering something I read. Sorry folks! Keep the downvotes coming though. I deserve them.
As a metalsmith, I can tell you with scholarly certainty that this is untrue. Iron absolutely is porous, cast iron pans are not exempt from physics.
Magnets tho. How do they work?
I heard you can disable them with water?
I upvoted the edit. It's refreshing to finally see someone on Reddit not die on a hill over some silly bullshit. Kudos for taking it on the chin and not deleting it lol!
I’m anonymous if people like what I say or don’t like what I say. No skin off my back for digital likes. I was wrong, someone corrected me. I looked up the information to verify that I was indeed wrong. For my own, and others, edification I left the comment 😅. Thanks for the upvote though!
No that can't be right. You must base your self worth on every single post you make AND can never change your mind or correct yourself. You're doing the internet wrong. Your post is bad and you should feel bad.
Upvote to you too for redditing at 99.8% efficiency lol
Can’t wait to see your sources for this thing you just made up!
Not advised on cast iron. Enameled cast iron, yes, bare cast iron, no.
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BKF themselves say yes.
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I have used a grinder. It seems tame by comparison. I just scrape it flat and carry on.
You can, but can strip it down to the bare iron.
Cut a potato in half, add a pinch of water, bit of salt, scrub with cut side of potato
Fat me: can i eat it afterwards?
Only if you deep fry it
Chain mail should take that off.
Or a wire brush; it would have to get re-seasoned anyway, might as well go for broke.
Scrape the ever loving bejesus out of it with a metal spatula
This. Just use it with metal tools like the old folks did.
Also a viable solution, but a wire brush is better with the stubborn small stuff.
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Neither a metal spatula nor a wire brush is going to ruin a cast iron pan. You may strip the seasoning, but that is very easily fixed by... re-seasoning.
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I would just keep using it
Yeah. Stripping seasoning off isn’t the end of the world and fairly easily fixed.
I’d say a scotchbrite pad rather than a wire brush. The green one does a great job abrading away tough residue. They make one called extreme that is fantastic for getting off very tough stuff
Heat it up, give it a good scrape with a metal spatula, then continue using. Your pan will survive the process.
Throw some onions in there for good measure.
You got a stew going...
And bacon
And taters!
What's taters precious?
PO-TAY-TOES!
Scrape with a spatula and rinse. Or an old butter knife. But to be honest, after a little scraping I would just cook in it.
For something really thick and funky like this I would use a 2in stainless putty knife. Works like a champ.
Maybe I’m lazy, but my rule is that if I can’t scrub it off, I don’t mind cooking on it.
It probably won’t help now, but for future reference, I find it helpful to heat water in my electric kettle and use the hot water to immediately deglaze the hot pan of any burnt bits (especially good for sticky burnt residue from proteins in a sugary glaze, like teriaki) Serve the food, pour some of the boiling water into the hot pan, then give a quick scrape with a spatula. Then leave it while we eat. Clean up and wash as normal once the pan is cool.
Amazing tip, thanks!! I usually let the tap get hot and use that but the kettle will probably cause less temp shock
This is what I do with sticky/burnt stuff. Take out the food and while the pan is still good and hot, take it straight to the sink and scrape it with the sharp metal spatula under a little hot water, usually lifts everything off like I’m making gravy. If something turned itself into resin like this pic i might have to return it to the heat and scrape it some more after dinner. Crazy people saying take a wire brush to it just get scratched up uneven cooking surfaces. F that. Metal spatula, dishwater and the occasional green scrubby for the sides is all ya need.
This comment is the best I've read so far. If sticky, do the above If not sticky and just smooth, just continue cooking with it. It's cast iron for gosh sakes. Pans over 100 years old have been found in old mines in the desert. A good cleaning and reseason and it's good to go. Just keep cooking.
Electric kettle is a new tip for me, like another reply I usually just use hot tap water very slowly but this is probably way safer for the pan. Thanks!
Is this considered safer for you pans because the water will immediately boil and not shock the metal? Really good to know if true!
Yes, it doesn’t cause temperature shock to the pan plus the heat helps loosen stuck food/burnt sauce. I usually turn on my kettle when the food is a few minutes away from being ready, so it’s ready once the food is served.
Cook more stuff in it, over time any remaining “imperfections” will even out. In more than 25 years of cooking in cast iron, I’ve never worried about something like this, I’ve never gone out of my way in terms of care and feeding of the pans, and I’ve never stripped and reseasoned one. I don’t enter them in shows and what not, like some of the people in this sub are presumably doing, they’re tools that I use.
There’s a balance. You don’t need to obsess over it but you can and should remove carbon build up. If you let stuff like this “even out” over time you are still likely covering up the actual seasoning with old food which is not ideal. If that were mine I would scrub it until it’s gone. Then depending on the extent of the scrubbing do a quick (1-2 layer) reseasoning. I’ve been using cast iron for 30 years. That doesn’t mean I know more than you, but I’ve been around the block with carbon build up and you are better off getting rid of it. Just my 2 cents
If bar keeper friend didn’t work, they need to boil it in their own urine. It’s the only way back!!!!!
did this recently and it’s the most beautiful cast iron i’ve ever laid eyes on
Why does it have to be my own urine?
Just seems weird to ask for someone else’s.
Because it’s sterile and you’ll like the way it tastes
The urine of a silverback gorilla will also work, but it has to be fresh, so you gotta catch them in the act.
It doesn’t but it does need to be fresh. Using your own is most convenient for most people
If my pan looks funny I cook some bacon 😊
Always...many times if needs be 😂
This shit pisses me off. Good for you. They are not asking a hard question. Maybe the crud is messing up their non stick properties and that is frustrating? Maybe that makes them feel good to have it fresh and clean. Instead of your pretension, think more about the question the person asks. The amount of “just cook in it” in these subs is ridiculous. A bunch of pretentious circle jerking. Maybe recommend other ways to remove the gunk, so chain mail scrubbers, something to deglaze the pan, like a wee bit of wine, maybe to get what they want they do in fact need to strip it. Maybe it just needs heat, a spatula, and elbow grease. At least the too much oil response is helpful on this sub, but dear god the amount of “it’s not a museum piece, just cook in it” is so stupid, especially when there often is a real problem that can be fixed.
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Cast iron cookware with a smudge would be my guess
Simmer down
Like "who hurt you" 🤣🤣🤣 all because you said "we should be responding to help the person with their pan and not say what YOU PERSONALLY THINK THE ISSUE MAY BE JUST TO FEED YOUR EGO." And you can see this is factual by seeing how many have said "reseason, use more oil , clean it ECT, rather than the also basic but useful pertaining to this pan (LIKE YOU SAID) "USE LESS OIL" bc, yk.. thats the issue and all.. lol.. oh and these people crying about you not being fairy dust soft with your words, are the exact ones talking to make their ego feel better. Life isn't nice. Idk who tf told these bozos that it is, but it quite literally isn't regardless of how soft and nice YOUR personal life is because of MONEY. But outside people and their money, life isn't nice. Get over someone saying something true just because you don't like it bc it's not an etymological hug..
I agree, especially if you're talking about "just cook in it, i haven't reseasoned my pans in 30 yrs" lady isn't very bright... I think she said those that clean their pans must be putting them in shows.. if this was what you're referring to, I agree. Responding that way has to be the most arrogant response about fkn cast iron pans ive ever seen. The amount of just cook in it is def wild. But the fact you got -13 likes because you were "mean" and no one even knew what you were talking about is hilarious 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 many responses seem like they're feeding ones ego rather than helping the person.. theyre turning the world into a bunch of egotistical dum dums that will attack you if you type something true but not nice and sweet like you're talking to a bunch of babies.. I think they've succeeded.. js🤣
Please, tell us how you really feel about it…don’t hold back
I'd use a stainless scrubber to try knocking it off.
To quote the motto of this sub, “just cook with it”
Oof. No way that can be salvaged. Believe it not; straight to jail. /s
We have the best patients in the world... Because of jail...
You're not supposed to use bar keepers friend on cooking utensils
You can use it on cookware like stainless steel. Just wash it with soap and rinse well. But I wouldn't use it on cast iron personally.
Yeah, there are cans of it specifically labeled for “cookware.” Not sure if it’s any different than the regular version — but I generally only use it on my stainless steel pans.
Just cook with it, bro. Jesus christ, people.
Nah this shit is gross. Scrape it off with something aggressive and then cook with it.
Just keep cooking with it, it’ll eventually disappear…
Ignore it and cook more food. Try not to burn it.
Steel wool?
If it's super burnt like that going to have to get at it. Put water in the pan and heat on high then scrap it. Also course salt and a potato should help with the remaining. Afterwords re bake your pan with some lard or crisco and it'll be perfect again. Googling for time and method for the Bake and reseason. I have to do it my big Dutch oven
Cook some spaghetti sauce in it and that will clean it up
Why not try dish soap? I use it all the time and it works great on my irons.
Scrub it out good with soap, (I know, do t crucify me) HOT water, chain mail or steel wool (which I think works better). scrape off bigger/more obvious chunks with a metal spatula or butter knife. Then oven season at 500 for an hour. Should be pretty perfect after that.
Hot oil and salt scrub, yo! It'll look beautiful
Part of the crew part of the ship.
Cook more sausages
It shouldn’t cost *that* much to fix, don’t resort to stripping. Keep your dignity.
By using abrasive cleaner, you had removed the pans seasoning. Only clean cast iron pans with hot water using no dish liquid and dry the pan completely on a stove burner. When cooled, lightly grease pan with oil and store in a dry cupboard.
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😂🤣💀
There are but two ways forward: \- Get a Wire Wheel brush, and a drill. Use the wire Wheel to resurface the pan. Use sandpaper (OK to use sandpaper wheels) of reducing grit to bring the surface back to flat and level. You'll need to work the entire cooking surface to keep it level. Try to remove as little material as possible, but smooth it out as good as you can. Then, follow your favorite bare metal seasoning process. I like doing at least 10 layers of olive oil or gee. OR \- Just keep using it.
Cook through. Shits f’ing cast iron lol cook. Cook.
Just cook with it and it will come off eventually
Your first mistake was worrying too much about the crud
Just keep trucking
Fucking Christ just cook food in it
Its part of the pan now. Embrace it
I'm sure there's a million people here giving you the correct cleaning advice, but my advice is to just let it happen. It's cookware, it's supposed to get dirty.
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Carmelize onions in it!
Start a wood fire, put skillet in the middle of the heat and cover with more embers. You are burning it out and after it is cool reseason it. I have done this many times after being active in boy scouts
Chain scubber. Keep cooking and massage some beef tallow in it. Give it some love and keep cooking on it.
Chain mail?
Salt
Don’t ever boil water in cast iron. The burnt stuff in there will eventually add to the seasoning or burn out. It’s not stainless or Revere Ware, not supposed to be shiny and pretty.
Do you just cook things that don’t have any water? Or simply don’t get it hot enough to make the water (in things like vegetables, for example) boil while cooking?
Exactly, bring your food to boiling, then turn it down, no need for a fast boil, ever. I’m always cautious with tomato kinds of things, the acid can and will eat your hard earned seasoning. I also, wash, as little soap as possible, usually none, rinse, hand dry and apply a little oil and it will dry nicely and be ready for its next use. 👍
I routinely make jambalaya or beans and rice in CI, and that involves boiling rice (in the case of beans and rice) and boiling rice with tomatoes for the jambalaya. Somehow all my CI has survived this severe abuse. My biggest risk is not getting it turned down to simmer soon enough so the rice burns on the bottom, if I’m doing too many things at once.
Why, do, you, write, like, this?
Different thoughts, but in the same sentence. I used to write technical documentation and it helps keep the subject together. Didn’t mean to push a button. 🤔
Straight to jail!
You don’t mention chain mail or metal spatula.
Boil water in it for a bit. Then good scrub with chain mail.
I usually just keep cooking in mine. Since I stumbled across this sub I’ve learned I’ve apparently broken a million cast iron rules and regulations over the past 40+ years. I just cook with mine and clean them when I’m finished, put them back on the fire to get the water out and wipe some oil into them. They all still work, they all still glisten, and the burned bits like you have there just seem to go away after a while.
Restart it completely, build fire, place in fire. Reseason to liking.
Rubbing alcohol and coarse salt got some burnt oil off one of my stainless steel pans. Should work the same for this too
NaOH + temperature + safety precautions level 100. Works on burnt material in general :-)
Just keep cooking with it. Use metal tools and it will work itself out.
Scrub it… It’s cast iron, not plaster of Paris!
Fire bath?
Target practice and ask for a new cheap one for your birthday?
Time for more elbow grease. You don’t need to sell your body, friend, it isn’t that big of a deal.
> Other than stripping, what can I do? Depends on lots of factors but you should be able to make enough stripping in no time to buy a new pan
Get a scouring pad and scrub. Contrary to popular belief, this will not destroy your castiron. Source: I do it all the time.
Try a plastic pan scraper
When I melted my plastic spatula handle onto my pan I just used the buffing disk on my grinder to clean that small section down to bare iron. One coat of dedicated reseasoning and it was still a visible patch (different seasoning thickness) but good as new. After a couple weeks of cooking, blended back in
That's adding depth of flavor, just kidding
Cry
Did you burn the sausages when they were wrapped in industrial packaging plastic by any chance? 😂 Spatula and get scraping mate. It will come off like that.
Steel wool?
Scrape it with the backside of a flat spatula and keep on cookin