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The Truth about Using Cast Iron Pans and How to Season Them
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4. Never Wash Cast Iron with Soap and Water
It seems as though the theory is that since seasoning is a thin layer of oil that coats the pan, soap will wash it off. Well, this is not entirely true. Seasoning does involve a thin layer of oil, but after it is heated numerous times, it becomes a thin layer of polymerized oil, which is almost like a thin layer of plastic. (Note that it’s NOT actually plastic, only similar to) Now you don’t want to let your pan sit in the sink and soak overnight, for example, that can cause rust. But feel free to go ahead and wash it!
5. Never Use Metal Utensils on a Cast Iron Pan
Again, you wonder if the people who make these claims have ever used a cast iron pan. The theory behind this is that cast iron pans are somehow delicate and might chip if you use metal utensils. As we mentioned before, the seasoning on a cast iron pan is very resilient and it won’t chip off by using a metal spoon or fork and you certainly can’t hurt the pan itself. If by chance you see any little black flakes on the bottom of the pan after cooking, it’s more than likely burned on food that you didn’t remove entirely the last time you used the pan because you were afraid to wash it with soap and water!
SEE ALSO: Food Storage Ideas Without Using Toxic Plastic
6. New Pans and Old Pans Are Exactly the Same
This sounds like it makes sense, right? Metal is metal, so there’s no difference, right? Well, this is partially true. The material is the same, but the way they make the pans has changed. Pre-1950, the pans were made by casting in molds that were sand-based, then polished by hand until smooth. Since then, production has become more streamlined and this final polishing process has been eliminated. This means that older pans have very smooth, satiny like finishes while newer pans have a more pebbly like or bumpy surface. Will this difference matter when it comes down to cooking? Not much. An older pan might be a little bit more non-stick than the new pan, but for most people, you won’t notice much difference other than in appearance.
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Gabe
Jun 12, 2015 at 1:02 pm
polymerized oil? Sounds unnatural and possibly harmful.
frank
Jun 12, 2015 at 5:40 pm
The “pre-seasoned” pans are seasoned with soybean oil. None of the customer service reps I have queried knew ANYthing about gmos, let alone whether their pans were seasoned with gmo soy oil. I always wash my new pans in HOT water with detergent and season anew once dry.