# Isn't cast iron unsanitary?



## Satori (Jan 30, 2003)

I bought a cast iron griddle and I'll admit that I have never used cast iron anything and I was shocked by the directions. Do you really never wash them? It says to just wipe it out and that to me seems to be a breeding ground for all kinds of nasties. Its been sitting on the shelf ever since because I refuse to use anything that has not been washed with soap.


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## tofumama (Jan 20, 2004)

I very rarely cook with anyhting but cast iron. Never wash it. Well, that's not true...if I prepare something with a sauce that is thick, I will 'wash' it (no soap, just a scrubber) and then re-season it, and that's maybe a couple times a year. If you wipe it out after you use it, its fine. You tend to use more oil than a regular pan, plus the pan does get really hot so it will 'kill' anything on it. Now that being said, we are vegetarians, but I think the same rules apply if you cook meat on the pans. The heat you cook with is far more capable of killing germs than soap, and if you are using safe food prep already, there shouldn't be a problem.


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## lilyka (Nov 20, 2001)

I always wash mine. We use meat and a lot of seasoning and wouldn't want it to carry over flavors. I just rub a little crisco (the only thing I use that stuff for just for the record) in and it is fine and stays seasoned. Every 6 months or so I rub it down all over and put it in the over for about 45 minutes. Washing it has never stripped it or anything unless Ilet it sit wet, but even then it is easily restored.

And if the thought of leaving it like that you can get enameled cast iron which is very easy to cook with.


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## momto l&a (Jul 31, 2002)

I never use soap in mine but use very hot water and a soft brush after each use.

When I season the pans they bake for several hours.

Also I preheat my cast iron before using.

I would think with all that heat most everything wouldnt survive.

Cast iron cook ware has been used and loved for years by many people.

I love the fact that once seasoned properly they are the best non-stick you can get.


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## neveryoumindthere (Mar 21, 2003)

whats 'seasoned'?


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## Meiri (Aug 31, 2002)

Seasoned means it's got a coating of oil bonded to the surface.

I wash and re-season my cast iron and my wok, and they do pretty well on the no stick issue.


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## TigerTail (Dec 22, 2002)

fwiw, i oil mine regularly and have started keeping it in the oven as a matter of course. (i take it out when i need the room.) that coating is getting like obsidian. i'm pretty germ-phobic, but i spend my worries putting my kitchen sponge in the dishwasher (killing heat on mine) and washing my handtowels obsessively.

suse


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## momto l&a (Jul 31, 2002)

Seasoned = baked on oil. rub on a very thing coat of oil put in oven upside down and bake at 325 or an hour or two. Allow plenty of time to cool. Can do more coats of oil if you want.

I have read where many people think that that ONLY thing Crisco is good for is seasoning :LOL I didnt think it was good for anything well except softening my dh feet :LOL


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## pickle it (May 16, 2004)

Two of my prized possessions are cast iron skillets that were my Mother's- and she bought them already seasoned at a flea market 35 years ago. One is very small and she called it the egg pan, because you could fry an egg in it without adding any butter or oil, it was so well seasoned. Usually she did use butter though and just wiped it with a paper towel when it was done. No one was allowed to use that pan or cook anything else it. This went on for like 15 years, then my Dad said hey, this can't be good and he WASHED the pan. With soap and hot water. When my mom saw it, she freaked and I think they didn't speak for like 2 weeks. Anyway, even though it got washed regularly after that, it is still very non-stick.

Another good thing about cast iron pans is that they do actually leach minute trace amounts of iron into your food, which is good for you. Just don't every put them away wet.


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## mthomas (Mar 20, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pickle it*

Another good thing about cast iron pans is that they do actually leach minute trace amounts of iron into your food, which is good for you. Just don't every put them away wet.

I just found out abt that not too long ago and I told my mom and she said "yep, and if cast iron leaches iron, what do you think teflon leaches" point taken and I'm currently in the process of switching everything to cast iron. My gma and mom both use cast iron almost exclusively (my gma exclusive) and my mother uses a lot of stoneware too.


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## Arduinna (May 30, 2002)

I use soap in mine and no problem with the seasoned finish. My mom also does as she uses hers to make hard candies and fudge.


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## KPduty (Nov 27, 2001)

When I was a kid we always washed the cast iron skillet with soap and it never seemed to affect it. I don't wash mine with soap, just use hot water and a scrubbie pad. After I dry it I put a light coat of oil on the pan.


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## Periwinkle (Feb 27, 2003)

I love our cast iron skillet - I use it every chance I get. We never wash it with soap, but do scrape well then rinse/scrub briefly with hot water. I reseason it fairly frequently (every 1-2 months) with olive oil at a LOW heat (200 or so) over 4 hours. It is amazing, and well worth the little extra effort.

For any meat eaters here, the browning that you can get with cast iron is amazing.... really delicious.


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## brandywine (Mar 25, 2004)

I adore my cast iron.







I never use soap, and only water if something sticks, which is almost never. It browns things so nicely. My MIL has this cast iron pan that is so smooth and perfectly seasoned, not even scrambled eggs leave a film on it. She is the cast iron godess. One tip I got from her is that if you store the pans nested you should put a sheet of waxed paper inbetween the pans so as not to mar the surface.


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## BusyMommy (Nov 20, 2001)

Someone here suggested scouring them w/coarse kosher salt.








Works great for us


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## spero (Apr 22, 2003)

I just use hot water to clean mine, and I use it all the time to cook meat. I read somewhere that you shouldn't use soap b/c the pan will absorb it, esp if it's not seasoned well. I season my skillet about once a year, and it has a nice finish.

My FIL never seasons his cast iron and washes it in hot soapy water.


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## cjr (Dec 2, 2003)

My cast iron is'nt very well seasoned yet, so I find I have to wash it (but not with soap) to get stuck on stuff. I recently switched from no-stick to cast iron and love it. Every no-stick pan I ever had did'nt last more than a year befor the coating started to peel, no matter how well I took care of it. I can stick the cast iron one in the oven or put it on the stove. I use a little oil, but not that much.


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## steffanie3 (Mar 17, 2002)

I never use soap either, just hot water and a wash cloth. I have pretty much switched to cast iron, I love it.


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## Ilovelife (Jun 6, 2004)

Hello. I am new here. I just happened to stumble across this site and it really seems wonderful to me. Anyway, I am just curious if anyone knows if cast iron can be used with a flat-top glass stovetop? That is the kind of stove we have; it came with our house. Thank you.


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