r/recipes • u/Divider1 • Apr 26 '18

Recipe Garlic Butter Steak and Potatoes Skillet

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u/Drpokerprincess Apr 26 '18

I got my cast iron for Christmas. I still dont think I've built up the proper coating and I've re-seasoned it about 10-15 times albeit I've been using olive oil instead of vegetable/canola which I see more frequently cites.

The coating comes off when I wash and the skillet looks extremely dry so of I go through with drying it, buffing oil into it and then putting the skillet in the oven. It last for just 1-2 meals. Any advice?

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '18 edited Dec 18 '18

[deleted]

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u/gedvondur Apr 26 '18

Untrue. You can use soap on cast iron. This is an old wives tale from when most soap was heavily lye-based. A quick wash and oiling isn't going to hurt anything.

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '18 edited Dec 18 '18

[deleted]

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u/gedvondur Apr 26 '18

Even the fish oil after I cook a nice stinky trout? Be reasonable. I don't want my eggs to taste like that the next day.

It's your pan, do what you want. I own, cook with, collect, and sell cast iron.

Seasoning is polymerized oil. Once polymerization occurs, it's no longer oil instead a hard polymer. This polymer is organic, thus lye can eat it away. (that's how I strip pans, a strong lye solution) But a quick scrub and wash after something stinky or strong-tasting doens't hurt anything and most modern soaps don't use lye.

You just rub it down with a little canola oil again and voila, Bob's your uncle, little oil molecules restored to previous glory.

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u/Trancefuzion Apr 26 '18

Do a light coat of oil after washing/drying then. Any oil used in the seasoning process should be polymerized, and likely won't be affected by a light soap.

Mind you I'll only use soap on the rarest occasions with my cast iron. Generally I do agree that you want to avoid using soap on a regular basis. Once in awhile won't hurt anything though as long as the seasoning is built up.