Should You Wash Cast Iron With Soap? Guy Fieri Has A Strong Opinion
How do you clean cast iron skillets, pots, and pans? Soap or no soap? That is a question for the ages. Even the "Emily in Paris" fictional chef, Gabriel, notes that the French like to keep this cookware a little dirty for seasoning purposes. This means no dish soap. Zilch. Zip. Zero. But before you get your dander up, it is worth noting that this approach is actually in line with a beloved celebrity chef. If you ask Guy Fieri, he is 100% on board with this approach to taking care of cast iron cookware and cleaning it without dish soap.
The celebrity chef explained how he tackles this task in an Instagram post. Fieri said in the reel, "Not wash ... No soap, none of that. To run water over it, to scrape bits out of it, to hit it with a wire brush, something like that, yes. You gotta oil it so it doesn't rust, but no, no soap, no nothing. You're going to wreck the whole pan. You're going to go back into the seasoning process." The "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" host definitely believes that washing with soap ruins the seasoning. But does it?
Use salt instead of soap to clean your cast iron pan
While resisting the urge to over-clean will keep your cast iron pans from rusting, soap is not the great nemesis. If scraping and wiping is enough to keep cast iron skillets, pots, and pans clean, then follow Guy Fieri's lead and skip the dish detergent. However, if you feel like your cookware could benefit from a little soap to deep clean your cast iron skillet, you should scrub away. The no-soap option for cast iron came about because of harsh soaps that contained lye, which would strip off the layer of seasoning. Today, that is no longer the case.
Still, if you don't want to take the chance of destroying the seasoning process and the smooth surface you've spent time creating, there is another option. Consider using oil and coarse salt to scrub away any stuck-on pieces of meals past from these pots and pans. Just make certain you do it while they are still warm, so it's easier to loosen and dislodge any remnants. Rinse the pan with water and then place it on a warm stove to dry. Once all the moisture is gone, apply a thin layer of oil and rub it in until it shines.