OT: Cast-iron Pan--Did I ruin mine?

[mudder17]

I just cooked some salmon in my cast-iron pan and I had some skin that was kind of stuck on. So I put some water in the pan and heated it up to try loosening it. Unfortunately, I got distracted and the water dried up. The stuff that was stuck on is now peeling off, which is good, but I'm afraid I've destroyed my pan. Is there anything I can/should do to save/restore it?

ETA: The house now smells quite fishy--any ideas for clearing out the smell?

Eileen

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[mmaimp]

I'd scrub the pan really well. I have use steel wool dish and soap on mine. Then rinse very well. Dry completely and coat with oil. Place pan in hot oven for about 30 minutes. When cool wipe off excess oil and your pan should be as good as new.

[Lovingliv]

Hey Eileen,

My DH always steel wools and then "seasons" it with oil and it is, well, as good as old!
As far as the smell, my MIL always boils real cinnamon stix and cloves on the stove top and it kills the smell and refreshes the house! Good luck!

[mudder17]

Thanks, Michelle! I was sort of thinking I'd have to reseason it (even though it was a preseasoned pan). Is olive oil okay (that's basically what I have, although I also have sesame and coconut oil)? What should the temp of the oven be?


Eileen

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[mudder17]

Thanks, Rachel, I'm trying the cinnamon and cloves trick right now. As for the steel wool, well, I don't have any steal wool, but I do have a scrubber, so I'm using that to get it as clean as possible before trying the seasoning.


Eileen

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[dules]

If no steel wool, try salt. Seriously. It's what my grandmother taught me to use, and I still have the pan she got as a wedding gift in 1921, still looks great.

Cinnamon sounds lovely for the smell!

Best,
Mary

[mudder17]

Salt and a scrubber? With or without water? (sorry for the clueless questions) I definitely have salt around. :)

Eileen

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[JBaxter]

Here you go ... I did this method after Logan ran mine through the dishwasher a couple months ago ( gotta love 14yr old boys)
How To Season:
You season a cast iron pan by rubbing it with a relatively thin coat of oil, solid vegetable shortening, bacon grease, or lard. Place the cast iron pan, upside down, in the oven, with a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom to catch any drips. Heat the pan for 30 to 60 minutes in a 300 to 500 degree oven. Once done, let the pan cool to room temperature. Repeating this process several times is recommended as it will help create a stronger "seasoning" bond.

NOTE: I recently experimented and found out that food-grade coconut oil/butter also works great.

[mudder17]

Yikes! In the dishwasher!? Well, at least he was being helpful, LOL. In fact, you seem to have lots of "helpful" boys, judging by your post tonight about your poor carpet. ;) I hope the Nature's Miracle works. FWIW, when I did a google search about removing poop stains, although all were about removing pet/animal poop stains, all involved some sort of enzymatic cleaner.

Back to the topic, I'll try my coconut oil. Thanks!

Eileen

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[bubbaray]

Once its burnt, its actually pretty easy to get off. It should flake off and be reasonably easy to remove with just hot water and a scrubbie or brush. You can also try salt, preferably coarse salt. Try to avoid soap if at all possible.

Once you are done cleaning it, put oil and more coarse salt in the pan and heat. Turn off the heat when the oil starts to pop. With lots of paper towels, scrub the pan again with the salt/oil mixture. After this final cleaning, you can either rince with warm water and heat pan to evaporate, or simply wipe the salt out of the pan and leave pan as is with the oil. Its personal choice. I've done both!

Good luck.
Melissa

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