How do you clean an old cast iron skillet?

[Tabasco_Dave]

I bought it at a garage sale for a dollar, it doesn't have any cracks but it has a lot of old caked on grease. I want to strip it and re-season.

[Duer 157099]

1. Is there rust?

If not, then you may want to leave it alone; that baked on grease *is* the seasoning.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

14. Yep, my immediate response to "How do you clean it" was "You don't."

:toast:

[struggle4progress]

2. I'd want to degrease it thoroughly and then reseason it

Hot water with some detergent and ammonia will probably work
Otherwise you could try something like TSP in hot water
It may take several treatments over a day or two if it's really cruddy

Seasoning a skillet isn't really very hard: it involves heating some oil in it and letting it cool, a few times. After that, one standard way to proceed is just to scrub it with salt and no detergent whenever you clean it: with use, you'll start to get a slight oily build-up in the pores that'll make it work better

[RSillsbee]

7. TSP?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

12. TSP Tri-Sodium Phosphate - a cleaning chemical

Nasty stuff. Not as tasty as Mono-Sodium Glutamate.

:hi:

[hyphenate]

13. TSP is great for a lot of things, too

I use it in soiled laundry that might have an odor to it, you can wash walls with it before painting, and pretty much any cleaning project that requires a heavier hand. As I'm going to be laying new tile in the bathroom and kitchen soon, it'll be used to help strip the floors. I won't use it on hardwood, but is perfect for trying to get rid of the buildup on the floors which will keep the new tile flatter.

[RSillsbee]

15. Ah So Ka Thank you NT

[TBA]

3. Just use steel wool - like brillo. All you need. n/t

[Gormy Cuss]

22. Yep. Steel wool and elbow grease.

That's all that is needed to clean it. Heating the pan before doing this and scraping off the loose grease is a good way to start.

The newest cast iron in my collection is 25 years old, the oldest, 74. These pans have all been cleaned with soap and water when nothing else worked and they reseasoned easily. The only time there's been a problem was when someone soaked the pan in soapy water -- that damage took a long time to undo.

[Auggie]

4. Wire brush on a power drill would have to be the easiest

[Chan790]

5. Can you post a picture of it?

All of the above are reasonable approaches, depending on the state of the skillet...I mean I guess you could describe the skillet, but that leaves a bit to interpretation. A picture lets us know exactly what state it is in and how you should proceed.

[Mopar151]

6. Depending on available tools....

I might use a flat scraper, media blasting, or a coarse (60-80 grit) abrasive to cut through the coating. Or coarse (brown) Scotch-Brite in combination with a strong detergent degreaser.
Once it is scrubbed clean and thoroughly rinsed, I would scrub it with a finer Scotch-brite (maroon) and vegatable oil, a thorough wiping, and re- applying the vegatable oil prior to seasoning.

[MicaelS]

8. Take it to a coin-op car wash? n/t

[AngryOldDem]

9. Here's a step-by-step process

http://www.ehow.com/how_6695299_clean-skillets.html

There's also a link for how to season a skillet, too.

[haele]

10. First, steel wool or butter knife to break up the grease. Then 1 Tablesspoon of Veggie oil and

a couple handfuls of salt, preferrably rock or kosher (big crystal salt). Heat pan up until just before smoking, then take a washcloth (or a lot of very sturdy papertowels) you don't mind tossing afterwards and with a pair of tongs, scrub with the salt until the heated grease will coat the salt that will then be wicked into the washcloth or towel.
After the majority of the grease is gone, you can then finish off the final major cleaning - If it is an older (Pre 1990's) pan, start a hot oven, then finish cleaning the pan with water and a little bit of steel wool; dry thouroughly immediatly, then take about a teaspoon of neutral oil and wipe the inside of the pan so that it just lightly coats, then put in the oven for about an hour or hour so it bakes in to re-temper it. If it is a Lodge or otherwise newer than 1990's (when they sold "pre-tempered" skillets, you can usually wash it similar to any other skillet, but just make sure there is no soap left and it gets wipe down and air dried immdediatly.

One thing to remember - there were brands that made cast aluminum pots and skillets that looked similar to cast iron. I have a 1950's 2 quart pot with a wood-covered handle from my grandmother that looked like it was cast iron and weighed almost as much unitl I cleaned it. If you're not sure (a older, constantly used cast iron skillet can seem almost as light as a cast aluminum skillet because of years of cleaning), test by scrubbing the grease off with baking soda and a green pad. If it cleans to a silvery color, it's actually aluminum.

Haele

[MilesColtrane]

11. Nanophage

They really get in those hard-to-reach places.

[Paper Roses]

16. For the past 20 years, I have supplied friends and family with cast iron.

Some Wagner, some Griswold, some no-name but just as nice. No new Lodge.
I have put all of them in the self-cleaning oven for about 45 minutes, allowed to cool. Washed and wiped with salad oil with a paper towel, allowed to sit. Washed again.
In the winter, I can throw them in the fireplace and allow them to heat up for a while. In both instances, the old crud pops off and we are down to the iron. Same oil treatment. All have been good as new, Yes, I, my mother, my grandmother all washed them. I think it is an old wives tale about not washing them. I would never cook in one of the iron pans with old crud all over it. This old timer cooks only with cast iron if possible.

[Arkansas Granny]

17. All of the women I grew up around washed their cast iron skillets, also.

As long as they are well seasoned to start with and they are completely dried after being washed, it doesn't seem to hurt them at all. My daughter could never understand why I kept my old black skillets instead of using some of the newer, non-stick pans until she tried using mine when we went on a camping trip. She has already talked me out of my largest skillet and now treasures a couple of pieces I've bought for her.

[dixiegrrrrl]

18. I "wash" mine by letting them soak in VERY hot water for a few minutes

then run a dobie pad ( stiff non scratch plastic sponge) around the surface, rinse in hot water, wipe with paper towel.
NO soap, ever.
You can also just add water to them while on the stove and let it boil, it takes off any stuck food. We have about 8 cast iron skillets and dutch ovens, handed down from grandmothers on both sides, they are all I cook with. All wonderfully seasoned.

[Shagbark Hickory]

19. Oh I'd say about a half pound of C4 oughtta do it.

[PuffedMica]

20. If you can't get it this clean

Don't take a chance on ruining it by only partly cleaning it. Burn a few batches of extra oily cornbread in it, wipe it down down with some extra virgin bacon grease (or corn oil), and you should be good to go.

[MilesColtrane]

21. "virgin bacon grease"

No such thing.

Pigs are notorious liars when it comes to their love lives.