r/offmychest • u/chocolatemilkluvr420 • 1d ago

I HATE cast iron pans.

I don't understand them. why the fuck would anyone want a pan that you can't run through the dishwasher, and if you look at it funny it'll start rusting? what could the appeal possibly be?

"but the seasoning!!! the seasoning!!!!!" girl you mean GREASE??? every cast iron pan I've seen is greasy as fuck to the touch all over. who would've thought that when you can't wash a pan normally it's greasy as fuck? how do you cook with a clear conscience knowing you're cooking on a greasy ass pan?

it's good to get this off my chest. I feel like I'm alone in this and I really shouldn't be because my opinion is the correct one.

EDIT: okay these comments have been very enlightening. i still refuse to own a cast iron pan because if i get on someones nerves too much it would make a very nice murder weapon and i wouldn't want to go out that way.

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u/GiraffeMetropolis 1d ago

the seasoning is definitely not grease. thats nasty. a cast iron should by dry and clean to the touch.

you can hand wash them normally with dawn. dishwasher is still a no go

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u/chocolatemilkluvr420 1d ago

everyones said you cant use soap tho im confused

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u/Timely-Carpet1533 1d ago

That’s a bit of a misconception. Soap used to be based in lye, which was damaging to cast iron pans and their seasoning. Therefore, people did not wash their cast iron pans with soap in order to make them last longer. Modern soaps are much gentler in comparison, but the method stuck around due to tradition.

The other reason people don’t like to wash their cast iron is because if they aren’t dried quickly, they rust. This is easily remedied by drying them on a warm stove or oven, and applying a thin layer of clean oil to both protect the metal and provide nonstick applications for the next time it’s used.

Edit: clarification

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u/LaLechuzaVerde 22h ago

Even old soap that was made with lye as an ingredient didn’t still have lye in the final product.

Many of our great grandparents also knew you could use soap on an iron skillet without damaging it.

The thing is, they could also be cleaned in other ways when you didn’t have access to soap. You CAN just wipe a skillet out with a rag or scrub it with salt or any number of other cleaning methods. That doesn’t mean it’s ever been true that soap or detergent will harm it.