You should never use a dishwasher to clean your cast iron skillet. Dishwashers expose the pan to prolonged moisture and harsh detergents, which quickly strips away the polymerized seasoning and causes the bare iron to immediately rust.
A cast iron skillet is ruined primarily by rust from soaking or improper drying, warping from extreme thermal shock (like cold water on a hot pan), or cracking if dropped. While most seasoning issues are reversible, letting rust cause deep pitting, or fracturing the iron, destroys the cookware permanently.
Yes, you can absolutely use Dawn dish soap on cast iron.
4 Foods You Should Avoid Cooking In A Cast-Iron Skillet
Yes, you absolutely use oil in a cast iron skillet. It is essential for cooking to prevent sticking and for maintaining the protective, non-stick "seasoning" layer. High smoke point oils like vegetable, canola, or grapeseed oil are ideal for cooking and seasoning.
Avoid cooking highly acidic foods, delicate fish, strong-smelling dishes, and sticky foods (like eggs) in cast iron. These can strip your pan’s seasoning, leach metallic flavors into your food, or leave behind lingering odors.
Yes, you can absolutely just wipe out your cast iron skillet with a paper towel if you only cooked something simple or left very little residue. The hardened, polymerized oil coating (the seasoning) is tough. However, to maintain a sanitary cooking surface, you must wash the pan with water and a little dish soap if food residue or strong flavors are left behind.
The best way to clean a cast iron skillet is by scrubbing it immediately after cooking while it is still warm, using a stiff brush or a paste of coarse salt and water. Avoid dishwashers and harsh scouring pads, and always dry it thoroughly on the stove and rub it with oil to maintain its non-stick seasoning.
If you're just swiping a layer of oil onto the surface of your skillet, you're not seasoning your cast iron correctly. Seasoning involves a chemical reaction made possible through heat.
No, it is not bad. Modern, mild dish soaps are completely safe to use. The old "no soap" rule comes from decades ago when soaps contained harsh lye, which stripped the skillet's seasoning. Today's gentle dish soaps simply cut through grease without harming the baked-on, nonstick layer.
Avoid using these common items and methods with your cast iron to protect the seasoning and prevent rust:
You can use mild, grease-cutting dish soap—like Dawn Dish Soap—or specialized cleaners to clean cast iron. The "no soap" rule is a myth stemming from harsh lye-based soaps of the past. Today’s mild detergents safely lift stuck-on food and grease without stripping the protective seasoning.
Cast iron is extremely resilient—you can't ruin it. Most common issues (sticky residue, patchy coloring, stripped seasoning, or rust) are easily fixed. The solution to almost every problem is the same: just keep cooking. Seasoning develops unevenly at first and evens out with use.
The more you use a rusted pan, the more iron you'll consume in your food. It's best to avoid cooking with a rusty cast iron pan. If it's reached the point of corrosion or deep rust, throw it away rather than risk your and your family's health.
Seasoning a cast iron skillet creates a slick, non-stick protective layer through a process called polymerization. Wash the skillet with warm, soapy water and dry it completely. Rub a very thin layer of high smoke point oil (like grapeseed, canola, or vegetable shortening) over the entire pan, wipe off the excess, and bake it upside down at 450∘F for 1 hour.
Mistake 3: Soaking the Pan in Water
Cast iron rusts when exposed to moisture for long periods. A water soak can undo months of seasoning and require a full restoration. Wash quickly with warm water and a soft brush while the pan is still warm. Dry it immediately on low heat until all moisture evaporates.
It's not bad to leave oil in cast iron. It's perfectly ok to leave most cooking oil types in a cast iron Dutch Oven; but, “only for a few days”. If left too long, the oil tends to deteriorate (get rancid, get sticky, create nasty polymers, change the smoke point, etc.).
When you wipe a cast iron skillet and the paper towel comes away black, you are usually picking up carbon buildup (burnt food residue) or unbonded seasoning. It is incredibly common and usually means the pan needs a slightly deeper scrub.
A cast iron pan is properly seasoned when it has a smooth, satin-black surface and repels water. To verify its readiness, perform the quick water drop test and paper towel test to ensure the layer of polymerized oil is intact and fully hardened.
Yes, you should wash your cast iron pan after every use to remove food debris, fats, and bacteria. Contrary to popular myth, a well-seasoned pan is highly resilient, and washing it correctly won't strip away its protective, non-stick coating.
Yes, Dawn dish soap is perfectly safe for a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Modern mild dish soaps are gentle enough to remove food debris and grease without stripping the pan's polymerized non-stick coating (seasoning).
Mastering cast iron comes down to a simple routine: cook, wash, dry, and oil. Keep the metal seasoned, shield it from moisture, and handle the heat properly to prevent warping or rust.
The healthiest skillet to use is one free from toxic coatings like Teflon (PTFE) and harmful forever chemicals (PFAS/PFOA). Cast iron, carbon steel, and stainless steel are universally regarded as the safest, longest-lasting options, while ceramic-coated pans provide an easy-release alternative without the plastics.