Food - Drink
Can You Clean A Cast-Iron Skillet With Soap?
By JOHN TOLLEY
As a prized medium for cooking, cast iron is an iron-carbon alloy. While it is a much poorer conductor of heat than aluminum and copper, its density means that once it is properly heated, it holds on to that heat for much longer, providing for a steadier cook.
Cast-iron cookware, however, seems unable to shake the belief that cleaning with soap is tantamount to destroying the very soul of the skillet. So, what's the verdict? Will a sudsy bath strip away hard-earned seasoning or the polymer surface?
America’s Test Kitchen has found that soap is not the enemy. A gentle — very gentle — scrub with soap isn't enough to kill the skillet’s seasoning, but it will whisk away bits of food and cooking oil left behind.