I finally got my first cast-iron pan. I know it can’t go in the dishwasher, and I can’t use a scouring pad. I made New York Strips last night and want to do Swordfish tonight. how the hell am i supposed to clean it? The juices and all are kinda carmalized, so a dishrag and soap and doing it.
Any suggestions? Thanks
my ex roomie had one of these. you have to treat it before you use it. to treat it, coat it with cooking oil and then bake it at 350 for 20 minutes. Then the first time you use it, all the foodstuff will just wipe clean with a normal dishcloth.
If you’ve already skipped that step, I think you should boil water in it to soften up alll the greasy mess, then soak in soapy water (it’s not just propaganda, Dawn really is the best for greasy pans). THEN when it’s clean, coat it with cooking oil and bake it. You have to repeat this every so often, like if you notice your eggs sticking when you fry them up.
Don’t SOAK it in soapy water, especially if you hadn’t seasoned it before using it. My mom did that and all her pancakes tasted like soap for a month.
One way to clean it is to scour it with salt and a paper towel. The salt’s a nice abrasive and ought to get it clean. Then wash the salt and crud out with hot soapy water, rinse it well, dry it immediately so it won’t rust, and oil it a little with vegetable oil to kinda re-season it.
All mine but one have been seasoned once. Then for a couple of months I’m careful to not cook anything very acid - tomatoes, lemon, lime. Just simple stuff while it seasons more. When I use them I serve up, wipe out the pan with a paper towel under hot running water and put it back on the burner I just turned off, where it usually dries quickly. Later I check it, if it looks clean I spray with olive oil and wipe it off. If it needs a wash I wash in water (no soap - it breaks down the coating), dry, spray and wipe. I store them in the oven and on the stovetop.
The one time I had to reseason a pan (after visitors used it and washed it) I scrubbed it out using racinchikki’s method - salt as an abrasive. I guess sugar would work too if it’s cheaper. A friend of mine bought a whole set of old ones that were rusted and stained, he cleaned them up with power tools and sandpaper before seasoning them - they are as good as anything now.
I find that it’s better to keep a separate pan if possible for egg dishes. Eggs are inclined to pick up the slightest hint of other tastes that are present. I have a plain 10" skillet for fried eggs, omelets and frittatas. I suppose I could scramble eggs in it but I do them in a mini wok.
I always use crumpled up aluminum foil for skillet scrubbing. Gets the burnt on stuff off and doesn’t damage the skillet. Been using the same pan for over 14 years.
I only use hot water & a natural bristle brush. Bamboo or something. Whatever crud doesn’t come off I figure is seasoning, but if you seasoned it well first with oil you shouldn’t have serious crud. I’m not afraid to soak my cast iron in water if need be. After cleaning and rinsing I put it back on the stove top and heat it for a few minutes to make sure it’s completely dry.
I mentioned at the end of the OP that I seasoned it. Great suggestions everyone! I tried to let it soak in HOT Dawn solution for a few minutes, then ran a dishrag over it, rinsed and put it over a medium flame to dry. I agree with the idea of leftover film being extra flavor for other dishes. I heard of the salt scouring, maybe i’ll try that, too. Of course, the pans really aren’t expensive so I can afford to experiment. I’m just going for that “perfect” pan.
BTW, if any of you knew my passion for cooking, you’d be rolling in the aisles over the fact it’s taken this long to go cast-iron. 
Don’t use soap on frying pans. Soaking in hot water is good, scrubbing with salt is good. Always oil it once it’s clean and dry.
My wife’s always using soap on my frying pans (I’m the cook), and it’s a dead giveaway because food sticks badly.
I would generally avoid soap going into cast iron. The ‘seasoning’ is really just oil that is baked onto/into the pan. Soap and detergents break up oil, and could ruin the seasoning job.
I use hot water and a brush, like levdrakon, and have never really had trouble keeping it clean. If something is stubborn or burnt on, I’ll use salt and oil, salt is the abrasive and oil “wets” it without melting.
Rinse in hot water, dry well and give it a thin coat of new oil, you’re all set.
Good luck with the swordfish, new cast iron can be a bit sticky, I hope it doesn’t cause you a problem.
I have several coal black cast iron skillets I inherited from my mother and grandmother. I use the smallest one daily and I scour it with a stainless Choreboy if it still needs it after I’ve filled it with water and let it sit for a short time to loosen any burnt bits. A little soap occasionally won’t hurt it after it’s seasoned but as others have said, do not soak it in soapy water.
Deglaze your skillit after frying something like a steak and wipe dry, apply oil if it looks dry. Don’t worry about contaminating your fish with the steak, you will end up with a wonderful flavor in the fish.
I love my cast iron skillet. Never touched by soap, and so well seasoned now that it cleans pretty easily with hot water and a dishrag.
Lodge now offers pre-seasoned cookware. A company spokesman said, “I wish we’d thought of this a hundred years ago.”