How do I clean my skillet?

The proper way to clean your skillet depends on the type of skillet you have. Stainless steel skillets, for example, can go straight into the dishwasher. You may find it more immediate or more effective to clean them by hand with dish soap, but the dishwasher will not harm the skillet.

 

On the other hand, if you place a non-stick skillet in the dishwasher, you are destroying the pan. The non-stick skillet’s protective coating, which is what makes the skillet non-stick, cannot stand up to dishwashing. Therefore, you should wash your non-stick skillet by hand.

 

Finally, if you have a cast-iron skillet, your skillet requires an even more specific kind of cleaning. Though the process is more complex, however, you will have to clean them as often as you clean stainless steel and non-stick skillets. You only need to clean cast-iron skillets when they no longer display a shiny, black color.

 

If your cast-iron skillet no longer displays the proper color, wash it with mild soap and water (do not use detergents), then dry it and let it cool on the stove. If the problem is rust, which regularly appears on cast-iron, catch it early and use a steel or copper scouring pad and a strong scouring powder mixed with hot water. Apply elbow grease until you’ve taken off the old oil, and then wash the skillet as you normally would. After washing, dry the skillet in a hot oven, and then let the dry skillet cool on the stovetop. Once the skillet has cooled, reseason it immediately, and it is ready to use.