Cleaning a cast iron pan

     My mother told me that you never put the cast iron pan in the soapy water to clean it.  However, I do remember washing it that way sometimes.  I had to have a cast iron pan of my own to understand how to clean it and care for it.  Now I know why she said what she did and why at times it was immersed in the soap bubbles. 

     I usually buy cast iron pans that are already seasoned.  They already have the oils baked in.  Usually, I cook meats in the cast iron pan.  The reason for this is because they have fat, and fat keeps your pan healthy - but maybe not you so much. 
  
     After cooking and removing most of the fat with a spoon, I pour in boiling water from the tea kettle and stir around with a spatula to remove any bits stuck to the bottom.  In the "old days" I used to keep a can of fat from frying on the stove and make gravy with it!  (Who remembers that?! - You just put some extra fat from the can, if needed, in the frying pan and add milk.  Stir and add some flour that has been mixed in some cold water to thicken.  Season to taste.  We put this over potatoes, toast, etc.  It was made at a time when the budget was running out for food.) 

     Then I pour off the water out of the pan.  I take a paper towel and wipe it out, leaving it for next time. 

     If I cook something like fish, spaghetti sauce or taco meat, the technique doesn't work so well.  The pan will still smell like fish, spaghetti or tacos.  It gets dunked very quickly in soap bubbles.  I never leave it in the water!  Just wash it quickly. 

     Put it on  a medium low burner and let it heat up to evaporate the water.  After cooling, apply coconut oil  with a paper towel.  Now it is clean and ready for the next use. 

     You can't leave a cast iron pan in the open air without some sort of oil coating to prevent rusting. 

     They last forever and don't add harmful compounds to your food.  Cast iron and Revere Ware are the best!