Troubleshooting Cast Iron

While some sources recommend adding a thin layer of oil to the pan and heating it to its smoking point on the stovetop to remove stinky, stubborn fish oils, we found this method leaves an oily mess to clean up. Luckily, it turns out that heat alone is enough to eliminate the two sources of fishy funk: compounds called trialkylamines, which evaporate at around 200 to 250 degrees, and oxidized fatty acids, which vaporize at temperatures above 350 degrees. Next time your skillet needs a little aromatherapy, simply heat the empty, smelly pan in a 400-degree oven for 10 minutes. This method is fast, neat, and effective and doesn’t stink up the kitchen.

Cooking acidic foods or following improper cleaning procedures can damage the seasoning on your pan, creating spots of dull, patchy, dry-looking metal on the inside of the pan instead of the smooth, rich black of well-seasoned cast iron. When this happens, you can restore the pan by heating up the skillet over medium-high heat and repeatedly wiping it with a wad of paper towels dipped in vegetable oil (hold the towels with tongs to protect yourself) until the surface looks dark black and semiglossy but isn’t sticky or greasy to the touch. Wiping the warm pan with oil will help reseason the small areas of the surface that have been damaged, evening out the protective coating on the skillet.

If your skillet is rusty or has stubborn stuck-on food, the best fix is to scrub it with kosher salt. Start by rubbing the pan with fine steel wool (we normally don’t use steel wool on cast iron, but it’s necessary when you’re dealing with serious grime). Wipe out the loose dirt with a cloth and pour in vegetable oil to a depth of ¼ inch, then heat the pan over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add ¼ cup of kosher salt. Using a potholder to grip the handle, scrub the pan with a thick cushion of paper towels (hold the paper towels with tongs to protect yourself). The warm oil will loosen any remaining crud, and the salt will have an abrading effect without posing any danger to the pan’s seasoning. Rinse the pan under hot running water, dry well, and repeat, if necessary