I used to think hand washing cast iron was overkill until I ruined a 15 year old pan

Had this Lodge skillet since I started at the diner in 2008. Let a new line cook throw it in the dish machine last Thursday. Rust city now. Seasoning is completely gone. I was always team 'just scrub it and oil it simple' but watching that pan get stripped in 30 seconds changed my mind. Anyone else have a piece of equipment they swore by and then watched get ruined?

3 comments

3 Comments

alice_allen56d agoMost Upvoted

jessem59 you're totally right about the dish machine being like a pressure washer, I read an article that said the high heat and detergents strip layers of seasoning way faster than hand washing ever could. I have a friend who swears by the soap and water method too, says his pan's been fine for over a decade. Guess I gotta get that Lodge back in shape with some elbow grease and oil.

gracethomas6d ago

Has anyone else's pan ever gotten so sad looking that you almost felt bad for it? I once left mine in the sink for two days and it looked like a crime scene. I had to reseason it three times before it stopped flaking off into my eggs. Your friend's method sounds solid, honestly. Soap and water never hurt my pan either, as long as I dry it fast. Just don't let the dishwasher near it unless you want a shiny, useless piece of metal.

jessem596d ago

Huh, I gotta say I see this one differently. Hand washing cast iron isn't overkill, it's just common sense for something that old. I've had my pan for 12 years and I use soap and water on it all the time, just a quick scrub and dry it on the stove. A dish machine is basically a pressure washer with chemicals, you wouldn't put a wood cutting board in there either. Sounds like the real problem is trusting a new guy with something that valuable without showing him how to treat it. Why not just scrub it down, dry it, and give it a few good coats of oil?