Rant: Stop washing your cast iron with soap... you're ruining it for everyone

I keep seeing people online saying it's fine to use soap on cast iron. My grandmother gave me her skillet from 1962 and told me one thing... never soap. I've had mine for 15 years now, eggs slide right off it like teflon. My neighbor used soap on his brand new Lodge pan and after 6 months the seasoning is patchy and food sticks like crazy. Why would you risk 50 years of tradition for something that works perfectly fine with just hot water and a stiff brush?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylorhunt1d ago

I once used soap on my own cast iron and now the pan identifies as nonstick memory foam.

joelp811d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, people actually get this worked up over soap on cast iron? Taylor is clearly joking, you can tell by the tone. Soap on a properly seasoned pan won't do any real damage especially if its modern soap without lye. People act like one drop of dish soap will melt the whole seasoning off when really it takes way more abuse than that. This whole thing is just another cooking myth that gets passed around like gospel. You can scrub your pan with soap and water, dry it right away, and still have it work fine for years.