My son bought me a chainmail scrubber for cleaning my cast iron when it needs a heavy cleaning. Basically, you clean your cast iron with hot water and a "chainmail" pad. Afterwards I dry the skillet, oil it lightly then stick it in a 200 degree oven for 30 minutes. In the past I had been told that water should never be used on cast iron. However, this chainmail pad seems to work well. Any thoughts as to whether or not I am doing any harm?
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COMMENTS
Timothy M.
January 15, 2020
Thanks Lynn.
Chris P.
January 31, 2020
I've found chainmail scrubbers to be pretty gentle on cast iron. They certainly are more gentle than steel wool and even the "scrubby" side of a typical sponge. I wash the chainmail scrubber in hot water, add a small squirt of detergent to it, and then scrub off melted cheese or other stuck on debris from the cast iron. The important thing is to dry it after washing/rinsing and never let cast iron soak in water.
All of that said cast iron is pretty tough, and you don't need to baby it. Use it frequently and oil each time you use it and it should be fine.