How To Clean Cast Iron While Camping
If the pan is particularly dirty use salt mixed with oil or water to remove the grime with a kitchen towel.
How to clean cast iron while camping. Here s what you do. Both lodge and camp chef the two companies who dominate the cast iron market today agree it s fine to wash cast iron quickly with a little dish soap as long as you rinse and dry thoroughly and apply the oil between uses. If you aren t by a lake then carefully pour water into the skillet again up to the brim. Get the pan as clean as possible with the spatula. In general soap can be avoided and your cast iron can be cleaned in other ways.
If there isn t any baked on food particles or sticky residue then follow these instructions for cleaning your cast iron. While the cookware is still warm not hot rinse with hot water. Taking care of your cast iron doesn t have to be a chore. Rinse with warm water before drying completely moisture is the enemy of cast iron and can easily cause rust. Following any cleaning where you use water place the pan over low heat to dry it out.
Once the pan is dry and still warm wipe the pan both the cooking surface and outside with a high temperature oil such as grapeseed oil to maintain the finish. Once the pan is dry and still warm wipe the pan both the cooking surface and outside with a high temperature oil such as grapeseed oil to maintain the finish. To prevent build up and dried on food always make sure to wash your pan immediately after use. In general soap can be avoided and your cast iron can be cleaned in other ways. To aid drying place on the stove top over low heat then use a cloth to rub with oil once cool.
Be careful here and make sure to wrap something around your hand as the skillet will be very hot. Try to fill the skillet to the brim with water. If you have burned on food use a mild non abrasive sponge and coarse sea salt and water mixture to break up the food. Following any cleaning where you use water place the pan over low heat to dry it out. Heat it up and throw a generous amount of course sea salt in with some oil.
With the tips below it will become a habit in no time.