There are some things that get better with age. A cast iron skillet is one of those things, as long as you know what not to clean it with. Cast iron is an old cooking staple; it is durable and likely to outlast many kitchen trends. There is one problem, however: with time, after rounds of searing, frying, and roasting, even the most seasoned cast iron skillets get bits of burnt food etched on their surface. And all of a sudden, cleaning up turns into a tug of war between the sponge and the pan.
Luckily, there is a solution that does not involve purchasing any special chemicals or expensive products. According to Good Housekeeping's 2025 guide to cleaning and reseasoning a cast iron skillet, there is a rather surprising product that can help you remove food stains from it. As Nicole Papantoniou, director of the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab of Good Housekeeping, says, a thin layer of kosher salt as an alternative to dish soap can do the trick. Unlike the earlier myth that soap must not come into contact with your cast iron, the Good Housekeeping Institute experts note that mild dish soap and warm water are also fine to use; however, the skillet should never be left soaking in water or put in the dishwasher, and it should be dried thoroughly after washing.
