Do you reuse cooking pans after cooking in them or wash after every use?

[Anonymous]

Re-use within the same meal prep or within the afternoon, yes. If it's going back in the cupboard, I wash it. If it's not terribly dirty, it takes all of 10 seconds to swish a soapy sponge around, rinse it out, and set back on the stove to dry - so why not?

For my cast iron pan, I might just wipe it out with a paper towel if it's pretty clean. That does help keep the seasoning in good condition. If it needs something deeper, I have a progression of cleaning depending on how bad it is:
- Heat a thin layer of water in the pan to loosen any cooked-on bits, scrape with a plastic scraper
- Coarse salt and a scrubber
- Soap and water for anything really sticky, then dry thoroughly, heat on the stove, and rub on a thin film of new oil

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wash every time except the special cast iron one which you should not add soap

That is not true. That advice was from when soap had lye in it.

+1 I wash my cast iron with soap and water and I have never had a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well that is gross. I will re-use a pan immediately for the same meal when it makes sense - like sautéing mushrooms and onions and then taking them out, adding more oil and putting in the chicken. Or cooking eggs after making bacon and wiping off most of the excess grease. But like cooking and then putting the pan back in the cabinet? Never.

Same here, although with a couple additions: if I just heat plain water in a pot (no food), I'll wipe it out with a paper towel and consider it clean. If I make tea in a pot without sugar or additives, I'll rinse it quickly and also wipe out with a paper towel. And if I use an enameled pan to toast a tortilla (no oil) or the like, I'll also just wipe with a damp paper towel, if I'll be using it again within two hours or so.

But that's about it.

[Anonymous]

My ex husband worked at Pizza Hut. They did not scrub the pans that were used for deep dish pan pizza. They had crusty crust residue on the pans. Pizza Hut called it "seasoning." My ex husband called it nasty and scrubbed the pans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wash every time except the special cast iron one which you should not add soap

That is not true. That advice was from when soap had lye in it.

Wait - what? Is this true? I never use soap on my cast iron. This is kind of blowing my mind.

Soap is not the enemy of cast iron, moisture is - so technically yes you can use soap to wash it so long as you dry it thoroughly to prevent rusting.

That said, too much soap will definitely damage the seasoning, which is why it should be used sparingly for cleaning cast iron cooking surfaces.

This is exactly why I gave all my Lodge cast iron away and invested in Le Creuset instead - my collection is all sale items and outlet imperfect items but they work perfectly and there is nothing better to cook on that enameled cast iron, all the benefits of cast iron with very easy cleaning care.

[Anonymous]

Uh, I wash every time. This is a very weird question. I get not washing a measuring cup you just filled with water but something you actually cooked with and had food in it? Yes I wash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I sometimes wipe out a pot if I’m reusing it during the same meal. But at the end of meal prep of course everything gets washed.

This.

[Anonymous]

Just reading this question I got throw up in my mouth. That is disgusting and unsanitary. Please don't reuse dirty pans that have been sitting out growing pathogens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly can’t believe this is even a question

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wash every time except the special cast iron one which you should not add soap

Ewww

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I sometimes wipe out a pot if I’m reusing it during the same meal. But at the end of meal prep of course everything gets washed.

Same. Example - sauté onions and peppers for a recipe, quick rinse, the cook the chicken.
In the pancake scenario, I could envision using the pan for sausage afterwards. Although then the pancakes will be cold before the sausage is served…

[Anonymous]

I wash it every time. Seems gross that this is even a question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wash every time except the special cast iron one which you should not add soap

Ewww

The “seasoning” on the pan that makes it nonstick is oil that has soaked into the pan. Washing in soap can strip the cast iron “seasoning”, thus removing the nonstick properties. And also it’s porous. Cast iron is meant to be gently wiped off.
I cook in cast iron almost every week. Depending on what I’ve cooked depends on what I use. Often I use coarse salt to scrub if it needs it. Other times a very lightly soaped wash cloth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well that is gross. I will re-use a pan immediately for the same meal when it makes sense - like sautéing mushrooms and onions and then taking them out, adding more oil and putting in the chicken. Or cooking eggs after making bacon and wiping off most of the excess grease. But like cooking and then putting the pan back in the cabinet? Never.

This is my routine. It had honestly never occurred to me that anyone would actually put it back in the cabinet without washing.

[Anonymous]

I will cook an entire meal in the same skillet, just cooking in order. Brown the meat, remove excess grease with a paper towel, if needed. use veggies/alliums to deglaze, add/create sauce, add meat back and heat to finish. I'm not going to stop and clean my pan in-between steps. That fond has good flavor; I want it in my dish.

If I'm cooking something completely different, I'll use a different pan. If I don't have a different pan, I'll wash and reuse one (but I cook a lot and have several pans, so this doesn't usually happen unless I'm cooking all day without running dishes between meals).

The only time I'll leave a dish and then reuse it later is if I'm doing something in grease and then doing the same thing again in a short amount of time. E.g. if I'm making myself a grilled cheese, and then plan to make grilled cheese for my kids in an hour when they're back from school/camp/sports/whatever, I might "save" the pan in the oven until they're home. I'm not going to use a pan for my grilled cheese today and then save it for tomorrow, or fry an egg in it in the morning and save it for grilled cheese at night.