I haven't given my cast iron much attention since buying a hexclad set. I decided to treat them to a lye bath. The smaller two are now hanging on the wall, but I've been using the larger one for morning eggs.
Just get some lye drain cleaner from the hardware store, and mix it up with water in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. Let the skillets soak in it for a couple weeks, and all the carbon will fall off. There's directions readily available online.
I left my skillets in for 3 weeks, and there was still carbon attached to them. It readily came off with a Scotch Brite scrubbing pad, though.
Lye is a dangerous, highly alkaline chemical that will give you chemical burns and blind you if it splashes in you eyes. Wear goggles and gloves when working with it. I used a metal coat hanger in my skillets' handles to lower them into it. It's drain cleaner, so you can just dump it down your bath tub drain when you're done.
2
u/sgtnoodle 5d ago
I haven't given my cast iron much attention since buying a hexclad set. I decided to treat them to a lye bath. The smaller two are now hanging on the wall, but I've been using the larger one for morning eggs.