Reddit reviews Scotch-Brite Stainless Steel Scrubbers, 3 Count

Here is an alternative, and what I have been using for the last few hiking seasons... Stainless Steel Scrubbing Scouring Pads. They weigh pretty much nothing, can deal with just about anything inside of your pot/cup, and if there is moisture inside your pot/cup it will not matter as they are totally resistant to being wet all day, in between meals. They will not damage any of the aluminium, stainless steel, and/or titanium pots/cups that we all use. I even use one inside of my MSR Ceramic Solo Pot, which normally you would think would be a huge no-no, but so far it has caused zero damage to the ceramic lining. I cut my scrubber in half, as they are rather large. They last a freaking long time (easily get an entire hiking season out of one of them), and you do not have to worry about nasties building up inside of them like those sponge scrubbers, or worse, a bandana, and if you really feel like getting one of these clean, you can just toss it into your pot/cup with some boiling water, without any worry. It really has become the ideal cleaning method/device for me. Give one of them a try!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002CQTXBC/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1497305129&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=metal+scrub+pad&dpPl=1&dpID=41h3cypvWmL&ref=plSrch
These will also take it right off.

I cook primarily on cast iron. Here are some things I've learned:

1. If you are lucky, you'll be able to find some vintage cast iron. You won't regret it. I'm not talking collector status 1800's stuff, but the stuff made in the 1950's is WORLDS better than modern Lodge stuff. Check out craigslist. Don't pay more than $20-$30 for a pan. Most people think they have a collector item worth $100 or more, but if you do a little research, you can pick out some nice pans for cheap, and be educated is very helpful in negociating. I picked up a set of 6 pans off CL for $50 (Griswold and unmarked Wagner pans, pre-1950's).
   
   
2. When you have your pans, you need to clean/ season them. DON'T use flax oil. It is hard, but as a result it is very brittle and won't last. This guy has the best videos detailing how to clean/season cast iron. The TL;DW is:
   
   
   1. Clean pans using a self cleaning oven cycle, you can beat the shit out of these pans cleaning them. Clean, unseasoned pans will rust in a matter of minutes, do not worry.
      
      
   2. Season. If you bought new pans, start here. You'll want to rub a thin layer of Crisco onto your PREHEATED (this opens up pores in the iron) ALL OVER, inside, out, even in the handle notch. Then, you take another dry towel and try to wipe it all off<--very important. You just want a thin film, any more than that you will get sticky drips of unpolymerized oil. This thin film will be your base seasoning, and done properly will prevent rust. Bake upside down @350 for ~30-45 mins. to polymerize the fat.
      
      
3. General care. Get yourself a set of these. Any supermarket should have them. They scrub pretty much anything off a properly seasoned pan. For tougher messes, boil a thin layer of water to loosen up the gunk. You should avoid cooking any acidic foods in cast iron: wine, vinegar, tomatoes, citrus will all mess with your seasoning. NEVER leave the pans wet. Even well seasoned pans will rust if left wet. Wash and dry right away. You should not use soap, I use a little bit if the pan is particularly greasy, but soap will weaken the seasoning. You can always rub a bit of oil on the pan after cleaning if you are worried about rust.
   
   Additional tips:
   
   -Don't be too concerned about aesthetics. These pans can take a beating. The inside/outside will become discolored with heavy use.
   
   -Cast iron pans are a healthy choice. They are a great way to increase your iron intake, something you don't get with enameled cast iron. To be honest, well seasoned cast iron, although less nonstick than Teflon cancer pans, is more nonstick than enameled cast iron. The pans impart a bit of iron to your food when you cook in them. Low iron makes you sleepy, and if you consume a lot of dairy, it blocks iron absorption. Vitamin C increases iron absorption.
   
   -Learn to cook properly with these pans to get the most out of them. Use fat, don't be afraid of it, you don't consume most of the fat that you cook your food in.
   
   -Coconut oil is a great healthy option and can be bought for cheap at Sam's/Costco/BJ's, Also look for any ethnic grocer that sells Swad brand products, their coconut oil is bomb and quite cheap.
   
   -Don't use olive oil. It can be oxidized to a trans fat at high heat (only unsaturated fats can do this, trans fats are the only fats scientifically linked to heart disease).
   
   -Preheat the pan! If it isn't sizzling when you drop it in, it WILL stick. Don't try to flip things too early, it will also stick, you want a nice crust to form.
   
   Best of luck!
   

So first off, always test for lead on any pan you don't know where it's been. But that has to be done while the pan is stripped. You can't tell if it's lead without the test.

Burning off on a grill can lead to warping. Just use oven cleaner or a lye bath.

Use stainless steel wool, not steel wool. Steel wool can leave particles behind that prevents adhesion of seasoning via rapid corrosion.

The dark spots are some sort of light pitting. A lot of pans have these stains. The only real way to get rid of them is electrolysis, and even then I have pans with shadows on them. The good news is that the dark spots will disappear with seasoning and the rough patch will eventually, with use, fill in with seasoning.

Nice little pan, btw!

I tried one of those on a really dirty tub once, and it did not work well at all. It did look a fair bit cheaper than the one you linked. But what worked the absolute best was one of those stainless steel scrubby things.

>1) I was just a dumbass for using the scouring pad

Possibly?! Was it like This Or more like This ?


I've never had anything stick so bad that a little hot water and one of These couldn't get it off easily.

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>2) I was seasoning them with too-thin coats of oil

Not likely, you want it wiped down almost dry, you sound like you did good here.

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>3) The quality of my seasoning was somehow marred by tiny bits of rust I couldn't see

Tiny invisible rust won't hurt. But oiling over a raw pan that's not 100% dry and then baking, can cause issues with the seasoning sticking.

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For a long time this Flax seed oil method has been praised as being the end all and be all of seasoning cast iron. More and more lately I've been hearing stories like yours. There's got to be something to it. Either people are doing it wrong, or it's not really as good as people say. All I can say is that people seasoned pans without issue for the last 100+ years using whatever kind of grease they had on hand, and it worked just fine.


I've had pretty good luck with Olive Oil (Even though others may disagree). I've since moved on to using Sunflower oil and like it very much. I use only metal utensils, and only scrub with the pads I linked above and have never had the issue of seasoning flaking off.


Edit

Here's a few links with other people having problems with their Flax seasoning. Maybe you can glean some info from them.



My Flax seed problem.


"It worked nice. I was happy. But it didn't last."


"I like using olive oil better because olive oil in thin layers do not flake off like flaxseed for me"


After 8 coats, the surface looked great, the eggs slide off nicely and I thought we were golden. Then...the seasoning started to wear/cook off quickly.

Go to home depot or lowes and buy a pack of these. They are around $2.50 for a pack of 3.

Sanitize 1. While you're doing that remove the liquid post and clear/re-sanitize it. When you put it back in, before pushing it all the way down use SS tongs or something to let you push the end of the dip tube into the middle of the pad. Push the dip tube all the way down and reattach post.

Problem solved for less than $1.

Stainless Steel Wool. You will not believe how well it cleans off cooked on wort from your cook top.

Nope. I was on my phone before, and couldn't easily give a link. One of these.

These should work.

HTH;HAND.

Good choice. I have the same. Here are some bullet points:

• I have a job box that I set it on top of to cook, and store it inside the job box when not in use.
  
• I keep the grate indoors and clean it after every use. A simple course steel pad will work just fine. It and some Dawn dish soap.
  
• I clean out the ash after every use. (I store it in a knee high metal trash can)
  
• I use a chimney stack to start standard charcoal briquettes You only need to fill it 3/4 of the way full.
  
• You can easily close the vents and cap off to kill the briquettes and use them on the next grilling.
  
• I clean grill itself twice a year. Once in the fall before the winter season. And then again late spring/early summer. Once again, some Dawn and the above steel scouring pad works fine.
  
  I cook all the time for my lady and myself. 4 burgers. 8 wings. A full slap of spare ribs (cut in haft), 2 T-bone steaks, Shish-kabobs . So this grill is perfect for your application. Granted, don't plan on cooking a side with most meals, as the meat takes up a good amount of room.
  
  
• Yes you can do Hot and Cold sides. Just put your charcoal to one side. Granted this does limit your cooking space. So you may have to do something like burgers in batches.
  
  Oil is not needed. Thou I tend to Pam not stick spray the griddle right before I put the meat on. It works fine. A little elbow grease when you clean it may be needed, but it is fairly easy.
  
  Some Proof of what I have done with mine:
  
  
• https://twitter.com/eqrunner/status/512344565479911424
  
• https://twitter.com/eqrunner/status/493891657683574784
  
• https://twitter.com/eqrunner/status/466727864847441920
  
• https://twitter.com/eqrunner/status/451459503956176898
  
• https://twitter.com/eqrunner/status/451443387242389504
  

Something like this would work: http://www.amazon.com/3M-Scotch-Brite-Stainless-Steel-Scouring/dp/B002CQTXBC/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1372694956&sr=8-7&keywords=steel+wool

The chain mail thing is great if you want to go that route. Personally I just use a perfectly normal stainless steel scouring pad that you can buy pretty much anywhere for a few dollars. I literally get them at my supermarket and for the past 10 years they have gotten the job done just fine. Good luck!

edit: as to this stuff

>I guess I’ll just buy a chainmail scrubber - but what do I do after cooking? Let it cool? Can I cool it down with cold water? Is 10-15 minutes enough cooking? Do I then go at it with the chainmail and running water?

I let mine cool off. Usually I just go eat dinner. Then when I wash up I wash the pan. Cooling it with cold water .. well I've done it. It works. People will tell you that you have a chance of warping/cracking the pan. If it is hot enough they are correct! So typically I just leave it on the stove till after my meal and then clean up.

>I’m new to this all and struggling. My housemates are all having a go at me for using soap and I explained that lye is the problem but they look at me like I’m an idiot.

Soap gets things clean. Clean is good. Use soap.

Let it sit overnight with water and some dish soap. Then boil with washing soda Sodium Carbonate, if still stubborn then like IceColdCarnivore said scoure with a stainless steal pad and some elbow grease....

If it's hops you'll have to clean out the tube/poppet/tap/etc. then find a way to filter it BEFORE it enters the dip tube.

Someone below mentioned a muslin bag, but that might cause resistance or foam up the beer.

Stainless steel scouring pads might work. (this was suggested to me once here when I had the same issue). THESE But make sure you boil/sanitize them first and then just get it the bottom of the keg around the bottom of the dip tube. The idea is this will catch the hop sediment before it enters the dip tube. Good luck!

Looks like cooked on food, or hard water deposit. Go to the store, get a scouring pad, and go to town. It'll take awhile, but it should clean right up.

It's stainless steel. I wouldn't worry too much about damaging it.

Just soak it in hot soapy water for an hour and then go at it with one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Brite-Stainless-Steel-Scouring-3-Pad/dp/B002CQTXBC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462972888&sr=8-1