Product Review: The Ringer Cast Iron Cleaner

I bought The Ringer, a stainless steel chainmail cast iron cleaner a few months ago and so far I love it. I have been using cast iron most of my adult life, but I still don't have a great method of taking care of them, every so often I do something that ruins the seasoning. I used to simply wipe it out with a paper towel, but I found it to be an insufficient method when something was stuck to it. So, for awhile I washed it normally with soap and water and oiled it after but sometimes that would seem to ruin the seasoning.

Something I did that I have now learned was causing some damage to my pans was washing them when they were too hot. If the temperature of your pan and the temperature of the water you are using are too different, it can cause damage to your pan and could even break it.

I have a new method now that I have my new fancy Ringer. I wait until the pan has cooled and then I wash it with very little soap and use the Ringer as you would a sponge. The Ringer quickly removes any cooked on food without scraping or ruining the seasoning of the pan. I then place the pan back on the stove and heat the pan back up again and wipe it down with a thin layer of oil, let cool, then store.

Cast iron pans are more of a pain to take care of than some other pans, but I absolutely love cooking with them. With good care, the seasoning on the pan will make it as good as any non-stick pan out there but without the fear of chemicals leaching into your food. :)

If you find the Ringer has a sticky feel, soak it in a bowl of warm water and a good amount of dish soap for a 1/2 hour or so. Then rise and let dry. I use a suction cup hook above my sink to hang it so it's easily accessible.