@kallisti @tarperfume Depends, if it's something baked on, that won't come off, you can put water in it and bring to a boil to losten it up some and scrub when cool. If it's normal dirtyness a rinse with hot water, and a scrub with a CLEAN sponge with no soap. In between very dirty and a little dirty, after scrubbing and rinsing, add table salt and scrub some more with no water to losten up the shit then rinse.

@kallisti @tarperfume The main benefit is you can get the skillet very hot without damaging or warping it. A very hot skillet means a more agressive char, which can't be gotten any other way. It's a flat surface char not an open flame char. Personally I prefer open flame char but when an open flame is not available the skillet is my best friend.

@kallisti @tarperfume I always put it back on the stove to dry it off quick after I clean it. And oil it any time it looks thirsty, meaning when it looks dry, you get a feel for it after a while.

@kallisti @tarperfume note oil dryness is different from water dryness. Water dryness is good you don't want wet cast iron it'll rust given time. You want it oiled lightly, never slick or sticky. The oil protects the metal and keeps food from sticking.