TLDR: How can I get rid of a stubborn soapy fragrance on my pan that flavors the food cooked in it, and how can I avoid this happening again in the future?
Admittedly, this isn't the only item that tastes like soap if it's been washed with it; one of my plastic bottles will taste horrendously of soap if I use our dish soap on it. I'm not sure if it's the brand of dish soap or what's going on, but I've noticed over the past couple months that the cast iron pan is getting the same flavor. It's a small pan for eggs and this morning I was physically unable to eat them because I kept gagging, the smell/taste of soap on the pan was that strong. It's not the first time this happens and it's horrendous. Sometimes I can smell it as it heats up so I have to rinse it a ton and that can help but doesnt always fix it completely.
It gets rinsed really well right after washing. I'm also not the only one that cleans the pan but I think it's an issue with the dish soap, not the cleaning method. For now I've rinsed it a bunch of times in the hopes that the flavor won't be there next time I use it and won't be washing with soap.
Any suggestions for a dish soap that won't impart fragrances onto cast iron (or reusable plastic water bottles)?
Or any other tips for how to get rid of this scent on the pan and prevent it in the future. I'm happy to just clean with water and vinegar or something else, but I can't take another bite of soapy eggs ๐ญ
I just use cheap, generic liquid dish soap and never have it leave anything behind. Is your pan properly seasoned and properly cleaned? The soap must be getting 'stuck' on something. Can you share a photo of your pan?
As someone else said, fill the pan with water and boil it for a bit. Dump that and then rinse it with warm to hot water really well immediately after. If you have a chain mail scrubber or a soft bristle brush then give it a good scrubbing and rinse one more time. If you can still smell any soap then repeat.
If this doesn't get rid of the soap smell then I have to believe your pan isn't properly seasoned in the first place. It may need to be stripped and re-seasoned.
If the soap smell is gone, then apply a thin layer of oil and heat it up, again. You can do this on the stove top or the oven. Do it twice - once each way - if you like. :)
I do think it's decently seasoned and cleaned. Food doesn't stick to it and when I wipe with a paper towel its clean. I could post a photo if necessary if that doesn't work.
The dish soap causes issues with my plastic water bottle too so I do think it's an issue with the soap itself
Yeah, definitely try a different soap... make sure you're not getting something that is concentrated. You might also be dealing with really hard water which does a terrible job of rinsing soap residue. You might skip the dish soap entirely on your cast iron and just use some kosher salt, instead.