Q. Is it true that I can clean a dirty cast-iron skillet by putting it in the oven during the self-clean cycle?
A. The short answer is no. “For the general cleaning of a cast-iron pan, it’s overkill to put your pan in the oven during a self-clean cycle,” says Cindy Fisher, CR’s cookware tester.
Further, many manufacturers of cast-iron skillets don’t recommend it. “The high heat melts the seasoning off the pan,” says Mark Kelly, a representative for the cookware brand Lodge Cast Iron, talking about the oil baked into a cast-iron pan to help form a slick surface and prevent rust.
