Frying Pan

[poliphilo]

 My friend Stephen Bann- who is a dedicated cook-  used to say you should never wash a frying pan. The ancient grease, impregnated with the flavours of a thousand fry-ups, is a treasure,  adding subtlety and depth to anything you cook in it. I sometimes let my pan go a day or two without washing- and acknowledge that it's a bit of a thrill when the flavour of yesterday's mushrooms turns up in today's bacon and eggs- but then I start to worry about health and safety and the pan goes into the sink and receives a good scrubbing. Am I being unduly cautious? 

Comments

[easyalchemy.livejournal.com]

Well, if it's cast iron, or the sort of pan you have to season, no, you should never wash it with soap. If it's a regular old non-stick jobby or whatever, yes, wash it - the lack or presence of soap makes no difference.

I think there's a healthy cleanliness, and then there's the horror of germs that's been brought to us by the cleaning companies. They brand their soaps 'anti-bacterial,' though of course all soaps are anti-bacterial; that's why we wash our hands with them.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes, I agree with you.

I'm sure I read somewhere that modern kids are much more in danger of infection and food-poisoning than earlier generations were- and it's all because they're being brought up in a sterile environment and don't get to build up their defences.