Cast iron outlives every nonstick pan you'll ever buy — if you give it five minutes of honest care. The internet makes this sound like a religion; it's actually three habits.
Habit 1: clean it while it's warm
Hot water, a brush or scraper, and yes — a drop of dish soap is fine (modern soap doesn't strip seasoning; that myth is from the lye era). Stuck bits? Simmer water in the pan for two minutes and scrape. Never soak, never dishwasher.
Habit 2: dry hard, oil thin
Towel-dry, then heat on the stove for a minute until bone dry. Wipe on a HALF-teaspoon of neutral oil with a paper towel until the pan looks matte, not greasy. That's re-seasoning — every time you do it, the pan gets better.
Habit 3: rescue, don't retire
Orange rust spots? Scrub with coarse salt and half a potato (really), rinse, dry hot, oil. Deep rust? Steel wool to bare metal, then oven-season: thin oil coat, upside-down at 450°F for an hour. A $20 skillet revived this way outperforms most new pans.
Enameled Dutch ovens are easier — with two rules
The enamel on a Dutch oven never needs seasoning, but it hates two things: thermal shock (no cold water into a hot pot) and metal utensils at full force. Stains lift with baking soda simmered in water; stubborn ones with a soft scrub. Wooden or silicone utensils keep the interior glossy for decades.
Pair the routine with proper storage — dry cupboard, paper towel in the skillet to catch moisture — and this is cookware your kids will argue over. Building the collection? Start with the pots and pans range.