Cast iron skillets are great for creating flavorful dishes, but they may seem a bit intimidating when it comes time to clean them. After all, you don’t want to clean them like you would your other pots because then you ruin its flavor magic. So that means no hot water and dish soap? But how else do you clean a pan after you’ve used it. Instead of this usual method, try out this simple technique when it’s time to clean your skillet, demonstrated in the video below.

The whole point of a cast iron skillet is two essential things: the unique flavor that gets locks into your food when you use your cast iron skillet and the fact that your skillet can last YEARS all while looking good as new.

That is, if you take care of it properly. And that goes for both skillet perks.

If you let a medley of flavors sit and stew on the surface of your pan, you’ll lose that magical addition of flavor that the skillet gives your dishes. Likewise, if you just let food sit on the pan, it’s not going to look so shiny and clean anymore, and eventually, you’ll need to get rid of what we’re sure was a very pricey investment.

And you really want a skillet that looks and IS clean, don’t you? That’s what we thought. Cooking with clean cookware is a good thing.

Well, with this technique, you can preserve that cast iron flavor and the quality of your skillet using two simple ingredients: salt and olive oil. We bet you have both of those in your pantry right now! (If you don’t for some reason, they’re cheap to pick up just about anywhere…and you really should have olive oil and salt in the house, just saying.)

You’ll also need some water (tap water will do), and a rag or paper towel for drying. Once you have all your ingredients and tools, you’re ready to get started cleaning your skillet!

Step 1: Keeping your dirty pan warm, sprinkle 1 cup of salt into it.

Step 2: CAREFULLY use your paper towels to spread salt, and rub it over the entire surface. You should be loosening up the food gunk while doing this.

Step 3: With the paper towels, scrape the salt and the food waste into a separate bowl until the bottom of the skillet is completely clean.

Thanks to this tip from Rachel Ray, you can have your cast iron skillet sparkling clean again in a matter of seconds! This is such an easy routine to stick to after every use of your skillet, and maintaining it like this will help your food keep the cast iron flavor you love and keep your cast iron in the shape you love.

What do you think of this quick tip? Do you clean your cast iron skillet in a different way? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.