I was trying to apply a coat of oil to my pan after cooking when I noticed the towel catching on a whole bunch rough spots from carbon build up on the pan. So I took a chain mail scrubber to the worst parts of the pan, and managed to peel off a bunch of build up. But after a few minutes of scrubbing, there was still a lot of carbon build up on the pan (as you can see in the picture), and the remaining stuff is going to be much harder to clean off.
So: Is there a better way to get all this stuff cleaned off of my pan other than elbow grease and time? Am I being foolish for trying to clean it off? Should I let it go and just cook?
Don’t be afraid to use soap and a green scotch brite scrubber from time to time. I have used soap with the chain mail scrubber as well to get some baked on crud off. Weak, flakey seasoning doesn’t belong on my cast iron!!
Agreed, soap won't hurt it if it's got a good season