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I've seen this a number of times (for example here, or here at cooking.SE), and I do it at home, but I'd like to know for what reason salt is good for cleaning (cast) iron cookware.

I know it's a stop-gap measure when a non-stick pan looses it's coating (I can't find the reference).

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BaffledCook
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The purpose for cleaning with salt is that it is an abrasive, and helps remove anything sticking to the pan, without being harsh enough to remove the seasoning.

Its not a stop-gap measure for poor seasoning; it is intended to preserve the seasoning. The main issue is avoiding soaps and detergents which would tend to remove the seasoning that makes cast iron fairly non-stick.

SAJ14SAJ
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  • Stop-gap for non-stick pans, not seasoned cast iron ones. – BaffledCook Apr 07 '13 at 16:57
  • There is no benefit that I know of for non-stick pans, even if damaged. – SAJ14SAJ Apr 07 '13 at 17:03
  • Someone claimed you should heat the non-stick with salt before each use after the coating becomes less effective. I can't find the reference, so... :-( – BaffledCook Apr 07 '13 at 17:05
  • :-) [Here's a Q&A](http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/16945/why-would-heating-salt-in-a-pan-prevent-food-from-sticking) – BaffledCook Apr 07 '13 at 17:07
  • Its nonsense. Water doesn't wet PTFE. You actually want to minimize abrasion on the non-stick coating because once it is gone, the benefit to the pan is essentially gone. And the Q&A assertion is nonsense as well, as the answer indicated. – SAJ14SAJ Apr 07 '13 at 17:07
  • But the Q&A is about cast iron, again... – BaffledCook Apr 07 '13 at 17:09
  • Baffled, I cannot keep up on what aspect of what you are asking about. But all aspects of that Q&A are nonsense, for cast iron or any other type of pan. – SAJ14SAJ Apr 07 '13 at 17:10
  • @SAJ14SAJ I can understand Baffled's confusion. The question, your answer, and the Q&A are all about cast iron, but your comment above is about PTFE-coated non-stick pans. Is it established that a seasoned cast iron pan does not retain some level of moisture that salt could remove? If so, I haven't seen the proof, or even the reasoning. Maybe you should add an answer to that question. – Carey Gregory Apr 07 '13 at 18:29
  • @CareyGregory Nonstick is mentioned in the original question, and again implied "coating" in the comments before I brought it up. And I feel no more need to respond to the silly Q&A question than I would to demonstrate that bubblegum is not an effective cleaner. There just is no plausible merit to the question to even address. You will notice the overall consensus of comments and answers supports the viewpoint that the salt promoting nonstick thing is nonsensical, when it is immediately removed from the pan. – SAJ14SAJ Apr 07 '13 at 18:38
  • I think the question should have been more about the coating than about the cleaning. As in: Does the salt affect the coating positively? If an edit occurs to you to make the Q&A less silly, I'd welcome it. – BaffledCook Apr 09 '13 at 08:20