This Useful Scraper Is The Ultimate Way To Clean Your Cast Iron Pans

Say goodbye to stubborn, stuck-on messes.

Do you love cooking (or just eating home-cooked meals), but not so much the crusty, cooked-on residue that remains on your cast-iron after frying up your favorite meal? Or the baked-on sauce leftover on your sheet pan after roasting vegetables week after week?

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How about the drippings of fat that find their way to the tray in the bottom of your grill? Or just the blackened residue that's been on your nonstick pans forever, that you've given up on washing off?

Enter: this set of two pan scrapers. Sturdy, with a sharp edge, they tackle all kinds of impossibly stuck-on gunk and grime — on basically any surface — *without* the risk of scratching.

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Yes, they're originally made for cast iron pans, and they work incredibly well to clean 'em! But you can also use them with all kinds of cookware and almost anywhere else: counters, stovetop, tile floors, outdoor grill, and even bathroom, if you find yourself with a stubborn gunky mess there.

Y'all, these things are satisfyingly, ruthlessly effective.

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And I'm not the only one convinced! Literally 2,425 people on Amazon swear by these useful little tools (that also happen to be dishwasher-safe).

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Promising review: "These are great for keeping my cast iron and stainless steel pans clean. These are hard plastic little scrapers that are perfect for scraping off those little bits of food. I like that they don't scratch like steel-wool and I can toss them in the dishwasher. Each corner has a slightly different shape for scraping the corners of different pans. I didn't know I needed that feature, but now it's my favorite part. If you do accidentally burn an entire pan of scrambled eggs into a cast iron skillet, you will need one of these." —Specially Designed

And reviewers have found uses for the scrapers all over the place! They work on stainless, nonstick, and glass pans as well as cast iron — and they also ~shine~ when you're cleaning glass cooktops, stuck on stickers and labels, candle wax, and more.

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"They are intended for cleaning cast iron pans without scratching into the pan-seasoning you've worked so hard to build. They serve that purpose well and for all other kinds of pots and pans, from non-stick to stainless to Pyrex; it's often a lot less work to use this than it is to scrub. GREAT for cleaning glass stove tops without worry, or cleaning the gunk off toaster-oven doors. I've found uses for it in every room in the house. Highly recommended." —NYCShopper

"Who'd ever think that a small piece of sturdy plastic would make such a handy tool!? This scraper really does the trick when it comes to taking gunk off your cast iron. The pointed and curved edges make it easy to get into the part of the pan where the bottom meets the sides. They are also EXCELLENT at getting sticky labels off. I just removed about 30 labels from new dishes and this tool made it so much easier. Run under hot water and scrape. I love these things and wouldn't want to be without them!" —Mona Lisa (M.W.)

"Extremely effective at easily scraping off crusted on food. Simply let the pan cool first, scrape and then clean. I use it for both my cast iron and non-stick cookware. Added Tip! These are fantastic at safely removing candle wax from delicate antiques and brass with no fear of chipping or scraping! Durable. Slightly flexible. So glad I got this." —NYCGinger

It's like the longer you have one, the more uses you find. This person used theirs to clean out the drippings from their portable grill:

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"Works great to clean the inside of my Weber Q portable grill. The scraper's a durable plastic but I make sure to let the grill to be totally cooled down first as I don't want to melt the scraper." —Totoro

BTW, some reviewers say it hurts to hold because of the sharp-ish edges — which, that's totally fair! But there's a smart hack to solve that problem, if you encounter it. Just use your sponge as a grip:

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"I had originally given the scrapers a mediocre three-star review. After using them a few times I have decided to change my review from three stars all the way up to five stars. After trying a few other things to clean my cast iron pan I have found that if I hold these scrapers with a sponge, it gives me much better grip and stops the plastic edge from pushing into my fingers. So place this handy little tool inside of a folded sponge with the edge sticking out and it becomes a very simple and effective way to scrape a cast-iron pan without damaging the seasoning." —BR

These scrapers will also help keep your sponge less stinky, and could make it last longer — you'll have far fewer food particles on your sponge if you scrape them all off first, instead of using the scrubby side. And if you haven't already, check out the BuzzFeed Reviews picks for best kitchen sponge.

Oh, and unlike so many things in this world, one scraper can last for years.

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Just make sure your pans are at least cool enough you can touch them, because anything too hot will melt the scrapers! They are plastic, after all.

"These are the best and easiest way to clean your cast-iron skillets. I've had mine for two years and they still look brand new. They take virtually no room to store. I simply take my pan and run hot water to loosen then quickly and easily scrape away the food bits (no matter how dirty that never takes more than a minute or two). I then rinse pan and dry with paper towel put on low heat for a minute to get all moisture out (so there's no chance of rusting), and season with a little olive oil and put away. Easy-peazy!" —Joyo

These dish scrapers are a wonderful product. I have had mine over a year. It hasn't broken or bent at all. So if you are wondering if this is a good buy, it is well worth the money. You won't be disappointed." —Debbie

So if you like simple, useful, multipurpose tools and clean your cast iron pan (or other similar messes!) regularly, get two Lodge pan scrapers on Amazon for $5.25. And this could be you:

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So quick. So easy. So satisfying.

The reviews in this post have been edited for length and clarity.

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Shopping for something specific? Check out BuzzFeed Reviews to find the best things for every budget!

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