If you visit someone's house, who uses cast iron

Based on a story I was told this past weekend, and also based on how meticulous I am about my cast iron, I have a public service announcement:

If you visit someone's house who cooks in cast iron, and you want to help with the dishes, it's probably better to leave the cast iron alone.

In fact, I always say "Don't worry about the skillet-- I'll get that." If in doubt, ask.

When my mom was 18 and first married, she was not exactly in good graces with her mother-in-law.

One day she decided to be "helpful" in the kitchen, in hopes of maybe improving relations.

So she decided to clean those awfully stained black skillets. She had no clue what cast iron was; She just thought the skillets were dirty.

Soap and water weren't doing the job, so she got out the Comet cleanser...

And you can only imagine what happened, when she was discovered.

All cast iron cooks have their own preferred way to clean their cookware, so even if you know the facts, it's probably better left to them.

For me, it's like I'm polishing a Mustang. Cast iron cookware is my pride and joy.

Someone else told me about the pot she inherited from her grandmother.

She decided it wasn't non-stick enough, so she drilled holes in it, to use it for her plant.

I thought I would need smelling salts...