I went to make dinner, and my roommates had left various pots and pans on the stove, so I moved them to the sink, so I could cook. The cast iron one has been on the stove back burner with food sitting in it for more than a week.
Maybe I’m just foolish because I’d never heard of cast iron skillets, much less knew how seriously people take them, but my roommate has been blowing up the group chat for days.
But… you didn’t wash it? I don’t understand the issue.
The sink would be damp or someone could run water in it. Wet iron will rust.
Cast iron is fine in a sink as long as it’s not submerged for a long time. Especially not submerged in soapy water.
If it had been sitting around I’m going to say NTA. If your roommate honestly cared about it and it requires special care they should have cleaned it up themself. It’s not complicated.
Was gonna say the exact same thing, but also add, the roomate should have told you how to treat their pan if they wanted specific treatment. Many know about cast iron. Many dont.
NTA. Food in a pan for over a week? Your roommate lost the right to complain. Mold and bugs are nobody’s friend. I would point this out in the group chat. The simple solution is that all the roommates wash their dishes and pots and pans within 24 hours instead of waiting for someone else to do it. You’re all adults.
They’re not hard to take care of like the internet makes you (and your roommate) think. It’s fine. He should take care of his shit
This. My parents and other older relatives own plenty of cast iron skillets that are decades old. None of them follow these silly rules. I own a hand me down and a neglected one from a garage sale. Those skillets are nice, but they’re not sacred. Just wash the damn thing, slap some oil on it and friggin’ cook. No need for sophisticated seasoning rituals. Just use it a lot, and it will cook better. They can survive practically anything, especially from a roommate putting one in the sink. NTA.
NTA
You didn’t know about cast iron and water. What you knew is that a pan with food in it (among other items) had been sitting on the stove for a week.
If your roommate cared about their pan (or about being a decent roommate), they would have taken care of the pan a week ago.
They cannot complain about something they didn’t bother to take care of in a timely manner.
I mean, they aren’t supposed to be soaked in water because of rust and it should be seasoned but letting it sit for days with old food in it is just plain gross. The bigger issue is your roomie being a slob
They are definitely fine to soak in water for up to probably 30 minutes without any issues, I wouldn’t leave it overnight unless you want to season all over again, but even that’s a minor task for a person with a normal amount of energy.
NTA: You didn’t know about cast iron skillets. Apologize and ensure that you won’t do it again. 🙂
However, your roommate is an asshole. Let him know that you’ll throw that MF away next time. You should become an asshole, too. 🙂
My roomie (ok, husband lol) didn’t know either and used mine once and put it in the sink to soak 😬 it recovered with reseasoning
NTA. If roommate cares so much about care and maintenance of the cast iron pan, it should not be left with food moldering in it for days.
It can be re-seasoned but that would need to be done anyway after leaving it covered in food for days on end.