The Ringer - The Original Stainless Steel Cast Iron Cleaner, Patented XL 8x6 Inch Design

UPDATED REVIEW (AGAIN): I've bought multiples of these for gifts. I think they're fantastic. The last one was a replacement for me though. After cleaning my beloved cast iron skillet I went to drop the ringer on the kitchen counter and it went right down the drain. Surprisingly, the ringer is NOT ferrous (which I guess lends itself to never rusting). My attempts to fish it out with a magnet on a string failed. Subsequent attempts only forced it further along past the "S" bend. The only thing my building's handyman could do was blast air under pressure through the pipes and blow it away down the buildings main riser pipe (a drain snake couldn't get hold of it). Gone forever. I now have the replacement ringer and am awaiting repair of my leaky pipes (now cracked due to the air pressure) so I can start using it. The ringer works every time and like a fellow reviewer has stated - it's ideal for stainless steel pots and also enamelled baking dishes (use lighter pressure until you learn how strong your enamelling is). It just works! UPDATED REVIEW: After using it for a few months I'm really surprised at just how well it works. So much so that I'm now purchasing them as gifts for other cast iron chefs. Perhaps it's my well seasoned skillets but The Ringer really cleans it well and does it in a super quick fashion. One last added point is that occasionally the odd non-cast iron baking dish or saucepan gets the treatment as well for any baked on stains. Get one and you won't be disappointed. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I was wondering just how well this would clean my brand new and freshly seasoned cookware. I thought it was going to ruin the seasoning or just not clean it at all. Instead, I found this to be about the best thing to clean my cookware - more than I could have managed. The chain mail has rounded links so it's not too harsh yet easily takes off cooked on food. I wrote to the seller asking how hard I could press using this and they told me I could press as hard as I liked without any worry. They were right. Running under hot water I just scrub away and the pan remains perfectly seasoned and gleaming (after a little bit of post washing vegetable oil). I have a little hook on a shelf above my sink so I hang the Ringer there and it's always in reach. It's dishwasher safe and easy to clean. If you've got cast iron cookware - old or new - and want to easily keep it clean, then this is the product for you...

This item is definitely worth buying if you use cast iron. It cleans well without damaging the seasoning. I used to scrub off crusted food with the spatula, but this ended up damaging the seasoning. This little item cleans the pan faster, more thoroughly, and without the problem. The seasoning seems to be staying completely intact now. Also, I haven't needed to use any soap on on the pan since I got it. This item rarely needs cleaning, but it can be cleaned by soaking it in some soapy water and then spraying it with the sink sprayer. It has made cleaning the cast iron pan and keeping it well seasoned trivially easy. It'll feel a little weird and perhaps a bit scary using chainmail for the first time, but it works like a champ. What's amazing is that the metal doesn't damage the seasoning, but a nylon scrubby brush will cut right through it. It seems to be breaking the laws of physics as far as I can tell.

The other reviews posted have given the scoop about how well this little bit of chain mail works on cast iron. And they're right, it's the bomb for cast iron. But wait, there's more! I have quite a bit of carbon steel and clad stainless steel pots and pans in addition to my big cast iron skillet. In fact, almost all of my cookware is some form of steel. The Ringer XL works like a charm on them, too. This morning I cooked breakfast sausage patties in my 10" Calphalon Tri-Ply frypan. The Ringer scrubbed it clean in a flash, with no "elbow grease" required. I used it last week on my 8 quart soup pot to remove burnt chili. A quick soak did half the work, then I used the Ringer just as I would use a sponge, with a little dish soap, and the pan was sparkling clean. Once again, no effort was needed. Who doesn't like easy? Not only does this product do exactly what it says it will, it's made right here in the USA by a very nice man who sent me a lovely note of thanks for my purchase. And it's musical, too! Every time I use, it makes happy chiming, sliding, shimmery sounds. Buy it and experience the joy for yourself. UPDATE 1/20/14- Tonight I baked shells and cheese in a glass baking dish. Some of the cheese was stuck on the outside of the pan, and stayed on after soaking. My nylon brush didn't get it all, and a sponge was useless. Enter the Ringer XL! I figured it was on the outside, so a few scratches would be no big deal. Cutting to the chase, the Ringer took it right off and didn't scratch the glass at all. That's one more kitchen item this little scrubber cleans. Seriously, I like the Ringer more and more every day. It has made doing the dishes much, much easier, and it's so much more sanitary than any other scrubber. Someone (are you listening, Mr. Developer?) needs to make one out of a material that's safe to use on dishes and other scratch-prone items.

Simple and easy to use while also being very effective in cleaning my cast iron skillets and pans.

Best purchase I've made in a long time. Great quality and it gets the job done.

Easy to use, effectively removes all cooked on bits and always leaves the pan with a nicely seasoned surface for the next meal

I really like this thing. I'm happy I bought it. Makes life with cast iron and stainless steel much easier.

Love it no complaints. Nice gift!