Hi, I bought a KAWAGUCHI I-mono pan from Hitachiya a while back (based on your post!) and may have screwed up the seasoning by trying to do a flax-seed oil treatment with waaaay too much oil. The pan has not been very smooth since then but I continue to use it.
A recent trout pan-fry left some burnt stuck on skin and gunk that will not come off with the oil+salt scrubbing and the whole pan seems sticky and gunky in places.
Do I need to strip and re-season or is there an alternative? We are currently in a temporary apartment due to some work relocations and I can't really do a proper seasoning.
First: All part of the learning curve, so don't sweat it; you cannot permanently damage a good quality cast iron pan by getting it goopy. So that the first point - No Worries. That pan will outlive you ;-)
Next: Good advice above, from ab1985! Hot water, if necessary a 4-hour hot soak. Plus; all cleaning should be done without soap. A copper linked-coil scrubber works very well for removing thick baked-on gunk. It will remove some seasoning from the very top surface of the iron, but that is not a problem since you are not doing an ordinary cleaning... you are doing preparation for a partial re-seasoning.
Still a problem? Perhaps the oil has become a type of tar-plastic, tough and resistant to scraping by the copper? No amount of patience or hot water will help? Then: Heat the pan over a burner, to soften the goop. Use the copper scrubber now, while the pan is hot and the goop is soft. Repeat as necessary to remove the softened debris, right down to the pebbled iron surface... But! Be careful here! This requires care and finesse, or you WILL burn yourself.
Copper does not rust so the scrubber can be reused many times, even in the field. If you need to use this heavy-cleaning technique in the field you simply finish your heavy-cleaning task, and then immediately... fry something! Rasher of bacon anyone? Any fat/oil/grease. Fry it lightly and quickly (I like my bacon crispy, please ;-), wipe out the pan with a bunched-up paper towel while the pan is "frying" hot, to create a smooth surface of grease without debris. Fry the coated pan some more very hot without adding any more fat/oil/grease. Get it to smoke a bit, black but still greasy. Cool to air temperature. Clean lightly and normally with water and a paper towel. Done.
Seasoning is done to prevent rust, so any fat will do in the field. No soap. Not ever!
Next: Avoid salt in the future. It works, yes, a good traditional technique. But it is another learning curve and not necessary unless you have a really rusty, damaged pan. What you are describing above is easily cleaned with hot soaking and a copper scrubber.
Note: For ordinary cleaning I highly recommend the traditional Japanese coconut husk scrub pads. They are very useful. They leave no debris (unlike scotchbrite pads, which "shed" and many of which are pretreated with soap), last well, do not easily clog, and the coco husk cannot damage the pan. They are not as aggressive as copper, but very good at burned debris. Still, soaking is your friend in all situations. Even in the field, 4 hours of soaking in the nice warm sun cannot damage a well seasoned iron pan.
Never soak unseasoned or poorly/partially seasoned iron unless it is FULLY submerged, to avoid rust.
Finally: Seasoning can be done at home in an ordinary oven, gas or electric. Highest bake setting available. The lower temperature ovens will simply take longer. One thin coat of oil at a time, bake until dry and BLACK. Do not try to bake on a "Thick Coat". That will create a sticky mess. A thin coat, not thick enough to sag or run. If you get lighter grey areas on a mostly BLACK pan, re-coat very lightly while still hot and bake some more until BLACK. Sometimes you just cannot get an even colour; no worries, it is seasoned. Just coat it lightly again, while still hot, and bake awhile but not completely dry. Wipe dry and you are done.
edit for emphasis:: One simply cannot say it often enough - NO SOAP - not ever
