Cast Iron 101 - How to season and care for your cast iron skillet!
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I received a cast iron pan as a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law. A couple days later I was talking to my husband's grandmother (Grandma Z.), telling her about the pan. It was actually the second one I had owned. The first one we received as a wedding gift. It just sat in a bin downstairs in our basement for at least three years.
I finally sold it at a garage sale I had one summer because I just didn't have a need for it. Or so I thought. What I THOUGHT was that the pan was really heavy. I didn't like the noise it made if I scraped it against any of my other pans and I knew FOR SURE it was not going to be easy to clean. No thanks.
Silly girl.
Okay, so fast forward again to the conversation with Grandma Z. The first question out of her mouth was, "Did you season it already?" I looked back at her (kind of a deer in the headlights look) and said, "Did I do what now?" For the next 30 minutes I received my first Cast Iron 101. What did I learn? A lot. She even mentioned that Grandpa Z. wouldn't let her use any other skillet when she cooked on the stove (especially his eggs). The flavor just wasn't there. It took awhile, but now I totally understand Grandma Z.'s appreciation for cast iron.
Today I'm here to pass along some cast iron tips - how to season your cast iron pan and care for it as time goes on. Some of my favorite foods to use my cast iron pan for are steaks and over-easy eggs. I just used it last week to sear some scallops and they were DIVINE.
Okay, let's get started. We're going to talk about seasoning your pan first.
What does seasoning actually mean?
When you "season" a cast iron pan, you're actually just baking oil into the pores of the pan to prevent food from sticking to its surface. Normally you'll season a pan when you bring it home from the store brand spankin' new.
Now, some pans are sold already seasoned, some are not. If you notice that food is sticking to your pan, it's most likely not seasoned. And if you've had your pan for awhile and notice that food has started sticking to it again, you can reseason it at any time.
You begin the seasoning process by washing the skillet with soapy water and a plastic-bristle brush. This is the only time you get to use soap and water on your cast iron pan! Alright, let's keep, keeping on.
- If you notice there are some food bits stuck on the pan, use coarse salt to scour the pan, then rinse it and dry it well.
- Take a paper towel and rub a thin layer of vegetable oil on the inside and outside of the pan.
- Now, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of the oven with some foil and place the pan upside down on the top rack of the oven. Allow the skillet to "bake" for one hour, then turn the oven off and leave the skillet in there to cool.
- Store your skillet in a dry place without any cover. If your skillet has any rust on it, it's probably because it was put away wet or has been stored in too humid of conditions.
What do I do after I cook something in it?
- Rinse the skillet with water while it's still warm. Remember NOT to use soap.
- If there are any food bits, repeat step #1 above, using coarse salt to scour the bits away. This also helps to remove any flavors or odors that may be left from your delicious dinner you just cooked in the pan.
- Dry the skillet using paper toweling. Cast irons pans WILL stain towels. I learned this the hard way and ruined a flour sack towel my grandmother had given me years ago. Boo.
- Rub a few drops of vegetable oil on the inside of the skillet with a paper towel to restore its sheen.
- Store in a dry spot.
So, if you're anything like me, you still have at least one more lingering question. . .like:
Are you sure I don't have to use soap to clean the pan?
YES! The pan heats up so fast and so hot that it will kill anything left on its surface. Don't EVER put the pan into the dishwasher. The detergent and humid conditions will ruin the seasoning and encourage rust.
Tip: If your pan does rust, scour off the rust with salt and a plastic-bristle brush, dry and reseason.
Okay, so that's basically it. ENJOY your cast iron skillet and take good care of it. Cast iron can last you MANY years and can be passed down from generation to generation. If only I knew back then what a special gift we had received for our wedding. Well, live and learn I guess, right?
If you're a newlywed reading this post who also just received a cast iron pan, PLEASE keep it. Don't make the same mistake I did. You're going to love it. Believe it or not, flavors from the pan get better and better as time goes on. If you have owned your cast iron skillet for awhile, I'd love for you to share any additional tips or tricks you may have, as well as favorite foods you love to cook in it.
Jennifer Augustine
Is seasoning a cast iron Dutch oven the same? I've come across some as my girls are getting into Girl Scouts and we are doing more camping. Dutch oven cooking is one of the best ways to cook on the fire, I've heard :).
Sara
Jennifer, I would think the care would be similar if it is cast iron as well. Good luck!
Sarah Beth
Always good to know how to season the ol' cast iron cookware! I got some for Christmas and they're due for a good reseasoning. I love my cast iron because, as the name would suggest, each time I cook in it my food gets a bit of iron added to it - that's something that all girls can use, am I right?? Also, the flavor totally does get better over time! Thanks for sharing this helpful tip!
Susan Snyder
Your post saved my cast iron skillet! I recently bought one and it was working perfect for me to make homemade tortillas. Then I tried cooking a meal in it and I was in a panic with all the stuck on food. (I'm embarrassed to say I tried soap and water first and quickly realized I was in more trouble). Luckily I found your post and used the salt method to scour it off and then I re-seasoned the skillet in the oven. Thanks for the knowledge on how to care for these types of pans. Special thanks as well to Grandma Z :o)
Sara
I love stories like yours, Susan! This really made my day! I'll be sure to share with Grandma Z. as well!
Teresa
Thanks, I had no idea. What are your thoughts on storage? Right now my 2 skillets store in the oven and stay there during baking other dishes. So they heat and cool each time we use the oven.
Sara
It's okay to store them in the oven. I have mine in a kitchen cupboard that we open and close frequently to keep the air circulating!
Carolyn
Im having trouble I have several cast iron pot pans and skillets but they r in so bad shape, rusty thick and lumpy, I need help after reading this I want to use all mine
Jody H
Carolyn, Even your rusty cast iron can be saved and re-seasoned. Never throw it away! You can used steel wool or even a wire brush or as mentioned by a 63 year old in comments above, a propane torch to burn off anything in your skillet or to scrub off all the rust, then thoroughly season it. Think about the purpose of running a self-cleaning oven cycle...it basically turns all food spills in your oven into coal dust that you later wipe away. My mother taught me to use solid shortening or lard to season my cast iron. Some people recommend doing several repeats of seasoning to get a thorough "season" on your cast iron. There is a good instruction about fixing burned on/ rusty cast iron dutch ovens at : dutchovendude.com that will probably help you with your rusty skillets. The one thing I told my parents that I would like to inherit from them was the 12 inch cast iron skillet my mother cooked in for my whole childhood. She cooked everyday in it and we took it camping with us and every time I use it, it brings back memories of those times for me. Who'd have ever thought you could get emotional over a skillet, but I hope my children have some fond memories of the food we've cooked in it when I am gone.
Leilani
I have a cast iron dutch oven and a 12 in cast iron skillet. The skillet I just bought and used last night to cook up some steaks for valentines day for my boyfriend and I. They turn out delicious! Bought my dutch oven I used a few time and alread has some rust on the inside. So glad I found this post so I can fix it and start using it again. Also could I season with coconut oil? I really like the flavor of coconut oil and thought it might work to reseason with. Thanks for all the awesome tips!
Sara
Your steaks sound like they were wonderful! I've never seasoned with coconut oil so I'm not sure. It may not be able to take as much heat as other oils? I'm not quite sure about that.
Stacy
I love my old cast iron skillets as well! I use them more than any other pan I have in various sizes and styles to cook everything!
The way I season them is to put a very thin later of (oil of choice-my preference is flax seed oil but I use bacon grease as well), start in a cold oven, and turn it on to 500. Allow to bake for 1 hour... turn off oven and leave them in until cool.
I know this is super high heat, but it has worked perfectly for me for years. I usually do about 3 cycles of this depending on the need of the pan. Putting a super thin layer of the oil prevents stickiness. Patience is rewarded!
I have had trouble with the Log Cabin brand skillets as well. I can never get them to stay seasoned properly, and own one that flaked so bad after multiple seasonings that I stripped it down to the bare iron to start fresh.
After all that, I have read in addition to someone else's comment about the Log Cabin cast irons being an alloy (more than one type of metal) but also that the coating they have on them is very toxic and should be removed and reseasoned if you choose those as your pans. I have considered grinding or buffing the bumpy texture from mine since it isn't as high quality of a skillet as my others.
Lee
I'm sure your towel is long gone but, just in case you don't know, Barkeepers Friend takes rust stains out of fabric. I have used it for years. Look for it with the sink cleaning products at the grocery store.
Sara
Thank you for the tip, Lee! I've heard of Barkeepers Friend but have never used it. I'll have to try it out!
Kimberly
I was given as a wedding gift a cast iron pot and skillet that when put together can also be used as a Dutch oven. I thought it an odd gift but did use them for camping. They made the best cornbread and chili. More recently I have been diagnosed with an iron deficiency and read how cooking in cast iron can help, so I pulled the pot and skillet out of the camping equipment and now use them every day for my eggs and many other dishes. I love them and wish I had been using them all along. I season mine with cisco which works well. I also dry with paper towels. However, I must not have dried well enough, put them away and some rust formed on the bottom. I just tried your suggestion with salt and it worked amazingly well. Thank you.
Bill
An easy way to clean rust from cast iron is to use beeswax. Heat up the cast iron item and melt some beeswax to make a pool of liquid. Wipe out the excess and you can do the oven seasoning. The beeswax can also be used to touch up the seasoning after each use as you would an oil. Use a 100% cotton cloth to wipe out the excess. Save the wax filled cloth as it can be used to give the item a quick wipe if you reheat for drying.
cindy
I get my cast iron pan what is referred to as white hot..I then put a thin layer of bacon grease....I then sear a thick Ribeye on one side to build a little crust for 3 to 4 minutes I flip it wait abt 2 mins...put the whole thing under the broiler and cook to desired temp....I remove from the pan and let it rest for mandatory 10 mins during that time butter infused with parsley, oregano, lemon juice and zest, a little salt and pepper melts into the steak
Sara
Oh my goodness, Cindy. That sounds divine!
Zina Carroll
I got a cast iron fry pan for Christmas last year it's by Emeril Lagase, do you know if that's a good fry pan? It does have little roughness inside so I don't know if it will ever get smooth. I am following the directions about keeping it seasoned. I checked the bottom for the names you suggested and it doesn't say anything but Emeril. I hope it's a good one.
Sara
I'm assuming that your pan is pre-seasoned by how you described it. I'm not sure it will ever get smooth like the older pans, but I'm sure it's well-designed. Lodge is the other brand that's quite popular. As long as you're not experiencing a lot of food sticking on the pan when using it, it's working as it should!
shirley work
I also have my Grandmother's cast iron skillets. My sons lost my regular one on a camping trip,so all I have left is the deep one. I make my roasts in it. Just fill half way with water put the lid on and check it every once in a while and the roast is amazing,and tender , then you can make the gravy too. Now don't be mad, but these skillets are old and i have put it in the dishwasher a few times and many times in the dish water. I have never re-seasoned them and i absolutely love them. I miss my regular pan for eggs and just general cooking , and yell at the boys all the time about my pan. Thanks Grandma.
Sara
Amazing that you haven't had to re-season your pan! Get mad? Sheesh. Never. I just wish I had a cast iron pan I could put in the dishwasher and still work great afterwards!!
Rebecca Reeley
I have cooked with cast iron for years. I have 5 fry pans of different sizes. I also was just given a cast iron roasting pot with lid. It's pretty rusty. I will try your technique. I LOVE my cast iron and pretty much use every day. I have also seasoned pans for other people. One step more that I do than you. After rinsing in water, I put it back on stove and heat to dry all the water out before coating with oil.
Diana
Mom (now 84) tells how her mother would take her skillet to the creek & use the fine sand to clean it. She'd rinse it out, dry it well and it was ready for the next meal.
Amara Tardiff
Was raised cooking and caring for cast iron. I was always taught to heat dry (by placing your newly "washed" pan on the burner on low-medium heat until dry) and season with crisco. I have found throughout my lifetime that if you use crisco for your original seasoning( done in the oven) you have a much longer lasting season. My grandmother also taught me that the longer your original baking time at a lower heat will provide a more even seasoning. "Use your oven to replicate a wood stove. Thats where this kind of pan is designed to be used." She told me an its true. I did an original seasoning to two brand new pans in two ways. One as directed by the company(Lodge) and one by my grandmothers instruction. I have had to reseason only one of the pans in the oven since purchasing(8 years ago) and it was the one seasoned by Lodges directions. Now, whenever anyone asks me how to season a cast iron pan, I tell them to preheat their oven to 250-300, coat a thin layer of crisco on the inside of the pan and on the sides and handle(I do not do the bottom of the pan as I use gas stoves and it will create smoke during cooking). Bake pan upside down for 4 hours. Remove pan, recoat in crisco and bake upright for another 2 hours. Turn off oven and let pan cool oven. Reseason after each drying on stovetop. I will never replace my cast iron and ladies in an emergency you'll be thankful for that heavy clunky pan on your stove if you need it! 😉
Sara
Thank you for such a helpful comment, Amara! All of the readers here will appreciate it and as they always say, "Grandmothers know BEST!"