How do you season a cast iron pan?

Answer 1

Seasoning
Seasoning is a process by which a layer of grease or shortening is applied and cooked onto cast iron or carbon steel cookware. Typically, cast iron woks, frying pans, griddles, and Dutch ovens are seasoned.

The seasoning layer protects the cookware from rusting, provides a non-stick surface for cooking, and protects food from interacting with the iron of the pan. Shortenings typically used for seasoning include lard, hydrogenated cooking oils such as Crisco, and solid palm or coconut oil (in general, oils that are high in saturated fats). Avoid using shortenings that are polyunsaturated - these will get rancid much more quickly. Well-seasoned cast iron cookware will have a very smooth black surface.

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Cleaning before seasoning
Before seasoning, cookware should be thoroughly scrubbed using light dish soap and scouring pads (steel wool is best). If the surface is "natural" (unpolished), it may also be useful to use a wire brush. Scrubbing will remove any dirt or rust, and, in the case of new cookware, will remove the protective coating (wax or machine oil) that new pieces are often shipped with to prevent rust. Rust can also be removed by soaking in a 1:1 solution of vinegar and water.

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Seasoning techniques
Once cleaned, cookware can then be seasoned. There are several techniques for seasoning cast iron that vary based on the smoke point of the oil or fat used.

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Technique 1
First, heat the cookware until water quickly boils when splashed onto its surface.
Next, using a rag, wipe a thin coat of lard or oil onto the surface of the cookware.
Finally, place the cookware upside-down in a moderately hot oven for 1-2 hours. It is a good idea to place a layer of aluminum foil under the cookware to catch drips of excess oil.
Let the pan cool. At this point, the cookware should have a black-sheen and be ready for cooking.
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Technique 2
Warm the pan slightly on the stovetop (it should still be cool enough to handle).
Take a small lump of shortening in a paper towel, and rub it all over the cooking surface of the pan.
Place the pan in a 300-degree (F) oven for one hour.
Take the pan out and let it cool slightly.
Wipe off any excess grease.
If too much oil or shortening is applied to a pan in the seasoning process, it will pool and gum up when the pan is heated. In this case, the goo can be scraped off and some more grease rubbed over the spot, or the pan can be re-scrubbed and reseasoned. Heating the pan upside-down may help prevent gumming, but will be more likely to drip grease into your oven unless protected by a foiled-lined baking sheet. Seasoning at higher temperatures approaching the smoking point of the oil used will result in darker seasoned coatings in less time that aren't sticky or gummy.

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Care and cleaning after seasoning
It is common wisdom that one should never use soap to clean seasoned cast iron cookware; this will immediately remove the oil, and 'unseason' the pan (or even, according to some cooks, leave soap residue that will poison the food). In fact, a very well-seasoned pan can tolerate dilute dish soap, and, for infrequently used pans, this may be preferable to leaving rancid grease on the cooking surface [1]. In general, however, regular washing with soap is not recommended.

There are several methods for cleaning seasoned bare cast iron cookware:

Scrub the inside with a tablespoon of a coarse salt, such as kosher salt and rub with a towel. Rinse with cold water.
Scrub the pan with boiling or near-boiling water and a stiff nylon or fiber brush.
Use veggie wash (milder than soap) and a stiff nylon or fiber brush.
Boil a solution of cornstarch or rice starch and water in the pan, tilting the pan to make sure the boiling liquid touches all the way up the sides. Then pour out the resulting grease-water-starch solution, and peel off what ever dries onto the sides of the pan. Rinse the pan in hot water.
In all cases, the cookware should be dried thoroughly after washing, and oiled lightly if not already very well seasoned.

For deep cleaning (before re-seasoning), some cast iron collectors also advocate soaking cast iron in a lye solution, or heating the pan in a self-cleaning oven or campfire. Both of these methods have inherent drawbacks, however. Lye can cause serious injury (inluding blindness) if handled improperly, and unevenly heating a cast iron pan may warp or crack the pan.

Answer 2

1. A well-seasoned cast-iron pan will resist rust and create a virtually nonstick surface for cooking. To season it, brush vegetable oil lightly over all its surfaces.

2. Heat the pan in an oven at 250°F (120°C) for 1 hour, recoating it with more oil after 30 minutes.

3. Wipe the pan well with paper towels, and let it cool completely before using it.

4. To preserve this natural, protective coating, do not use soap when cleaning a seasoned pan. Instead, scrub it with salt and oil, rinse it with hot water, then dry it completely over low heat before storing it.

Answer 3

Coat it liberally with a thick oil or even Crisco or lard, then build a small outside fire and get it inverted over the flames. If it catches on fire, all the better.

Do this several several several times. Clean periodically during this by letting it cool naturally (NO water dunking--you'lll crack it) and then rubbing the interior surface (floor and walls) with course ice-cream salt and a paper towel to protect your hand.

What you are doing is sealing the surface AND filling in the small imprefections of the cast iron surface.

Eventually, you will have a smooth surface. It will be fragile but will strengthen over the years as it soaks up atom-size particles of your food.

And NEVER EVER wash it with soap or put in a dishwasher. NEVER use a scrubber on the surface even when finally seasoned and aged.

How to clean? Heat it very hot after cooking with it, and then douse in a stream of hot tap water at the sink and let the exploding steam blast the food particles off the surface--then let it rest on some trevit to cool and then wipe clean with a damp paper towel.

Got it? You are creating a heirloom that your children will fight over because it has Momma's cooking taste in it.

Feel proud, OK?

Answer 4

Coat it with cooking oil and put it in the oven or you can heat it on the stove, let it cool, it should look like it has a hard shell coat on it and it should not wipe off. To clean it, just wipe it clean, if you have to wash it, dry it immediately and re season it. Never wash a wet cast iron skillet and let it air dry, it will rust, then you will have to remove the rust but it can be re seasoned. You can do this to cast aluminum gas grills also to keep them from getting that white like rust on them, coat the outside of the grill and turn it on high and let it bake on, then cool off, same results!

Answer 5

salt and vegetable oil...or olive oil. You rub the oil and the salt into the inside of the pan...and let it soak in...then rub it all off. When you wash it...you heat it on the burner to get all the water out of it, and re-season it every few times you use it.

Just be careful not to over heat the pan. Cast iron will literally glow and explode if you let it get too hot.

Answer 6

Put a thin layer of oil all over the inside of the pan. then put the pan in the oven on about 250* for about 30 to 40 min

Answer 7

Rub it with oil. Then put it in a warm oven (about 300 deg) for an hour. Then rub out the oil. You should never have to do it again after the first time. And NEVER EVER EVER EVER use soap on it. It will ruin the pan

Answer 8

I think you rub shortening over all over the whole pan, then put it in the oven @ 350 for about an hour. Put something on the bottom rack to catch anything that may drip from the pan.

Answer 9

Coat it with cooking oil, stick it it a hot oven until the oil smokes off. Once it cools, it's done.

Answer 10

season it after ever use, rinse well w/ water (temp does not matter) then put it on burner on hi until completely dry then season by coating w/ olive oil or whatever cooking oil you have. have fun cooking!