Can anyone tell me the correct procedure for seasoning cast iron frying pans?

Question

And how do I prevent them from getting a "hotspot"?Thanks

Answer 1

Here's How:
Wash skillet in hot, soapy water. Rinse thoroughly and dry completely.
Apply a thin coating of melted shortening (Crisco, for example) or vegetable oil with a solf cloth or paper towel.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place skillet UPSIDE DOWN on top oven rack.
Place foil on a cookie sheet and place on bottom rack of oven. This will catch the drippings from the skillet.
Bake in oven for one hour.
Turn oven off. DO NOT OPEN. Allow skillet to cool down in oven (several hours). There may be a film on your cookware, this comes off after use. You will have to use it a couple times as a test.
If your skillet has burnt-on food on it, here's how to get the burnt food and black specks off.
How to Clean Your Cast Iron Cookware
This book has more tips: "Cast Iron Cooking for Dummies"
Find recipes in this book: "Cooking in Cast Iron:Yesterday's Flavors for Today's Kitchen"
Tips:
Clean skillet after use while still warm with hot water and a plastic scrub brush.
DO NOT put in dishwasher or wash with soap or dishwashing detergent.
Dry cast iron cookware thoroughly after washing, then spray lightly with vegetable oil (Pam, etc.) Wipe dry and store. Never store cookware with lid on; cast iron cookware needs air circulation.
Reseason cookware after cooking beans or acidic foods (such as tomatoes). Frying or cooking foods with fat content helps expedite the seasoning process.
Do not use cast iron cookware for storage of food.

Answer 2

Heat the oven to 250 degrees - 300degrees
Coat the pan with lard or bacon grease. Don't use a liquid vegetable oil because it will leave a sticky surface and the pan will not be properly seasoned.
Put the pan in the oven. In 15 minutes, remove the pan & pour out any excess grease. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for 2 hours.
Repeating this process several times is recommended as it will help create a stronger "seasoning" bond.

Answer 3

The trick is to buy them pre-seasoned. Lodge and Camp Chef both sell pre-seasond iron cookware. One of the advantages of such cookware is that they don't develop "hot spots" unless they are misused - it almost has to be deliberate. None of my five skillets, nor my frypan, nor my two iron griddles develops hot spots. What can happen, though, with my camp ovens when I cook over coals or charcoal, is they heat unevenly...so what I do is, I lift the oven and turn it half a rotation every twenty minutes and set it back on the coals. Then I lift the lid, being careful not to spill the coals/charcoal on that, and rotate it a half turn in the other direction. It's possible, if you have trouble maintaining an even bed of coals, for your frypan to heat unevenly, so the same trick applies: just rotate the pan every twenty minutes or so. This might be especially necessary when trying to cook out of doors on an especially breezy day.

Answer 4

Use & Care of your Cast Iron Cookware

Your new cookware will last a lifetime with proper care and seasoning. Seasoning is the process of allowing oil to be absorbed into the iron, which creates a natural non-stick, rustproof finish. It is actually a very simple process. Here's how to do it:

1. Wash new cookware with hot, soapy water and a stiff brush.

2. Rinse and dry completely.

3. Apply a thin coat of melted vegetable shortening (i.e. Crisco) to the entire surface (including lid if applicable), both inside and out.

4. Line the lower oven rack with aluminum foil (To catch any drippings), and preheat oven to 350° F.

5. Place cookware upside down on the upper oven rack, and bake for one hour.

6. Turn oven off and let cookware cool before removing from oven.

7. Store in a cool, dry place. If you have a lid for your utensil, place a folded paper towel between the lid and the utensil to allow air to circulate.

8. NEVER wash in dishwasher.

9. If your utensil develops a metallic smell or taste or shows signs of rust, never fear. Wash with soap and hot water, scour off rust, and reseason.

After use: Clean using a stiff brush and hot water only (do not wash in dishwasher). Towel dry immediately and apply a light coating of vegetable oil to cookware while still warm.

Answer 5

Pour in about a 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and rub it in on the inside of the pan, then put on the stove to heat up. Once you see smoke, turn off the burner and walk away. Wal-la seasoned cast iron pan. My grand mother used to cook with one all the time.

Bon Apatite
Shannon
http://www.iammakingprofits.com/pips.html

Answer 6

What the first guy said, but oil or shortening is ok. Put a sheet of foil under the pot in case it drips oil, so it doesn't land on the floor of the oven and burn. And do it 3 times, over about 3 days.

I've never had a hot spot, but then I have real heavy-bottomed cast iron. If you use el-cheapo cast iron, it may be thinner in spots and have hot spots.

Answer 7

first clean with warm soapy water and thoroughly dry.Next preheat oven to 325 dgrees.Coat entire interior of the pan with vegetable oil.Usually about 1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp depending on size of pan.Put pan in oven on center rack for about15 to 20 minutes.Wipe off any excess oil after pan has dried with a paper towel.and that's it.Usually you experience hot spots when you've scrubbed the pan after using.Never scrub the pan or let it soak.Just wash in warm soapy water after each use.I have found with some pans you may need to reseason them about once a year depending on how frequently the pan is used.Hope that helped.

Answer 8

Heat the pan in the oven to about 250. Take it out and let it begin to cool. Once you can rest your hand on it for a second without being badly burned, cover the whole pan in Crisco. It will be shiny. Let it cool to room tempature, the wipe the excess Crisco off.

Answer 9

When buying new cast iron skillets, you should put cooking oil in them with something like a paper towel. Just wipe it down on the inside to give them a very very light coat.

Never, never wash the skillets in soap. Use just plain water. Soap defeats the purpose of seasoning your skillets. Soap will eventually make them rust out.

Answer 10

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lower both oven racks to bottom positions-line lower rack with foil to catch drippings.
Wash skillet inside and out with mild detergent using a stiff brush.
Rince and towel dry.
Spread a thin coat of melted solid shortening all over skillet including handle (both inside and outside).
Place skillet on top rack.
Bake for 1 hour. Turn oven off and leave skillet in oven until cool.
Do not store lids on pots to all air curculation.
Do not wash skillet with soap or you will need to re-season.
Hope this helps.