Season A Cast Iron Skillet?

Question

How to Season A Cast Iron Skillet?

Answer 1

Season Cast Iron Skillet

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.

Answer 2

Unless you have a skillet you found at a yard sale or inherited, "seasoning" it probably won't do much. Old cast iron had a very much less "perfect" surface that that cast today, so the tiny cracks in it would readily suck up oils that you heated in it, which then formed a wonderful non-stick surface after cooling. You need never scrub such a pan, they will just wipe clean with a hot soapy cloth.

If you HAVE an old pan that some idiot has scrubbed the seasoning off of, just smear the surface of the whole pan with olive oil, and bake the pan in a hot oven for 15-20 minutes. Allow it to cool, and repeat the process.

Answer 3

This is what I do: Clean the inside part thoroughly with something abrasive, using hot water and soap for the first time only. Then swab it down internally with lard or something solid like it, I use butter flavor Crisco. Turn on your oven and set it to 400 degrees. Put the skillet in it and let it stay in for at least three hours...you will see the internal surface become shiny. OH and once it's seasoned, use a teflon scraper and very hot water to clean it, soap or too harsh an abrasive pad will remove the seasoning...I have had to reseason mine a number of times due to forgetting about it.

You can always visit www.foodnetwork.com and I would be there's been an episode showing how to do it, especial Alton Brown's Good Eats.

Answer 4

Take a paper towel and saturate it with vegetable oil. Put it in a slow oven (300 degrees or less) for an hour or so. Take it out and let it cool, then wipe out any excess oil with a soft, dry cloth and let it dry.

The main thing about cast iron is that you can NOT put it in the dishwasher, and when you wash it by hand, you shouldn't use soap or detergent of any kind. Wash it in hot water and use a sponge or wash cloth. If you place it in the dishwasher or use soap, it'll rust and you'll ruin your seasoned pan. :(

Answer 5

# 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 soft 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.

1. Clean skillet after use while still warm with hot water and a plastic scrub brush.
2. DO NOT put in dishwasher or wash with soap or dish washing detergent.
3. 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.
4. Re-season cookware after cooking beans or acidic foods (such as tomatoes). Frying or cooking foods with fat content helps expedite the seasoning process.
5. Do not use cast iron cookware for storage of food.

Answer 6

a rusty nasty cast iron skillet is a bit of a smelly thang aint it? too bafd you couldnt just run right out and GIT a skillet like dat but you may not even know about a big old black cast iron skillet. why with so many nice emeral cookware and iron clad and on and on why would ya want to be bothered wif a nasty old rusty big old heavy skillet?
maybe its because you have tasted the most incredible fried chicken from one of them skillets or maybe its because you had some of dat fancy cornbread from cock of the walk wif dat black iron skillet? and yasll wants to be able to cook on a big old black skillet like memaw had back in the day but all they got is these big old gray nasty rusty pans from hell?
well what are you gonna do? are you gonna crap on yerself because ofa little rust? why does dat pan rust? water water and iron dont mix
causes rust the deterioration of the metal breaking down slowly with exposure to the atmosphere causes nasty rusty tasing pans to be quite annoying dont it? greenhorn iron has to be brought right by seasoning it with fire and oil and heating it to seal the cast iron and preserve the pan
by washing the pan with soap you do a serious injustice to the pan by ripping off the nicw patina and leaving open the forces of nature to ravage that now butt naked cast iron pan with wind and water the very forces that brought down the likes of the greeks and the pershions. where wuz I?oh yeah about dat nasty cast iron pot from hell
....put some plain old cooking oil on the pan inside and out
and place dat iron pan in to the oven
turn it to 400 degrees and bake that pan butt naked in that oil for an hour or two
and this will break in the pan and stop the rusting from occurring with the oxodization of the dang atmosphere vs theast iron delima. get it you know?

Answer 7

You season a cast iron skillet by rubbing it with oil all around the inside. After you use it, you are not supposed to wash it with soap. Also, you are not supposed to wash it in the dishwasher. Keep it seasoned by coating the inside of it with oil--like Mazola, Wesson, etc.

Answer 8

Wash in soapy water, rinse well and dry pan -- if pan is new. Wipe inside the pan with shortening, meat fat, or cooking oil Turn on your vent fan otherwise it might trigger your fire alarm. Heat pan until you see the grease moving on the bottom of the pan -- turn off burner just before it begins to smoke. Let it cool until safe enough to use paper towels and wipe off all greased surface of pan. Store the pan in a dry place (maybe on an oven rack) if you live in a damp area..

From here on in, never use soap -- only a scrubber and hot water to clean your pan. We always season our pan after each use.

Answer 9

coat the inside of it with cooking oil or shortening, and put it in the oven at 250 for a couple hours. Never cook anything with water in it, or tomato sauce. Always use a little oil or shortening when cooking, never use dish detergent on it, and never put it in the dishwasher. If it gets crusty from cooking, you can use a little hot water and a copper scratcher. Basic cleaning is to just wipe it out with a paper towel. Never leave water in it, it will rust.

Answer 10

Take some cooking oil and paper towel and rub the inside of the pan really good. This will season the pan.