How To Clean and Season a Cast Iron Skillet
What Does It Mean to Season a Cast Iron Skillet
You may want to know how to clean and season a cast iron skillet, but do you know exactly what it means to season it? Seasoning a cast iron skillet refers to the process of creating a protective layer of polymerized oil on the surface of the skillet.
This layer not only prevents the skillet from rusting but also develops into a natural, non-stick coating over time. Seasoning is a crucial step in maintaining and enhancing the performance of cast iron cookware.
Seasoning is an ongoing process. With regular use and proper care, the cast iron skillet will continue to develop and maintain its seasoned surface.
How To Clean and Season a Cast Iron Skillet
I used ¼ cup of baking soda and a copper scouring pad to scrub off the rust.
I added about ½ cup of water to the skillet and kept scrubbing until the water turned really murky.
Make sure you use kitchen gloves when handling the scouring pad because you can get stuck.
I constantly rinsed out the skillet while scrubbing. I kept scrubbing and rinsing until the water ran clear.
I used a dry cloth to completely dry the skillet off.
Now comes the seasoning of the skillet.
No, I don’t mean adding salt and pepper. I mean oiling the skillet to prevent it from rusting.
Some people use vegetable oil and some use bacon fat. I preheated the oven to 350°.
Next, I applied a very small amount of oil to the inside and outside of the skillet. Use a paper towel to wipe off any excess oil.
If you use too much oil, it will pool in the middle of the skillet. Place the skillets in the oven for 1 hour.
Once the hour is complete, allow the skillets to cool.
Now that your cast iron skillets are cleaned and seasoned, you may want to try out my Iron Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie!
This is a terrific post. I always have trouble keeping my skillet seasoned. I’m going to use your tips and give it a good cleaning and re-season it.
Thank you, Joanne! I hope they come out great!
What temp do you set the oven?
She said 350 degrees.
Hi, Debbie! I set the oven to 350.
What I’d my Cady iron skillet had wooden handle that can’t be removed?
I always when seasoning my cast iron , put them in the oven upside down
Your original post said you preheated the oven yo 350. After that in the postings, you keep saying 2t0. Can’t beat cooki g with cast iron. Makes the food taste better. Just make sure you remove from skillet after
Otherwise you get a slight sfteryadye. Ct Ron is wonderful cookware.
You need to get the oil to the smokepoint to season a cast iron skillet 250 degrees is not hot enough at least 450 degrees with crisco and turn the pan upside down not right side up. season for 2 hours cool repeat at least 3 times.
Not needed to get to smoking point. Preheat the oven to 350, set the oiled pans in and turn off the oven. Once the oven and pans have cooled you are good to go. Like most Southerners, my cast iron skillets are stored in the oven, so you don’t even need to take them out. My dutch oven cast iron and large skillet with lid are seasoned and stored separately.
In her directions, she says 350 degrees.
The post says 350 degrees.
Thank you for catching that for me!
I have a griddle that I have had for years. I let it get to much of a build up of Crisco for greasing when making pancakes. I used baking soda with vinegar, let it set for a while then took a wire brush to scrape all of the build off. Looks better, re seasoned with Crisco and now I wipe it off after a cool down with paper towels.
I scrubbed for along time, ive wiped out with towel but rust stains still coming off. Isthere a chance of food poison if not cleaned enough? Or cast iron too far goneto save?
Hi, Jocelyn! I’m not sure about food poisoning, but if rust is still coming off, I wouldn’t take the change of using it just yet. Another method I’ve started using recently is to ball up a piece of aluminum foil and scrub the pan with it. For some reason it worked for me. Best of luck!
I always put my skillets in the oven upside down. That way, if you accidently left too much oil it can run out rather than pool in the skillet.
Easier to wipe out the excess with a paper towel than to clean the bottom of your oven….
I do the same thing, but I lay a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of the oven and turn my skillets upside down on that. I have 5 cast iron skillets that I use religiously and nothing ever sticks by keeping them clean and oiled.
I have a collection of Griswold and Wagner. I learned the hard way, many years ago, that if you do not turn the skillet upside down, any excess oil will cook into the bottom of skillet and you will have to start over with cleaning. Just put a cookie sheet or piece of aluminum foil on the rack underneath the upside down skillet.
Put the pan upside down on a piece of aluminum foil. Oil won’t pool, nor will it mess the bottom of the oven.
I have a dutch oven that is sticky from years of neglect. I used the baking soda trick but not the copper scouring pad. Is that the difference? I still have LOTS of stickiness to clean out
An easy way to keep your skillet seasoned…if you must wash the skillet, dry it off, grease it lightly with your preferred oil, wiping off any excess oil. Then place it on the stove top with the eye on the lowest setting. I leave it there for an hour or two. turn off the eye and let it cool. It’s better than heating up the oven and works just as well.
I’m in my 60s and grew up cooking with cast iron skillets. I usually have at least one skillet sitting on my stove at all times. They are the only skillets I use. I started making skillet handle mitts so there is usually a mitt on the handle that stays on til it or the skillet needs washing. I usually just wipe out the skillet unless it has something stuck on, like where sausage or something like that has been cooked. Then I heat the skillet on the eye and pour in some water, let that sizzle and use a metal spatula (we always called them egg flippers) to scrape off the stuck on parts. Then lightly wash and re-season on the stove top.
I do keep an eye out for excess oil as it sits on the stove eye and wipe it out if needed.
After reading down a little further I can imagine some of you being horrified that I said use a metal spatula. But if you’ve sizzled that stuck on food loose with some water, you won’t hurt your skillet when using the metal spatula to scrape it off. Or you can just use a pot scrubber instead. Either way, if you’ve had food stuck/burnt on, you will need to re-season your skillet..
In our family, we’ve done this the same way with out any problems! Was glad to come across your post!
Same here!
I also place the used oily paper towel, few on bottom and few oily inside, then store in firm plastic bag. Stays season✨
Same with me!! I become frustrated, then just put them away! I’m going to try again, thanks to you!!
A well seasoned cast iron skillet is worth it’s weight in gold!
I couldn’t agree with you more, Gloria!
I’m now in the mood to find an old skillet to bring back to life. I inherited my Mom’s and they cook food much better than modern pans.
Great post! I am going to have to start hitting up the thrift shops, rummage sales and yard sales again. My mom always made the best fried chicken in hers, among other things. But when she passed away last summer, I believe my nephews possibly threw her cast iron frying pans out. Sadly, I don’t think they would be bothered to keep a cast iron pan. They took what they wanted from the house and trashed the rest. Couldn’t even be bothered to donate. One item that I found out was trashed was a very old Coats & Clark wooden cabinet. I told my brother I see them for anywhere from $1000 to $2000 and they thought it was junk. Made me sick. After that, I didn’t ask about anything else. 🙁
What a waste !!
I am so sorry to hear that, Cindy! I hope you do find one. Just keep an eye out. It took me a while to find some.
Antique store have a lot. I have bought 5 or 6 from them. Can’t have to many hahaha
They have cast iron skillets at “Cracker Barrel” that look just like the original cast iron skillets. Unlike the ones they sell at Walmart and other stores.
Debbie
You can also buy them from Walmart. The ones in the sporting goods section is cheaper than the housewares department.
Sportsman’s Warehouse sells good quality cast iron skillets.
Just be careful when buying used cast iron. Sometimes people are only going to use them for home decor so they spray paint the cast iron skillets etc so they will stay black and not rust.
I’m so sorry to hear they did that. My niece did the same with my Mother’s things before I could get there. I was 8 hrs. away so she purposely did that to stop me from getting my Mother’s items and going through them to see what was salvageable, what carried so many memories and just her things. I needed them at that time to feel close to her. It was heartbreaking, still is if I think about it too long. So I clear my mind when that memory comes around and I start feeling that intensity of hurt and anger. I have those things and so many more in my memories and she can’t get to those. I had such a wonderful relationship with my Mom. I was crushed when she passed and that lasted nearly 25 yrs. But then I met my husband and through his love and gentleness I’ve learned how to grieve and now I’m happy to say that I’m 100% different now. My niece has tried a few times to say things that used to hurt me and I’d break down. Not now. I don’t see her at all now, but while there was still a family to gather she never missed a moment trying to make me cry and hurt. Her intense anger comes from her continued drug use (IV drugs) and my steadfast refusal to give her money in any shape or form. When she needs food, I buy groceries. When she needs meds for the kids, I buy those. When the kids need clothes or shoes or things for school, that’s what I buy. I never give her money and won’t ever until she’s clean. My main reason for replying is to encourage you and to remember the good times, the loving times, the closeness you shared with her and others. Nothing can right the wrongs they’ve done but you don’t have to continue to be hurt by them. You have all of your memories and nothing and no one can take that from you Cindy. Bless you and your heart, your Mom will always be alive in your memories and they can’t do anything about that. Gentle hugs and heart healing coming your way. *HUGS*
Wonderful healing advice! Never thought reading a cast iron story I would be so blessed with a balm for my open wounds from family unkindness. 2017 started with my Mom’s passing. My family auctioned her home/contents and parked my Mom hours in an opposite direction from my family. They were jealous of the years she spent with us in our home. The secretly, deviously manipulated her to sign off and sell all her goods to pay for a nursing home when the communicated plan for many years was to move in with us. They preyed on her fears of not having enough $ to survive. The home was my Dad’s and all I He stuff from his world travels and 30 years in the Marines. Nothing was from their Dad. They erased my Dad and built a wall between Mom and my family.
You are correct that my memories can’t be taken but knowing my Mom signed my inheritance away hurts more than words. Forgiveness is the answer. I’m trying.
I like your idea on seasoning and cleaning CI. Thank you.
You’re very welcome, Bess!
what if I have no oven? can I just leave it on low, low temperature for a time?
Yes. My granny always oiled them lightly with Crico and put them on the stovetop til they got so hot they smoked. After that, let it cool and wipe any extra oil out with a paper towel. But dont wash it. Then after that, any time you use your skillet, wash it, then dry it by heating on the stove til its bone dry. Or til it has smoke rising again. Oil it every so often.
Patti, my mom used Crisco too and did the exact same thing.
Dawnie, some people use fire pits or campfires to season their skillets. I’m not sure if a temp lower than 350 would work, because I’ve never tried it.
After cooking how do you do your regular washing of the cast iron? Can you use dish detergent? This will probably remove the seasoning and ruin the whole thing again. So how are you supposed to clean it after every use?
Hi, Jenny! I just use water and a rag. No detergent at all.
I have just kept scrolling and reading, got what advise I was looking for for cleaning after each use. Thanks cast iron users, heres to great cooking!
Use salt to clean it – scrub with salt , wipe out and then wipe with a touch of olive oil to restore. Read this on a website a while back and it works very well.
In TN. for vacation one year I thought my daughter in law was going to put me in time out. She said they NEVER used water to clean their cast Iron pans…. I treat mine now good, but need to find out how to get rusty ones good again. 🙁
Never, never use dish soap. Use non-porous scrubbers (ones that can’t absorb or retain any dish soap for washing of other things in your kitchen), and when it needs a good abrasive for scrubbing, sprinkle in kosher salt. Works like a charm. Set on stove, heat to steaming, and wipe with a paper towel and an oil, or crisco. make sure it only has a thin layer, and that you wipe any excess off. Store away when cool. Repeating this every time you use it (the heated pan and thin layer of grease) will become an easy habit that will continue to build the beautiful seasoning of your pan, and make it by far your favorite pan to cook in!
I was looking for someone to say no dish soap… absolutely no dish soap. A good scouring and your set to go. If you use dish soap it flavours the pan and you need to scour it out and Re season it. It absorbs soap just as stoneware does. No soap ever! And never soak stoneware!
To those asking about cleaning skillet. I use rock salt no water or soap. Pour salt and scrub it pour salt in trash
I had a few that were really bad I used an electric gand sander.
I use Mineral oil, it does get nasty gunky or rancid like cooking oils do over time. This is the way our leader or our co group told us. Really good for seldom use pieces.
Thank you for the advice, Marie!
NO mineral oil ever! It is a petroleum based product and unsafe
I use grape seed oil or flaxseed oil. I wash my iron skillets pretty much like I do my other cookware and dry them immediately. To remove stuck-on food, I sprinkle coarse salt in the skillet and add a bit of cooking oil. Then I use a paper towel and some elbow grease to scrub the food off. Wipe out the skillet and store it away. I don’t let my cast iron pieces soak in water, and I do occasionally give them a refresher “drink” of oil coating.
Hi, Vicki! I will try the coarse salt on my skillets. Thanks for the tip!
My mom had three that she kept seasoned. One was small- she used this one to cook cornbread in. The second was large & shallow – this one was used for frying bacon/sausage & eggs, etc. The third – when she pulled this one out I knew we were having fried chicken! Yum. Of course it didn’t matter what she cooked it was all “YUM”. The thing I remember most about those cast iron pans, mom said ” don’t ever wash them”. Sometimes you have to re-season them. Just wipe them out with a paper towel and you’re ready to cook. Enjoy.
Hi, Karen! I love fried chicken in a cast iron skillet. It’s the best ever!
Really. I was so overwhelmed when my mother passed I had 80 years of things she had since setting up house. we had just down sized to a condo an just couldn’t take it all. I do regret not taking her set of cast iron skillets. I had a couple which I left with my daughter when at 69 having been widowed for 7 years just now re-marrying and moving to Fla. I have been bitten by the cast iron bug, we bought one, I knew how to season it but my problem is cleaning it after each use? I knew you shouldn’t submerge it in soapy water. I rinse it with plain water, maybe use a vegetable brush, depending on what I cooked. Or I wipe it out with paper towels, I always put a light touch of olive oil each time ???????
i have a cast iron pot not skillet but a pot i got it from my dad how do i clean it my wife is from the city and im from the country and i have gotten her to use the cast iron skillet and she loves it even over the none stick ones i love corn bread and gravy made in these pots
Hello, Gordon! I’ve never cleaned a cast iron pot, but I’m assuming that the process is about the same. I love cornbread in cast iron skillets!
Is cast iron always black? My mother also had a heavy silver pot she used for stews, soups, American chop souy ect.
That heavy silver pot was probably cast aluminum. We had one for many years, they are great for things that like to stick. It was always my favorite for oatmeal. Never burned and never stuck just great oatmeal. I have been looking for a long time to replace ours but just never see them anywhere.
Look on line, I went to a site that sells “Lodge” brand. They have all kinds of shapes and sizes!
I have a skillet so large and heavy, I need both hands to lift it!! Could not live without it!!
Hey Gordon. You clean every cast iron pan or pot the same way. You can set it right in the oven if you need to re-season it. If you’re cleaning it after dinner or whatever, just use kosher salt to scrub it and then a very thin coating of oil again then it’s ready to use again. I never use water in my cast iron no matter what size it is. I have a cast iron muffin pan that I clean the exact same way. I won’t eat bisquits or cornbread if not cooked in cast iron. Just doesn’t taste as good! Of course I was raised with cast iron cooking so that’s a lifelong taste LOL Good luck to you and your cast iron 🙂
Awesome I buy these all the time at swap meets but could never really get them clean.
Hi, Jay! I hope this technique will help you get them clean.Thanks for reading!
Thanks for this post! I needed a refresher course. I screwed up and tried to scraped off some burned on food with a metal spatula… bad idea!! I took chunks of well-seasoned, smooth surface right off the pan. Now I have to scraped down with the bare surface again with the scouring pad and start from scratch. I did learn a long time ago to use as little water as possible on it – try to clean after using it with course salt and a rag or paper towels, and re-season as needed. I guess I should have re-seasoned sooner so that I didn’t get that food stuck when I burned it. It should have slid right off…. 🙁 But anyway, thanks for the good post! Your pan looks beautiful!
For caked on food, a little salt can help clean the pan without removing any of the seasoning as well.
Thanks for the tip, Doug! I’m always looking for ways to save me some work.
I use coconut oil. It’s a wonderful oil for seasoning. Also, I found a wonderful woven metal scrubber from Knappmade I use on stuck on food. I swish it around the pan with hot water and it takes off any stubborn food.
I inherited several old pieces of cast iron. All have the hard black crust on the outside of them. How can I remove it?
I have many that are like that and I just leave them. Mine are over 75 years old and work great. It won’t hurt anything
You can put rusty iron skillets or those that have caked up on the outside in a outdoor fire. Then preseason.
My husband took my mom’s old crusted cast iron pan and set it in a fire pit and left it for quite a while and when fire died out, my pan was smooth and ready to be seasoned again. Still works great.
Quick and easy way to clean a cast iron skillet and start from scratch is to put it in s self cleaning oven. EVERYTHING is removed, including the old seasoning, so you can just start from scratch.
I tried putting mine in the self cleaning oven once and the smoke drove us right out to the porch.And as most know-once you start a cleaning the door locks so there is no way to open the oven till it cools down.And to make matters worse the smoke alarms are going off. Now one of my sons cleans them for me in a nice bonfife and the come out looking almost brand new. Then I just wipe them out with a little canola oil and let them heat up on a burner till real hot.Cool down and wipe with a paper towel.
My mom makes the best cornbread in her iron skillet. I’m not a cook, but I do know she pours cooking oil in the skillet to heat the oil and skillet. When it is very hot she pours the oil into the batter, stirs the batter fast and pours the oiled batter back into the hot skillet, pops it back in the oven to cook. When done turns it over on a plate. It is now crispy brown and wonderful.
I think I ruined mine.. I forgot I was pre-heating it.. It got really, really hot!! It was so hot I didn’t dare put water in it – I just allowed it to cool on its own.. Well now there are slightly varied levels in the bottom of the pan.. I’ve scrubbed and scrubbed to try to get it smooth but was unsuccessful.. I went ahead and re-seasoned but it now sticks.. I retired it.. :/ Do you think what you’ve posted here will help mine or do you have another suggestion? Or, have I just ruined it?
My dad used to put some water in the skillet and biil it to get the sticky off. I tried it and for some reason it rusted shortly after so I gave up on iron skillets for awhile. Thank you for this post, it reminded me that you have to periodically reseason the skillet.
This is not true, right! It must be a miracle! I can’t believe how powerful the baking soda is as a cleaner! This iron skillet was looking that there is no possible way to clean it! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thank you so much for posting this. I always wondered how to season yhem. Now I can use it more!
I’m glad you found this helpful, Kelly!
I love my very small cast iron skillet for frying two eggs. I would love a cast iron lid for it. Ido not think they make one.
Does this need to be done every time you use it?
Hello, Joanne! It doesn’t need to be done every time. I’ve only done it once on these and they’re still good.
I gave up cooking on my cast iron skillet, because everything sticks to it. Then it takes forever to wash and get the burned staff off. What am I doing wrong?
Hi, Maria! I’m not really sure. Is your skillet properly seasoned? You can try seasoning again to see if that helps.
Heat the pan before putting oil in and what ever you cook. Food won’t stick.
Season it good 2 or 3 times. Always heat pan before adding any oil when cooking. Don’t wash it after you cook justbwipe out with paper towels. If there is stuck on food use a little salt.
The reason food sticks is because you are washing off the seasoning.
Best way to get smacked in the head growing up wasmfor memto use water on mom’s cast iron.
While this video is informative to season the pan it doesn’t explain how to clean pan after use…..
i have been told i could use salt to clean rusty skillet. i’m not sure what else goes with the salt, maybe butter or oil. do you know this way.
can salt be used with oil to clean rusty skillet.
I have a cast iron skillet with black crust in the outside of it and food stick on the center. How can I clean the outside and keep food from sticking? It have a little rust inside and need seasoning. Please advise?
I have many cast iron skillets and bake ware. If I come across one that is really caked up, I’ll leave it in my oven when I put it on self clean. It will make a a burning smell at first. Make sure that your item is all cast iron. No wooden handle or such. Then I start from scratch with seasoning it!
I have never used cast iron ,Could it be used to cook on top of the stove..then finish cooking on the oven ? what temperature & for how long could it be left in oven when cooking ??
Thank you very much ..I really would like to get one now that I found out how to season & clean it !!
I season my case iron skillets as you said. My problem is everything wants to stick to the bottom of my case iron skillets. I oil them before and every time I use them. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks Diane
I have had a castiron pan for years. I use it to make pineapple upside down cake. It is the best pan for this. To clean I simply wash the pan out, dry with a towel and heat on the stove till it is hot. I let the pan cool down and put away for the next use. I love this pan. It makes the best fry pan for potatoes.
I have new pans that came pre-seasoned. I rubbed a thin layer of oil on them and now, after 5 mos they’re sticky feeling. Do I clean and reseason? Thanks!!
I LOVE my cast iron skillet. My mom bought me a deep one for Christmas when I got my first apartment at 18. I call it my chicken fryer because it’s deep and came with a lid. I am now 55 and still have it and use it quite often. I make everything in it.
i have several pans and my problem is build up on the out side of my pans . how would i clean them
If you can build a fire in a fire pit you can put the whole skillet in the fire it will clean all of the built up crusty stuff off it then clean with salt or a good Copper scrubber . Rinse and oil and leave on the stove on low for a few oil and wipe dry with paper towel Male sure you oil it inside and out
I just bought a cast iron skillet, and I have a griddle one I have seen several things on seasoning, the new one I tried to season but it is dull looking and kind of rough to the touch is this normal? I will try this!!!
Thanks for all the info on how to clean and season the cast iron skillet. I gave up all of mine that my mom use to have, but I am going to be on the watch for them now so I can get back to using it.
I read somewhere to use salt to clean cast iron so I tried it. I just sprinkled salt all over the inside took a little green scrubbing pad and rubbed it real good and then rinsed it with water and it came clean. you can rub the out side with salt too. I don’t like to wash my cast iron pans. A lot of times I just wipe them out good with a paper towel.
How do you clean the built up gunk on the outside of the skillet? I heard if you make a really hot fire, like a bon fire, you can throw the skillet in there and it burns the gunk off. Is this true ?
Is it safe to cook recipes with tomatoes in my cast iron pots. Years ago, I had a problem with a pot after making spaghetti sauce in it. It seemed like the acid from the tomatoes made it smell like a chemical-type smell….and it made a bad dark coating inside my pot (that would ruin the next food that was cooked). I have a glass top stove now and was wondering if anyone used cast iron on this type of stove?
I have been told NOT to use cast iron on ceramic cook tops because of the heat concentration. A friend of a friend said their cooktop shattered. No idea of the exact situation.
I use my cast iron frying pan often. It is always sitting on my stove. It does not rust because after I use it. I clean it with 1/3 cup of salt and a scrubbie. After I have scrubbed it down I add olive oil and continue. Then I dump out the salt and yuck. I wipe the pan down with a clean paper towel and it is done until the next time I use it. No water is used.
How can I use cast iron pans on a glass top stove with out scratching the glass?
I use SOS pads and then bake at 350 till dry and then use crisco on a paper towel.
I never put water in my cast iron. I use oil and salt and paper towels or an old rag. Rinse with oily rag.
Am going to try the soda and water,then wipe it with oil.thanks.
I too have an electric glass top stove and wonder if I can use cast iron skillets on it. Will the skillet become so hot it might crack the glass top? Do you normally use high stove settings for cooking with cast iron? I received some pre-seasoned iron skillets for Christmas this past year and would like to use them, but am afraid to. Also, since they are pre-seasoned already, do I need to do anything special before I use them for the first time?
Please help me
I would treat them like they weren’t preseasoned and season them myself. An extra seasoning certainly won’t hurt them, but cooking in one that isn’t seasoned, or not seasoned WELL can be a headache. Just because Murphy’s Laws do exist, I’d season it myself to start. The choice is yours. If you go with their preseasoning, and get any sticking etc., you can always season it after trying it too. It’s all a journey, most important? ENJOY!
I love my cast iron pan for oven cooking one pan meals, it is so easy and doesn’t take much of my free time. However I have a convection oven/microwave in my camper. Is it safe to put the cast iron pan in it. I have been afraid to try it??
Hi, Onalee! I’ve never used my cast iron skillet in the microwave. I’m not sure if it is safe or not.
I have also used coconut oil to season the skillets
DANGER!!! DO NOT!! put iron pans, or for that matter, ANYKIND of metal in a Microwave Oven. It will Badly, Burn up/Blow up the microwave oven, and possibly cause a major home fire. You could also, possibly, cause serious injury to yourself or to others, depending on where you are standing.
I’ve always cleaned my cast iron by adding a small amount of Olive or Canola Oil, and salt, to the warm iron cookware, and wipe clean with a rag or paper towel. Then store in the oven, warmed at first.
I’ve never used the salt trick, but I have a brother-in-law that is a chef and he suggested using ice in my cast iron. In a hot skillet I use an ice cube and hold on to it with a paper towel and scrape it around. As the ice melts it always keeps a nice sharp edge on it. Sometimes I use a few cubes, but can always get it clean. I then use crisco to coat it, heat it until it just starts to smoke, turn off the burner and let it cool. I only use cast iron and have been doing it this way for years.
I have my grandmother’s, my son want one. But I am going to get him a new set. What is the Best way to season a new set.
Hi, Donna! I’ve never seasoned a new cast iron skillet, but I assume that it may be the same way as an old one.
I followed these steps to clean my own skillet after cooking my steaks . You gave great instructions that were very easy to follow. Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Hi, Scott! I’m glad you found the instructions useful!
I love my cast iron skillet but I would love a good corn bread recipe I can cook in one of my skillets. I have never tried one. Thanks for all the tips on cleaning and seasoning cast iron!!
Kathie
I have read all of these posts and most of you have given good tips.I grew up cooking with nothing but cast iron. I grew up on a farm in the mountains of SW Virginia, I am now 73 years young. We didn’t have gas or electric stoves or crisco or all of those oils that are out there nowadays. We had big ole coal and wood cooking stoves and lard that we made ourselves. We also made our own soap, better known as lye soap. For those of you that don’t know lye soap is very acidic and very strong. Now when it came to cleaning our cast iron skillets and pots we used hot water and lye soap, rinsed well then sat on burner to dry we always reseasoned with lard. Other than the lye soap which I do not use anymore. I still use lard to season all my cast iron.
I have seasoned my newly acquired cast iron skillet several times now and the inside is sticky. What can I do to fix that? Anxious to use it so would appreciate any advice I can get. Thank you!
I have begun to give a medium cast iron skillet as a bridal shower gift with a handwritten letter on how to care for it. I also make the analogy that a marriage is like a cast iron skillet. If you neglect to properly care for it and give the time and effort it needs, it will fail. However, if you successfully take care of it, it will last many years, possibly even your entire life. I have two of my mom’s skillets and every time I use one, I am reminded of great memories we had made before she passed away 20 years ago. So far, each bride has expressed appreciation for the thoughtfulness. In today’s world, barely anything is made to last a lifetime. I love it.
Its time to show some magic to my mom.Thanks for the article and great idea.
My SanDiego son-in-law has a deep, cast iron skillet that he loves to use, but this summer he enjoyed cooking with a heavy flat little Pampered Chef skillet at my house in Michigan. Today I bought a vintage, cast iron “Maid of Honor” round skillet at a local auction. Perfect for fried eggs and pancakes–but it was a little rusty inside. I was so excited to find your article tonight! It will make the perfect birthday gift and he will be so impressed that I cleaned and seasoned it!
Hi! Just read your post about cast iron pans. I have a couple of them but not sure how often I’m supposed to season them. Do I do it everytime I use them??
Hi, Olivia! You don’t need to do it everytime. I do mine maybe once a year if it needs it.
Hola ! Tengo una olla de hierro …pesada gruesa . Está muy ocupado la he limpiado con todo lo que veo en internet, pero está no queda bien …
Está olla ha estado a la intemperie durante varios años.
Me encantaría recobrarla para cocinar en ella …era de mi madre , tiene un significado emocional precioso .
Gracias
Cast iron skillet and frying pan what different?
Hi, Louise! A cast iron skillet is a skillet (or frying pan) made out of cast iron. There are other frying pans that can be made from aluminum or ceramic also.
I’ve by no means used the salt trick, but I’ve a brother-in-regulation that could be a chef and he counseled using ice in my solid iron. In a warm skillet i exploit an ice dice and preserve on to it with a paper towel and scrape it around. because the ice melts it usually maintains a nice sharp area on it. once in a while i take advantage of some cubes, however can continually get it easy. I then use Crisco to coat it, warmth it till it simply begins to smoke, flip off the burner and let it cool. I simplest use solid iron and had been doing it this manner for years.
This was helpful…I like your style and simplicity <3 I have enjoyed reading it through
Awesome post! Thanks for sharing the knowledge and keep up the good work.