Do you need to know how to season cast iron cookware? Whether you have a brand new pan, or have inherited a cast iron skillet that has suffered from years of neglect, this page will help you learn how to season cast iron cookware.
Seasoning A Cast-Iron Pan
This Good Housekeeping video describes an alternate method to season a cast iron pan and create a nonstick finish. The video recommends using liquid vegetable oil, rather than solid, and baking at 350F rather than 300. Several of the tips ar common to all methods, however- make sure to season both the outside and the inside of the pan, allow it to cool in the oven, and don't use soap to clean it as that will wear away the seasoning.
Introduction
Well seasoned cast iron cookware provided cooks with nonstick cooking long before there was Teflon. The process of seasoning a cast iron skillet is simple, and will take you several hours.
Step 1: What You Need to Season Cast Iron
- The cast iron cookware you'll be seasoning
- Steel wool ( if you're rehabilitating an old pan)
- Lard, solid vegetable shortening, or bacon grease
- An oven
- Paper towels
Step 2: How to Season Cast Iron Cookware
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Begin by removing any residue from the pan with steel wool and hot water. Do not use soap. Don't skip this step if it's a new pan-- the manufacturer may have coated the pan with oil that needs to be removed for the seasoning to take.
- Rinse the pan, and dry it thoroughly
- Coat the pan with lard, solid vegetable shortening, or bacon grease.
- Put the pan in the oven.
- In 15 minutes, remove the pan.
- Pour out any excess grease.
- Place the pan back in the oven upside down and bake for an hour.
- Allow the pan to cool, and repeat the process from step 3.
Step 3: Ongoing Maintenance of Cast Iron
- Regularly use the cookware to prepare high fat foods- the fat will help build up the seasoning.
- Never use soap or a scouring pad on the cookware.
- Clean the pan while it is still hot by scraping off any food particles, and rinsing the pan out with hot water.
- Dry the pan thoroughly after each use.
- Don't cook or store high acid foods, such as tomatoes, in the cookware, as they will break down the seasoning.
