How To Season A Cast Iron Skillet
*If this is your first time at Southern Plate, I recommend clicking here!
Today I am thrilled to bring you a guest blogger who will be speaking on a topic we all need to know about! As a Mechanical Design Engineer, Richard Hall may seem an unlikely choice for a food blogger, but his heritage, common sense know how, and generosity in sharing his knowledge with us make him the perfect choice for a topic of the utmost importance to any Southern cook! Be sure to visit his blog! Thank you, Rich!
Hey all,
It is a pleasure to blog on southernplate.com. Just as Christy has written about her southern heritage, mine is similar. Both sets of my grandparents were sharecroppers in southern Tennessee and North Alabama. I grew up eating fresh southern food out of the garden and barnyard.
Since Christy has all these great southern recipe’s, I thought it might be useful to share how to season a cast iron skillet or other type cast iron cooking vessel. You may ask, what is seasoning and why do I need to season my cast iron skillet? The answer is very simple. Seasoning is making your cast iron non-stick like all the new miracle cookware. And the why is you can buy and maintain a non-stick skillet with nothing more than lard and common sense and it will never wear out. The cast iron skillet can be used to cook on the stovetop, the oven or the grill. A good iron skillet can be passed down as an heirloom if taken care of properly.
It is very simple to do albeit a little messy. What you will need is the cast iron skillet, a box of lard, which can be purchased in your favorite supermarket for less than $2.00, a roll of heavy paper towels and an oven. Just a quick note, the seasoning of a new skillet and the re-seasoning of an existing skillet are the same except for the first step. So lets get started.
Make sure your new skillet has been washed in hot water and mild detergent. This will remove the factory anti-rust coating. For re-seasoning an existing skillet, just make sure to wipe the entire surface with hot water and a clean wash cloth or paper towel (sponges need not apply).
Dry the skillet by heating on the cook top then let it rest and cool. Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees.
Fold the paper towel into a fourth and place a dollop of lard in the skillet. The size is not important, but for a 10” skillet, use about 1/4th of a cup. More can be added as required to cover.
Take the paper towel and coat the interior, the exterior down to the bottom edge and the handle liberally.
I don’t coat the very bottom of the skillet, as any cook surface that it touches will make smoke and just burn off the lard.
Once you have the skillet coated, place it in the oven (at 200 degrees) and set a timer for 3 hours. This low temp will open the cast iron pores up and allow the lard to penetrate as it liquefies.
After the time is up, cut off the oven and let the skillet cool. Once it is cool enough to touch, wipe it down with another paper towel to remove most of the lard and just leave a thin coat on the surfaces.
In another hour or so, wipe it down again.
After this final wipe, the skillet will continue to cool and in about an hour will look like the last picture.
Now you are ready to use the skillet. For the first couple of uses, cook something greasy like bacon or sausage. This will help to heat cycle and re-coat the interior surface which will make the non-stick coating better. Also be aware that it is going to smoke the first couple of uses as it heat cycles and burns off the water trapped in the pores and the excess lard.
To maintain the skillet you will need to wipe the interior every couple of months with bacon grease during a heat cycle or cook something greasy and re-season about every 2 years following the process above.
Also, don’t let food sit in the skillet as this will remove the seasoning.
After each use, wash the skillet out using a very mild soap solution and warm water. NEVER wash in the dishwasher. The reason for using mild soap solution is to keep from removing the seasoning layer.
One other note that I personally do is the drying step after a wash. I will turn the cook top on to high and place the wet skillet on it for about a minute. This will heat the skillet up enough to dry the water and heat cycle the pores. This keeps everything as it should be.
If you choose, you can render your own lard from bacon drippings. If you own a microwave bacon-cooking tray it is very easy. Just cook some bacon and let the drippings cool either in the tray or pour them into a bowl or shallow dish while still hot. Once it has cooled and congealed, you can use it just like the lard as described above. This is perfect for the occasional re-seasoning of your skillet.
I hope this has been helpful and if you have any questions just direct them to Southernplate.com and I’m sure Christy can find me to get the answers.
See you on the Internet, Rich
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P.S. From Christy: This post would no be complete without me sharing one of my all time favorite Southern Plate comments with y’all! Special thanks to Bill Gent for this sweet, horrifying, and hilarious memory!
When I was about 7 or 8 I saw those dirty old skillets and decided I would clean them both real good with SOS pads. My mama would be so proud that I got off all that old black stuff and make-em shiny. I took them outside and used the garden hose since I didn’t wanna make a mess inside. I proudly took them to her when I was finished and proclaimed my good deed. I heard a gasp. She calmly said..”Why thank you honey.. but.. uhh..” I don’t know why I remember it.. maybe it was that horrified gasp that burned it into my memory. ~Bill Gent
Great Cast Iron Recipes to Start You Off!
I’m headed out of town for the weekend to go to a Blogging conference. Y’all have a good one and I’ll see ya when I get back! Gratefully, Christy
Posted by Christy Jordan
on Feb 5 2009. Filed under Misc, Newsletters.
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Bill cracks me up.
SO I have a couple of questions. My mother-in-law just bought be a hoe cake pan and a small 10″ skillet, preseasoned. So I don’t need to do this seasoning process for 2 more years?
Also, I dry my skillet on high heat also and then rub Crisco on the inside and on the handle. Do I also need to coat the outside to keep it from rusting?
Can I store them in eachother? I usually have both pans on my stove at all times. The skilleis resting on the hoecake pan. Will they rust if I keep doing this?
Thanks!
Angela,
The seasoning reapplication time depends on the use and care. If you cook fatty foods then the seasoning will last longer. If you cook acidic foods and don’t maintain by periodically wiping with lard or bacon grease, then the seasoning will wear faster. You will be able to tell when you need to reapply by looking at how the food comes off the cooking surface. If it starts to stick you should think about reseasoning.
The drying with heat should prevent the outside from rusting but if you don’t use them often they will surface rust. A light wipe on the outside will keep this from happening. As far as using Crisco, this is ok for maintanace but if you store them for a long period without use, the vegitable oil based product will go rancid. This is why lard is preferred.
If you make sure that the bottom of the pan is dry before stacking there should not be an issue with stacking them. My wife and I keep ours stacked by size in the cabinet all the time.
I hope this answers your questions.
Rich
Guess I need to go buy some lard just for the cast iron pans. I have had bad luck with them rusting in the past so I wanna be careful and make sure to do everything right this time.
Thanks, Rich!
I’m sorry I come from the old country of Missouri and my mama would have slapped my face if I put bacon grease on her Iron skillet to season it. You should never put any grease on it to season that has salt in it. It will eventually make it pit…..The lard is a good choice not bacon grease.
Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
Great topic!
I have a couple dutch ovens that I love to take camping with us and cook in over the campfire.
I also have a couple skillets that are sitting in the basement that I just never took the time to season, just might have to pull them out and use them.
Michele
HAHA! Glad I could help!
One thing Maybe Richard could answer. I have my grandmothers cast iron Dutch Oven. Its rusted but just looks like surface rust. Would it get in the pores making it unusable? Can I get the rust out with Steel wool? (I guess I can use an SOS pad although I have a strange aversion to them for some reason..)
Hi Bill! I jus wanted to add that I have a cast iron pan that was never properly seasoned, I spent a day scrubbing it in good soapy hot water to get all the rust off, then dried it out and seasoned it as above – I’ve now had this pan for about 6 years and it is my favorite skillet! Good luck!
I have a strange aversion to sos pads also. I never knew anyone else had this problem. I also do not know what it stems from. It makes my skin crawl to touch one, almost like nails on a chalkboard to some people. Wonder what causes it?
Bill,
I have found that a regular green scouring pad will take the surface rust off unless it has been sitting in water or a damp location. Use some good hot heavy detergent water and scrub away. Then use the seasoning process and it shoud be good as new!
Rich
Time to drag my old skillet out. Thanks for inspiring me to do so.
Your next contest should be “Oldest Cast Iron” stories/pictures! I use my Great Grandmother’s dutch oven, it cooks great!
I’ve also heard of people greasing the cast iron and buring it in the ground in a fire pit. Heard that works like a charm!
how can I get all the CRUD on the bottom (outside) removed?
My skillet is about 25 years old.
thanks
Carole,
Have you tried hot soapy water and a Brillo or other metal scrubber? How about a steel brush? The last resort is to have them sandblasted. BUT if the junk on the bottom is only cosmetically unappealing, and the inside is seasoned well, I would just leave it on there.
Well,Christy and Bill,I’ve cleaned and seasoned these old pots all my life,which is very long,and for about 30 years,for family and many friends.I used to burn outside on a good oak fire and season in the stove as said in post.I changed when I was about 30 years old,I sand blast the pot,10-15 minutes,and then turn it upside down on a plate of steel(where its lays flat),and take a torch,after greasing,and gradually heat it up,then turn over and do the inside.Now,you stop all the smoke inside the house.After cooling,take in wash properly,and fry a few pieces of bacon for the dog,then clean it and store.So,if you find them laying around,take it to your local sand blaster,if its not broken,and have a new one shortly!! By the way,”Love the site,Christy”, and “You Northern folks,shut that southern door,we here on the Southern Mississippi Coast,love our warm nights”!!
I use to season mine over an outside fire. Glad I don’t have to do that anymore, got ‘em all broke in for years now. Cast iron is all I cook on or in.
Sorry I got distractd and hit send too soon. This is a great post ’cause I’ve had several people ask me through the years how to season cast iron. It seems dauntin’ to people and now you’re showin’ how easy it is.
this is THE BEST cast-iron seasoning tutorial i’ve ever found–thanks, c!!!!!!!!!
homestyle cornbread, on the way!
Funny you mentioned cornbread. I made the best cornbread in my skillet tongiht. It was DELISH!!! I swear, cast iron just ROCKS!
Thanks for the tips, I can’t believe that everyone doesn’t have a grease can/jar sittin on the stove
and fry bacon for the dog?
No way I don’t their food so they can’t have mine
I love my old dog,and not being hard on him,but usually the first frying in the skillet,dutch oven,or any reseasoning,there is a sorta black,loosing of things,and this gets them out of the way for cooking.I should have explained,but doing this alot,you sorta overlook some things,which are important,to others !! Yes,most all cooks keep the bacon grease.I still got the washpot and large paddle,as a kid,I cooked cracklings and grease out,sometimes for days.Then I also,kept the smoke going in the smokehouse!! I would help clean the hogs,and then help with the sauage stuffing,salt meat,and hang the hams on the old”Bear Grass”!!Some may frown,but such a “wonderful time”!!
That’s reminded me of one of my all-time favorite smells, the old smokehouse. It’s been 15 years or so since I’ve had that privilege. Nothing beat it!!
Thanks for the tutorial! I was doing most of that, but I picked up a few details! I acquired two rusty cast iron skillets when I bought my house. I think the previous owners didn’t want to bother cleaning them up! One is a Griswold and the other is Lodge. My father is a cast iron aficionado and apparently Griswold is like the Cadillac of cast iron and Lodge is more like a Chevy Malibu!
this is just what i needed. i have three to season. Thanks
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Excellent tutorial on seasoning cast iron…. thanks so much!!
Super blog! I bought my husband a big, new iron griddle for Christmas to use while we camp, and now I can even season it for him!
Bills story is too funny!
thanks for the lessson…..I never knew how to season one.
Thanks for the info. I was the blessed recipient of a seasoned cast iron skillet passed down to me by my husbands grandmother. I haven’t had to season my own yet, but just in case, it’s always good to know.
Bill~ thank you, thank you, thank you!
My father passed away 1 month ago today. In going through some old things in the garage. I stumbled upon the mother load of cast iron cookware. I have everything from skillets, to dutch ovens, to corn stick pans. There was also 3 well loved, well seasoned skillets in the kitchen. My Dad used these almost every day. I will treasure them forever.
The things that I found in the garage are not seasoned and are rusted, some worse than others. I don’t think that soap and hot water will take some of it off. Any other suggestions? Should I use an SOS pad to remove it? I really want to keep these.
Thanks for any and all suggestions / advice!
Leah
OH Christy…..I also cleaned my moms cherished skillet. Only I used cleanser and SOS pad, I remember it actually had a “gray dull shine”. My mom about fainted, and then explained to me the cast iron seasoning and why it should NEVER be washed. Mom is no 81 and still remembers her shining cast iron skillet. I now have my own skillets which only get wipped out.
Bev
Question. I have a lot of cast iron. Had some for years and some from my mother. But recently I acquired an old cast iron kettle. It has quite a bit of white stuff in it from boiling water. How do I clean this? Do you still season it? That doesn’t seem quite right. But it does seem to need something. Thanks.
NM Susieq,
Sorry for not responding to your post sooner, I guess I just over looked it. I would suggest soaking the kettle in a vinegar/water solution. Use 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar. Soak it overnight and then wash it with hot soapy water. If you plan on using the kettle for boiling cooking water, I would suggest not seasoning the inside as you might have “greasy” bacon tasting water or other hot drink. If you are just going to boil water for the humidity, I don’t see any reason not to season it inside and out. For which ever you choose, clean and season the outside and lid as shown.
I had checked back a couple of times and had not realized it had been so long this last time. But THANK YOU very much for getting back with me. I will try the vinegar to clean it up and then just season the outside and lid. Again thanks!
I have a cast iron skillet that was seasoned wrong and doesn’t work all that great. Do you have any suggestions on re-seasoning it?
Thank you!
I would scrub it up with hot soapy water. Get it as clean as possible and then follow the directions for seasoning as above.
New Mexico Susieq
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I have an old cast iron skillet and a newer grill pan that has rusted. How do you get the rust off them so then ca be used again, and how do I keep them from rusting again? I have always heated them up on the stove after washing. One person said I could pop them in the over when I use my self cleaning setting. Have you heard of this?
Thanks for listing all your recipes on one site. It makes it so much easier for me to find the ones I like and not have to keep every newsletter you mail out.
Thanks,
Wendy
I have used SOS pads to clean them up along with hot soapy water. This should clean off the rust. At this point it needs to be seasoned as above. When washing I only use hot water. I then set it on a burner and as the water dries I brush bacon grease on it. Shortening should also work. This renews the seasoning. I have a skillet I received as a wedding present 48 years ago. It still looks and works great.
I don’ have a oven. Can I season it in my pit?
I had begged for several years and this past birthday (about a month ago) I FINALLY got a cast iron skillet. I never knew how to season it and everyone I asked told me something different. I’m glad I found this page. It’s a very easy to follow tutorial. I’m book marking this page because now maybe just maybe I’ll get the dutch oven that’s on my Christmas list
Hi,
I got an old Griswold pan which looked black and seasoned to my unexperienced eye but it turned out to be just really dark rust oiled all over. I soaked it in the 50/50 water and vinegar mix as some have advised and it took about two days and several washes to get it clean. I couldn’t get into some areas of pitting and patchy rust but I was sick of scrubbing so I just followed the directions for seasoning as above. It’s in the oven as I write and I hope someone can tell me if it’s ok to do that. The inside looks pretty rust free.
I also noticed that when I larded it up, the grease would get kinda gray looking from the pan, is that normal?
Lastly, man, I sure wish someone had warned me about the smell of hot smoking lard!! whoo…I got all windows open ad the back door too.
Thanks!
If you want to get all the crud out of you cast iron skillet then put you cast iron skillet in the oven on 550 degrees for 4 hrs. This will cook away anything ever put on the cast iron skillet. It will look pretty rough when done but all you have to do is let it cool and then put it in soapy water “mild detergent” and a brilio pad and get all scrub it real good until you get everything off then follow the seasoning directions.
Note: Since you are removing all layers of seasoning in this process it might be best to add 2 or 3 coats of seasoning back on the cast iron skillet.
Or if you oven has a self cleaning feature this works great for removing the old season and any left over food that might be on your skillet.
I have an old reversible cast iron griddle/grill that I recently dug out of the garage and hopefully reseasoned properly. To remove the rust, I soaked it for 24 hours in a solution of vinegar and Coke (I didn’t have enough of either so just combined them) then scrubbed the heck out of it with Bar Keeper’s Friend and a green/yellow Scotch Brite scrubbing sponge. The serious rust went away and after washing with hot water and dishwashing detergent, was left with mostly bare metal and what I guess would be termed surface rust that appeared to be forming almost before my eyes. I immediately swabbed it with Crisco and stuck it in the oven for several seasoning sessions on high heat. My question is about that new surface rust…..will the seasoning and subsequent repeated seasonings stop the rust or will it continue to “grow” underneath the seasoning?
Thank you for your website. I swore to my mother 30 years ago that I’d NEVER mess with cast iron cookware but here I am……excited about the prospects to the point that I’ve purchased a large and small dutch oven. Never say never!!!
I would like to say, those of you that wash castiron in soap. I cook very hot green and red chilli in one of my castiron skillets, I rince it out in hot water, light brillo pad, light oil.
The next day my wife decided she was going to fix bacon in it, she didnt know I had used the same skillet for chilli prior.
The bacon was to hot for her to eat it. so If the chilli stayed in the pours of the cast iron, I would think the soap would do the same thing. I dont put soap on any of my cast iron.
I burn my castiron out in the wood burner when the coals are right I put the castiron on top to get plenty hot, then I put the cast iron in on top of the coals and shut the door, about a hour or so depending on how crusty it is… its clean. I rince it in hot water under the faucet in the sink. put it on the burner to dry.
Oil it down put it in the oven for 3hrs at 200 deg. then I wipe the oil out.
Why when i dry off my (old long time used) skillet does it give off black residue & also sometimes turns foods black ? Is this normal or need more seasoning?
Thanks
Thank you for your helpful tips.