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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
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[...] How To Season A Cast Iron Skillet | Southern Plate A good article on seasoning cast iron. Most important point, DO NOT wash wish soap and water, don't keep it in water, and dry it immediately so that it does not rust. I usually don't use water at all, just a good rag to wipe it out after using, and a special plastic scrubby thing I got from Pampered Chef to take off anything that might still be sticking. I use salt to scrub it if something did happen to stick, and then do a quick reseasoning. Cast iron gets hot slower than other metals, but heats much more evenly. It's good for all sorts of cooking (though, honestly, I have not been able to fry an egg in it, sadly..I just haven't been able to master that one). It goes from stove top to oven easily. As a little benefit..you get some added iron in your diet Properly seasoned, you can have a mostly maintenance free cook piece that is good for just about every application. Somewhat Muddled Musings (Blog) | Swagbucks-it's how I fund Christmas! [...]
I am blessed with 2 very well used 6 inch skillets. The trick to frying an egg is use plenty of butter or bacon grease and make sure the pan is hot before you put the egg inn.
Frying an egg…yes butter works great even a little cooking oil…I use olive oil….butter sometimes burns…. You know when the pan is ready when water drops or good ol’ spit “dances” on the surface…crack that egg….a little practice it will be perfect every time.
Good ol’ WHAT??? EEEEEEYEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!
(OTOH, I guess a skillet that hot sterilizes anything that touches it. Yes. I choose to believe that. Just as soon as I expunge this image from every neuron I posess.)
I mean “possess.” Ssorrrrryyyy.
I received a new iron skillet for Christmas this year …. can’t say how much this article cleared up the ‘how do I season my new skillet’ question! Happy new year.
I am so glad you found it too!! You are going to LOVE the skillet!
I just got a new cast iron skillet for Christmas.I haven’t seasoned it yet. But when I do, will it be smooth? It is very rough like sand paper right now.
Tks-Chris
it will be smooth….not to worry
My mother is dying and she told me that she had a dream about her mother’s pineapple upside down cake. I have the recipe but my grandmother always baked it in an iron skillet. To be authentic I went and bought an iron skillet and am seasoning it right now. The recipe calls for butter and brown sugar to be melted in the skillet and then the batter to be poured in and then baked in the oven. Will the sugar and butter hurt the seasoning? Now that I have this iron skillet I am determined to learn to cook with it as I know that it is more healthful.
I have made pineapple upside down cake in my 12″ skillet many times. It always turns out beautifully with no problems. Just makes sure when you are melting the butter to do it slowly.
Hi Kathleen. I am wondering if that reciepe for the upside sown cake is a family secret or can you share it? If so, i would love to try this in my skillet!
did you get a answer about the upside down cake,it sounds like a chalenge and a lovley reward after.
About eggs, I have found that if you heat the pan well BEFORE you add the butter/oil, the eggs don’t stick.
One of the best rules of thumb for non stick cooking in ANY pan….hot pan, cold oil. let the pan heat, add cold/room temperature oil, let that heat then add food.
I am the proud owner of many iron skillets some as old as 1892, all of them are still in use and in perfect condition. I agree with how this website says to season them. I do sometimes use coconut oil instead of lard, but both are fantastic. I do wash my skillets with hot soap water after each use and “re-grease” them with Pam. The trick is to wash them quickly and NEVER let them soak in water. Honestly I want to know the pan I am cooking in is clean and I have never had a problem doing this. If my skillet (or if I find a one at a yardsale or thrift store) is coming into my collection; it is first put in my self cleaning oven for the 3 hour cycle. I remove it the next day (when it is perfectly cooled) and scrub it with a Brillo pad until it is free of rust and then I follow these instructions on curing it. Never ever use power tools, lye or oven cleaner to clean a skillet it will ruin it. Treat them well and they will out last you.
Melissa, you are so fortunate to have kept all your iron skillets. I’ve had several throughout the years and they always get pinched (stolen) the only explanation that I have. One of these days I would like to have a couple of replacements.
One question for you: When you put a skillet into your self clean oven for the 3 hr cycle, do you remove your racks? (‘cuz with my oven you are supposed to) if so, do you just put it on the bottom of the oven between the elements?
Thanks!
Can you use crisco or better yet olive oil instead of unhealthy lard???..I’m a major fan of extra virgin olive oil!! Thanks
The lard is only used for the seasoning of the pan to create that nonstick surface and protect it. Kind of like the way orange oil is used on wood to protect it. It soaks into the pan but when you’re cooking its not being transferred to your food. It’s the same idea as using a seasoned baking stone. It just makes the surface nonstick.
Yes, you certainly can use olive oil, and that’s exactly what I do. (Use the cheap kind, not the good stuff). I learned to season a skillet from a Spanish cook, and the process involved covering the bottom with about 1/4 inch of salt, floating it in olive oil and putting it over a low flame for about a half hour. Let it cool, dump it out and wipe out the pan thoroughly with cloth or paper towels. The resulting finish has a nice sheen and is nonstick. To clean after use, just use hot water and towel. It’s ok to soak it in clear water. I sometimes use a little light detergent without soaking. Either way, dry immediately by heating the skillet on a very low flame until the water evaporates. That’s all.
I bought a tube of Cast Iron Conditioner made to be used for this purpose. It is pure “food grade palm oil”. I think you would want an oil that is least likely to go rancid, but don’t really know if this is an issue. I am just starting to use cast iron also. Bought my pan at a garage sale and now I am wishing that I bought the others they had there for sale. Crisco is pure trans fat (don’t believe the label, they get around the labeling rules by “per serving” tricks) and you don’t want to have anything to do with trans fats. Maybe coconut oil would be good. I know it is really good for you.
I have just recently purchased a “pre-seasoned” cast iron skillet (Lodge) but because of this post, I am do the seasoning steps noted here using some of the beloved bacon fat that I’ve saved (thanks to another SP post) and have it now sitting in the oven at 200 ……. Then I think tomorrow I will figure something out to make in my newly seasoned, pre-seasoned pan.
Thanks for this post. I just bought a cast iron pan *accidentally* It’s from Ikea and has the blue ceramic enamel on the outside. Maybe you know the one? I thought it was ceramic on the inside. Oops. ANYWAY…I have a QUESTION…Why do you coat the outside of the pan and the handle with lard, too? This doesn’t make sense to me, as food only goes on the inside…? Thank you in advance!
In your case you wouldn’t treat the outside because yours is ceramic coated. If it wasn’t coated in ceramic you would then season both inside and outside to protect it from rust and damage.
Thanks so much for posting these easy step by step instructions. My cast iron pan is seasoning right now!
found a dutch oven and big pan [ with lids ]in dirt chicen coop lots of rust , scubbed steel woolwashed , soap gave up took to sand blasters nice and grey iron and ready for season ,
Although my husband doesn’t spell very well, he does know how to clean a cast iron pan, even though I told him to throw them away!
When I was a young girl, part of our spring cleaning was to take all of the cast iron skillets outside and and scour them inside and out with dry SAND, and then re-season them. Worked like a charm!
I have 3 never used skillets. The small one is rusty and never have been used or in water. Instead of lard can shortening be used to season these 3 skillets? Thank you for your answer in advance.
Can you use chicken lard for seasoning a cast iron pan? Also I have a cast iron dutch oven ( or 4qt.pot) which I would like to use for soups and stews but doesn’t the tomato acid affect the pot? My meals came out tasting like metal. I don’t know how to use this pot and really don’t want to get rid of it. Help!!!
Someone upthread mentioned their Lodge pre-seasoned cast iron piece. I recently bought several Lodge pieces. I followed the instructions on the label for my first use – I used it to make ground beef taco meat. It worked as advertised, but I still decided to reseason it (and the other pieces – a smaller skillet and a 5qt dutch oven) using this method. They’re in the oven now. I don’t know, something just seemed off about not having to season it. The finish on the new, unused pieces was rough to the touch and vaguely shiny looking, and the more I looked at it the more I questioned using it without seasoning. YMMV, of course.
Hello…I have lots of hand me down cast iron skillets. I love mine! I do not allow any pork products in my home . I use coconut & olive oil on mine, they are beautiful! And frying an egg…mine don’t stick.I also had the cast iron muffin pans, they was real rough, i didn’t know as i used them that they would had gotten smoother….thanks for the awesome tips!
This actually isn’t the best way to cure a cast iron skillet, even though on the surface it makes sense. The problem is that the lard doesn’t penetrate the skillet, but rather dries on the surface and makes a non-stick sheen. The first time I seasoned a cast iron skillet I left some oil in the pan to puddle because I thought the same thing, that the oil penetrated the skillet, but when I took the skillet out of the oven the skillet had seasoned everywhere except where the oil had puddled. One trick to get around this is to actually put the skillet in your oven upside down so no oil puddles and everything dries out uniformly.
My mother just gave me a couple of Cast iron pans. Her and her boyfriend are heavy smokers. I plan on re seasoning the one and the other seems to be brand new. My wife washed them with soap and water trying to rid the nicotine smell. No luck, what is a good way to get rid of that nasty smell?
Try “washing” them with salt instead of soap.
Put in self cleaning oven and run the cycle then season, works evey time
Thanks I will try that.
this is wonderful, I have a pan that when my grandmother passed away she gave to me (well b4 she passes she said that she wanted me to have it) I cooked stake in it and it has started to rust, I was looking for a good way to reseason the pan (i have 3 others that i am going to do also) The pan means a lot to me but i still cook with it as it is what she would want! I am going to have to go buy some lard (i was hoping i could do it with vegitable oil but i will go with your method) Anyways thanks for the advice and i love cast iron I have cooked with cast pans sence i was ‘knee high to a grass-hopper’ (yes im a southern craker (4th gen!)
Can I use vegetable shortening instead of lard or bacon drippings to re-condition my iron skillet?
[...] crispness and flavor. If you are unsure of how to season your skillet there is a great tutorial here (although I think that rather than putting it in the oven at 200 degrees for 3 hours you can do [...]
I currently use lard and season out on the gas grill. But after my husband got cancer I started researching the foods we eat. I learned about the hazards of crisco, canola, soy etc. I now buy coconut oil, olive oil and yes, lard. Never thought I’d say that! Since coconut oil has a high heat point and will not turn rancid when heated or stored, I think I’m going to wipe down my pans with it after use. Seems like this might keep them all seasoned up. Please re-think the oils some of you are using. Look it up. I leaned so much. Here’s to your health!!
Dori, I am right there with you!!! Have been reading Bruce Fife’s books on coconut oil since February and have learned so much!!! I am now following Cherie Calbom’s “The Coconut Diet” This book is also filled with great information!!! I also have been wiping my cast iron with coconut oil after used and it is working great!!!
Dori, agreed on the oils. You Tube vid “The Oiling of America” is very informative and as a result, I too only use meat fats and coconut oil to cook. Olive Oil only for salads, and absolutely NO crisco or other vegie oils.
I found some old and unique skillets in the woods at an 1835 house I bought, and seasoned them. My favorite is an old 8″ Wagner with high thin sides and a small standoff rim around the bottom. I found that chicken fat (that you get rid of when making stock) makes for excellent seasoning.
One time a friend took one of my skillets to a church supper and decided to run it through the church dishwasher. The seasoning was shot and the skillet had a nice patina of rust over the whole thing. Start over!
Thanks for all the tips. I would agree with John that to place the pan upside down is an excellent tip. I think I read that on the Lodge website at one time.
And I hadn’t thought of seasoning the outside as well. I’m re-doing my 2 fry pans as they have gotten rusty and unusable.
A relative got me a very small cast iron pan; one large enough to hold a fried egg and that one does have a very good patina on it.
I do find it interesting that various fats are mentioned and that we can return to the lard once used for years. That was before processing.
Never use any soap on seasoned iron! Just rinse with water and wipe it out. Before you use it again, just heat it up before adding the food…….the heat will kill the germs without ruining the seasoning.
I have a 4 inch deep 10.5 inch diameter cast iron chicken fryer I use to fry pork steaks and chicken wings. I leave the grease in the skillet and store it in the oven. Before the next use, I just scoop the old flour crisps off the bottom of the skillet with a slotted spatula, then it’s ready to use again…….I’ve done this for years. I have never had to reseason my fryer because it stores the lard all the time.
I also have a more shallow cast iron skillet that I use just to fry fish about twice a month. I store the fish grease in that one.
My cast iron griddle is great for eggs. I also store that in my oven and just wipe clean before the next use. It’s great for grilled cheese sandwiches as well.
Yes, I have to remove 3 cast iron skillets before I can use my oven, but that is so much easier than draining the grease out of each one after every use and trying to find cabinet space to store them all.
[...] a new pan or if I decide to re-season one of ours, I would probably use the method described on the Southerplate website . I personally think that using store bought lard or homemade lard taken from bacon [...]
Hi! I just got a double burner cast iron griddle. It’s double sided (flat on one side to make pancakes and grill on other for hamburgers and steaks.) After reading this how to, it seems that if I cook, let’s say pancakes, then the seasoning on the grill side will burn off? Is that correct? What do you guys recommend for care for this type of pan? Any advice would be great! Thanks!
When I was first married and living far away from my Mama, I wanted a black cast iron skillet like hers. Looked and looked and looked but could only find shiny gray ones!!! When I told her about my search, she just smiled and said that her skillet had belonged to her mother before her and taken a lifetime to reach the black stage that hers was in. Then I learned how to season cast iron!!!!
Pineapple Upside Down Cake in a Cast Iron skillet…made it for the first time a week ago! I had forgotten what a difference a it makes in the flavor to mak a cake from scratch! I used this recipe from Ree Drummond, it’s perfect and
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (In an Iron Skillet)
I love making this traditional, no-frills upside-down cake in an iron skillet. It makes me feel like a rebel. Makes one 10- to 12-inch cake
2½ cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
¼ pound (1 stick) butter
¼ cup shortening
1½ cups milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
one 20-ounce can sliced pineapple,
2 tablespoons juice reserved (drink the rest)
11/3 cups packed brown sugar
maraschino cherries (optional)
1.Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. To make the cake batter, in a large mixing bowl place the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, ½ stick of the butter, the shortening, milk, eggs, vanilla, and reserved pineapple juice.
3. Mix until well combined. Set aside.
4. Melt the remaining ½ stick butter in a 10- or 12-inch iron skillet over medium heat. Swirl to thoroughly coat the skillet.
5. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter, making sure it’s evenly distributed.
6. You want the entire surface of the butter to be covered in brown sugar. Do not stir.
7. As soon as the sugar dissolves, place a layer of pineapple slices over the top.
8. If desired, place maraschino cherries in the center of the pineapple slices. I love using cherries in pineapple upside-down cake. I think they’re kitschy.
9. Pour the batter evenly over the pineapple slices.
10. Evenly distribute it over the surface of the pineapple. Gently spread to even out the
surface.
11. Bake the cake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out
clean. The cake will be slightly uneven on top, but don’t worry . . .the top will soon be upside down. Get it?
12. Immediately run a knife around the edge of the cake . . .
13. Then place a cake plate upside down on top of the skillet.
14. Very carefully invert the skillet so that the cake is turned upside down onto the cake plate.
15. Because of the butter, it should come out pretty easily; if a little bit of the cake sticks to the pan, just use a small knife to patch it back together. The cake is on the rustic/imperfect side anyway, so it’ll look just fine.
Allow it to cool slightly before cutting into wedges with a serrated knife.
Best when served warm.
easy!
I might add one thing. Don’t forget the bottom. I inherited some cast iron skillets from my mother. The inside was fine, but there were patches of rust on the bottom. I’m following the same steps as above for the outside and hope that’s OK.
I have a ceramic stovetop. Can I use a cast iron frying pan on a ceramic stovetop?
Joni, I have been told you could as long as you don’t slide it over the burner top since this will scratch the surface. I have done it a few times but am afraid to try it to much.
I wouldn’t use cast iron on a ceramic stovetop, but you can use an enameled cast iron one!
I tried seasoning with this method but get a sticky coating all over the surface. what am I doing wrong? HELP!
I have a really old cast iron skillet that probably has had scouring pads used on it and it now has some rust. Is it salvageable?
Pat
I recently received a cast iron Griddle from a friend. I have no idea what to do with it. Do I use it on the stove top? What do I cook in it?
I’m going to re season mine tomarrow.
I keep an old razor blade (the kind for a paint scraper) that has a safe side close to the kitchen sink and use that to scrape any build up off the pans, then I generally rinse with a little water (rarely a little soap) and dry them thoroughly.
[...] sketchy lady on Freecycle. The pans stunk of cigarette smoke and were filthy but, after some loving seasoning, they are now some of my favorite kitchen implements. The 12 inch size is a good place to start, [...]
I could use some help. I have two cast iron skillets that I got from my mother. She got them from her mother. One is a Griswold 704 Erie, PA 8″ skillet. The insides have been very well taken care off, but the outside has built up a layer of built up crud. I can’t scrub it off, even with steel wool. I think it’s just layers of built up oil and grease. Is there any way to get it off. The skillets still cook perfectly and I love them. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks
Val,
I recently acquired my mothers iron skillets that had layers of built up crud. I placed mine upside down in my gas grill at the highest setting to burn them off. It took about 2 hours, I checked them about every 30 minutes. Once they were smooth and cooled I reseasoned them according to the directions on this site. I hope this helps.
I was wondering if anyone has used their cast iron skillets on a glass top range? A friend of mine used her old Calphelon pans (the bottoms had a build up on them) and her range top got baked on circles that could not be removed. The mfg. rep told her it was from the bottoms of the old pans. Since seasoned cast iron skillets have baked on grease on the bottoms will that transfer to the glass top?
I needed to season an old skillet that had kinda gotten misplaced. I knew this was the place to look. Thanks Christy
My dad gave me 2 of my mother’s iron skillets and they where in need of being “burnt off”. After much reading on this site and others I decided to put mine on my grill outside. I must say it worked wonderfully! I ran some steel wool over them to remove the rust and rinsed in hot water. Following the directions on this site they are now in the oven. I can’t wait to see how they turn out. I will post the outcome. Thank you so much for all the information.
I hope they turn out great for you Lynn. There is nothing like preserving such wonderful treasures that were once your mothers.
I found a nice Country Morning™ Cast Iron Stovetop Griddle at http://www.bakingandcookware.com/catalog/item/8654673/9588898.htm
It is already preseasoned and long enough to fit accross two burners. They had a sale and I had to get it! I am glad that I did! I have several other cast iron cookwares from my grandma and they also are great but want to have a large griddle.
Update: My Iron skillets came out wonderful! I have been using them nearly everyday, cooking every thing from corn bread to frying eggs and nothing sticks! Thank you so much for this site.
I came back to this site because my dutch oven had not been used for a few years and needed re-seasoning. I read every post. Lot of good info.
My two Griswold skillets are at least 100 years old. I use them nearly everyday for breakfast. My wedge pan was a challenge to make perfect cornbread. Finally got ‘er done.
I have bought cast iron from thrift stores that were so bad. I build a big fire with limbs or wood outdoors and throw them into it. It cleans them throughly. Then i season them as above and never wash but just wipe them out with a paper towel. Love cooking with cast iron.
I remember my mom putting her iron skillets into the wood stove overnight, with a big fire in it. That would burn off any thick, rough residue due to their constant use. They came out as smooth, just like new. Then she would re-season them. I now have her 10″ skillet and a very deep skillet that I use for a deep fryer. Looking for lids though.