Learn To Love Your Cast Iron Skillet
Written by joythebaker on September 7, 2008 – 10:33 pm -
I mentioned last week how dear my cast iron skillet is to me.
I’ll let you in on a little secret. When I’m not eating the ridiculous baked goods that come out of my oven, I’m eating eggs. Eggs inside of fried corn tortillas. I eat eggs because, as a baker, I always have eggs in the fridge and they’re super easy to fry up and call dinner. Eggs, always eggs, with salt, pepper and tortillas. There, now you know.
I cook my eggs and fry my tortillas in the same cast iron skillet day after day. This skillet is always riddled with the evidence of some sort of cooked egg. But with a little hot oil, some salt and a paper towel, it’s as good as clean.
If you have a cast iron skillet that could use some love, here’s how to season and care for that bad boy. Cast iron skillets are too bad ass to waste away in your cupboard. Get to it!
Cast iron, in all of its natural cast iron goodness is a not a nonstick pan. It becomes a nonstick delight through a process called seasoning. Seasoning is basically oiling and baking your cast iron skillet. I’ve seen some cast iron pans sold pre-seasoned in stores. These pans already have their shiny black seasoned finish and you can cook in them immediately. You still may need to re-season these beauties as they go. You may also need to re-season your cast iron if you burn something into the pan and have to scrub it out with soap and water. It’s certainly not the end of the world. A bit of oil and a hot oven will bring your cast iron right back to life.
How to Season Cast Iron
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Position one rack in the top third of the oven. Position another rack in the bottom third of the oven and place an empty foil lined backing sheet on the bottom rack. This sheet will catch any dripping from the cast iron.
2. Open your windows or turn on your stove hood fan. There may be some smoke, but I’ve never had this issue.
3. Over a medium flame, rub a thin layer (about 1 Tablespoon) of vegetable shortening, like Crisco, or oil—bacon grease works great, too—all over the inner bottom and sides of the pan with a paper towel and tongs.
4. Place the oiled pan upside down in the heated oven over the foil lined baking sheet.
5. Bake the cast iron for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and allow the cast iron to cool to room temperature in the oven. Repeat this process 3 or 4 times for best results.
When the pan is perfectly seasoned, the inside with be smooth and shiny. Sometimes after seasoning my pans come out a bit sticky. This usually clears up with a bit of cooking. I usually make sure that the first few things I cook in a newly seasoned cast iron are either fried or sauteed in a bit of oil.
Note: Never cook tomatoes in cast iron. The acid from the tomatoes will break down the seasoned pan.
Another Note: Hardcore cast iron people have different cast iron for different purposes. For example, they season their dessert cast iron with vegetable oil, but their savory cast iron with bacon grease. They have certain cast irons they use for cornbread and other they use for fish dishes. I stay safe and just season all of my cast iron with a tasteless oil so they can go either way.
How to Clean Cast Iron
1. When you’re finished cooking in cast iron, scrape out the pan, while still warm, with a wooden spoon. Wipe it down with a bit of oil on a paper towel. I usually use the canola oil I have on hand.
2. If scraping the pan with a spoon doesn’t get off all the grime, melt a tablespoon of vegetable shortening in the pan, turn off the flame and add a tablespoon of salt. Use a paper towel in tongs to scrub the pan. Wipe salt out with clean paper towel. Run under hot water, dry it well, and follow the re-seasoning directions above.
3. If the wooden spoon and the salt technique weren’t to your liking you can use a mild, diluted soap and a soft sponge to clean the pan. You just want to avoid strong soaps and super scrub pads. Dry the pan with a clean dry dish towel and set in a warm oven to dry completely. Follow the seasoning directions above to re-season cast iron.
Note: Never put your screamin’ hot cast iron skillet into water. It could crack.
Another Note: Yes, all this work to season and re-season your cast iron it totally worth it!
Tags: baking, how to season cast iron, tools
Posted in Thoughts, Tips and Tricks | 63 Comments »
Hi, I’m thinking about trying a cast iron skillet and wanted to know if it will be ok to season it with olive oil. Olive oil itself is natural, balanced and people start using it before the Iron Age. Thing is, good olive oils have an after taste and I’m afraid that if I’ll season with it, my food will later keep the oil’s taste.
My Cousin directed me to your site. She flipped out on me for placing my mom’s hand-me down cast iron skillet in the dishwasher. I thought, “What’s the big deal?”. But i guess there is proper etiquette for taking care of cast-iron. Just never occurred to me before! Thanks for the tips!
[...] go buy one. It’ll be one of the best $25 purchases you’ll ever make. Here’s a good article from my homegirl, Joy the Baker, on how to season and maintain your cast iron beauty. [...]
Have been using my grandmother’s cast iron for years and have always had to scrub it vigorously to remove food. Yesterday at my mom’s she was using a cast iron skillet that had been seasoned and the scrambled eggs just slid out of the pan.
Thanks for your tips. I’m seasoning my 1912 pan as I type.
i have to agree…you are a beautiful young lady. and tho’ you may live in cali’ you are a southerner at heart with your knowledge of cast iron skillets.
i still have the two that my mother passed on to me when i got married 25 years ago. we still use the non-stick skillets for certain things in my casa but i love my cast iron.
my 22 year old son has been bringing what i consider my future daughter in law for weekly dinners. no word has been announced but i’m not blind either. i just ordered 2 new cast iron skillets for them. it might be a year from now or two years from now.
whenever it happens they’ll get two seasoned cast iron skillets as one of their wedding gifts. thanks for the info joy.
Thanks so much for the information! My skillet is supposed to be preseasoned, but I’ve had a hard time with things sticking – to the point I’ve had to scrub it which I know is bad for it. So, I’ve decided to season it myself and your instructions are greatly appreciated.
By the way, you are without a doubt on my blog roll now – I just love your blog. Its gorgeous.
Do yourselves a favor and buy an OLD antique cast iron skillet. We got lucky and got ours from a collector who was selling them at a yard sale. We got a Griswold 4 (small logo) and Griswold 8 (large logo) for $24 and a no name vintage skillet size 6 for $5. The collector said that the older ones are better made and less porous. I probably should have bought more from him! He said that the older Wagners were also really good. They sell them on Ebay and he said that there are also shops that sell them. We made eggs in the #8 and they only stuck a bit… then cooked cornbread in the oven in it – perfect! Came out with no sticking… brushed out crumbs and wiped it out with cold water and a rag. He said to be sure to dry the skillet on a hot burner as air drying doesn’t always really dry them. And after it’s dry and still hot, rub shortening on with a paper towel then cool. He really knew what he was talking about so we’re following his directions. He also said to be sure to season the outside of the skillet due to the porosity and also the rust issue.
My mom had some old cast iron skillets (that my brother got) that she swears the eggs would stick to. I remember her seasoning them in the oven – and then washing them after use in hot soapy water with a metal scrub pad. She thinks I’m nuts but I know that I’m right! We’ll never go back to teflon again!
Must I reseason often – or when is the cue to reseason?? I love my pan – found it at a garage sale for $5!
Thanks Joy – glad I found your blog!
I have ruined what took my friend 11 years of seasoning his three cast iron skillets. The pans are scorched from too high of heat. Will the salt cleaning method you talk about completely clean them for re seasoning? He tells me the pans have to be one hundred percent clean of everything or the seasoning will pop off of the area where anything remains. Please help.
Mary Ann, if the pan is too far gone to scrape out with oil and salt etc. you can put it in the oven on self-clean it will slowly burn off anything left, then you can clean it (water only) and dry it quickly on the stovetop then follow the seasoning instructions. Sort of a last resort, but works.
I use my cast iron skillet(s) everyday and seldom wash them, but continue to cook day to day, letting the remaining flavors from one meal influence the next. After preparing fish, I do wipe the skillet well or, wash and re-season, if necessary. The cast iron casserole with lid is excellent for the preparation of any kind of soup! Enjoy!
I have a cast iron skillet and has build up on the outside of it. how do you get the stuff off? thanks
Loved it ! Your web site is the most informative site i have been to {i have been to all of them} , and i love my cast iron my mother has used them all her & my life.. So , Thank you very much . Sincerly kimberly graves