How To….Season a Cast Iron Skillet
Thank God for America’s Test Kitchen. Last summer for our two year anniversary, Ben got me a cast iron skillet. Most girls might not understand the significance and appreciation I had for this gift. It was cast iron. Enameled or not, I was excited. He did awesome.
Although Lodge cast iron typically comes “pre-seasoned”, it’s not enough seasoning (in my opinion) to grill up a burger without it still sticking, or a panini to slide right off. A good, well seasoned cast iron pan comes with time, lots of cooking, lots of grease, and proper maintenance. And maintaining a proper cast iron skillet was something I needed to learn. Here is where ATK comes in. Bless them and their help for challenged such as me.
So, here is my lovely pan from my beloved hunny. He did good.
Heat up your pan.
Grab a couple paper towels and wad them up.
Pour about 1/4 c canola, veggie or olive oil into a small dish.
Grab your handy dandy tongs, and get a hold of your wad o’ towel.
Soak in that oil…
And wipe ‘er down.
Throughly cover your skillet with the oil.
Turn off your heat and let your pan cool down.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Sooner than you know, you’ll get your proper seasoning.
Or there’s always the option to make a LOT of bacon…your pan will thank you, but your arteries may not.
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I have always wanted a cast iron skillet, but I had no idea how to properly care for it. A few questions? Do you use soap to clean it, or just wipe it down? How much seasoning does it take before everything stops tasting like iron?
I have all the same questions as comfortably domestic!!!
From what I've learned so far…direct from the Lodge website and ATK.
You can use a nylon scrub brush, but don't use anything like a brillo pad or harsh abrasive soaps (ie. NO dishwasher). Lodge recommends not using soaps…but I don't see a reason not to use a little if absolutely necessary.
If things get stuck on, put some water in the pan and put it on the stove to boil for a few minutes. That should help loosen things up. Or just soak for a while and scrub again. lather, rinse, repeat. Towel Dry Immediately!! If you air dry them, they have a tendency to rust faster!
When they start to taste metallic, you might be dealing with a little bit of a rust issue. Take a fine grain sand paper and gently rub out the areas that are affected. Then go ahead and begin to re-season you pan, like I described above.
Hope that helps!!
These are awesome questions guys, I may have to post these answers in a follow up post. I like this research and feedback thing 🙂 ~M
I love it, lady! We registered for a skillet (because I somehow have managed to miss out on snagging one so far) and I can't wait, but the seasoning part has scared me half-to death.
Thanks for sharing this! I've had a cast iron grill pan for a year now that I am afraid to use because I know I haven't seasoned it properly yet. Sad, I know. Thanks for taking a lot of the mystery out of it!