How to Season a Cast Iron Skillet

Many people like cooking in the new nonstick pans, but these pans do not hold up to a cast iron.

(1) A cast Iron skillet can go from stove to oven, grill, or even fire without hurting the skillet or the way it cooks.

(2) Cast Iron cooks evenly and holds its heat better. I am making it one of the best pans to fry or bake corn bread.

(3) Cast Iron will last forever. There are even some cast iron pans still being used from the early 1900s. I have one that belongs to my grandmother back in 1930 that I still use all the time.

(4) Cast Iron has been shown to increase the iron in food. So people who suffer from low iron may befit from using cast Iron.

(5) Cast Iron does not add all the toxins to your food like non-stick pans, and it is a lot safer to cook with for this reason.

Cast iron is the first none stick pan. The reason it is none stick is not a Teflon coating like most none stick pans; it is the oil used to season it.

Seasoning your cast iron pan will not only make it none stick but also helps with preventing rust and other damage that can ruin your pan. A well-taken care of and seasoned pan will last a lifetime. While they might take some work, they are well worth the investment.

With a healthy Season cast iron pan, nothing will stick to it, and cleaning it will be a breeze. There is nothing better than cooking with well-taken care cast iron pan. If you don't love your cast Iron yet, you well after you have seasoned it.

A few tips to tell if your pan needs to be seasoned are

If you just bought it, go ahead and clean it and season it. Even if it says it is strengthened. Most of the time, a new pan seasoning is very thin and will only last one or two times of using the pan before it is gone, and besides, who knows what they used to do this seasoning with? Even if you bought it off eBay, at a garage sale, or a friend gave it to you, go ahead and season it to make sure.

If it looks dull, go ahead and season it again. Your cast iron should be ink black. If it is not, do a quick season on it.

Suppose eggs and other food are sticking. This is a good sign that it needs to be seasoned again.

If it ever comes into contact with soap. Sometimes things happen like a child doing dishes, a husband, or a roommate. And your cast iron will get washed in soap. It is essential that if this happens, you season the pan. as soap can pull out all of the oil in the pan from past seasons.

Suppose your pan starts to rust. Sometimes the cast iron will not get dry after being washed, or it will get wet somehow and begin to rust. If this happens, clean the pan, dry it well, and season it.

Suppose the seasoning starts to flake or dent. f you notice in your pan things like a scratch, or cut or if it looks like it is peeling. You need to season.

(1) Clean Your Pan. Using water and a brush, scrub the pan. If needed, you can also use salt by pouring in a reasonable amount and taking your meeting, and cleaning it around. Rinse well and dry.

(2) Add about 2-4 Tbsp of Crisco to the pan, and place in the oven. Let bake for 30 minutes at 350.

(3) After it is done baking, and cooled where you can safely do so, take a paper towel and rub the now melted Crisco all over the inside and outside of the pan. Cover everything. Drain off the extra grease, and place upside down over a cookie sheet back in the oven on the oven rack. Bake again at 350 for an hour.

( 4) When It is done, take a pepper towel and rub it all over the pan again, this time to remove any extra oil that might be left. Let cool. That's it, your done.

Suppose you are using a brand new, never seasoned pan that is sliver when you bought it at this point. Fry some bacon in the pan. And when the bacon is done, place the pan back in the oven and repeat sets 3 and 4.

So You Got Your Cast Iron seasoned, now what?

Here are a few tips to keep your cast iron in good condition,

Never use soap to clean your pan; it will ruin the seasoning on the cast iron and might even damage the pan.

Suppose your pan will not come clean just by water and elbow grease. Add some salt and scrub around.

After every wash, dry your pan that is on the stove and let it get hot for 3 minutes or so. Remove any water that might have gotten into the pores of the pan.

After the pan is dry and a bit of oil or Crisco to the pan and do a quick stove top season by letting it grease; cook in the pan for 3-5 minutes, remove the extra, and rub all over the pan.

Once a month or so, do an entire season on the pan.

If the pan looks like it needs it, do not be afraid to season it again.