# Best way to season an iron skillet



## grumpy1 (Feb 3, 2015)

What is the best way to season an iron skillet? I've tried several different times with both on the stove and in the oven methods and had very little success.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

What was the condition of the pan before you tried to season it?


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## grumpy1 (Feb 3, 2015)

Brand new. Always seems sticky and patchy


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## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

Some may disagree with me, but what works best for me:
Thoroughly clean the skillet, dry with a towel, then set it on a burner on the stove, turned on, for a couple of minutes to insure it is completely dry. 
Then put a dab of crisco or lard in it and put it in the oven at 300* or so for half hour. Take it out and use an old rag to coat the entire skillet, in and out, with the melted grease.
Then put it back in the oven for another hour or so.

I keep an old rag, dampened with oil in a plastic baggie in the kitchen. Every time a skillet gets used and washed, it gets dried and heated on the stove to get it completely dry, then while it is still hot, i wipe it with my oil rag.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

It may have started out with a coating on the pan to prevent rust. If it is a reputable company, check their website to find out how to season their pans for the first time.


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## DEKE01 (Jul 17, 2013)

I got this highly detailed cast iron seasoning process from Permies.com. 

1. Take cast iron skillet and spread a little of your fave oil in the bottom.
2. Use it to cook stuff you like to eat
3. wash cast iron with water and coat your fave oil again. 
4. wait until you need to cook something and return to step 1. 

Seriously, I just use it. I started with a rusty square flat fryer I found, scrubbed it with steel wool, washed it with soap and have cooked bacon and other greasy things with it for a few months. After the bacon was done, I poured the grease into a cup for reuse later, wiped the excess from the pan, and left it sitting in the oven. If I turn on the oven, I just leave it there to season more and act as a heat deflector. Now it is black glassy smooth and a perfect no stick pan.


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## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

corn bread with the oil in the recipe warmed on the skillet then the batter dumped into the oil then put in the oven works to season a skillet nicely. 

never use dawn on it and rinse and dry after cooking. Most of the time I don't need to use soap if I clean it up fast enough after cooking. any stubborn food can be boiled out then dumped. 

I do not cook everything in a cast iron skillet non stick are for eggs and such but


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## wally (Oct 9, 2007)

Grumpy, welcome to HT. The best way to season cast iron is to ship it to me and when I have used it for 20 years I wont send it back to you....hehehe


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## cjean (May 1, 2007)

I've found some great tips and methods on this blog

http://blackirondude.blogspot.com/2008/05/seasoning-cast-iron-cookware.html


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## Marcia in MT (May 11, 2002)

grumpy1 said:


> Brand new. Always seems sticky and patchy


 This means that either the oil didn't get hot enough or the temperature of the heating element wasn't high enough, or a combination of both. When finished seasoning, the coating should be hard and dry. 

You might try leaving it in the oven or on the stove longer; use something to move the oil around to coat the insides once in a while, until there is nothing left. And use a higher temperature -- it's ok if the oil smokes a bit. I do this on the stovetop every time I use one of my pans.


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## FireMaker (Apr 3, 2014)

We season ours on the stove top. Heat until beeswax will melt. Rub beeswax all over cast iron. The heat opens the pores and the beeswax "soaks in". When black smithing I use beeswax to season my finished product. Most of it can sit in the rain and will not rust. The beeswax provides great protection. It's food safe and will not go rancid or build up. 

We (I) forgot any fat to cook with when we were at a reenactment. I pulled out a beeswax candle and melted some into the skillet and proceeded to cook our meal. Worked just fine and dandy.


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## tweber (Oct 13, 2014)

I always get a good fire going when I have lots of nice hot coals I throw the pan in the coals for an hour or so. Knock the ashes off and a good coating of lard.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

They get better as you use them. That first seasoning is just a start. I get the best results by baking cornbread in them. 

Clean the skillet and do a preliminary seasoning in the oven with your fat of choice. Then, make a batch of cornbread. Preheat the skillet along with the oven, then oil the hot skillet, then put the cornbread batter into your hot, oiled skillet and bake. A couple batches of cornbread, maybe a round or two of pancakes, then you should be ready to fry potatoes and cook over easy eggs. And it will keep getting better with use. It will get blacker, shinier, smoother.


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## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

To follow up what MO cows said, you get the best cornbread by putting a large dollup of bacon grease in the skillet and setting it in the oven while you preheat.
Then once oven is hot and all the grease is melted, pour your batter in, it will start to sizzle as it hits the hot fat at the edges. You get cornbread with a slightly crispy ring around the top edge....mm-mmmm

Just like my granny use to say, corn bread aint cornbread 'less its cooked in cast iron with Bacon fat.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I have seen some of the new non lodge skillets come with a coating to prevent rust , you probably want to get rid of that 

for any cast iron you can press the reset button here it is 

build a good wood fire when you have a good red hot bed of coals you gently place your cast iron up up side down over the fire 

you want it to evenly heat till it glows red in the coals this will burn anything not cast iron off 

in the morning remove it from the ashes and wash then start with the seasoning 

bees wax is very good , oil works fine , but if you want to speed up the process of a good season you have to bake it in 

I use the gas grill cause this is gonna smoke but it gets a beautiful season in an afternoon I turn my grill on to high , I let the pan heat till dry after washing then 

oil - I wipe it down with my oil of choice , lard , crsico , olive oil , deer tallow they all work wipe it down cook it 20-30 minutes on high in the grill , repeat 3-4 times then use it 

bees wax , I have my block of bees wax and start rubbing it around coating it all as it melts then wipe around with a cotton rag , you keep that cotton rag in a bag and use it to wipe down after you clean and heat the pan each time 
I like to let the pan cook on the grill for 20-30 minutes then go back and give it another coat 3-4 coats and the pan is getting very nicely seasoned , then use it 

when you wash hot water and a stiff brush is all that is normally needed place back on heat and when cooked dry wipe down 

bees wax has the benefit of not going rancid if you don't use your pan regular 

mostly I find I finish the first time with bees wax now after I bake one off in the fire I mostly do this with new pieces I acquire that are generally horrible looking , the reason I buy them is to rehab them and send them on to friends or family as gifts it is a favorite wedding present to give to young couples and new cooks 

for my cast iron after that initial seasoning with bees wax I am using them often enough with olive oil that no further seasoning is needed


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## 358156hp (Jan 19, 2015)

One of my cast iron pans ended up splotchy, so I got even with it. I left it in the electric oven during the self-cleaning cycle. Whatever its attitude was, it was gone after that. I fried bacon in it after a quick rinse, and it's been good ever since.


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## overunder (Feb 14, 2015)

The best thing to season with is beef fat. It penetrates the pores and bonds with the metal. Most vegetable oils won't bond with the iron, they'll just create a coating that will scratch or wash off if you're not careful.


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## michael ark (Dec 11, 2013)

Here is a great read on it.http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/


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## doingitmyself (Jul 30, 2013)

Are you working with a new pan or a quality older pan. The metal finish on many of the new pans are less than quality. I especially dislike the Lodge finish. I like the lodge brand but i feel they don't smooth out the interior of the skillets as well as Grizwold or Wagner used to. Now the new "Le Fu Fu" :happy2: porcelain coated cast iron is the tops but very, very expensive.

The casting seems rough and unfinished. Old cast iron always had very slight machining marks on the pan cooking surface where the company spun and smoothed out the refractory grain, with regular use these disappear. Older pans are better. OK I'm a cast iron snob i own a lot of it and use it daily, nothing and I mean nothing cooks as well as cast iron. 

I will refinish a pan if its too rough with a drill press, heavy sanding discs and fine grit finishing discs when needed, when the finish is as smooth as the old stuff was made I season it.

I season the pan by heating it, then smearing pork grease all over it then heating on the grill, tow or three times is plenty until its glossy black. Then even eggs have a hard time sticking, but.... i recommend using a new fangled nonstick for your eggs, it just makes your day go better.


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## doingitmyself (Jul 30, 2013)

After using your newly seasoned cast iron when its time to clean it, never wash it. I wipe with paper towels to get everything out, if there is something stuck to the pan I add some sea salt and scrub with paper towels again until its gone usually just a swipe of two is all that's needed. Finish by warming the pan a little on the stove to drive off any moisture, re-season if needed but not usually needed every time. 

Enjoy your cast iron! The original non stick cookware!!! LOLOL


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## Werforpsu (Aug 8, 2013)

358156hp said:


> One of my cast iron pans ended up splotchy, so I got even with it. I left it in the electric oven during the self-cleaning cycle. Whatever its attitude was, it was gone after that. I fried bacon in it after a quick rinse, and it's been good ever since.


I saw a you tube video about someone who recommends doing it this way. when the pan comes out it is "raw iron" and you start your seasoning process over.

I don't have a self cleaning oven so when I had a problem, my hubby went at it with a cup brush attached to a power drill. it worked awesome!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Real high temps (like with a self-cleaning oven or tossing into a fire) are great for the newer skillets but should not be done with the older ones.

I've been cooking almost exclusively with CI for well over 30 years (I have 3 stainless steel pots). Continuous use is the best seasoning.

Cook with it, wash it (or soak it) while it is still very warm (not hot). Dry on the stove. Treat with a thin layer of oil. Repeat often.

My 'newest' CI is about 10 years old ... it is a 18" roaster ... my oldest is over 200 years ... a spider skillet
.

I do all the 'wrong' things with my CI ... I boil water in it, I cook high acid food in it. I even occasionally use soap to clean them up.

As long as I dry them on the stove and treat them with a Thin coating of oil before I store them, they are good to me.

Some foods are prone to stick ... like starchy potatoes ... easy to take care of ... soak your potatoes in a colander in a pot of water (you don't want to soak the potatoes in a pan of water then dump them out because the starch will sink to the bottom of the pan. When you dump it, you are essentially pouring the starchy water over them)

Let you CI pan heat up, then put a minimal amount of oil in the pan (even if it is just a quick spray off cooking oil) ... then lower the heat.

Hot pan, cold oil ... foods do not stick (unless they are starchy)


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## Twp.Tom (Dec 29, 2010)

I have been using/collecting cast iron cookware for years, and just recently had to re-season several pieces that I had neglected. I started by sticking them in the woodburner , overnight. In the morning, I scrubbed with a brillo pad, washed, and dried on 200f, in the oven. Then coated with a thin covering of Crisco-baked upside down in the oven on 350f,for 1 hour-then repeat. It gets better as I use it very time. In between cooking with it, I just wipe put with paper towel/stiff brush, dry on range. I normally just use the skillet, I want to try and make some dishes in the dutch Oven. CI, is the best for frying chicken/fish/taters**


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## DEKE01 (Jul 17, 2013)

We have one of those found corn holder deals. I've never cleaned that piece up because I don't know how to use it. Suggestions?


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## michael ark (Dec 11, 2013)

Clean it up then.Make cornbread in it.Here is my favorite recipe .
Ingredients

1 cup aunt jemima yellow cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1 egg
1/4 cup bacon drippings


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