How to Properly Season a Cast Iron Pan

Using cast iron pans for cooking is a wonderful way to obtain a nice caramelized crust to your foods. Add to that the fact that cast iron pans add to your daily dietary intake of iron and the fact that cast iron pans are superb at heating evenly and you have a winner of a pan. Taking care of that pan is of utmost importance. First, learn how to season a cast iron pan.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cast iron pan
• Oven
• Sheet pan
• Seasoning fat

1. Wash your new, or used, cast iron pan well with a mild dish detergent and hot water. Make certain to wash away any excess soap.

2. Dry the pan with a towel, paper or cloth and set aside to fully dry. Once the pan is fully dry, after at least ½ hour of sitting in the open air, you are ready to season the pan.

3. Heat your oven to 250 degrees.

4. Set out the seasoning fat. This can be vegetable oil, vegetable shortening or even lard. I recommend using a plain vegetable shortening because it doesn’t spoil as often as vegetable oil or lard does.

5. Pour or smear two tablespoons of fat into the pan and use a paper towel or some plastic wrap to evenly distribute it among the base and insides of the pan. If you have a larger 12-inch pan, use three tablespoons of fat.

6. Flip the pan over and pour or smear another two tablespoons of fat onto the back of the pan. Again, distribute the fat evenly over the entire back of the pan and onto the handle. When you are finished, the entire pan should be coated with the fat of your choice.

7. Place the pan sitting up onto a sheet pan or cookie sheet. Place the sheet pan into the warmed oven.

8. Let the cast iron bake in the oven for 1½ to two hours. After that time has passed, turn the pan over. Make sure to use pot holders as the pan will be hot.

9. Bake the pan for another 1½ to two hours.

10. Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool. The fat should be a glossy surface at the end of the cooling time.

11. Make sure you only handle the pan after several hours of letting it cool.

Tips & Warnings

• If you use vegetable oil to season the pan, make sure to clean and re-season the pan every four months or so.
• If you use lard to season the pan, the lard lends more flavor to your dishes, but you need to re-season the pan every two months or so.
• If you use a paper towel to distribute the fat onto the pan, you will need more fat since the paper towel will absorb some of the fat.
• When coating the pan, the fat should thinly coat the pan, but you should still be able to see where you draw your finger through the fat. If you can’t see if your finger has drawn through the fat, add another tablespoon of fat and distribute.
• Once you have seasoned your pan, never clean it with soap. Use hot water to clean out any excess oil. Scrape off any food that is stuck to the pan. Dry it off with a towel.
• Every few months or so, do a deep cleaning of the pan with salt. See the eHow Related Articles section to find out how to deep clean your pan.
• Cast irons pans hold their heat for hours after the heat is turned off. Always be careful of handling heated cast iron pans.

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[jimdris]

on 11/29/2007 Thanks - I have a cast iron dutch oven for camping that I haven't used yet, so this tip comes in handy!