How to Season a Cast-Iron Wood Stove Cooking Surface

Cast-iron stove

Most cast-iron wood stoves, whether designed specifically for cooking or not, can be cooked upon if they have a flat top. Having a wood stove is a great addition for any family, whether you live "off the grid" or not. Wood stoves are a great source of heat and a way to cook and heat water should your power go out or if you simply desire to reduce your electric and gas bill. The best way to keep a cast-iron cook top in shape for cooking is to season it well. Seasoning helps keep food from sticking and preserves the cast iron.

Things You'll Need

• Oil, vegetable shortening, bacon fat or lard
• A pastry brush
• Rags or paper towels

Instructions

1. Fire up your wood stove. You want to get your cook top up to at least 400 degrees. Hotter is fine but be careful.

2. Brush the cooking surface with oil, shortening, lard or clarified bacon fat using a pastry or barbecue brush. Make sure you brush it thoroughly.

3. Allow the surface to stay hot for at least 30 minutes and then let it cool on its own. Once the cook top is cool, you can wipe it with a paper towel or rag to make sure any excess is wiped in to the surface.

4. If your cook top is removable and will fit, oil it and place it inside your oven. Bake at 300 degrees for one hour. Wipe off any pooling oil (or rub it in), place it back in the oven at 350 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for another hour. Take out the cook top, coat with grease again and place it back in at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Wipe or pour off the excess grease and place the cook top back in the oven for another 2 hours.

5. Clean the surface only with water and a rag or sponge. Don't use soap, steel wool or anything else abrasive. If food is stuck to the surface, scrape it off with a metal spatula and wipe clean.

Tips & Warnings

• If your cook top is sticky when you are done seasoning, then it isn't ready yet. Bring it back up to temperature and allow it to "cook" some more, using either method.

• Be careful. Cast iron is heavy and gets very hot. Don't season a freestanding cook top with little kids around; the grease can still spatter a bit.

References

• What's Cooking America: The Irreplaceable Cast Iron Pans
• Homestead: Cooking on a Wood Cook Stove
• Practically Edible: Seasoning Cast Iron

Resources

• Cooking for Engineers: Seasoning Cast Iron