Comments on: Seasoning a Cast Iron Pan

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:09:37 +0000

If you can’t remove the wooden handle, you can try seasoning the pan on the stovetop, heating it up until it’s smoking, letting it cool slightly, and then applying a thin layer of grease. Short of that, just use the pan. It may be sticky when you start out, but the more you use it, the more you build up the layer of seasoning, the better off you’ll be. Good luck!

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:01:31 +0000

My cast iron pan has a wooden handle. I’d be leary about putting it in the oven to season. Any other things work?

Kathy

By: Diane Schnaars

Diane Schnaars — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 03:51:41 +0000

I have a couple of cast iron pans and a Dutch oven that I inherited, plus a few I bought in hardware stores. I’ve never found it complicated to season each of them: just coat the inside with a thin layer of oil, stick into a 200 degree oven, and let it do its thing overnight. Wipe with a paper towel in the morning, and it’s good for several months, until I make spaghetti sauce or toss too many tomatoes into a dish, and then I just reseason the pan, again with a thin layer of oil and overnight in the oven. I’ve been lucky that I haven’t had any serious buildup on my pans; I think I’d burn it all off in a VERY hot oven before I tried seasoning it. Thanks for all your expertise on not-so-desireable-conditions. Diane

By: Dave

Dave — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:37:18 +0000

I guess the real answer is, “as many as it takes.” Start with one application, and see how it goes. If you notice the surface still looks sort of dry and patchy, go through the process another time. You should remember, though, that seasoning a pan is an ongoing process. Every time you use the pan, either with the grease you cook in it, or the application of oil after, you’re reinforcing it.

By: Kent

Kent — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:35:06 +0000

Thank-you for such a detailed and informative piece on seasoning. I just picked up a cast iron pan along with a Teflon deep pan to replace another dying Teflon pan.

One quick question though, with a new pan, how many oil/baking cycles would be sufficient?

Cheers…Kent

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:19:37 +0000

You can probably do the same thing in your kitchen oven, but open a window, disconnect the smoke alarm, and turn on the exhaust fan, because it might get a little smoky. (If your oven has an automatic self-cleaning cycle, that’d do the trick, too.) I’ve read (but never tried) that you can use an oven cleaner to help remove extra gunk. But all this is too extreme, if what you’ve got is a thin, recent, but failed attempt at seasoning. In that case, I would try just washing it off with soap and water, and start again.

By: Martin

Martin — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:03:16 +0000

I have a skillet that the seasoning botched on. Outside of the charcoal grill method, is there an easy way to start over or correct a patchy or bobbled seasoning?

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 02:47:21 +0000

It doesn’t need to be canola, but canola is one of the better ones due to it’s high smoke point and relative purity, but clearly grandma didn’t have much of a choice. She probably just used whatever grease she was cooking with — bacon fat or chicken schmaltz will give the same slick, shiny surface over time. And the seasoning process does take time. It requires many oil applications and reheating before you’ll achieve the best surface. (That said, you’re not likely to get a completely non-stick finish like you’d get with modern materials like Teflon. We are talking about technology that your great-grandmother probably used, after all.) Thanks for commenting!

By: Ingrid

Ingrid — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 02:34:25 +0000

Hello,
Thank you for such an informative post! I didn’t realize how much was involved with seasoning my cast iron pans. I thought once was enough especially as it was “pre-seasoned”. Now I have a couple of questions first does it HAVE to be canola? Also, the one time I used my pan the chicken stuck horribly. No more using the pan. Any helpful hints?

BTW, Sweet Charity sent me your link! How nice was that?!
~ingrid