How do you season a cast iron pan?
Answers:
Seasoning
Seasoning is a process by which a layer of grease or shortening is applied and cooked onto cast iron or carbon steel cookware. Typically, cast iron woks, frying pans, griddles, and Dutch ovens are seasoned.
The seasoning layer protects the cookware from rusting, provides a non-stick surface for cooking, and protects food from interacting with the iron of the pan. Shortenings typically used for seasoning include lard, hydrogenated cooking oils such as Crisco, and solid palm or coconut oil (in general, oils that are high in saturated fats). Avoid using shortenings that are polyunsaturated - these will get rancid much more quickly. Well-seasoned cast iron cookware will have a very smooth black surface.
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Cleaning before seasoning
Before seasoning, cookware should be thoroughly scrubbed using light dish soap and scouring pads (steel wool is best). If the surface is "natural" (unpolished), it may also be useful to use a wire brush. Scrubbing will remove any dirt or rust, and, in the case of new cookware, will remove the protective coating (wax or machine oil) that new pieces are often shipped with to prevent rust. Rust can also be removed by soaking in a 1:1 solution of vinegar and water.
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Seasoning techniques
Once cleaned, cookware can then be seasoned. There are several techniques for seasoning cast iron that vary based on the smoke point of the oil or fat used.
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Technique 1
First, heat the cookware until water quickly boils when splashed onto its surface.
Next, using a rag, wipe a thin coat of lard or oil onto the surface of the cookware.
Finally, place the cookware upside-down in a moderately hot oven for 1-2 hours. It is a good idea to place a layer of aluminum foil under the cookware to catch drips of excess oil.
Let the pan cool. At this point, the cookware should have a black-sheen and be ready for cooking.
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Technique 2
Warm the pan slightly on the stovetop (it should still be cool enough to handle).
Take a small lump of shortening in a paper towel, and rub it all over the cooking surface of the pan.
Place the pan in a 300-degree (F) oven for one hour.
Take the pan out and let it cool slightly.
Wipe off any excess grease.
If too much oil or shortening is applied to a pan in the seasoning process, it will pool and gum up when the pan is heated. In this case, the goo can be scraped off and some more grease rubbed over the spot, or the pan can be re-scrubbed and reseasoned. Heating the pan upside-down may help prevent gumming, but will be more likely to drip grease into your oven unless protected by a foiled-lined baking sheet. Seasoning at higher temperatures approaching the smoking point of the oil used will result in darker seasoned coatings in less time that aren't sticky or gummy.
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Care and cleaning after seasoning
It is common wisdom that one should never use soap to clean seasoned cast iron cookware; this will immediately remove the oil, and 'unseason' the pan (or even, according to some cooks, leave soap residue that will poison the food). In fact, a very well-seasoned pan can tolerate dilute dish soap, and, for infrequently used pans, this may be preferable to leaving rancid grease on the cooking surface [1]. In general, however, regular washing with soap is not recommended.
There are several methods for cleaning seasoned bare cast iron cookware:
Scrub the inside with a tablespoon of a coarse salt, such as kosher salt and rub with a towel. Rinse with cold water.
Scrub the pan with boiling or near-boiling water and a stiff nylon or fiber brush.
Use veggie wash (milder than soap) and a stiff nylon or fiber brush.
Boil a solution of cornstarch or rice starch and water in the pan, tilting the pan to make sure the boiling liquid touches all the way up the sides. Then pour out the resulting grease-water-starch solution, and peel off what ever dries onto the sides of the pan. Rinse the pan in hot water.
In all cases, the cookware should be dried thoroughly after washing, and oiled lightly if not already very well seasoned.
For deep cleaning (before re-seasoning), some cast iron collectors also advocate soaking cast iron in a lye solution, or heating the pan in a self-cleaning oven or campfire. Both of these methods have inherent drawbacks, however. Lye can cause serious injury (inluding blindness) if handled improperly, and unevenly heating a cast iron pan may warp or crack the pan.
Other answers:
Coat it with some oil and let it sit.
Coat it with some oil and let it sit.
Olive oil and veggie oil mix... bake it in the oven... let cool overnight!
Mira is correct. Give her the points.
Grab the salt and pepper... Come on, it was just asking for it.. ; )
Not a clue...use it?
Rub it with oil. Then put it in a warm oven (about 300 deg) for an hour. Then rub out the oil. You should never have to do it again after the first time. And NEVER EVER EVER EVER use soap on it. It will ruin the pan
Coat it with cooking oil, stick it it a hot oven until the oil smokes off. Once it cools, it's done.
1. A well-seasoned cast-iron pan will resist rust and create a virtually nonstick surface for cooking. To season it, brush vegetable oil lightly over all its surfaces.
2. Heat the pan in an oven at 250°F (120°C) for 1 hour, recoating it with more oil after 30 minutes.
3. Wipe the pan well with paper towels, and let it cool completely before using it.
4. To preserve this natural, protective coating, do not use soap when cleaning a seasoned pan. Instead, scrub it with salt and oil, rinse it with hot water, then dry it completely over low heat before storing it.
salt and vegetable oil...or olive oil. You rub the oil and the salt into the inside of the pan...and let it soak in...then rub it all off. When you wash it...you heat it on the burner to get all the water out of it, and re-season it every few times you use it.
Just be careful not to over heat the pan. Cast iron will literally glow and explode if you let it get too hot.
oil it, then heat it and rub some salt on it with a towel.
I think you rub shortening over all over the whole pan, then put it in the oven @ 350 for about an hour. Put something on the bottom rack to catch anything that may drip from the pan.
I vote for Mira too, she took my answer. Forget the salt.
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