Used since the days of yore (or “olden times” or “Pilgrim Period”), cast iron is the most even-heating, durable, and versatile material out there in the land of kitchen crap.
Once seasoned well, a cast iron skillet can be used for cooking anything. I mean ANYTHING. Eggs, bacon, bread, stir-fry, pancakes, steak, chicken feet, horse balls. Literally anything you want to put in your mouth will benefit from being put into a cast iron skillet first. And every time you use it, it gets smoother, blacker and better. Hey-Oh!! You know I’M single! (Not really.)
How To Season a Cast Iron Skillet in 7 Easy Steps
- Take off all the packaging and labels, duh.
- Wash the skillet. Use a plastic scrubbie or brush and clean all the surfaces of the skillet with hot water. Don’t use a wire brush or anything that might scrape the surface.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Put some shortening, cooking oil, coconut butter, or lard in the skillet. (If you’re using a solid, heat it up in the skillet to melt it before spreading.) Then smear a thin layer of your chosen substance all over your skillet, inside and out. Get nasty with it. Wipe off any excess pools or puddles.
- Put the skillet in the oven upside down so that as the skillet heats up, any excess lube will drain away from the cooking surface. If you want to save yourself some trouble, put a cookie sheet on the lower rack so you don’t have to clean your oven after this.
- Cook Your Skillet! Don’t freak out if it starts to smoke. This means the oil or grease is filling up the pores in the cast iron and making it nice and smooth. Let it cook for an hour. Then turn off the oven and leave it in there for an hour.
- Carefully remove the skillet. Use oven mitts because it’s still gonna be hot. Put it on a heat resistant surface. Let it cool more.
That’s about all there is to it. Watch the video above to see this demonstrated. The skillet won’t be non-stick right away. But start using it! Repeat the seasoning process a couple times if you want, or just start cooking bacon at every meal. It will be as smooth as my perfectly porcelain cheeks in no time.
Try this at home and let me know how it works out for you.
I create short-form, educational, and occasionally hilarious cooking videos geared towards beginner and intermediate cooks, as well as people who are just looking for simple, low-cost recipes. Everything is made from scratch, people! 
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
When you think of a cooking skillet, many of us think of the older cast iron skillets used in outdoor situations. These cast iron frying pans were heavy and food stuck to them so cleaning was a real headache. The current kitchen skillets are made from stainless steel or aluminum and their nonstick surfaces make them great for cooking up omelets or vegetables.Cast iron has a porous surface. The seasoning process serves to fill and smooth the surface of the pan. It's true that the more you use and season a cast-iron skillet, the more non-stick the surface becomes.
What's with posting an ill-conceived ad for nonstick electric skillets on here? This comment barely makes sense.
Nonstick electric can kiss my grits. I will defend cast iron until the day I die.
http://www.jesusenergydrink.com/
I love how passionately you fight spammers. You even invoke the power of the Jesus energy drink. That is hardcore!
Dear Hilah!
Greetings!
Interestingly enough, chefs usually do not bother with this very important information!
I can't remember how many failed omelets I've seen because of an unprepared new skillet!
Hilah, the Janis Joplin of cooking?
LOL
Take good care of yourself!
Cheers,
robert-Gilles
Your remembrance of failed omelets brings tears to my eyes. Thanks for the comparison to Janis. I also like to drink a lot. And sing.
My, we are on the same wavelength!LOL
If you like to drink, check this, too:
http://shizuokasake.wordpress.com/
Janis will probably have a good laugh where she is now when she hears that Texan ladies still venerate her! One of my favourite ladies!
Cheers and all that!
Robert-Gilles
Oh, stop, Robert-Gilles! I mean, go on. I love your stories.
Because of this episode, I finally seasoned my skillet the other night. Thanks!! I used pork belly fat I had saved just for this but haven't done it because I didn't exactly how to do it. It smoked and worked but my pan still looks patchy from the other times I've used it. I didn't know what I was doing. so what are the patches from? scratching? previous burnt stuff? Can you ruin a cast iron skillet?
I think it is very hard to ruin a cast iron skillet. Try seasoning it again. As long as the patches aren't sticky or gummy, it will probably still work fine. Pork belly fat, yum!
ahhhh… yes… thanks for the reminder. I have an old skillet that needs seasoning. I will bookmark this article when I have time. Seasoned skillets are the perfect non-stick pans.
yo! what’s your preferred method of post-usage clean-up? do you use salt? water? stiff brush?
Hi Jeff! I just use a plastic scrubby sponge and water. Then dry it on a hot stove and rub it with a drop of oil while it’s warm about every third use.
Salt is good for real stubborn bits.
Thanks for writing!
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