Nothing conjures up memories of weekend breakfasts with my family and camping trips like our large, seasoned cast iron pan. As a hand me down that had come from pervious generations and was “seasoned” in more than one way.
Like many of the good things in life, seasoning a cast iron pan and getting the perfect coating takes patience, a little work and a lot of love.
Why Cast Iron?
I now use an assortment of healthy cookware, but will always have a special place in my heart for cast iron. We’ve found a few more pieces at yard sales and thrift stores over the years and added to the collection.
Cast iron pans are wonderful because they can be used on the stove, in the oven, on the grill or even over a campfire. They are simple to clean (once well seasoned) and less expensive than other non-toxic cookware options. It is so tough that it can literally last forever and if you drop it, it is more likely to harm your floor than it is to harm the pan.
Properly seasoned cast iron is easy to clean and relatively non-stick. It won’t cook like teflon, but it also doesn’t create fumes with the potential to kill small house pets.
Cast Iron is also the only cookware that besides being non-toxic may actually have health benefits! Small amounts of Iron from the pans can be passed into food, which is especially helpful for pregnant women or those who are anemic.
How to Season Cast Iron
Many of the problems with cast iron stem from improper seasoning. Seasoning is the process of using an oil or fat to create a patina, or coating on the surface of the cast iron. This both protects the pan and makes cooking easier.
Once a pan is seasoned, the coating can be easily maintained by proper washing and occasional wiping down with oil.
Best Oil to Use to Season Cast Iron
There is much debate about the best type of oil to use for seasoning. Many sources recommend vegetable oil or corn oil (which I would highly discourage).
Other sources recommend coconut oil, though some people seem to have problems with this, especially if using unrefined coconut oil. I’ve also seen some sources that recommend oils that do easily oxidize, like flax seed, since this process is supposed to help create a tougher coating, though i’ve never had a problem with more stable oils and have never found the need to try flax.
I prefer to use traditional fats like lard and tallow, but refined coconut oil or ghee also work well.
Instructions for Seasoning Cast Iron
- Thoroughly wash the cast iron pan with soap and water. Normally, it is not advisable to use soap on cast iron, but since it is going to be seasoned, it is fine. If there are any rust spots, use some salt and a little water to make a paste and scrub the rust off.
- Preheat the oven to 325. Some sources recommend using a much higher temperature, but I’ve always found that it is more difficult to get a good finish at high temperatures. The onc exception to this rule is old, weathered cast iron that has not been well take care of. If I find cast iron at a thrift store or yard sale, I usually scrub with the salt mixture and place in a campfire for a few hours before seasoning. Heating to this high temperature helps remove any old seasoning and prepare the metal for a new coat.
- Place the pan in the preheating oven for 5-10 minutes to get warm. This added step helps make the oil more effective when it is rubbed on the cast iron.
- Using an old towel or piece of a t-shirt, rub oil or fat of choice around the entire pan, making sure it is entirely coated, inside and out.
- Using another towel or rag, wipe all of the oil out until only a thin sheen remains.
- Place upside down in the oven for 1-2 hours.
- Turn oven off and leave pan until completely cooled.
- Depending on the age and texture of the iron, the pan may need 3-5 of these seasoning treatments before it is optimal for cooking. When I get a new cast iron pan, I use it for high fat cooking for the first few weeks after seasoning so that it develops a stronger finish (deep frying and stir frys are optimal for this).
- After every use, the pan should be washed immediately and towel tried to prevent rusting. I also wipe my pans down with another layer of tallow or lard after each use to keep them ready-to-use.
Cast Iron Care
The most important part of maintaining seasoning on cast iron pans is using proper care techniques to protect the patina. Some important things to remember when caring for your cookware:
- In general, soap and water should not be used. The best practice is to wash immediately with hot water and a brush or a chainmail scrubber.
- A gentle scraper is also very helpful for removing stuck-on food without hurting the finish.
- Oven gloves are also a life saver with cast iron, since the handle gets very hot.
- I order pastured and ethically sourced tallow and lard (at a discount from here) for use on cast iron.
- Most sources recommend avoiding highly acidic things like tomato in cast iron, since it can leach more iron and create an off flavor.
- Much cast iron comes pre-seasoned these days. There are some great sets of cast iron available at good prices, but my favorite by far are old pans that have been passed down by relatives or found at yard sales.
- Take your cast iron camping and use on the fire. Re-season when you get home. I’ve found that doing this once a year or so helps keep the finish strong.
Do you have any cast iron? How do you use it?
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When Lodge preseasonsthier cast iron it is with a soy blend to very very hot iron in a fine spray. The spray oxidizes to the metal and forms a carbon bound. This is the same as you do in your home seasoning but at a much higher temp and shorter time. All oils/fats used to season cast iron are changed at the molecular level by heat and oxygen. Chemically called oxidation. To use common folk were burning the oil/fat onto the iron. It binds to the iron and if you let it sit to long in the heat without apply more of the oil/fat it would completely oxidize and burn off. That is why the higher the temp you set the oven the shorter the time you leave it in at the temp by for letting it cool slowly or add another coat of your seasoning. As for what to use just ask yourself if you would cook with it and eat it. If so you can use it. Try to use stable oil that don’t go rancid easily. Flaxseed is not a good seasoning oil in about 6to 9 months heavy use it will flake off into your foods. Flaxseed is a food grade of linseed oil. I have used Crisco, bacon grease, lard, grape seed, PAM, vegetable oil (soy), coconut oil and had good luck with all on seasoning my cast iron collection, as a collector.
Hello!
I was going to buy a Lodge cast iron dutch oven off of Amazon ( I am new to cast iron and recently cook with a skillet from them). I read their details about their products being pre seasoned. It states they use soy based vegetable oil. I’m wondering your thoughts about that. After reading your blog about soy (and vegetable oil ), I’ve been more consciousness of not buying products and food with soy in them. Basically, I’m thinking soy is being leached in my food every time I use my skillet? And do you think that stripping it of seasoning, then re-seasoning it will work or is the seasoning stuck in the pores forever? Thank you so much for all your hard work and helpful info!
Jamie
Good question. In a perfect world, they wouldn’t use soy to season it, but most brands do (or other vegetable oils like canola). Even the really awesome older cast iron I’ve found at estate sales and antique sales may have been seasoned with it at some point. Whenever I’ve gotten a cast iron piece that was seasoned with a questionable oil (or that I didn’t know what had been previously used on it), I’ve just stripped and re-seasoned. I haven’t been able to find any evidence that the original oil would remain enough to be continuously leaching into food…
Great, thank you! I’ll re-season it and plan to add to my cast iron cookware :).
Re-season it. Whatever they use is garbage. Ive had a lodge cast dutch oven a long time now and after cooking with it 2-3 times I said forget it and re-seasoned. Whatever they use gets sticky and is generally a PITA once it does.
I have read that you cannot use cast iron on a glass top stove. what are your thoughts on this?
I’ve never heard that before and I use mine on a glass top stove…
You do? without any problems? I think I recall it stating that the cast iron got too hot and could crack the glass.
It would be helpful to see the date a comment was made to know if it’s worth replying… You can use cast iron on a glass stovetop, but you must pick it up to move it so it doesn’t scratch the glass. That’s the only concern.
I have been to,d that they come from China.
They are going to use whatever is the cheapest.
I Clean mine in my self cleaning oven, then cleans thoroughly, followed by several coatings of lard.
Heat the pan first, then use paper towel to liberty wipe on lard, inside and out.
Let cool and do it again. The more the better.
Original Lodge Cast Iron is made and seasoned in America. The enameled cast iron is enameled in China. I have both. They work great! Not sure about what type of oil they use. I reseasoned my cast iron after purchase based on other customer recommendations.
do you happen to know if the pre-seasoned lodge cast iron is done with gf oil or not? i just called and left a message to find out, but won’t likely get a call till tomorrow.
thank you!
I’m not sure…
I am not sure what I have done wrong with my cast iron pans, but every time I try and season them, it doesn’t work. Everything sticks and I end up having to scrape everything out. My mom is the queen of cast iron and has told me numerous times what to do, I do it and same troubles…. and she lives 2400 miles away from me. 🙁 Her method is almost the same as Wellness Mama and I’ve also watched tutorials on YouTube. I bought the pans new in the mid 90’s and used them when we used to go camping every weekend with friends. Then we moved away and the pans sat in our camping storage bins in the garage for over 10 years. My husband pulled them out of the garage about 3 or 4 years ago and I used them almost daily now, even with all of the hassle. Any advice?
I have had the same trouble once or twice, following directions and ending with a sticky pan. I learned the problem was too much oil. I’d re-season with less oil. Worked on my pans! 🙂
I loooove my cast iron pan! I always used to season it with unrefined coconut oil but ever since I tried flax oil, I can never go back. When I use flax oil I find it equivalent to a Teflon non-stick pan.
Using grass-fed animal fats becomes much more economical if you are willing to render the lard or tallow yourself. I was able to get local grass-fed tallow and lard for under $2 per pound.
My cast iron pan has a wooden handle. Would it damage it to put it in the oven to season it? I’m wondering if I should do a stove-top method instead?
Are you sure cast iron is NON TOXIC? I shared your post on FB and I’m getting friends comments that cast iron IS toxic???!!!