You can cook just about anything in a cast iron pan – meat, vegetables, even cake and cornbread. As the name suggests, cast iron cookware is made from a molten hot alloy that is poured into molds, or casted. You can find the pans in all shapes and sizes and in an assortment of baking molds, from corncobs to hearts to stars. Cast iron is built to last and if you know how to take care of it, you can use the same pan for an entire lifetime.
The history of cast iron cookware goes back at least as far as 6th century China, but we are perhaps most familiar with its history in Colonial America. At this time, the majority of cooking was done in a hearth. Cast iron’s ability to hold high and even heat for an extended period of time made it ideal for cooking over an open flame. The handles on the pans allowed cooks to hang them above the fire. Because of its popularity, cast iron cookware was manufactured in huge quantities, which is why we see so much of it being sold at vintage shops and antique stores. You can get a great used cast iron for around $10 (sometimes even less). Clean it up, season it… good as new!
Here I will teach you a simple technique for cleaning and seasoning your cast iron pans. If you are in the market for a new cast iron pan, check out my recommendation below.
Do you cook with cast iron? Share your cast iron tips in the comments section!
Recommended Products
Lodge 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet
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Ingredients
- Cast iron pan
- 1 raw potato sliced in half
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1-2 tablespoons cooking oil with a high smoke point flax, grapeseed and peanut oils work well
- Paper towels
- Wooden or metal flat-edged spatula
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Start by using a spatula to scrape any food residue from the surface of the pan. If your pan is mostly clean it can be wiped out with a damp cloth. Never use soap on your cast iron cookware.
- Sprinkle the salt into the pan.
- Using the flat side of the potato, scrub the salt into the surface of the pan. The moisture from the potato, combined with salt, helps to remove any debris or rust that cannot be eliminated by simply wiping out or scraping.
- Use a slightly damp paper towel to wipe the salt from the pan.
- Once the salt has been removed and the pan is dry, pour in the oil.
- With a paper towel wipe the entire surface of the pan, including the inner sides, edges and handle, with the oil. The surface should be lightly coated in oil, with no excess oil pooling anywhere. Wipe out all of the excess oil before placing in the oven.
- Once the pan has been thinly coated with the oil, place it in the oven at 400 degrees F for one hour. Allow the pan to cool and wipe out any excess oil that may be left behind. For pans that have been completely stripped of their seasoning, you may need to repeat the oiling and heating process multiple times to build up a thicker layer of protection. Do not use too much oil on the surface of the pan-- it should be thinly coated, not dripping.
- Once your pan is cool and you've wiped out any excess oil, your cast iron is cleaned, seasoned and ready to use! Every time you cook with oil in your cast iron pan (deep frying, sauteing, etc.) you will continue to build the non-stick coating, making it better with age.
- You do not need to re-season your pan each time you use it. Once you've cleaned it after cooking (using the instructions above), wipe it with a thin layer of oil before storing. This will help to keep the seasoning intact between uses. Re-season the pan once every 15-20 uses, or whenever you start to notice foods sticking more and/or the seasoning wearing away.
Arthur B Raleigh says
Great tips!
Peggy Henry Abernathy says
I have a new one. Label says it is seasoned. Do I season it again?
Tori Avey says
Peggy no need to season it again just yet– follow the cleaning instructions outlined in this post and wipe it with a thin layer of oil after each use. Your pan will stay seasoned for quite some time. You only need to reseason when food starts to stick or the seaoning is visually wearing down, resulting in scratch-like indentations in the coating.
Lou J. Selter says
I seem to remember my mother-in-law putting hers in the wood stove to burn off the outside crap. Does anyone have any ideas on this as I would love totry it but am sort of afraid too.
Tori Avey says
Lou if you want to strip off the old seasoning and reseason the pan, you can heat it up really hot (glowing red) in a wood stove or on a grill with a closed lid. Some people even use sandblasters and power tools with wire scrubbers. I have also heard of stripping them using the oven’s self cleaning setting– note that if you have too much seasoning built up the pan can catch fire, so use this method with caution and don’t leave the pan unattended. It will lose its black patina and look somewhat grayish after the seasoning has burned off. You’ll need to build up a layer of seasoning again; use the instructions in this post and repeat them several times till the pan is seasoned again. Cast iron is virtually indestructible, so don’t be afraid of hurting it… if it is pure cast iron you won’t be able to put a dent in the actual pan itself, but the seasoning can easily be removed and reapplied as needed.
Patricia Saum-Dougherty says
Nothing makes fried potatoes better than a cast iron skillet!
Patricia Benrubi says
YES!!!!! Best New York Strips ever!
Barbara Fass Young says
I LOVE my cast-iron skillets. I have 3 – better than any teflon pan. Use them all the time, except when cooking with tomatoes.
Prissnboot says
I’ve been debating over whether or not to purchase a cast iron skillet – I have it in my mind that you can’t make a decent roux any other way, although I’ve never tried to make roux at all, so how would I know anyway, right? My local HEB (and those of you from Texas will know how wonderful HEB stores are!) carries enamel coated cast iron pans and dutch ovens, so I was wondering what your opinion of these are? I’m assuming they would not need to be seasoned, but what of the operational benefits?
Tori Avey says
Prissnboot, the advantages of enamel coatings apply more for dutch ovens than for skillets. Dutch ovens are usually used to make stews and braises, long slow cooked dishes that can be harder on the seasoning. Also the enamel coating makes the pan non-reactive, which means that it won’t react with acidic ingredients (meaning it will not discolor or “pit”). Cast iron is reactive and does not work well with citrus or tomatoes. Bare cast iron (no enamel) is best for searing, frying, etc. I have an enameled dutch oven for stews and cholent, and a cast iron skillet for frying and searing (steaks, schnitzel, latkes, etc.). Hope that helps!
jaishree says
thanks for sharing this useful information about cast iron cookware. now its easy to seasoned my cast iron griddle . earlier i use to seasoned it with onion to make dosa .
Stephanie Carter says
I really want a cast iron frying pan! Then I can make corn bread!!!
Kathie Merrill says
I still have my Nana’s pan and a set of my own 🙂
Neil Gillman says
I love my cast iron pan – it’s definitely my favourite and I use it for cooking so many different things. Only problem is my wife finds it too heavy!
Gail says
How do I restore an old rusty skillet?
Tori Avey says
Hi Gail, there appears to be a lot of interest in this subject, so I am going to cover this in-depth in a future post. Stay tuned!
Clara Rapoport Koss says
i like the measuring spoons
Linda Hesch- Kaldor says
So glad you posted this. I have a nice sized cast iron skillet and I never knew how to clean it. I knew how to season it but not clean it. I feel like if you don’t use soap then it’s not really clean but now I get it. I will now use it more often for sure!
Tori Avey says
Linda technically you can use soap, but it will wear down the seasoning much more quickly and you’ll need to reseason more often.
Ellen Hilliard says
Never heard the Potato part, good plan next time I need to really clean it!
Susan B says
Thank you very much
Kathy Adams says
I have always washed my cast iron pans with regular dish washing liquid and they are still beautiful. After washing and rinsing, I pat dry, then take a paper towel with a little vegetable oil and rub it all over. It glistens. I’ve had my grandmother’s large pan for more than forty years.
DeNise says
I have every size fact iron pan there is I believe. My favorite is my 12″ that is at least 70 yrs old. It was my mothers. We have always washed it with fish soap. Her mother taught her to wash it, put it on the fire for a min to dry it. As needed wipe a bit of ‘grease’ on it while it was hot. Mine are as slick as can be. So I don’t understand the fuss about not being able to wash.
Jim Brewer says
If you treat your seasoned cast iron just like you would your teflon cookware it will not have to be seasoned as often. I have a couple of dutch ovens and several skillets and they really aren’t much work to maintain as long as you don’t use metal in them. I prefer wooden spoons and spatulas.
Aimee Van Wagoner Monsky says
Thank you for this! Great timing, as I just bought my very first one today!
K Michael O'Donovan says
I am a fan of cast iron cookware. It is inexpensive a durable. I still use non-stick cookware for some dishes, like omelets, but I don’t have to replace it as frequently.