How to Season Cast-iron Cookware

Regardless if you are new to using cast-iron, or you're a seasoned cast-iron cook. Today I will be demonstrating how I season my vintage cast-iron skillets. Yes, I have cast-iron cookware that I inherited from my great grandmother, grandma, and dad. And then I have a few cast-iron pieces that I purchased for myself several years ago. The oldest skillets happen to be my favorite ones to cook with.

Seasoning cast-iron

First, you'll need to scrub the cast-iron with a scrubber, using hot soapy water. Then dry it thoroughly with a cotton dish rag, or a paper towel.

Place your cast-iron pans into a 200 degrees F oven, upside down for about thirty minutes. Then take the pans out of the oven using a pot-holder.

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Now, I like to use Crisco vegetable shortening to grease the inside of the cast-iron well, but you can use any shortening, lard, vegetable oil, or canola oil over the inside of it. I do not use cooking spray to season my cast-iron, because cooking sprays contain various ingredients that are not good for cast-iron.

I use paper towels to spread a thick, even layer of Crisco on the inside of my cast-iron pans. The shortening will start melting on contact, because the pans will still be warm from being baked in the oven.

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Place your cast-iron cookware upside down on a foil-lined tray in the oven at 400 degrees F. Bake for about one hour. Then turn off the oven. Allow your cast-iron to stay in the oven until it is completely cool.

Next, take the cast iron out of the oven (only after it's cooled completely). Wipe the inside of the pans with a clean paper towel.

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Place a couple of paper towels inside each pan, or use some other type of thin paper. (My grandparents always used brown paper bags) inside theirs. This keeps any dust particles from getting on your newly seasoned cast-iron and it helps to prevent your cast-iron pans from getting scratched. Plus, it prevents rusting in the future.

Now, you can stack your cast-iron in a dry area. Making sure that you don't store them in an area where there's steam or water (away from the sink and the stove).

Note:

If your cast-iron pans are rusty; combine the 1.1 ratio of white vinegar and water. If only the inside of your pan is rusty, add the solution to the inside of the pan and allow the solution to soak for about one hour. If your entire cast-iron pan is rusty, you'll need to submerge the pan in a sink full of the solution. Allowing the pan to soak for an hour or longer in the solution will dissolve the rust.

When the rust has been taken care of, thoroughly dry your cast-iron pan, then season it.

To keep your cast-iron pans in the best shape after each use, preseason them. If you only use them now and then, season them at least two times a year, anyway. Doing so will ensure that your cast-iron pans won't rust.

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