How to Season a Cast Iron Skillet

Cast iron cookware are very useful and traditional way of preparing healthy and fat free food. They have great heat retention properties. The bare cast iron cookwares are being used since ages now. The food prepared in a cast iron skillet is very nutritious. The cast iron percolate small amount of iron, every time you cook in it. That enhances the taste of the food and makes it salubrious too. Food prepared in cast iron skillet is very healthy for the people suffering from iron deficiencies, like anemia.

It is necessary to season a cast iron skillet to protect it from rusting. Seasoning a cast iron pan provides a smooth non-stick effect to them, which helps you in oil free, healthy cooking. Seasoning a cast iron skillet is a process, similar to the bluing process of steel. In this process, oxidizing is done on the selected cast iron surface, by Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) and black oxide of iron (Fe₂O₃). Black oxide protects the cast iron from corrosion.

Seasoning a Cast Iron Skillet

A traditional cast iron frying pan comes totally unseasoned. Seasoning a cast iron pan is a three step process. It is a skillful act of creating a tough layer of petrified grease on the cast iron skillet. Clean the cast iron skillet to expose its bare metal. Apply it with a layer of vegetable oil or any form of animal fat and heat the skillet to bind the fat substance to the skillet. Seasoning a cast iron skillet makes it more vulnerable too. Never soak, scrub or scratch the frying pan as it removes its seasoned layers. Quality of the seasoning layers is dependent on the type of seasoning one uses, at what temperature the layer is formed and how thick was the seasoning (oil/grease), at the time of seasoning the cast iron.

A brand new cast iron skillet never comes with a non-stick layer on it. Cast iron pans have more of a porous surface. Hence, the common opinion of experts is that, the best way to season a cast iron skillet is to use it.

Actual Procedure of Seasoning a Cast Iron Skillet

• Spread a good thin layer of any seasoning (oil/grease) on all sides of the skillet.
• Put a metal foil under the skillet to catch the dripping oil/ grease. To avoid uneven amount of shortening, place the skillet in the oven with its upside down.
• Bake the pan in the oven at 350⁰ for about 15 minutes.
• Wipe away excessive seasoning of the skillet with the help of a paper towel.
• Again bake the skillet for another 40 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the skillet to cool inside the oven itself.
• After one or two hours, remove the seasoned cast iron skillet from the oven.

By seasoning the cast iron frying pan, you can avoid your food from sticking to it. It is a fact that the cast iron takes long time to heat up but once heated, it is retained for long time and the heat is spread throughout the plan very evenly. Boiling water in the seasoned cast iron skillet might rust the cast iron, so avoid doing this.

If you still don't have a cast iron skillet in your kitchen, I would rather suggest you to have one. In my opinion, it is worth cooking in a cast iron pan than in any other branded non-stick cookware. Now that you have learned how to season a cast iron skillet, why not bring home and season a cast iron frying pan!