Cast Iron Care 101: Seasoning Your Cast Iron

Let’s talk CAST IRON! My cast iron pan is my most valuable, versatile and affordable kitchen tool. I bring it with me on every cooking gig and constantly get asked how I use and maintain mine. So I thought I’d share my knowledge of cast iron care! Before I get into why I NEVER use soap to clean it I thought we should start at the very beginning - HOW TO RESEASON A CAST IRON! If you bought a new pan from Lodge they already come preseasoned but if you’re like me and love finding old ones or just have one lying around that is a little rusty and needs a little TLC - here is a step by step guide on how to reseason your cast iron! Here’s what you need:

Steel wool
Soap (for reseasoning ONLY)
Avocado oil or another neutral oil of your choice
Paper towels
Oven

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Seriously scrub off all the rust on your cast iron - using a drill with brush attachment or steel wool and elbow grease
2. Once rust is pretty much removed, wash cast iron with soap and water using steel wool. Rinse, wash and repeat until rust is completely gone.
3. Rub your cast iron down with avocado oil, making sure you get the front, back and sides.
4. Place cast iron upside down in a 400 degree oven with foil lining the bottom to catch any oil drips. Cook for 1 hour. Then turn oven off and let cool in the oven.
5. Once cooled, place newly seasoned cast iron on burner, turn on high and rub more avocado oil with a paper towel.
That’s it! Time to start cooking with your newly seasoned cast iron! The best way to get a really well seasoned pan is to cook in it! More on that later...