Seasoning Cast Iron

[OKcherokee]

Cool down time. Has changed color quite a bit already.

[partdeux]

Cook bacon in it the first several times.

After washing (water only), but on the stove on a med low heat, put in lard (or we use filtered bacon grease) after the water is all driven off, and turn off the heat. after it cools, wipe out the excess grease. Cast iron will cook hotter with lower temps, so you have to adjust your cooking temps. IMO, there is nothing better than "real" corn bread cooked in black iron pans. Don't rush the seasoning, six months later, I still haven't had the guts to try eggs

[iCreek]

Originally Posted by OKcherokee

Why do you say that?

Because I did it once, and smoked and stunck'ed up the whole house. The wife said, not again, take it outside.

[Drop]

Just wash it off and cook in it.

No use heating the house up for an empty pan, also F lard/crisco. Walnut oil FTW

[HammyABeer]

I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil. I find vegetable oil to be sticky at times.

I like to put mine on my gas grill outside with a 12 pack and continue to rub oil in it about every 3 beers. When it's hot like that the oil really gets in to give you a good seasoning. Get a plastic scrub pad to help clean it after you cook, using hot water only.

[OKcherokee]

Originally Posted by iCreek

Because I did it once, and smoked and stunck'ed up the whole house. The wife said, not again, take it outside.

I was worried about some smoke, but I used oil so it was no problem.

Originally Posted by Drop

Just wash it off and cook in it.

No use heating the house up for an empty pan, also F lard/crisco. Walnut oil FTW

Yeah, we don't have any lard/crisco around.

[jmichna]

Originally Posted by Drop

...also F lard/crisco. Walnut oil FTW

Walnut oil!!! Ah, a dilettante cook! I bet you never cook fried chicken in lard, or taters in bacon grease either!

[Drop]

Strong assumption lol

I eat bad enough as it is, so when cooking for myself, I eat healthy. I would've been deported out of Texas by now, if things were how you stated.

[1911brat]

Step 1- Prep
If it's new skillets that have that black looking cooking on them (like ones you get from Bed Bath and Beyond), you need to remove the stupid seasoning factory puts on them. Scrub it away with soap and scouring pad.

If it's old skillets with black stuff charred on them, you need to put them into lye bath for a few days. In the pinch, Easy Off will work. Lye is safe on cast iron, so if you put it in lye bath and forget about it for a week, it won't eat your skillet. Make sure to rinse a whole bunch with really hot water and wash with dish washing soap.
If you have rust on it, 50/50 vinegar/water, but have to watch it as vinegar will eat away cast iron.

If you have just clean, unseasoned skillets... wash them well with soap. It's ok this one time, you're gonna season it right away anyways.

Step 2-drying and seasoning

Stick it in an oven. I usually put it in at 450 for about 5-10 minutes. Get it out, and as soon as it is the temperature you can handle, but still as hot as possible, start rubbing your choice of fat onto it all over, and just do a light coat of it. I use oven mitts and paper towels at this step so the skillet is still very hot. I have used bacon fat, lard and vegetable oil before. I think I prefer lard for seasoning.
Once you covered it with fat of your choice, take a new paper towel, and go over it to try to take the excess fat off. Then pop it back in the oven at 450 for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn oven off and just let it cool in the oven. Once it's cool, it should be ready to use, or you could repeat with another coat of fat.

As for cleaning, scrubbie and water, nothing else. I do re-seasoning every time I wash.

[3shot]

We have my wife's grandmother's 12". It's at least 50 years old if I had to guess. Sure Wolfgang puck, and Paula Dean are nice, but you will NEVER get the taste like a cast iron skillet. A pain to deal with sometimes, but worth it in the end. My eggs slide rite out of that badboy . I just wipe her out with hot water and a plastic scrub pad. Dry. Then apply a thin layer of crisco and store it in the oven. The same way wifey's mother, and her mother have done for years. Great heirlooms