Cook These 5 Dishes to Season Cast Iron Cookware (2024)

FAQs

Cook These 5 Dishes to Season Cast Iron Cookware? ›

We recommend starting with shallow- or deep-fried food, including Chicken Schnitzel, which is cooked in a generous amount of seasoning-friendly oil and can be made in any Field Skillet. Or, you can fill a Field Dutch oven with oil and fry up a batch of Salt-and-Pepper Wings or Apple Cider Funnel Cakes.

Season Your Skillet As You Cook

Using your pan to cook foods with a lot of oil or fat — like frying chicken or cooking bacon — is really good for it. It helps build and preserve its seasoned coating naturally.

All cooking oils and fats can be used for seasoning cast iron, but based on availability, affordability, effectiveness, and having a high smoke point, Lodge recommends vegetable oil, melted shortening, or canola oil, like our Seasoning Spray.

We recommend starting with vegetables as they are more forgiving than most proteins - they taste delicious and won't stick to your pan! Keep in mind that using a little bit of oil is necessary to help to keep food from sticking.

Place foil on a lower rack to catch drips. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the cast iron for about an hour, and let it cool entirely in the oven. If your skillet didn't come pre-seasoned, you may need to season it three or four times to get a good layer of seasoning before you start cooking with it.

Traditionally, lard was used to season cast iron, and while that is still okay, we do not recommend it unless you frequently use your cookware. If the cookware is stored for too long, lard and other animal-based fats can go rancid. Using flaxseed oil to season cast iron pans is a growing trend.

Bacon grease is great for seasoning cast iron skillets.

Put the oiled pan in a preheated 450°F (230°C) oven, and leave it there for 30 minutes. It may get a little smoky, so keep your kitchen well ventilated.

To clean, just use mild dish soap (that's right, it's okay to use a little soap!) and a scouring pad or a cast iron pan cleaning brush. Wash it, scrub it, rinse it, then wipe it out well and season it with a few drops of oil and store with a paper towel covering the cooking surface.

Cast Iron Goes Both Ways

The method to cooking with cast iron on the stovetop is HEAT, do not add the cooking oil until the pan feels hot, because the oil will be the benchmark of the pan's readiness. If the butter sizzles, pan's ready. Oil slides across the pan with easy, pan's ready.

What is the trick to cooking with cast iron skillet? ›

To ensure even heating, gradually pre-heat the cast iron skillet on a similar-sized burner. Since cast iron holds heat, it's not necessary to use a heat setting above medium. These steps help prevent food from sticking. Don't forget to use a hot handle mitt!

Dry the pan and coat with a thin layer of oil.

Dry the cast iron with a clean towel and then place over low heat. Add a thin coat of more oil, but make sure the oil doesn't pool anywhere — one teaspoon wiped across the entire cooking surface is just right for most pans.

The Best Foods to Cook in Cast Iron Pans

Here are some dishes that turn out great when you make them in cast iron: Pan-seared veggies and proteins. Fatty foods like bacon. Burgers.

You should season a cast-iron skillet at least once a month, but seasoning it after each time you cook with it also works. You may not need to repeat the entire seasoning process as you did before initially using it, but after each use, rinse it and give your cast-iron skillet a quick season by oiling it.

For long-term care, it is best practice to oil an iron skillet after each use. A well-seasoned skillet has a distinct look to it. It is noticeably dark with a shiny, semi-gloss finish. Of course, if you rarely use your cast-iron skillet, oiling it only two to three times a year will work.

Since olive oil is such a pantry staple, many people naturally wonder if they can use olive oil to season cast iron. You can use olive oil to season cast iron, but you need to choose a high quality extra virgin olive oil, which should have a smoke point close to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Butter is excellent for cooking, adding to gravies, and even frying if you control the heat to medium-low. But it is not a good choice for seasoning cast iron cookware first time. Butter has a high smoke point. If you season the cast iron pots with butter, they will burn out too soon.

Prior to cooking, add about a teaspoon of oil to your skillet and heat it gradually on the stovetop or in the oven to help reduce sticking. After cooking, allow the cookware to cool, then use a pan scraper to remove stuck-on food, scrub with a nylon brush or nonscratch pad, hand dry, and add a generous layer of oil.

The best—and easiest—way is to cook in it regularly. Each time you cook with oil or fat, you're adding another layer of seasoning to the pan. Over time, these layers build up to form a strong, nonstick cooking surface. These initial layers of seasoning added as you cook in a new cast iron skillet may be uneven.

For long-term care, it is best practice to oil an iron skillet after each use. A well-seasoned skillet has a distinct look to it. It is noticeably dark with a shiny, semi-gloss finish. Of course, if you rarely use your cast-iron skillet, oiling it only two to three times a year will work.