In this world of ready-made seasoned cast iron skillet pans, seasoning it a bit extra is loved by the cooks! And so, you must learn how to season a cast iron skillet at home!
Here, we have brought some easy steps for seasoning cast iron skillets with handy products and without hassle! Have a look!
Step-by-Step Process How to Season a Cast Iron Skillet
If the seasoning of your 12-inch skillet frying pan is not giving you the ultimate result anymore, it’s time to study how to season a cast iron skillet!
Step 1: Clean and Dry
When you plan to learn how to season a cast iron frying pan, you can start easily. But before everything, you have to start with the cleaning process. Yes, some people will skip this step but trust us; it is the best step you can start!
So, start cleaning the cast iron pan you want to season. Give it a proper wash. Get some soapy water. We recommend you get some warm water and add some soap to it. Make a soapy warm water mixture for cleaning purposes. After cleaning it properly with the soap-water mixture, you have to dry it. Remember that drying it is a must before you start the seasoning. Get a towel and dry it down.
However, we often see that towel drying is not enough as there is always some water that remains there. For this, you can go for a better method. Go to the stove and switch it on. Now, place the pan on the stove and let it get hot on the stovetop flame for some time. It will require only a minute or two to make it hot and remove any lingering water!
Step 2: Oiling and Buffing
When the cast iron skillet is cleaned properly and dried, you can go for the next step where you will need oil. Get your hands on some cooking oil and then start rubbing the pan with it. Yes, you have to rub the oil all over the pan. The inside should be rubbed with oil properly. Do not forget to rub oil on the outer parts of the pan.
You might forget the handle, but please don’t! The handle requires seasoning too! While choosing oil, the best thing you can do is get unsaturated cooking fats.
You can pick up vegetable oil, corn oil, or canola. These can easily spread. Here, all you have to do is rub the oil all over. Along with this, you have to buff it properly.
You have to buff it in a manner that the skillet pan doesn’t look greasy at all! Make sure there is no excess oil on the pan, not even the slightest. Otherwise, it will pool during the seasoning work.
And if you don’t do it properly, the additional oil will turn into hardened droplets on the pan’s cooking surface. In cases, it might turn into a sticky surface. So, buffing accurately is necessary.
Step 3: Heat it up
Now that you are done with the oiling and buffing process, you have to heat it. We know you are thinking of the last heating method, but here, you don’t have to place it on the stovetop. In this step, we recommend you the oven method. First of all, you have to preheat your oven. Go to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and preheat the oven.
When the oven is preheated, keep the same temperature and place the oiled pan inside the oven. Now, set the timer for 30 minutes. We know you are thinking of the smoke and yes, it might get a bit smoky.
In this case, the oven should be in a well-ventilated area. If you are working in your kitchen, make sure the ventilation method is enough. In this process, the oil will be polymerized.
When you settle for stovetop burners in this step, there are chances that the heat will produce hot and cool spots on the pan’s surface. As a result, you will face uneven seasoning.
No matter how high-grade the stovetop burner is, the result will be the same. So, we recommend you get the oven to do this job. This will provide uniform heat to every part of the pan which will ensure even seasoning.
Step 4: Keep Repeating
After you are done with the 30 minutes of heating the pan in your oven, you can take it out. When you switch the oven and take the pan out, make sure you have enough protective gear to protect your skin because the pan will be too hot to hold with bare hands. After taking it out, you have to take some more oil and again rub it all over.
After rubbing it properly, you must buff it once again to certify that there is no oil dripping down. In short, you have to repeat the same process we have mentioned above without cleaning it with water.
When you are done oiling and buffing once again, repeat putting the pan in the oven for the next session of seasoning. Go for 450 degrees Fahrenheit temperature and set the timer again to 30 minutes. After the next 30 minutes, it overtakes out the oven.
In the case of proper seasoning, you have to repeat the process. You can enjoy the best result when you are repeating the process three to four times. This will help you in setting the perfect initial layer of seasoning!
Step 5: Ready to Cook
When you have tried the whole method 3 to 4 times, take the pan out of the oven and you are almost ready. Let it cool down for some minutes. After this, you will see that the skillet pan is ready for cooking! You might want a better a far better result than this; you can rely on a baking sheet too.
After buffing properly, you can turn the pan upside down. Then, put a baking sheet underneath it. This will help you get rid of the extra oil with insurance! Also, flaxseed oil might be very popular for seasoning purposes, but we do not recommend flaxseed oil for this work as it can flake off in course of time.
Wrap Up
These steps mentioned above are the easiest way to season a cast iron skillet and make it ready for better cooking. If you haven’t tried it yet, do so! You will end up loving it! Thanks for Reading. Happy Cooking!
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