Restoring Your Cast Iron Skillet
A well-loved skillet should look dark and feel smooth to the touch, not sticky or dull. If your pan has patches of rust or food is consistently welding itself to the base, it is time for a reset.
Less is more
The most common mistake is using too much oil; if the pan looks wet, you have already added too much.
- Stiff-bristled brush or chainmail scrubber
- Lint-free cotton rags or paper towels
- Grapeseed or flaxseed oil
- Oven
What goes in.
- 1 tspHigh-smoke point oil (grapeseed, canola, or vegetable)
The Smoke Point
You are not just heating the oil; you are changing its state. The heat must reach the oil's smoke point so the molecules link together to form a slick, stable barrier on the iron.
The method.
Clean the surface
Scrub the pan thoroughly with hot water and a stiff brush. If there is rust, use a bit of steel wool. Dry it immediately with a towel, then place it over medium heat on the stove for two minutes to ensure all moisture has evaporated from the pores.
Apply the oil
Pour a teaspoon of oil into the warm pan. Use a clean rag to spread it over every surface—inside, outside, and the handle. It will look shiny.
Buff it dry
Take a fresh rag or paper towel and wipe the pan as if you made a mistake and are trying to remove all the oil you just applied. You want a finish that looks matte, not oily. If it reflects light, there is too much oil.
Bake
Place the pan upside down in a cold oven. Set the temperature to 450°F (230°C). Once the oven hits that temperature, bake for one hour. Turn off the oven and let the skillet cool completely inside before removing.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If your pan comes out sticky, the oven temperature was too low or you used too much oil; run it through another cycle at a higher heat to finish the polymerization.
Store your pan with a paper towel folded inside to prevent moisture from settling on the surface.
The more you cook fatty foods like bacon or seared steaks, the stronger the seasoning will become over time.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use olive oil to season?
Avoid it. Olive oil has a low smoke point and will burn off or turn gummy before it can properly polymerize.
Do I need to strip the pan if there are small flakes coming off?
Not necessarily. Scrub the area with a chainmail scrubber or coarse salt, rinse, dry, and apply a single layer of seasoning. Only perform a full strip if the surface is severely pitted or rusted.
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