Learn how to season cast iron, cook with it, plus tips for cleaning. This is my favorite kitchen tool and with proper care, it will be yours as well for years of use.
Cast iron has been my skillet of choice for many years now. I seasoned my skillets when I first bought them years ago and haven’t had to repeat the initial seasoning process since. With proper care, a well-seasoned pan will last for forever. It is a kitchen essential and so worth learning how to use.
Getting your first new cast iron pan and learning how to season cast iron cookware can be intimidating, but the good news is, it is so simple! Follow these steps below, and before you know it you will be making delicious dishes that are definitely elevated when cooked in cast iron. You’ll also be able to enjoy the benefits of an easy-release cooking surface that is non toxic to use.
From making sourdough discard cinnamon rolls for breakfast, smothered pork steaks for dinner, and sourdough cherry cobbler for dessert, the recipes you can make with cast iron are endless!
There is a bit of a learning curve with cast-iron cookware, but once you get the hang of it you’ll never go back! I promise.
Why You’ll Love Cast Iron
Healthier – Reason #1, of course, is it doesn’t have all the bad stuff. Nonstick pans are coated with a carcinogenic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid.
Not only does it leech into the food when cooked at high temperatures, but also produces toxic fumes in the air. Although the health concerns with nonstick were what drew me to using cast iron in the first place, the ease and beauty with which they cook kept me coming back for more.
Non-Stick – Well seasoned cast iron pans are wonderfully non-stick and with proper care they will stay that way. Even if you make something a little sticky, it usually doesn’t take too much work to get them non-stick again.
Long lasting – It is nearly impossible to break a cast iron skillet. Sure it may need to be re-seasoned, but otherwise they will last nearly forever and can even be passed down from generation to generation.
How to Season Cast Iron
Step 1: Scrub cast iron with hot soapy water (making sure to use a gentle dish soap) to get off any rust, if there is any. A stainless steel scrubber is very handy for this.
Step 2: Dry well with a towel.
Step 3: Lightly coat the cast iron with a thin layer of oil, making sure to use a high smoke point oil. High smoke point oils can withstand very high temperatures without burning. I like to use avocado oil, coconut oil, or lard. Some other cooking oil options that will work are canola oil, grapeseed oil, and sunflower oil. You can also make and use some of my DIY cast iron seasoning oil.
Step 4: Cover the bottom, top, handle, and every part of the skillet with the oil.
Step 5: Wipe off the excess oil with a dry rag.
Step 6: Place the pan upside down in a 450 degree oven for an hour.
Step 7: Repeat until it has a black shiny luster, if necessary.
How to Cook with Cast Iron
Step 1: Preheat skillet. The biggest key to successful cast iron cooking is preheating. Never drop food into a cold cast iron skillet or you will end up with stuck-on foods to clean off.
Step 2: Add a little bit of fat whether it be butter, oil, lard or tallow, etc.
Step 3: Add your food and cook. That simple. Flip and stir as little as possible, allowing the food to release from the bottom of the pan when it is cooked fully.
Step 4: After cooking, follow the how to clean cast iron directions below.
Watch me cook over-easy eggs in the video below to see how cast iron can truly be a non-stick surface.
How to Clean Cast Iron
Cast iron is naturally nonstick when seasoned properly. If nothing is sticking to the pan, you can simply wipe it out with a paper towel until the next use.
If something gets really stuck on, remove it with a little warm water and a stainless steel scrubber.
Avoid using soap if possible, however using a gentle dish soap if you need to is ok and should not harm your seasoning.
Use a tea towel to wipe off any excess water. The pan should be completely dry before putting it away. Make sure every part of the pan is dried thoroughly and store them in a dry place.
Things to Make With Cast Iron
Foods that need to be steamed or boiled are not the best choice to cook with cast iron. I still like to make steamed carrots, broccoli, and green beans in my stainless steel pots with a lid. Also, I prefer stainless steel for soups and stews.
Foods that are cooked in fat, or have a decent fat content in them, are excellent for cast iron cooking.
- Bread items: such as sourdough pancakes, sourdough English muffins, pizza, sourdough donuts
- Meats: like this creamy chicken and mushroom pasta, garlic butter pork chops, and round steak with caramelized onions and mushrooms
- Sautéed veggies
- Stir fry
- Sunny side up eggs
- Fried potatoes
- Roasts
- Desserts: cobblers like blueberry, cherry, pumpkin, and so much more.
- French toast casserole
- Skillets: chicken pot pie, shepherd’s pie, sourdough skillets, etc.
Cast Iron FAQs
Cast iron can scratch a glass-top stove.
There is also concern that a hot cast iron pan could cause the cold glass top to shatter, because the skillet holds so much heat. Cast iron is extremely heavy, so if it is dropped on the glass-top it might break.
All that aside, I used to cook with cast iron on a glass stove top daily in our old house, and did for many years. I never had a problem.
I put the question out on my Facebook and Instagram page, and it seems all my die hard cast iron fans pay no mind to such suggestions.
No one reported a problem. So, although technically cast iron on a glass cook top is a no-no, you will likely suffer no consequence, should you decide to be a rebel like me.
You want to choose an oil that has a high smoke point. Coconut, avocado, and lard (if using frequently) are the healthiest options, but almost any cooking oil will work. See post above in the how to season cast iron section for more oil options that are good choices.
What happens if you don’t season cast iron?
If you do not season cast iron you will be left with a porous surface that is not non-stick. This will make the pan hard to clean and may make the pan rust. It is very important to season new cast iron skillets and continue to build up its seasoning over time.
A little bit of rust on cast iron is ok and can usually be scrubbed and cleaned off of the surface and then re-seasoned. Make sure to avoid practices like leaving your cast iron wet and letting it soak to avoid more serious rust issues. Always dry cast iron immediately and store it in a dry area free from moisture.
Thank you for this helpful content!
I washed and seasoned with coconut oil. I wiped down with a towel before placing in oven. The pan came out sticker and my kitchen filled with smoke about 10 minutes of cast iron being in oven.
Any suggestions?
Once I have seasoned my pans and then have cooked with them and need to clean them, do I need to oil them before storing?
No, you do not.
Our cast pan gets very sticky around the edge when we cook pancakes. How do I prevent this?…And how do I clean it? (Using salt and a plastic scrubby is only partially successful).
It probably needs to be seasoned more on the sides of the pan.
It would seem the smoking point on my coconut oil is only 350°. Can I still season at this temperature or should I try to find a different oil? Do you have a brand or type of coconut oil that you use without this problem?
My cast iron always seems to have soot or black/gray wiping off when I cook with them or clean them or season them and nothing seems to stop it. Is this residue from my pan? Is it not clean enough?
It would seem the smoking point on my own refined cold pressed coconut oil is only 350°. Can I still season at this temperature or should I try to find a different oil? Do you have a brand or type of coconut oil that you use without this problem?
My cast iron always seems to have soot or black/gray wiping off when I cook with them or clean them or season them and nothing seems to stop it. Is this residue from my pan? Is it not clean enough?
I am having a similar issue. Did you find a solution? If so could you share?
Hi Lisa! I am new to the blog/YouTube channel so catching up on lots of old content. I inherited a cast iron skillet from my grandfather who recently passed away, which is so sweet and special, but I am new to using it. Do you think it is safe to use if I don’t know much about the history of how it was used? I have no clue how he cared for it over the years. I did clean it with soap when I first received it which I realize now was a mistake… but now going forward I’m not sure if there’s anything special I need to do besides the regular seasoning process you described above? Thanks so much.
Cleaning it once with soap won’t hurt it. Just continue with the regular seasoning process.
What about when you bake bread? Do you flour the surface or just put the bread on an oily pan? Then do you just dust off the remaining flour? I just use a layer of aluminum foil right now because I don’t trust myself with anything else!
I usually bake bread in a cast iron dutch oven. When I do that, I put down parchment paper before adding my loaf of bread!
Hey Lisa, is there a brand of cast iron that is better? I have been looking into get cast iron and looking through FB market place. Just wondering if it’s something I should buy new or if FB is okay to buy from and if yes a certain brand or anything would be fine. Thanks!
Hi Lisa,
What sort of stainless steel scrubber can I use? Would you recommend something specific found on Amazon?
Thank you,
Giorgi
I just use the stainless steel dish scrubbers found in the dish detergent isle!
I finally got my starter to work. My whole wheat would not create a starter. Had to use organic rye. I mad the sour dough English muffins and the sour dough challah. My cast iron, which has been sitting in the closet for years, is now my favorite tool thanks to you.
Awesome! So glad to hear it!