I love cooking with my cast iron skillets. Lodge cast iron skillets are the only brand I buy. I have three cast iron skillets, 8-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch. When you buy a Lodge cast iron skillet, it is already seasoned and ready to use. But over time and use, you must re-season your cast iron skillet.
Last week I was making some hash brown potatoes in my 10-inch skillet, and they stuck to the bottom of the skillet. I knew it was time to re-season my skillet.
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| My 8, and 10-inch skillets are seasoned and ready to cook again |
You can search YouTube, and you will find many videos on how to season a cast iron skillet. Today, I'm reviewing the method that I use and that has worked well for me over the years.
I want to make sure that I get any food particles left behind.
Next, I dry them with a soft towel. Then, I put them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes.
This ensures my skillets are completely dry.
Now that my pans are dried, I added a thin layer of olive oil. Then, I pre-heated my oven to 400 degrees.
Olive oil has a smoke point of about 350 degrees, so you want to be at least 20 degrees higher than the smoke point.
When the oil hits the smoke point and above a chemical reaction occurs called polymerization.
This chemical reaction bonds the oil to the pan, creating a layer of natural seasoning.
Cooking with cast iron frequently using oils also helps build up a layer of seasoning in your pan.
I set the pans in the 400-degree oven upside down and baked them for 1 hour. You can add a cookie sheet or tin foil under the pans to catch any oil that may drip. Then, I turned the oven off and let them cool while still in the oven. After 1 hour if you need to use your oven remove the pans with an oven mitt and set them on a cooling rack.
You can repeat this process as many times as needed to develop a layer of natural seasoning. With proper care, your cast iron skillets will give you years of cooking delicious food.
These are three Lodge cast iron skillets I own and use:
