Cast-iron Skillet Care

Most cooks (or those that love antiques and history) have a cast-iron skillet passed down to them from someone in their family. I am no exception. As a wedding present, my great aunt gave me my great grandmother's cast-iron skillet. The neat story behind this skillet is my great grandmother's brother-in-law (her sister's husband) made the skillet and gave it to my great grandmother as a wedding present.

Southern Living had a great article a few months back on how to take care of your cast-iron skillet and how to season it. I thought I would share it with you.

Cast-iron skillets will eventually lose its nice black sheen as well as being nonstick. So, here's how to season your skillet and make it shine.

Season Cast-iron Skillet
1. Scrub skillet well in HOT soapy water.
2. Dry thoroughly.
3. Spread a thin layer of melted shortening or vegetable oil over the skillet.
4. Place it upside down on a middle oven rack at 375 degrees. (Place foil on a lower rack to catch drips)
5. Bake 1 hour; let cool in the oven.


For day-to-day TLC, clean cast-iron skillet under hot water only. Do not use soap! Dry your skillet before storing.

You are probably wondering if you aren't suppose to use soap how in the world do you clean the skillet. You can use a stiff brush under running water while the skillet is still warm (but cool enough to touch). Kosher salt is a great scrubbing item for baked on food.

Top picture is before I seasoned the skillet and the bottom picture is after I seasoned it.

Before

After