How to Restore, Season and Clean a Cast Iron Skillet

Have an old rusty cast iron skillet?  No need to throw it away because it’s incredibly easy to restore and season back to its glory days.  Once it’s good to go it’s even easier to keep clean after use.

I’m obsessed with cooking in cast iron.  It’s incredibly safe and easy to metal for cooking.  When pans get hot, they secrete what element they are so when the iron gets hot it secretes iron, which is good for you.

It’s the perfect pan to cook pork chops, roast chicken, and really just about anything you are looking to cook on the stovetop or in the oven.  The most important part is maintaining once it is seasoned up.  If you do that, a cast iron skillet can last generations.

How to Clean Cast Iron

Follow these easy steps if your skillet has any rust spots or if it’s completely coated in rust.

Scrub with hot water using a nonabrasive scour pad with coarse salt or a brillo pad on all sides of the skillet until all of the rust spots are gone.

Place in the oven at 350° for over a burner on high heat to make sure there is no lingering moisture.  Likewise, you can thoroughly dry with a dishtowel.

How to Season it

Now that your pan is clean it’s now time to season it with oil.  Any cooking oil will work to season cast iron, however, it will all depend on availability and affordability.  The absolute best oil to use is flaxseed oil because it is a drying oil and will transform into a hard film coating the pan once it’s seasoned.

Some other good oils to use are:

• Coconut Oil
• Vegetable Shortening
• Olive oil
• Vegetable Oil
• Grapeseed Oil
• Canola Oil
• Sunflower Oil

Follow these directions for seasoning:

1. Once the skillet is clean, generously rub it down with a paper towel on all sides with 3 tablespoons of your desired seasoning oil to create a thick coat.

2. Using a separate paper towel rub it down again to soak up any excess oil.

3. Place the pan upside down on a rack in the middle of your oven and cook at 500° for 1 hour. I recommend placing a sheet of foil underneath to catch any oil that may drip off.

Now you are ready to use your pan.

Cleaning the Pan

After you do your first cook in your seasoned-up skillet now it’s time to clean it and maintain it so that it lasts several lifetimes.  Follow these instructions on how to do so:

Be sure to drain off any excess cooking oil from the pan before cleaning it.

Scrub with hot water using a nonabrasive scour pad with coarse salt or a soft bristle brush until all unwanted food particles have been removed.

Place in the oven at 350° for over a burner on high heat to make sure there is no lingering moisture.  Likewise, you can thoroughly dry with a dishtowel.

Add a thin coat of oil and rub it down with a paper towel on all sides to create a thin seasoning coat.

You can store it at this point if you plan to use it frequently.  If you don’t plan to use the pan for a while, then place it upside down on a rack in the middle of your oven and cook at 500° or over a burner on high heat until it reaches the oil smoking point.  You do this so the oil does not spoil.

chef notes + tips

• There is no cast-iron pan that is too far out of reach to be cleaned using this process.
• Anything can be cooked in a seasoned-up cast iron skillet, even something as simple as sautéed vegetables.
• The same process also applies to carbon steel pans

Use Your Seasoned Pan in These Recipes

• Chicken Piccata
• Filet Mignon
• Fried Chicken
• Corned Beef Hash

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How to Restore, Season and Clean a Cast Iron Skillet

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5 from 5 votes

Learn how easy it is to restore, season and clean your old cast iron skillet so that it will last for generations to come.

Servings: 1 Clean Pan

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Equipment

• cast-iron pan

Ingredients 

• 1 cast iron skillet
• 1 brillo pad
• 4 tablespoons oil
• nonabrasive scour pad with 2 tablespoons of salt or soft bristle cleaning brush

Instructions

• To Restore: Scrub under hot water using a brillo pad on all sides to remove all rust spots.
• Dry thoroughly using a kitchen towel or on a stovetop burner on high heat.
• To Season: Generously rub 3 tablespoons of oil into both sides of the pan using a paper towel.
• Next, use a separate paper towel to remove any excess left on oil.
• Place upside down in the middle of your oven rack at 500° for 1 hour. Store or use.
• To Maintain: Scrub with hot water using a nonabrasive scour pad with 2 tablespoons of salt or a soft bristle cleaning brush to remove all unwanted stuck-on food particles.
• Dry thoroughly using a kitchen towel or on a stovetop burner on high heat.
• Add 1 tablespoon of oil and rub it into the pan on both sides.
• Place in the oven on the middle rack at 500° or over a burner on high heat until it reaches the oil smoking point. You do this so the oil does not spoil.
• Cool and store.

Notes

Chef Notes:

• There is no cast-iron pan that is too far out of reach to be cleaned using this process.

• Anything can be cooked in a seasoned-up cast iron skillet, even something as simple as sautéed vegetables.

• The same process also applies to carbon steel pans

Course: dinner, lunch

Cuisine: American, French

Author: Chef Billy Parisi