How to Care for Cast Iron Pans

Cast Iron pans can be a little intimidating, but with these easy care instructions; you’ll be well on your way to beautifully seasoned cast iron pans!

When It comes to cast iron we tend to over complicate things, when in reality its super simple to season, and maintain a nice non stick surface on a cast iron pan. There are a few things I would recommend every cast iron pan user have and this is my list:

• A non scratch abrasive scrubber or scouring pad, a regular scrubbing pad will also work.
• Paper towel or a simple cotton kitchen towel
• Pig Lard
• Most important your cast iron pan

That’s it, that’s all you should need. For the scrubber I recommend the non scratch so that you wont accidently take off any seasoning from your pan. If choosing a kitchen towel over paper towel just make sure it’s a cotton one that won’t leave behind a lot of lint pieces.

Seasoning a cast iron pan

If your starting out with a brand new pan then you will first need to season it before use. To do this apply a thin layer of oil to the pan using a paper towel. Very lightly coat the whole pan including the outside, and even the handle. Take a dry paper towel and wipe the whole pan, drying off all the excess. The pan should feel dry. You might think it’s not enough but the oil is already seeped into the pores of the metal. If you have to much oil your pan will become sticky.

Once you’re satisfied with how dry the pan is place it upside down in the middle rack of your oven, and bake at 350F for 1 hr. Put a layer of tinfoil one rack bellow it to catch any potential drips. (which there shouldn’t be if it was dried enough) After an hour you should be left with a nice thin layer of seasoning. You will need to repeat this process several times until the pan becomes nice and shiny. For non smooth cast iron it wont look as shiny but you should still be able to see those seasoning layers building up.

Which oil is best

When it comes to oil I have seen many types recommended but the one I use and prefer I have never seen. That is pig lard! Yes that’s right pig lard is a wonderful cooking oil. Next to olive oil, lard contains the highest amount of monounsaturated fatty acids which help to lower cholesterol and maintain healthy cells. Its smoke point is 370F so it should be good to cover all your cast iron pan needs. The last reason to use lard is unlike most oils which are inflammatory to the body, lard is actually anti-inflammatory! This is why I recommend lard for seasoning your pan.

Here are two links on pork lards anti-inflammatory abilities.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mnfr.202200429

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8658921

After you have seasoned your pan in the oven several times I recommend starting on the stove with deep frying a few things. I occasionally deep fry tortillas for tacos, or for my Tortilla Soup, click here for the recipe. This will add a little more seasoning with out anything potentially sticking before its coated well enough. Cast iron needs to be heated and a little oil added before adding any food to the pan. Once you have a good seasoning then you should be able to cook anything without sticking, including scrambled eggs!

How to clean cast iron pans

After cooking in your cast iron; wash with just water, using a non scratch scouring pan. If it is well seasoned it should come clean easily. Once clean dry immediately so it won’t rust. After drying heat the pan on the stove till warm and spread a thin layer of oil on the inside of the pan using paper towel or a cotton kitchen towel. Once It’s oiled you will want to dry it well again. This ensures there’s no oil left in the pan going rancid. If you’re like me and use them almost daily then its ok if you don’t dry them as much, I actually prefer to leave a very thin layer in my pan for storing. That’s it! This may sound or seem complicated, but I assure you once you get a good seasoning layer its the simplest thing!

If for some reason something sticks to your pan then just give it a good scrub and heat it on the stove top with a little oil again, or fry some tortillas! It’s rare to ruin seasoning to where it needs a full strip and do over, so always try the stove top salvage before stripping your cast iron totally clean. If for some reason it needs a full strip keep watch for a post on stripping and redoing cast iron coming soon!