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Fantastic - I'll be using my cast-iron pan for breakfast tomorrow for the first time and I still feel intimidated by the seasoning prep, so thank you for the step-by-step and photos! Got me so inspired, I'll be doing this five minutes after I get home from work tonight.

I realize this might be a whole other question for another day, but is do you do the same thing to season a carbon steel wok?

I love my cast iron pans! They last forever. Heavy, but that's the only drawback. I have a cast iron wok & a curved pan that is used only to make crepes + others, they all work magnificently. Seasoning them in the oven once in a blue moon is not a big deal. And you can scrub them with salt when needed.

Can I make the big pancake if I don't have a cast-iron skillet? My pots and pans can go in the oven, but will the big pancake still turn out the same?

Faith Hill was on Oprah in the last month or so and they showed her in her kitchen making corn bread in her cast iron pan.

She said that the best thing to do is buy an old used cast iron pan that has already been broken in as it takes years to get it to the perfect condition.

That might explain why the prices are so high for some of them on ebay!

I can't imagine anyone wanting to get rid of their old cast iron pans...Some of mine are at least 20 years. yea, I started cooking as an infant! :)

You can use the same method to season a carbon steel wok. And if your wok does not fit in your oven, just heat it on the stove top on medium until it is very hot, turn to low and heat for 15 more minutes.
Happy Wokking.

Louisa

You can use soap if you have stuck on bits. After years of avoiding soap because I was told it would strip the seasoning I found out that this was not the case:

In the "long long ago" Soap used to be made of lye and fat, which would definitely strip the seasoning. Modern dish soaps are usually wetting agents or surfacants, which won't pose a danger to your carbonized oil coating. So feel free to use soap to get any hard bits off.

I've been using it on my cast iron pans when necessary for the past few years, and have had no problems at all.

That pancake really looks awful!

Baked pancakes are fantastic! We have them probably two Saturdays a month. I have a similar recipe that is even easier and makes just enough for two. I don't have cast iron, I actually just bake them in a pyrex pie dish and they come out perfectly.

Does anyone know what to do with a slightly rusty cast-iron pan that needs to be reseasoned? Is it worth it?

Alex,

Scrub it with salt and a stiff brush until the rust comes out, then re-season. It'll be as good as new. Probably better.

Abby,

As ED points out, you can also use Pyrex, or any other similar oven-safe baking dish. I sometimes use a square Pyrex which makes for really trippy edges as the batter climbs up the sides of the pans. The cast iron just guarantees and nice even browning, w/o burning.

Thanks, Sara Kate. All of my pots and pans are oven-safe, but maybe I'll try a pyrex (I only have the square ones). I think I may have to try this for dinner tonight.

I have my great great grandmother's cast iron skillets. In a lot of african-american families like mine we pass down the cast irons as part of a family tradition of cooking. Every time i make a meal whether it's a cajun recipe or just baking a dessert, it brings back a flood of family memories.

Well, I'm getting in touch with my Dutch heritage, so I'll have to have the Big Pancake.

I have a cast iron griddle that has a sweet spot in the middle, but the perimeter is not rusty, but *gunky*. I've scrubbed with salt, vinegar, baking powder, and even scraped with metal (not allowed, I know.)

What should I try? I **love** pancakes, but I'm about ready to bag it for a n-s griddle.

But my swamp Yankee heritage doesn't really want to ditch it.

Jean, you can safely use steel wool (and then re-season). I've even heard of people using sandpaper, though I've never tried it myself. Anyone else?

Michelle,

Louisa is correct about the wok seasoning. I would only add that we had to do it a couple of time to prevent it from rusting without sticking it into the oven (wouldn't fit). Basically, heat, oil, cool repeat.

I scored a Griswold deep skillet w/dutch oven lid at a hospital rummage sale--a local institution had donated it. This thing is seasoned for life! I never put it away. It has made me realize how few pots and pans I really need--I use this for everything. It is also a lesson in going with your gut. I bought because I thought it looked beautiful and functional, and the woman at checkout whispered "you know, they're collectible!" I didn't, but I do now!

Alex,

I let my cast iron dutch oven get rusty once. I know, I know, but I used a mixture of vegetable oil and salt on it and it took off all the rust. I reseasoned, and....good as new!

Dee
it't not just african-americans that pass on their cast iron, my slovakian/polish family does the same thing
i've got my great grandmother's pan too, from lancaster co. pa. where my great grandfather was a miner
that one skillet is more precious to me than just about anything else that i own
i once decided to leave a roommate situation because, even after explaining to the roommate how much, and how priceless that pan was too me, the idiot went and tried to make FRIED RICE in it

to this day, no matter what i do, no matter how much i scrub and re-season, i can't get the little shadows of those sad grains of rice to remove themselves from the bottom of my priceless pan
they do no harm, they're just there, and i figure it's just another chapter in the story of my pan

I love the idea of passing the cast iron down generation to generation.

Skillets collectible? Ugh. What next?

Must say, in a way I understand. I love skillets -- I use mine daily. Clean them lovingly -- maybe too lovingly. Here in Chi you could find them at the thrift all seasoned and ret to go -- for basically nothing. All manner of Le Creuset, too. Is that still the case? Don't look anymore, as my bases are all covered. Hunting even better as you get out to the country.

Funny about the inheritance thing. Friend of mine had grandma's skillet. One day discovered clueless roomate was soaking it. Nearly bludgeoned the guy with it. The old ways nearly been lost altogither.

Should I season a cast iron griddle which has a porcelain coat? The label says is porcelain coated but feels porous, like a fine hand file.

ty

looks like nobody pays attention to may question.
I did season and now i'm wondering;
for a stove pan the oil coat will not burn too much but for a griddle in a barbeque, easy going burning.
ilsee
ty anyway

I seasoned my cast iron pan yesterday only to find that the middle of the pan base went very black (as though burnt) while the outer edges stayed the original grey colour. Have I done something wrong?

michj; i just bought a new wok ( castiron) and seasoned it also and the center is black like its burnt,but the sides look great,anybody know if i did something wrong? should i try to fix it? Anne

Cast iron rocks!!!
I have gone overboard with cast iron skillets.I must have 10 of them, and including a old antique cast iron waffle maker and two dutch ovens.

P.S.My grandmother has been using soap in her cast iron all her life, and there the most seasoned pans i have ever seen. So dont worry about using soap on your pan.

I acquired a dutch oven first, then a frying pan later at garage/estate sales. Seasoned both, no sweat. wonderful discovery: Dutch Oven cover fits the fry pan. Last week I cooked chicken legs (16) in both a regular and cast iron pan. Cast iron done 5 minutes before non-stick and also had better color. Love the Dutch Oven for roasts on sundays. Incredible how much time the Dutch Oven saves over the old roasters. Wish I had my mom's cast iron fry pan now.

Hello,

I just bought a new cast iron wok and am ready to season it now. Just looking up some info here on this great site. Thanks to everybody here!

In the directions above, it says to never use metal utensils in cast iron. I thought cast iron was durable enough to stand up to metal utensils. Anybody have any comments about using metal utensils with cast iron? If it's seasoned well enough, will it still scratch? Thanks again.

-Dave

I have Griswold cast iron cookware that dates from the 1920's through the 1930's.
After around 1940, most of the cast iron is of poorer quality.
www.griswoldcookware.com/undersatnding_griswold.htm

The newer cast iron skillets and dutch ovens can in no way compete with the quality of the cookware from that earlier period...not even close.

Instead of buying new cast iron skillets, you'd be much better off buying used Erie, Griswold, or perhaps Wagner cast iron cookware dating before 1940.

Regards,
-Ward

I too have my grandmothers that are jet black. I love them but I hate washing them because they're so heavy. I scrub them with d/w liquid and a nylon scrubber and have for years.I have even soaked and scraped them and never had a problem. They're cast iron--pretty tough! I also then put them on a low fire on the stove to dry which prevents them from rusting anyway.For 'seasoning' I rub oil all over them and use a low fire on the stove top for about 10 minutes, and don't mess with that oven stuff.

A friend gave me my first Griswold cast iron pan--a 10-inch square beauty that I've made countless batches of cornbread in. I also have a 4-quart Dutch Oven and a 6-inch Griswold frying pan. I have two Wagner ware fry pans as well. One was in such bad condition when I acquired it. I can't remember who told me, but you can completely recondition an old cast iron pan, heavily encrusted by years of accumulated hard crud by putting the pan in your self-cleaning oven (make sure you remove the oven racks). Close and use the self-cleaning mechanism according to your manufactures instructions. The resulting crud will have disintegrated completely with only a tiny bit of ash in your pan when you remove it from the cooled oven. Then simply re-season (I put a tiny amount of vegetable oil in the pan and with a paper towel, rub the entire pan until the oil leaves no trace.

As far as daily cleaning is concerned, once the pan is well-seasoned (and it takes about three or four times using the seasoning method I describe above), you pan can take some gentle scrubbing--and yes with liquid detergent. Just don't soak it in the sink (I usually just add some water when I'm done with the pan and let it soak on top of the stove until I do the dishes after a meal). Once it is thoroughly dry, I will add a very thin layer of oil to the pan with a paper towel again, before hanging it. A plastic scraper is a boon for getting off stubborn food that sticks to the pan. A Scotchbright pad with water only is good for stubborn areas such as oil spot build-ups too. My cast iron pans are beautiful, ready for the daily stresses of cooking that I put them through. And I proudly display them with my copper and stainless steel pans.