I Seasoned My Cast Iron Skillet with a Store-Bought Spray — Here’s How I Feel About It

My cast iron skillet and I have a special relationship — I won’t even let my husband wash it because I don’t like the way he does it. I’ve worked really hard to create a seasoning that is slick and nonstick, and I don’t want to have to re-season it again (a few years ago I once had to redo everything after my husband let it “soak” for several days while I was traveling).

I have a cleaning routine that I love so when Lisa, our lifestyle editor, asked me to try a kit that promised to make cleaning and seasoning my pan even better, I was more than hesitant. I tried it (because I’m nothing if not a team player!) and now, to my surprise, I want to shout about my love for this kit from the rooftops. I’ve already given three as gifts, and if you know me personally I’ll probably be telling you about my obsession with it soon.

Lodge — the maker of my beloved skillet — makes a special Seasoning Spray and bundles it into a few different kits. The kit I tried comes with a silicone hot handle holder, a scrubbing brush, a scraper, and that bottle of seasoning spray. I was way less excited about the silicone pot holder than I was about the small pan scraper and the scrub brush. The seasoning spray ended up being the biggest boon of the whole kit for my kitchen, but we’ll get to that later.

The plastic scraper seems like a minor component to the kit, but it works in tandem with the scrubber brush to remove anything that might stick to the pan — especially in the rounded corners where my husband’s scrambled eggs seem to hang out. The nylon scrubber is gentle enough that I’ve even loosened up a bit and have (once!) let my husband clean up his own eggs. Its bristles tenderly remove anything that sticks — but not the seasoning! — and it’s basically impossible to get too aggressive with the scrubbing. And bonus: Both of these tools get used on the daily now for other pots and pans, including bakeware.

And now, onto the thing I was most skeptical about: the seasoning spray. To be perfectly clear — this is a spray can of pure canola oil. Do not try to use nonstick sprays like Pam to season your cast iron skillet, as they contain other ingredients that aren’t good for your pan. This sprayer of canola oil means that you can dose the correct amount of oil for seasoning your pan after washing and drying with just one or two spritzes (depending on the size of your pan) and then use a clean paper towel to smear off excess. No more trying to pour oil into the pan and pouring too much. And goodbye to excess oil that gets sticky if stored too long on the pan. I will definitely be buying more cans of this spray for myself when this one runs out. It’s just so much easier and neater than dealing with my old way. Plus, I really liked the results — they were basically the same as my usual method!

Yes, you could buy scrapers and the scrub brush separately, but this tidy little kit is excellent for beginners or even people who are just looking for an easier way to care for their cast iron. A cast iron pan has long been my favorite wedding gift to give and now I know what to give my friends for their one-year anniversaries!

Have you ever tried this? What did you think?