Seasoning New Restoring Old Cast Iron
You Can Restore Old, Crusty Cast Iron Pans
Seasoning new restoring old cast iron is easier than you may think! There’s nothing quite so beautiful as the blackened, shiny patina of a well-seasoned cast iron pan. There are a few specific rules in keeping your pans in pristine condition. As a result, if you do, they’ll reward you with good service for many, many years. (this post contains affiliate links)
But, what if you find gunky poorly used cast iron pans or you just didn’t know how to properly care for your pans? Is there a way to restore and keep them in pristine condition. Yes, yes there is! Seasoning new and recovering old cast iron pans can be achieved in just a few simple steps. Here’s the answer to your question, ‘how can I restore a cast iron skillet?’
Restoring Old and Seasoning New Cast Iron Pots
I did not always know
I’ve made the classic mistakes – washed the seasoned cast iron pan with soap; not properly seasoning the pan and not properly drying and storing the pan. I’ve been there, I’ve wanted to do better and here’s what I’ve learned about how to clean and season cast iron.
What You Need to Know About Cast Iron Pans:
-
Cast Iron Pans cook more evenly
-
their ‘seasoned’ condition is a non-stick condition that is good for cooking
-
almost anything
-
-
Can be used on top of the stove and in the oven
-
Can last a lifetime
-
You can use metal utensils with cast iron
-
Easy to keep clean and seasoned
-
Durable
How to Restore/Season Cast Iron Pans using the Clean Oven Method:
Several of these I found at Estate Sales or Yard Sales. I was not put off by their crusty appearance. One of the biggest mistakes with the care of cast iron is too liberal a use of fat/grease/oil to season the pan. Consequently, this can gunk up over time and become a sticky mess.
Step-by-Step
- Clean and scrub as much as possible off your Cast iron in hot, soapy water. Dry completely with absorbent paper towels.
- Place in the Oven side by side and set the oven to ‘Clean’ for 2 hours. Allow pans to cool down.
- The residue can be scraped off with a scraper or the side of a butter knife. Wash thoroughly again with hot, soapy water. Dry thoroughly
- Check both the inside and the outside of the pan for any remaining seasoning or build-up. Try to clean it away with steal wool or 100 grit sanding paper. You can also use a metal scouring brush with a hand drill. You want the inside of the pan to be as smooth as possible.
- Place the cleaned pans in the oven and heat to 200° to warm the pan. With paper towels thoroughly rub in a thin coat of Flaxseed Oil. Flaxseed Oil creates a very hard polymerized surface. (Flaxseed Oil can be found in the Health Food Section of your store – refrigerated)
- Return the pan to the oven set at 500° for one hour and let the pan cool in oven. Remove and wipe down any residual seasoning. The pans will at this stage absorb a lot, but you’ll be surprised at how much you can still remove.
- Repeat. You can read Sheryl Canter’s explanation the reason to use flaxseed oil and of the process to season your cast iron here.
- Once again, wipe any residue. Your pan is now ‘seasoned‘. I’d recommend repeating steps 5-8 at least three more time Sheryl Canter recommends six times. As a result, you’ll be rewarded with a black, lustrous cast iron pan.
How to Maintain Your Cast Iron Pans:
- Never wash pans with soap when cleaning
- Never use pans to boil water or cook acidic foods.
- The best way to improve the seasoning is to use the pans. Cooking food with fat, such as frying, cooking bacon, or any type of cooking involving animal fat will improve the condition of your pan’s seasoning.
- To Clean:
- Remove all food residue.
- Use a scraper – Lodge provides one – I use my Pampered Chef Scraper
- rinse with hot water
- Dry thoroughly with paper towel – preferably lint free variety.
- Warm pan over stovetop burner and apply a light coat of Crisco Wipe residue off.
- If you have stuck on food, you can make a paste of salt and oil to scrub your pans. Dry thoroughly, warm and apply a light coating of seasoning.
Care in Storage:
You can hang your pots or use the modern white metal racks to lay them side by side through the slats. You can also stack them in the cabinet (carefully – stacking over time can cause pitting). Take care of your restored cast iron pans and they’ll reward you for years to come.
Collecting Cast Iron
The top three most desirable brands of cast iron include: Griswold, Wagner and Erie. Lodge makes very good cast iron. Some Lodge pans are not marked and you can identify them by the notches in the heat ring.
Does Size Matter
The most common size in cast iron pans is the 8. Sizes in cast iron skillets can range from 0 to 20! I like to use my 4 and 6 pans for scrambling eggs; my 8 and 10 for homemade cornbread; my 4,6 and 8 for personal size pizzas. There are a wide variety of dishes you can make using your cast iron – from savory to sweet dishes.
Do you like to use Cast Iron pans? Now, you can look at an old, crusty, rusty pan and know that you can bring it back to its glory using this method.
Pin This!
*why I don’t like the oven cleaner method: cast iron is porous. The residue from the cleaner can be toxic – I don’t want to risk it! You can find a variety of methods suggested. Tips if your pan has some rust – soak in a solution of water and vinegar for about 60 minutes and scrub with steel wool. Clean and dry completely.
Note: during the oven cleaning process and seasoning process there may be some smoke. Therefore, make sure you ventilate your kitchen. If your pans smoke when seasoning, you may need to increase the oven’s temp to 500.
Wow Us Wednesday Before and After Party
I loved my cast iron pans and used them for over 30 years but sadly I had to get rid of them because of troubles with my wrist. I tried keeping them but I would eventually pull them out to use because I loved them so much and my wrist would again become very painful due to tendon problems. You made me wish for them again. They look beautiful!
Great tutorial and information! Thank you!
I have a couple of my mom’s old cast iron skillets. Thank you for a detailed tutorial.
Lori
Thank you so much my friend for sharing this great tutorial on cast iron pots as I have a few of them and I used them often, I love them! I am pinning it.
Hugs,
FABBY
I love my cast iron, some I inherited & some I bought new & seasoned myself. I have five different sizes & I use three of them pretty much every day. I rarely cook in anything else.
I’ve cooked on them for over 20 yrs now & I’ve always washed mine with soapy water. I think the important thing is to never let the water sit in them. My method: I fill with water & add a drop or two of dish liquid. Set it on the stove & bring to boil with high heat. Scrub with a brush under hot running water, rinse well. Return to hot stove eye to dry within a minute. Cool & store.
My aunt taught me to clean them this way & I’ve never had them lose their seasoning or rust with this method. I think it’s because they don’t sit in the water & they are dried quickly with heat.
I keep mine hanging on hooks on the back of my bar so they’re hip level. I have arthritis & can’t life very heavy things so this solved my dilemma of bending & pulling them out of the cabinets.
We use our cast iron skillet daily and love cooking with it. I love the old-fashioned look of it, too, so it sits right on our range top where it can be seen and admired when not in use. 🙂 This is a great article, Kathy. Very informative. Pinning right now. Thanks! Nancy
Thanks! That was very interesting!
I used to have a big cast iron skillet / I should get another one! 🙂
This is such a wonderfully detailed tutorial! I have a dutch oven with lid that doubles as a short handled pan that I’m currently not using because it’s in terrible shape – this gives me hope that I can restore it! It’s difficult for me to lift cast iron cookware, but I love the way it handles food, and draft my helpful husband to do the heavy lifting. 😉
Hello Lynda, I was so delighted to be able to restore my pans. I should note that in the cleaning process there may be some smoke – make sure you ventilate if you try this 🙂
Nice tutorial! I finally seasoned my cast iron pan! (I bought a Le Creuset cast iron at least a year or two ago). Now I have been using it daily!
Kathy I think this is about the best most comprehensive instruction I have read on the subject. While I started out marriage with at least one good size cast iron skillet [and I still have it] and have -always relied on them. No one ever gave me direction about preparing and maintaining them. It should be required that written instruction [like this] be attached with every cast iron piece given to a new bride. Thank you for sharing.
It occurs to me that during this not quite spring period we are in this would be a great project while we wait to tear into that DIY list we call Spring Cleaning etc.
Thank you. Pinning. So clear to follow.