Seasoning of Cast Iron Dutch Ovens and Skillets

This will be the only time that that you will ever use soap and water on your cast iron. Clean your new cast iron with hot soapy water to get the film off that was applied for shipping and storage. Scrub your cast iron and rinse thoroughly, then dry completely.

Place your cast iron in the oven and heat it up warm to the touch. This will finish the drying process and will open up the pores in the iron to receive the wipe down of a good vegetable oil. Wipe your cast iron with a thin coating of oil and put it back into the oven, turn the temperature up to 350° and bake it for an hour. It will smoke during this process depending on how much you oiled it. After an hour turn off the oven and let the cast iron cool to the touch, but still warm and repeat. Do this process for a total of three times and your new cast iron will be ready for cooking.

Resist cooking anything acidic like tomatoes until you have used your cast iron four or five times. Many acidic foods will eat the finish of newly cured cast iron.

The more you use your cast iron the darker it will get. You should not need to season your cast iron again, unless a rust spot appears or it goes rancid from lack of use or long term storage.

I love my cast iron and use it daily for all my cooking needs indoor or out.

Old neglected & rusty 10 in. Dutch Oven and Lid
Old neglected & rusty 10 in. Lid
Cleaned and Seasoned, Just like new