Cooking & Culinary Tips : How to Season a Cast Iron Skillet

Seasoning a cast iron skillet is done by rubbing a bit of canola oil onto the surface, heating the pan in a 250-degree oven for two hours, which opens up the pores of the metal, and wiping out any excess oil. Season a cast iron skillet before using it with instructions from an experienced chef in this free video on cooking.

Expert: Jawara Kashka
Bio: Jawara Kashka began his culinary career in Kansas City, Mo. as a young teen washing dishes at a local restaurant.
Filmmaker: David Hughes

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• cooking
• grilling
• peeling vegetables
• paninis
• cooking beans
• cast iron skillets
• sharpening knives
• cooking tips
• cooking techniques
• culinary

[Gardeninggirl1107]

Thanks for your reply. Good, I'm glad ants aren't attracted to the oil. Here in So. Calif near the beach we get ants whenever it rains, so I'm always trying to avoid conditions that would encourage them. I got a new cast iron pan for a gift, and will be using your method for seasoning it. Thanks again.

[JDLOCKON]

@Gardeninggirl1107 no I don't know any bugs that eat oil. unless your putting sugar in cast iron there won't be any bugs. But if you already have a bug problem and store you pots and pans near food regardless of what you have on them bugs will crawl over them to get to the food. But as for bugs seeking out greased cast iron they don't.

[Gardeninggirl1107]

While storing cast iron with even a bit of oil on the surface, won't it attract ants or bugs? That has me concerned.

[maplebanks]

when puting it in oven ,its best to put it in upside down for better results.

[MOTACJ]

@japierce15 Thank you very much!

[japierce15]

@MOTACJ If you use soap, you rinse off the seasoning. But since he is seasoning anyway, it doesn't matter. I do use soap every once in a while, but mostly i just take the hot pan and hit it with fresh water from the faucet and lightly scrub with stainless mesh pad -- shouldn't be much sticking anyway. Then put it back on the stove fire to dry the excess water, add a dash of oil and wipe it around. Then i put it on the lowest possible flame i can for a while to let the oil soak in.

[MOTACJ]

Are you using soap? I heard that was a no-no for my cast iron skillet... Is it okay?

[spyrothedragonfly123]

You Rock ! LOVE your videos !!

[IsabellAngela]

canola grows here a lot  - beautiful yellow fields, natural - good stuff

[bloozedaddy]

lard is healthier than canola oil LOL Lard is natural pork fat....canola is...well...we don't know what the hell it is....rapeseed something or other.....made by a corporate chemist.