How to Season a Cast Iron Skillet

I came very late to the cast iron skillet game. While my whole family really raves about it and only has great comments about them (and my grandma is one of the biggest cast iron skillet advocates I have ever met), I really never quite understood how to season a cast iron skillet to make it non-stick.

That’s until I did some research about the differences between seasoned and un-seasoned skillets, and it then hit me! The seasoning process is what turns them into awesome non-stick skillets that everyone raves about.

I now have been seasoning my skillets for over 5 years, and they are even better than when I purchased them. While the process is super easy and there aren’t a lot of steps involved in it, there are a couple of things you should keep in mind:

How to Season a Cast Iron Skillet

1. Never ever use soap: This is the golden rule of the cast iron skillets. Instead, clean it with a good ol’ rub of salt. At first, I found this to be funny, and I really questioned if it was possible to get rid of everything that was stuck there with only salt, but the answer is a big yes! So rub it in good, and you’ll end up with a clean skillet.

2. Use a thick oil: I’m going to be completely honest with you guys: I prefer to use vegetable shortening to season my skillet, but I have read some reviews about using bacon fat, and honestly the idea seems brilliant. SO whichever you pick, just make sure you are using a thick oil (preferably in its solid form) to coat the whole skillet with it (yes, even the handle and the bottom).

3. Double bake it: For me, the secret to getting a good season that lasts for years is double baking it. Take it to the oven coated in the vegetable shortening, bake for 30 minutes and then take it out, pat dry the shortening excess and take it to the oven again. This double baking kind of seals everything in.