How to season a cast iron skillet

For home cooks with a new or dull cast iron pan who want a durable natural non-stick surface.

Oil heated past its smoke point breaks down and reforms as a hard layer bonded to the iron. That layer keeps food from sticking and blocks rust.

Before you start: cast iron skillet, dish soap, stiff brush, clean lint-free cloths, high-smoke-point oil such as canola or vegetable, oven, and foil.

Step 01
WASH the skillet in hot water with a drop of soap and a stiff brush until factory residue or rust is gone.
Rinse until the water runs clear with no suds. The iron shows an even matte finish and zero greasy shine; hit any leftover film with the brush at once.
Step 02
DRY the skillet on a low burner while gripping the handle with your towel so every water droplet leaves.
Stay until steam ceases and the surface holds no beads. A wiped cloth picks up zero moisture and the pan is hot-dry; then switch the burner off.

Step 03

RUB a thin oil film across the warm inside, outside, and handle using a cloth.

Start with roughly half a teaspoon on a typical 10-inch pan—add only if yours is larger. The metal takes a light even sheen with no corner pools; thick spots stay tacky later.

Step 04

WIPE all oiled surfaces with a fresh dry cloth until the pan looks nearly bare.

Buff in firm overlapping strokes. The last pass of cloth comes away almost clean and the surface reads dull-satin, not wet; that is the clear pass.

Step 05

BAKE the upside-down skillet onto the middle rack with a mitt once the oven holds about 450°F and foil guards the rack below.

Shut the door for a full hour. The surface turns a uniform dark hard gloss with no soft patches; stay near your oil’s smoke point because oven and oil values differ.

Step 06

COOL the skillet inside the closed oven after you kill the heat until bare hands feel no warmth.

Do not rush the drop to room temperature. The handle sits fully neutral when tested bare; earlier movement can shock the iron or the new layer.

The most common mistake

Too much oil left on the metal bakes into a sticky soft film. Wipe until the pan is nearly dry before it goes in the oven.

Pro tip

Run the rub-wipe-bake-cool sequence two more times after the first cool-down for a tougher initial coat.

Say it every time

wash dry rub wipe bake cool

Read it as an article on How To