Categories: DIY

How To Care For and Restore Cast Iron Pans

I LOVE cast iron pans. I see so many people turning to trendy non-stick pans like the Always Pan, or All-Clad Pans for everything lately. I think non-stick pans have a time and place for sure (like fried or scrambled eggs), but for things like meats and sauteed veggies, cast iron pans are the best. Sure they are heavy, but they are relatively cheap, will literally last lifetimes, are non-stick, can increase the iron level in your food, and they are free of harmful chemicals!

If you grew up in the south like me, you might have been lucky enough to be handed down a cast iron pan from a grandparent or parent, and let me tell you– old cast iron pans are the BEST cast iron pans. I have 3 cast iron pans that I use regularly and while I use and love my Lodge Cast Iron, there’s just something so special about the one that I got from my Nana when she passed away. I use it ALL the time.

However, I think one of the things that intimidate people the most about cast irons is caring for them. They think that it takes a lot of time and effort to clean them, but the reality is, the more you use it, the thicker the layer of seasoning it gets on it. And once you get a really nice seasoning, it’s honestly so easy to clean– it sometimes just takes some hot water.

As someone who grew up in and has lived in the south for almost 20 years, there are a 3 random things that true Southerners almost always have strong opinions about:

1. Football

2. Proper sweet tea

3. Caring for cast iron pans

People have opinions about caring for cast irons and what the best oil is, whether or not you should use soap, what tools you need, how to remove rust if it happens, etc. Because that wisdom is often passed down through families, I have seen people get HEATED over proper cast iron care. After using them for years, trying different oils, and using plenty of different tools on them, I am here to tell you how to care for them the right way 🙂

Things I consider cast iron essentials:

Chainmail Scrubber

This is good for daily cleaning of your cast iron if you have things that are a little bit more stuck on that a regular sponge and hot water won’t take off. Plus it won’t damage your seasoning!

Plastic Pan Scraper

Depending on what kind of food debris I am trying to get off my cast iron, sometimes I find these scrapers a little more helpful than the chain-link scrubber!

Kosher Salt

I use kosher salt as part of my seasoning process which I will get into later! I think of it like a natural fine sandpaper to help get a smooth seasoning layer on my pan

Grapeseed Oil

This is my oil of choice for seasoning because its smoke point is like 500 degrees. I have also used avocado oil in the past. The main key to picking an oil for re-seasoning, or adding a layer of seasoning is something that is neutral and has a high smoke point. Therefore, things like coconut oil or olive oil should not be used when seasoning a cast iron.

What is seasoning?

The seasoning on cast iron is what makes it non-stick. Basically, when oil on the cast iron gets hot enough, it turns into a plastic like substance on the iron (through polymerization). I just think of it as oil getting baked onto the iron!

Can I use dish soap on my cast iron?

YES! It’s not going to hurt your cast iron or your seasoning if it’s cared for. But honestly, most of the time, you probably don’t need dish soap! The reason most people are very anti-soap on cast iron pans is because they have been told by grandma that you NEVER use dish soap on a cast iron. Which was probably true a long time ago. Back years ago, soap was much harsher than it is today. It often contained chemicals like lye which could strip the cast iron of the seasoning that so many people work so hard to achieve. But because dish soaps are milder today, it’s fine to use dish soap if you really need it.

Restoring a Cast Iron

Recently, I was in Virginia visiting my in-laws and we stopped into an antique store. They had a huge selection of old cast iron pans for a pretty good price. I had been looking for a smaller cast-iron for things like skillet chocolate chip cookies or corn bread, and for $15, this one was a steal. It had a little bit of rust and clearly had not been used for a long time, so once I got it home I went to work on getting it back to it’s former glory.

First thing I did when I got it home was rinsed it off in hot water with a tiny bit of dish soap– it was pretty dusty and old, so this felt necessary!

Once I rinsed it off, I was able to see some of the small rust spots a little better. First I took my chain-mail scrubber and scrubbed it with that and some hot water.

Then I rinsed it out and poured about 1/4 cup of coarse kosher salt in the damp pan. I took a paper towel and scrubbed the salt all over the cast iron for about 5 minutes before giving it a good rinse and it looked so much better! Note: for bad rust spots, you can soak the cast iron in a white vinegar and water mixture for an hour or two before scrubbing it.

I then dried it off well with a paper towel before putting it on the stove on high for a couple minutes to make sure it was completely dry.

Once completely dry, I put a tiny bit of grapeseed oil in the pan and rubbed it all over the pan (including the bottom, sides, and handle) using a clean, dry paper towel. Once it was completely coated, I took another clean, dry paper towel and wiped off any excess. You don’t want too much oil on the pan or else the seasoning will come out spotty.

Then I take an empty baking sheet and put it on the bottom rack and then the cast iron face down in the oven on the top rack and turn the oven on to 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. There shouldn’t be any dripping oil if you got all of the excess off, but I still put the baking sheet below the pan just in case!! After it bakes for 30 minutes, I turn off the oven and let it cool in the oven.

Ta-da!

If you’re not going to use it immediately after that, coat the pan in another light layer of grapeseed oil to protect the pan before storing it away.

You can also alternatively let it cool and then do another thin layer of oil and put it in the oven again for 30 minutes if you want to make another layer of seasoning.

This doesn’t happen often, but if I ever feel like food is sticking to my pan, I will do this seasoning process where I scrub it with kosher salt to make sure it is clean and smooth and they do some layers of oil and letting it bake in the oven! But if you are avoiding using highly acidic foods in your cast iron, it’s unlikely that you will need to re-season often in my experience.