How to Clean and Season Cast Iron Cookware

Learn how to clean and season cast iron cookware simply and easily to maintain it for years to come!

**UPDATED MARCH 12, 2024**

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Over four years ago, I swapped out all my non-stick pans for cast iron and haven’t looked back. If you’re curious about why I chose to switch to cast iron,  I wrote this post detailing five reasons to switch to cast iron for cooking!

It took me so long to switch to cooking with cast iron because I seriously loathe dishes and I liked the ease of putting non-stick pans in the dishwasher. BUT I’ve learned that having cast-iron cookware is actually easier than having non-stick when it comes to cleaning. The key is a good layer of seasoning. That seasoning helps to cut down on a lot of scrubbing and cleaning, which results in much easier clean-up. In this post, we’ll outline some different ways to clean and season cast iron to help you get a better grasp on using cast iron in your kitchen to hopefully make the transition much less intimidating.

My Favorite Cast Iron Skillets

• Lodge Dual Handle 12 inch Cast Iron Skillet
• Lodge 10 inch Cast Iron Skillet
• Lodge 8 inch Cast Iron Skillet
• Lodge Griddle

ALL ABOUT CLEANING CAST IRON

The Best Tools for Cleaning Cast Iron

There are a few tools I recommend having on hand for cleaning cast iron. There’s nothing crazy or expensive, but I think they’re important.

• Trivet or a hot pad: These will protect your countertop from your hot cast iron skillet or cookware.
• Rubber handles: These are optional, but can be great to use while cooking and while transporting your cast iron from the stove or oven.
• Oven mitts: Oven mitts are a must when picking up and moving your cast iron.
• Scrapers: I love to use a pan scraper because they are amazing for scraping stuck-on food from your cast iron! I also use them for scraping things off my counters and so much more! They’re inexpensive and a great tool to have in your kitchen.
• Brushes or sponges: I love using a stiff brush to clean my cast iron, but you could use the rough side of a sponge or even steel wool. Some people also use a chain mail scrubber, but they’re expensive and I’ve never needed one. You do want to be careful when you’re using more abrasive cleaning tools because it can remove the season.
• Lint free cloth or paper towel: You’ll need a lint-free clean cloth to use for spreading oil on your cast iron when you’re seasoning it after you’ve cleaned it. You could use something like a bandana or old kitchen rags or simply use paper towels.

How to Clean and Season Cast Iron Skillets and Cookware

There are a few methods for cleaning cast iron and the method you choose will depend on what you cooked last, how long it’s been sitting and what you’re cooking next.

How to Wash Cast Iron

Whenever you feel like your cast iron needs to be washed, especially after you’ve cooked something like meat or anything with a lingering scent or flavor, it’s super simple. First take a paper towel or scraper to remove any excess oil and food bits. Then use warm water and a small amount of mild dish soap and scrub it clean with a brush or sponge. Dry the pan thoroughly and return it to the stovetop and re-season if needed.

How to Use a Scraper to Clean Cast Iron

The beauty of cast iron is that you don’t have to wash it after every use. Often when I make things like pancakes, eggs and grilled cheese, for example, I don’t really clean it with soap and water. Instead, I scrape it with a scraper to remove any stuck-on bits or use a clean paper towel to wipe it out and it’s ready to use again.

How to Clean Stuck-On Food from Cast Iron

If food gets stuck on your cast iron and you’re not able to easily scrape it off, the best method I’ve found is to boil water in the bottom of the pan. **Please be careful when using this method because you’re dealing with boiling water and really hot cast iron.** To remove stuck-on food by boiling water, here’s how to do it:

• Fill your cast iron with enough water to cover bottom.
• Place it on the stove and turn it to medium-high heat (on my stove it’s the setting 6). 
• Allow the water to come to a boil, then boil only for a few minutes.
• Shut the stove off and let the pan sit for a few minutes to cool just a bit.
• Using oven mitts, carefully bring the cast iron to the sink and pour the water out, then rinse it with hot water.
• Place the pan on a trivet or something that will protect your counters from the heat, and carefully scrape any excess food with a scraper. 
• Rinse the pan again and return it back to the counter.
• Use a small amount of soap or coarse salt and scrub the pan with a brush.
• Rinse the pan once more and dry it completely with a towel (this is an important step).
• Place the pan back on the stove and season it using the stovetop method from above.

More Tips for Cleaning Cast Iron

• If you can, clean your cast iron right away, but if you can’t, that’s okay too.
• If bits are stuck on your cast iron, they’ll come off easier if the pan is still warm.
• Avoid cooking tons of acidic foods like tomato sauce because the acid can break down the seasoning.
• Experiment with what works best for you. These methods of seasoning and cleaning are what I’ve found in my research and that work for me.

How to Remove Rust from Cast Iron

If you have a rusty cast iron pan, it’s not the end of that pan. You can revive it simply by using steel wool and some warm water or a rust eraser. All you need to do is use a little elbow grease and the rust should scrub away. Once the rust has been removed, wash with soap and water, then re-season it and it should be good as new. That’s really the beauty of cast iron. It’s so hard to mess it up and even if you do, you can almost always restore it back to its original glory.

CAST IRON CLEANING & SEASONING VIDEO

ALL ABOUT SEASONING CAST IRON

How to Season Cast Iron

FAQs

What does seasoning mean?

If you’ve done any research on cast iron, you’ve probably heard people talk about seasoning. So what does seasoning cast iron mean? Seasoning a cast iron skillet (or any cast iron cookware), consists of baking a thin coating of oil onto the surface of the pan. The oil fills in any gaps or uneven spots on the cooking surface and creates a smooth, non-stick coating. This process is called polymerization. Some companies pre-season their cast iron before shipping it to you, but I recommend seasoning any new piece of cast iron and continuing to season it periodically too. The best part about cooking with cast iron though is, the more you use it, the better the seasoning will be.

What are the best oils for seasoning cast iron?

To season a cast iron skillet, all you need is oil and heat. You want to use oils that have higher smoke points, meaning they can withstand higher temperatures and won’t burn. There are several oils you can use, and companies like Lodge even have their own seasoning spray that you can use too. I typically use either olive oil or tallow because that’s what I always have on hand and they work great, but below is a list of some other popular oils:

• Olive oil
• Avocado oil
• Grapeseed oil
• Canola oil
• Bacon grease
• Tallow

The Cast Iron Seasoning Process

Seasoning Cast Iron in the Oven

Using the oven to season cast iron is the best way to build an initial layer of seasoning. Often times when you get a new cast iron pan, especially if you buy from places like Lodge Cast Iron, it will come pre-seasoned. That layer of seasoning, in my opinion, isn’t enough to create the non-stick surface you really want, so I recommend seasoning it again in the oven. The oven method is also great when you’re trying to revive an old cast iron pan that needs a little love.

How to Season Cast Iron in the Oven

• Preheat your oven to 375° F.
• Make sure your cast iron is clean and free of any food residue or food bits. We’ll go over how to properly clean your cast iron later on in the post.
• Using a lint-free cloth or paper towel, add a thin layer of oil on all surfaces of the pan, including the handle, sides and bottom. The size of your cast iron will determine the amount of oil to use, but it should be no more than a quarter size for a large 12 inch cast iron skillet. Be sure to remove any excess oil to avoid the surface being sticky.
• Place the pan upside down on the middle rack of the pre-heated oven and add a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any oil that may drip off (there shouldn’t be any, or not a lot).
• Bake the cast iron for one hour, then shut the oven off.
• Do not remove the cast iron from the oven.
• Allow it to cool completely in the oven. It will take several hours to cool.
• After the initial seasoning, check your cast iron to see if the process needs to be repeated. If it does, simply add another layer of oil to the entire cast iron and place it back into a 375° F oven for one hour and allow to cool completely again. You should only need to do this process 1-2 times, but repeat as many times as you see fit.

How to Season Cast Iron on the Stovetop

After you’ve cleaned your cast iron, it’s important to season the pan again, but you don’t have to spend the extra time using the oven. Instead, you’ll use your stove top. Here’s how you do it:

• Wash your cast iron pan.
• Place your clean pan on the stove and turn it to low-medium heat.
• Allow the pan to heat up so that it’s hot, but not so hot that you can’t stand to touch the handle.
• Place your oil of choice in the cast iron skillet and carefully use a cloth to move the oil around and completely coat all surfaces of the skillet, including the handle, sides and bottom. The size of your cast iron will determine the amount of oil to use, but it should be no more than a quarter size for a large 12 inch cast iron skillet.
• Turn the heat off and allow it to cool completely before storing it.

Note

You can also use repeat this method to mimic the oven method. Instead of turning the heat off after applying one coat of oil, keep the heat on and allow the oil to soak in for 3-5 minutes (it will start to look dry). Then apply another layer. Continue doing this for 10-15 minutes or so, then turn off the heat and allow the cast iron to cool completely before storing it.

I hope you found this blog post helpful and I hope cast iron is a little less intimidating after reading this. Also, if you made it this far, I super appreciate it!

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