There are many reasons why you’d chose to cook with a cast iron skillet rather than a pan with a non-stick coating. For one, they last for generations; even a full-on rusted over pan can often be saved with some time and elbow grease! You can also get an effective non-stick surface without any harmful chemicals that may be potentially carcinogenic. Lastly, there are some great health benefits, including a very small bit of added iron to your food.

So, there are a lot of reasons why a family might make the switch, but cast iron skillet care and maintenance is a pain, right? No, it’s not too bad! After developing a new cooking/cleaning routine, you’ll have a long-lasting, safe kitchen tool with very little work. Here are our tips on cast iron care: how to season, clean, cook with, remove rust from, and re-season a cast iron pan!

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The “seasoning” of a pan is layers of polymerized oils and fats baked onto the surface until it eventually becomes a nonstick coating. It is created with love and care over a great deal of time, by cooking on layers of fat in the oven. That’s, in essence, how to season a cast iron pan: rub with oil, bake, rub with oil, bake, and repeat!

There’s lots of advice and strategies on how to season cast iron with the best type of coating. Flaxseed is considered to be the favorite type of oil; it creates that deep dark look and matte-finish surface, though it can be expensive. Other typical options are vegetable oil, corn oil, grapeseed (another more expensive option), canola, or shortening. Olive oil and butter are not ideal for seasoning cast iron; they’re fine for cooking, but doesn’t give a pan the right consistent finish.

Keep in mind that many modern factory-made pans come pre-seasoned. It’s a good idea to wash and season it one more time before use, but it won’t require continuous baking like a non-seasoned skillet, which needs to be oiled and baked a fair amount (at least three or four cycles).

How to Clean Cast Iron Cookware

Contrary to popular belief, you can use a small amount of mild dish soap while cleaning cast iron! You cannot put it in the dishwasher, however! The pan must be hand washed fairly promptly with a non-metal scrubber and needs to be dried almost immediately.

The enemy here is water. Water creates rust in the iron, which can require re-seasoning and intense scrubbing later on. Never let it soak overnight. Many people like to cook off the excess moisture over low heat after washing. Then, carefully, once it’s cooled a little bit, you can add vegetable oil before putting it away.

If you’re in a desperate position where mild dish soap and a scraper won’t quite cut it, here’s how to clean cast iron: Skillets covered in gunk can be easily cleaned with salt and a raw potato. Try it! It works like a charm.

Tricks and Tips for Cast Iron Cooking

Yes, taking care of cast iron takes a little bit more patience and time, but is often worth it. Just check out these amazing cast iron skillet recipes:

Noted that highly acidic foods like tomato sauce, wine, or sugars can mess with your seasoned coating. A little bit of acid is fine. If it’s properly seasoned, it’s not an issue, and usually, it just needs to be scrubbed and re-seasoned afterward.

How to Remove Rust from Cast Iron

Most cast iron skillets, however rusty, can be saved! It’s simply a matter of scrapping and scrubbing off the rust back down to a smooth iron surface, washing it, and re-seasoning it. Unless the iron has worn down too thin over 40 years and cracks in the process, rescuing and seasoning a cast iron skillet is almost always possible. It just can be a lot of labor to get it back to that point.

There are several strategies on how to re-season cast iron that won’t break your back: the old salt-and-potato method for washing works well here, too, soaking in a vinegar solution often works, and using the oven-cleaning function on a modern oven will turn the rust to ash. This can all be done when the rust is at an extreme point.

Then, once it’s been cleaned of rust and washed, you’re ready to start seasoning again (layering on the oils and baking until you have a nice coating). See! There’s a reason seasoned cast iron pans are passed down in families over generations. With a little bit of maintenance and care, cast iron can be enjoyed by your family too!