Ultimate Way to Season Cast Iron

I never use soap on any of my cast iron..
Just like the Japanese use on their Woks
I use water and a brush to clean them.
This keeps the seasoning.
I have been doing this since I was a kid at Great Grandmas house
and now I have her pans. My favorite is a Griswold 129 4" sq egg skillet.
Soo many memories and breakfast sandwiches..


On edit
You should clean them by getting them hot and using water that will boil to clean the skillet and brushing them clean..
wipe them with a oiled paper towel..

I can attest to this method as being outstanding. I did it on an old CI skillet a couple of years ago and tested it by frying an egg with no oil or butter or anything. No sticking whatsoever! Then I tried the ultimate test...cheese. I made sure to burn it and it slipped right out of the pan.

The most important thing is to get the CI clean, as down to bare metal. Use a thin coat of flaxseed oil each time. Wipe away any excess.

I touch it up any time I feel it needs it, which is about every three or four months.

Iraqvet05 wrote:
I wonder if this works on Teflon coated pans too. My DW gets mad at me when I pitch a Teflon skillet when eggs start sticking to them. I don't expect much from a skillet from Walmart and "seasoning" them with vegetable oil doesn't do much either.

Be careful of the high temperatures in Step 1 with Teflon coated pans . It may cause the remaining coating to blister and leave you with a mess!

GraciesDaddy wrote:
For those of you who would like to try the flaxseed oil... You'll find it at your hardware store or the hardware section of Wal-Mart.

That kind of oil is called linseed oil, and while it comes from the same flaxseed, it is not processed in a facility that is food grade in terms of cleanliness. Will it kill you to use it? I'm sure it won't. In fact, feel free to have at it. Just be aware. And don't blame anyone but yourself if it doesn't go according to plan.

I actuall had already bought some Flaxseed oil to try before this was posted.... Just started last night re-seasoning a couple of my pans. Plan is for round 2 tonight. And then maybe round 3 this w/e when we are camping but won't have the same cooling as in the oven.

For those of you who would like to try the flaxseed oil... You'll find it at your hardware store or the hardware section of Wal-Mart.

Shortie3 wrote:
This was on the web yesterday and since I am using cast iron skillets handed down from my Gran, I read it and was surprised that they used flaxseed oil - I've never seen flaxseed oil anywhere in my area, however, I've used olive oil as my mother and Gran did for generations and have never been disappointed. However, how about you?

Flaxseed?
Criso and used Bacon Grease baby.... Works on everything: the pan, squeaky doors, and a bound up constitution

Never used flaxseed oil to season CI but have used grapeseed oil. And once a month I heat the skillets in the oven after oiling. Work nicely.

I read the comments on the page from the original post. I think I will pass on flaxseed oil. The odor alone would make me reconsider.

This was on the web yesterday and since I am using cast iron skillets handed down from my Gran, I read it and was surprised that they used flaxseed oil - I've never seen flaxseed oil anywhere in my area, however, I've used olive oil as my mother and Gran did for generations and have never been disappointed. However, how about you?