Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware

As a birthday present to myself, I decided to finally go ahead and bite the bullet. Trish and I had been talking about investing in a set of cast iron cookware and she found out that overstock had it on sale (Target ran out of stock and dashed our hopes and dreams). It arrived on the day of my birthday. :D!

Technically, they all came pre-seasoned, but I figured that going over and re-seasoning them for good measure couldn’t hurt.

For the record, I would advise against using extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, or sesame oil (which were coincidentally the only 3 types of oil I happened to have in my apartment…) since they have lower smoke points. Most sources seem to recommend vegetable/canola oil, although technically speaking, you can use any type of oil you want. Since I happened to be house-sitting for a friend and she made it a point to insist to me that I use whatever I wanted in her home, I took her up on said offer and used some of the canola oil she had.

Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware

My cast iron fleet!

Supplies:
-cast iron cookware (I have this set and this grill pan)
-vegetable or canola oil
-paper towel or cloth
-oven

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Rinse off and thoroughly dry your cast iron cookware.
3) Using a paper towel or cloth, apply a thin layer of oil to the inside + outside of your pan/skillet/pot/etc.
4) Place it upside down on the middle or top rack of the oven. Put a sheet of aluminum foil underneath to catch any drips.
5) Bake for an hour.
6) If you have the time, let it cool completely in the oven before removing it. I had 6 pieces to go through, so I did not do that, but it looks like it turned out fine anyway!

(If food starts sticking or it starts appearing dull/rusty, it’s time to re-season!)

My seasoned grill pan! I will refrain from taking pictures of the rest of them because they basically just look like somewhat shinier versions of themselves. I think you get the point. :O