Last month I realized I was scrubbing my cast iron wrong for 3 years

I've been using soap and steel wool on my cast iron pan since I got it, thinking I was keeping it clean. Then my buddy saw me doing it and freaked out, said I was stripping all the seasoning off. He showed me his pan that he just rinses with hot water and a stiff brush, and it's way smoother than mine. Now I'm trying to undo the damage, but does anyone have a trick for building back seasoning fast without making the kitchen smell like oil for a week?

3 comments

3 Comments

mileslane3d ago

And honestly, the oven method works way better than stovetop for building seasoning fast. You just crank the oven to 400, wipe on a super thin layer of flaxseed or grapeseed oil, then bake the pan upside down for an hour. Do that 3 or 4 times in one afternoon and you'll have a solid base without the whole house smelling like a fry cook. Have you tried that yet or are you doing the stovetop thing?

jason_stone593d ago

3 rounds seems like overkill for a pan.

nina_hall483d ago

Idk, I actually read somewhere that the number of rounds depends a lot on the pan type and oil you use. Like with flaxseed oil, I've seen people saying after 3 rounds it gets a bit brittle and can flake off over time. Grapeseed or avocado oil might take a bit more rounds but holds up better in the long run. Maybe it's just me but I've had good luck with just 2 rounds of grapeseed oil and then just cooking with it heavy for a week. The baked-on oil method works fine but I always end up with a bit of a sticky layer if I don't get it thin enough.