How do you season an iron frying pan to make it non stick?

Question

How do you season an iron frying pan to make it non stick?

Answer 1

Things You’ll Need:

Cooking oil, lard or mineral oil

Aluminum foil

Seasoning a Pan

Step1

Wash the pan with dish soap and water. Rinse it thoroughly. Place it on the stove at a low temperature until it is completely dry. Turn off the heat and allow the pan to cool.

Step2

Coat the pan in lard or cooking oil and let a generous amount of the fat sit on the frying surface for 24 hours.

Step3

Wipe off excess grease with a paper towel.

Step4

Line the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil to catch drips. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Open the windows and get some fans ready. It is going to get pretty smoky in the house.

Step5

Bake the pan upside down in the oven for 1 hour.

Step6

Turn the oven off and allow the pan to cool to room temperature before you take it out.

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Cleaning and Maintenance

Step1

Always heat the pan before using.

Step2

Use the pan exclusively for frying for the first few months. This will continue the seasoning process.

Step3

Wash the pan immediately after use. Use a tablespoon of salt and a splash of water, and scrub with a cloth or paper towel.

Step4

Set the pan on a stove burner to dry. Use low heat and leave it for just a minute or two.

Step5

Remove stuck on food by scraping with a metal spatula or spoon. If this doesn't work use soapy water and a scrubber. Dry on the burner as usual and then rub the surface with paper towel and some mineral oil.

Answer 2

there is this special oil that u can spray and u don't leave food sticking there. U can also eave the pan in hot water so the stuck food lifts away.

Answer 3

Not trying to be a smartie, but you season it by using it a lot. I would never, ever spray Pam into my cast iron - it leaves a gummy residue that's impossible to remove.

To clean a skillet, wipe away as much food residue and oil as possible and pour about a teaspoon of plain salt into it and scrub with a plastic brush. No soap, ever!  I have a cheap brush that I use for that purpose alone. The salt absorbs oil and acts as an abrasive to remove any burned-on gunk. Rinse thoroughly and put onto a hot stove burner until all water has evaporated. If the skillet looks dull, put a drop of oil onto a paper towel and give it a good swipe inside and out.

My Lodge skillet is 5 years old and just now turning a deep black and it's almost completely non-stick.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2000427_clean-se...

Answer 4

After cleaning it you can spray a little PAM Cooking Spray in it and wipe it with a paper towel or napkin and the next time you use it, it shouldn't stick. This is something I learned from my mom. It also keeps it from rusting if water is left in it.

Answer 5

I'd agree with what Sugar Candy had to say with the exception of using soap and water to clean the new pan.  I've found the soap tends to get into the pan and you can taste it for some time.  

Good ol hot water and a plastic scrubbie will get the new pan coating off before you season it.  

Keep in mind too that you will need to re-season it from time to time or the pan will start to rust eventually.   The pan will never be non-stick like teflon pans are but it should be pretty good none the less.

Answer 6

How To Season:

You season a cast iron pan by rubbing it with a relatively thin coat of neutral oil (I stress a light coat of oil).

NOTE: Use vegetable oils (canola, sunflower, etc.), shortening (like Crisco shortening) or lard for seasoning your cast iron pans.  I recently experimented and found out that food-grade coconut oil/butter also works great.

Place the cast iron pan, upside down, in the oven, with a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom to catch any drips. Heat the pan for 30 to 60 minutes in a 300 to 500 degree oven. Once done, let the pan cool to room temperature. Repeating this process several times is recommended as it will help create a stronger "seasoning" bond.

The oil fills the cavities and becomes entrenched in them, as well as rounding off the peaks. By seasoning a new pan, the cooking surface develops a nonstick quality because the formerly jagged and pitted surface becomes smooth. Also, because the pores are permeated with oil, water cannot seep in and create rust that would give food an off-flavor.

Your ironware will be slightly discolored at this stage, but a couple of frying jobs will help complete the cure, and turn the iron into the rich, black color that is the sign of a well-seasoned, well-used skillet or pot.

Never put cold liquid into a very hot cast iron pan or oven. They will crack on the spot!

Be careful when cooking with your cast-iron pots on an electric range, because the burners create hot spots that can warp cast iron or even cause it to crack. Be sure to preheat the iron very slowly when using an electric range and keep the settings to medium or even medium-low.

Important:

Unless you use your cast-iron pans daily, they should be washed briefly with a little soapy water and then rinsed and thoroughly dried in order to rid them of excess surface oil. If you do not do this, the surplus oil will become rancid within a couple of days.

Remember - Every time you cook in your cast-iron pan, you are actually seasoning it again by filling in the microscopic pores and valleys that are part of the cast-iron surface. The more you cook, the smoother the surface becomes!