how to season a cast iron skillet
A few months ago my mom gave me her treasured cast iron skillet — not any cast iron skillet, but a very special cast iron skillet. It belonged to my Great-Great Grandmother, and has been passed down mother-to-daughter for four generations, so this baby has been around for a while. When I received this piece of history, let’s just say it had seen better days. So if you have a cast iron skillet that is really old or been stuffed in the cabinet for so long that it looks like an ancient artifact, here are a few quick how-to’s to get that skillet back to its former glory.
First, you will need to take a damp cloth or paper towel and wipe out any dirt, grime, or rust that has collected. Next, heat up the skillet over medium heat — it is always important to preheat your cast iron before use. Once your skillet is preheated, pour vegetable oil in the pan until it is about 1/4-inch deep. Let the oil heat up a bit. Pour 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of coarse salt into the skillet. While wearing an oven mitt, take some paper towels and scrub the pan until the rust and grime are gone. Rinse the skillet out in hot water, washing out all the oil and salt.
Put the skillet back on the stove, over medium heat. Add 1 – 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Using your oven mitt and more paper towels, rub the oil around the skillet. Take the skillet off the heat and wipe out any excess oil. Let the pan dry before storing. You always need to dry your cast iron thoroughly before storing, and never store your cast iron cookware with the lid covering the pot. It is also recommended that you store with paper towels between pots, pans, and lids because moisture can build up in cast iron causing them to rust.
There is also some controversy over using soap or not using soap on your cast iron. If your skillet is new or not seasoned properly you may have food that sticks. The best way to clean your skillet, especially if you have food stuck to your cookware, is to boil water in the pan then scrub it down with steel wool or a stiff brush. Rinse the skillet out, dry it off then put it back on the stove and heat it up until it is bone dry. Lightly oil the skillet using a neutral oil such as vegetable oil or canola oil. Take the skillet off the heat, wipe out any excess oil then store with a paper towel on top. But as I mentioned above, to some a pot isn’t clean unless you use soap, so if you feel soap is a must: after you boil water in your skillet and give it a good scrub add just a drop or two of mild dish soap. Scrub it again and thoroughly rinse it out. Then continue the process of drying the skillet over the stove and oiling the pan. And, of course, never put your cast iron in the dishwasher!
For those of you who might feel like restoring that ancient artifact is a waste of time, let me tell you the glories of what cast iron can do. First of all, cast iron is an optimal heat conductor which means the pan will heat evenly and consistently, resulting in evenly cooked food. Plus if you take proper care of your cast iron cookware and season it well, then it will be stick resistant and your food will glide out beautifully. Unlike most non-stick pots and pans cast iron does not pose any health risks since it is not made with teflon. Another great thing about a cast iron skillet is that it can go strait from the stove to the oven; you are also not limited in the type of utensils that can be used with cast iron. Plus clean up is a breeze, and they will last a really long time if not forever, when cared for properly.
Conversions & Equivalents
Volume | Baking | Metric | Pan Size | Temperature | Oven | Other
1/2 teaspoon
=
30 drops
1 teaspoon
=
1/3 tablespoon OR 60 drops
3 teaspoon
=
1 tablespoon or 1/2 fluid ounce
1/2 tablespoon
=
1 1/2 teaspoons
1 tablespoon
=
3 teaspoons or 1/2 fluid ounce
2 tablespoons
=
1/8 cup or 1 fluid ounce
3 tablespoons
=
1 1/2 fluid ounces
4 tablespoons
=
1 1/4 cup or 2 fluid ounces
5 1/3 tablespoons
=
1/3 cup or 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
8 tablespoons
=
1/2 cup or 4 fluid ounces
10 2/3 tablespoons
=
2/3 cup or 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
12 tablespoons
=
3/4 cup or 6 fluid ounces
16 tablespoons
=
1 cup or 8 fluid ounces or 1/2 pint
1/8 cup
=
2 tablespoons or 1 fluid ounce
1/4 cup
=
4 tablespoons or 2 fluid ounces
1/3 cup
=
5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
3/8 cup
=
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup
=
8 tablespoons or 4 fluid ounces
2/3 cup
=
10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
5/8 cup
=
1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons
3/4 cup
=
12 tablespoons or 6 fluid ounces
7/8 cup
=
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
1 cup
=
16 tablespoons or 1/2 pint or 8 fluid ounces
2 cups
=
1 pint or 16 fluid ounces
1 pint
=
2 cups or 16 fluid ounces
1 quart
=
2 pints or 4 cups or 32 fluid ounces
1 gallon
=
4 quarts or 8 pints or 16 cups or 128 fluid ounces
FLOUR
1 cup all-purpose flour
=
5 ounces or 142 grams
1 cup cake flour
=
4 ounces or 113 grams
1 cup whole wheat flour
=
5 1/2 ounces or 156 grams
SUGAR
1 cup granulated white sugar
=
7 ounces or 198 grams
1 cup packed brown sugar
=
7 ounces or 198 grams
1 cup confectioners sugar
=
4 ounces or 113 grams
COCOA POWDER
1 cup cocoa powder
=
3 ounces or 85 grams
BUTTER
4 tablespoons
=
1/2 stick or 1/4 cup or 2 ounces
8 tablespoons
=
1 stick or 1/2 cup or 4 ounces
16 tablespoons
=
2 sticks or 1 cup or 8 ounces
32 tablespoons
=
4 sticks or 2 cups or 1 pound
1/4 teaspoon
=
1.23 milliliters
1/2 teaspoon
=
2.46 milliliters
3/4 teaspoon
=
3.7 milliliters
1 teaspoon
=
4.93 milliliters
1 1/4 teaspoon
=
6.16 milliliters
1 1/2 teaspoon
=
7.39 milliliters
1 3/4 teaspoon
=
8.63 milliliters
2 teaspoon
=
9.86 milliliters
1 tablespoon
=
14.79 milliliters
2 tablespoons
=
29.57 milliliters
1/4 cup
=
59.15 milliliters
1/2 cup
=
118.3 milliliters
1 cup
=
236.59 milliliters
2 cups or 1 pint
=
473.18 milliliters
3 cups
=
709.77 milliliters
4 cups or 1 quart
=
946.36 milliliters
1/4 teaspoon
=
1.23 milliliters
4 quarts or 1 gallon
=
3.785 liters
PAN SIZE
VOLUME
CAN SUBSTITUTE WITH
1 8-inch round cake pan
4 cups
1 8x4-inch loaf pan
1 9-inch round cake pan
1 9-inch pie plate
2 8-inch round cake pans
8 cups
2 8x4-inch loaf pans
1 9-inch tube pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
1 11x7-inch baking dish
1 10-inch springform pan
1 9-inch round cake pan
6 cups
1 8-inch round cake pan
1 8x4-inch loaf pan
1 11x7-inch baking dish
2 9-inch round cake pans
12 cups
2 8x4-inch loaf pans
1 9-inch tube pan
2 8-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 11x7-inch baking dish
1 10-inch springform pan
1 10-inch round cake pan
11 cups
2 8-inch round cake pan
1 9-inch tube pan
1 10-inch springform pan
2 10-inch round cake pans
22 cups
5 8-inch round cake pans
3 or 4 9-inch round cake pans
2 10-inch spring form pan
9-inch tube pan
12 cups
2 8-inch round cake pans
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
10-inch tube pans
16 cups
3 9-inch round cake pans
2 10-inch pie plates
4 8-inch pie plates
2 9x5-inch loaf pans
2 8-inch square baking dishes
2 9-inch square baking dishes
10-inch bundt pan
12 cups
1 9x13-inch baking dish
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 9-inch tube pan
2 11x7-inch baking dishes
1 10-inch springform pan
11x7x2-inch baking dish
6 cups
1 8-inch square baking dish
1 9-inch square baking dish
1 9-inch round cake pan
9x13x2-inch baking dish
15 cups
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
3 8-inch round cake pans
1 10x15-inch jellyroll pan
10x15x1-inch jellyroll pan
15 cups
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
2 8-inch round cake pan
1 9x13-inch baking dish
9x5-inch loaf pan
8 cups
1 10-inch pie plate pan
1 8-inch square baking dish
1 9-inch square baking dish
8x4-inch loaf pan
6 cups
1 8-inch round cake pan
1 11x7-inch baking dish
9-inch springform pan
10 cups
1 10-inch round cake pan
1 10-inch spring form pan
2 8-inch round cake pans
2 9-inch round cake pans
10-inch springform pan
12 cups
2 8x4-inch loaf pan
1 9-inch tube pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 11x7-inch baking dishes
2 8-inch round cake pans
8-inch square baking dish
8 cups
1 9x5-inch loaf pan
2 8-inch pie plates
9-inch square baking dish
8 cups
1 11x7-inch baking dish
1 9x5-inch loaf pan
2 8-inch pie plate
Water Freezes
32°F
0°C
40°F
4.4°C
50°F
10°C
60°F
15.6°C
70°F
21.1°C
80°F
26.7°C
90°F
32.2°C
100°F
37.8°C
110°F
43.3°C
120°F
48.9°C
130°F
54.4°C
140°F
60°C
150°F
65.6°C
160°F
71.1°C
170°F
76.7°C
180°F
82.2°C
190°F
87.8°C
200°F
93.3°C
Water Boils
212°F
100°C
250°F
121°C
300°F
149°C
350°F
177°C
400°F
205°C
450°F
233°C
500°F
260°C
275°F
=
140°C or Gas Mark 1
300°F
=
150°C or Gas Mark 2
325°F
=
165°C or Gas Mark 3
350°F
=
180°C or Gas Mark 4
375°F
=
190°C or Gas Mark 5
400°F
=
200°C or Gas Mark 6
425°F
=
220°C or Gas Mark 7
450°F
=
230°C or Gas Mark 9
475°F
=
240°C or Gas Mark 10
And for conversions that are not listed I found a great conversion calculator here!
Comment Guidelines
Most of the comments and emails I receive are positive, conversational, and very welcome as part of the dialogue that I love about the food blogging community. Unfortunately, there is still a minority of comments that are offensive, irrelevant, and sometimes simply rude. Of course, the misfortune about creating comment guidelines is that the people leaving the former kind of comments are already following the guidelines, and the people leaving the latter kind of comments probably won't bother to read the guidelines or will simply ignore them. Still, please follow the guidelines. It will make the online world a better place for all of us.
The Good Kind of Comments:
- Conversational. If you're starting or continuing a conversation about your life, your experiences in the kitchen, or stories about your family, then I love and welcome your comments. The ability to genuinely connect with other people with similar interests whom I may never otherwise meet is one of the things I most love about the food blogging community, and I encourage people to participate as much as they'd like in these sometimes spontaneous conversations.
- Feedback. If you tried a recipe that you found on The Red Spoon, I would love to hear about it. Whether it was a success or a flop, whether you added ingredients or adjusted cooking times, whatever you did, I am always interested in hearing how things went in another kitchen with the same recipe.
- Questions. If something in a recipe is confusing or obviously wrong, please feel free to ask a question. Or, if you're just really curious about where we bought the cutest outfit on the latest Henry cameo, don't be shy at all about asking.
The Bad Kind of Comments:
- Irrelevant. I'm pretty open minded about the kinds of conversations that might happen in the comments section, but the ones I'm referring to here are things like permission requests, recipe requests, advertising requests, etc. that would be more appropriate in an email. A good rule of thumb is that if the comment will alienate everyone else reading the post, try putting in an email directly to me instead.
- Linking. As part of the comment in-take form, there is a field where you can enter your website or blog and it will appear as a hyperlink embedded in your name in the text of the comment. This kind of linking is perfectly acceptable. When linking is not acceptable is if the corresponding comment is completely irrelevant, i.e. an excuse to market your website on my website, in which case your comment will be deleted for irrelevance, or if you leave a link in the body of the comment. The rule of thumb is don't try to market your website on my website. I know all the tricks and I will delete your comment if I think this is what you're doing.
- Nastygrams. Every once in a while I find one of these in my inbox or in a comment on a post. People sending me nastygrams: don't do it. You're wasting your time. I really don't care if you think my blog "looks like" another blog, of if you think talking about my kid and putting pictures of him in posts is "copying" another blog. Seriously. The blog you're rushing to defend probably didn't come up with that one either, and even if they did there is nothing illegal, unethical, or unfair about doing the same thing. If you're genuinely concerned that plagiarism has taken place on The Red Spoon, just send me a polite email asking if I forgot to credit someone somewhere. But when you leave an anonymous comment saying that my website is ugly, you have become that annoying kid on the playground that wants to correct everyone but that no one else likes, except you're not a kid so what's your excuse? Your comment will be deleted, your email won't be responded to, and thank you for the page views and corresponding advertising revenue.
- Parenting Advice. Josh and I love being parents, and we definitely need all the help we can get, but from the people that are actually involved in our daily lives and know what help we need. Please don't leave parenting advice in the comments sections. Such comments will be deleted.
Excellent treatise on restoring cast iron. I have three treasured iron pieces in my kitchen and they never leave the stove. Good job!