Whether vegan or omnivore, seasoning cast iron gets a pan ready for cooking.
Experts recommend to always season cast iron before you first cook with it. The process makes sure that the pan becomes nonstick to protect the pan’s surface while cooking, and it smoothes the cast iron’s rough texture.
It only takes about an hour, and it’s inexpensive. Plus, it’s easier than it sounds. One session of seasoning is all you need to get started.
What is seasoning?
Seasoning isn’t the same as spicing up food. It doesn’t use herbs or spices, it just involves oil.
It also isn’t just heating up the pan with oil on the stove. And you can’t achieve seasoning by just wiping the surface with oil. The oil needs to be baked into the pan, so that it creates a layer of polymerized oil that is broken up and made into a plastic-ish finish that is completely bonded to the iron surface. Enough heat must be applied to the oiled pan, so that it is hotter than the smoke point (when you see smoke) of the oil that you used.
You’ll know a pan is seasoned when it is transformed into a black shiny surface.
And, when cast iron is seasoned, it won’t be broken down easily by a little bit of soap. Just don’t soak the pan in water or put it in the dishwasher. The good news is that a pan that’s in good shape (no cracks or holes) can be re-seasoned.
The vegan way to season cast iron pan
The first step is choosing oil. Many cooks recommend using vegetable, flaxseed, grapeseed, corn, or olive oil. If you choose vegetable oil, the oven should be heated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. If you choose olive oil, the oven should be heated to 350 degrees.
After wiping the entire pan in a chosen oil, the cast iron pan is ready to be placed in the oven.
Place it upside down on a baking sheet in the oven.
The pan should bake for one hour. When the hour is up, turn off the oven. But, keep the pan in the oven so that it can cool down as the oven cools.
The omnivore way to season cast iron pan
Some omnivores use bacon to season cast iron. While the grease from bacon can season the inside of the pan, it doesn’t get the entire pan seasoned. It’s a good strategy to season the entire pan with oil in the oven, as described in the vegan season a cast iron pan section above. Then you can follow it up with a big bacon-fest or whatever meat you enjoy to add that flavor and its oil to the pan.
Cooking with cast iron
Now that the pan is seasoned, it’s ready for cooking.
Cast iron is a little different than other kinds of pans. The pan needs to be fully heated before putting food inside. Either heat it in the oven for about 20 minutes, or on the stove for about 10 or 15 minutes. If you are heating it on a stove, make sure to move the pan a bit around on the burner so it gets heated evenly.
Also, always use an oven mitt or towel when handling a hot cast iron pan. These are really good at staying hot, long after it’s been heated. This is good for cooking, but it also cause for caution.
If you’re searching for a quick-fix how-to, we’d love to help. Share your questions below.
And, we’d love to know your tips to how you care for your cast iron pans, too.
