This article covers the why's and how's of cleaning and seasoning cast iron pans for regular use. It is the process we use with our cast iron seasoning bars. This method is great for seasoning new cast iron pans, or for seasoning cast iron pans that are starting to lose their seasoning over time, or from heavy washing.

Note: If you have a cast iron pan that is covered in rust, or has layers upon layers of old seasoning with a mystery underneath, you may want to consult an article on restoration of cast iron – such as this one from Serious Eats.

How do you wash a cast iron pan?

One of the nice things about a well-seasoned cast iron pan is that food will come off the surface quite easily. The rumor that you can never use soap on a cast iron pan is actually misguided; this used to be true when soap was made with lye (which will actually take the seasoning off your pan). Modern-day dish soap will not cause harm to your pan and can be used when needed without harming your seasoning. Clean your cast iron pan like you would clean any regular dish - with some dish soap and a scrubby, sponge, or brush. Avoid abrasive scraping so as to remove only food, and not your layer of seasoning. 

Once you are done cleaning your cast iron pan, make sure that it is completely dry before putting it in storage. Simply dry it off with a towel that won't leave residue. You can dry your cast iron pan by gently heating it up on the stovetop at a low temperature or placing it in a warm oven for a few minutes, but this step is not really necessary. 

How do you restore a dirty or rusty cast iron pan? 

If your cast iron pan is especially built-up with food remnants, if you've burnt something on it, or if you buy a cast iron pan used and want to clean it up, you can take a more assertive approach to cleaning.

To restore a pan that needs more work, wash the pan with soap and water, then remove any rust or built-up grunge with a medium coarse steel wool pad. How much of the seasoning you remove is up to you. If you only want to remove the problematic areas, be conservative with the steel wool. However, if this is a second-hand pan and there are any signs of rust you may want to remove a bit more and start building that seasoning layer back up.

If your pan is very old and has a lot of rust and build up, you do have the option of starting over completely by removing all of the seasoning with a lye treatment. This is when you will purposefully use lye to strip off layers of old build up. Refer to instructions from other sources to do this complete restoration process. 

NOTE: Do not buy a second-hand cast iron pan if you see rust spots with pitting. If the rust has been on the pan long enough it will actually start to eat away at the surface of the cast iron and you may not be able to recover it. A little bit of surface rust is ok, but any evidence of surface damage or wearing away is a no-no.

What does it mean to season cast iron? 

Once your pan is clean, you are ready to season it. Seasoning cast iron means adding a layer of high-quality oil to the surface and baking it on. Seasoning adds a nice dark and shiny “patina” to the surface of the cast iron pan. A well-seasoned pan will be better able to resist rust between uses, which will help preserve the pan for years.

Seasoning your cast iron pan may also lead to a better cooking surface that won't stick as much (though you also have to use low and slow heat to avoid sticking). You will still need to use a lubricant like butter or oil when cooking but even something like a fried egg can slide right off a well-seasoned pan.

Technically, this seasoning process is called “polymerization” which is a fancy word to describe how the liquid oils heat up and form a protective layer (you can read more about this process on the Lodge website). This layer of seasoning bonds with the iron and ensures there are no surfaces to which rust could bond. The more you cook with your pan with high-quality oils, the more you’ll build up this layer. Taking the time to season your pan when you first get it and regularly thereafter will ensure a nice smooth seasoning.

When should you season a cast iron pan?

There are three times when I like to season a cast iron pan.

• First, when a cast iron pan is new, I like to season a few times in a row to start building nice solid coverage.
• Second, I season when the cast iron pan starts to show some fading or wearing of the seasoning, which often happens if I have had to scrub it hard after something sticks. 
• Third, I will season a cast iron pan if I have stripped the seasoning off purposefully, such as with a used pan that I find at a thrift store. 

What do you use to season a cast iron pan? 

When it comes to choosing the type of oil for seasoning cast iron, there are actually a lot of options. Virtually any kind of oil can be used, but some are much better than others. While you can use bacon grease or lard, some research has shown that oils with lower levels of saturated fat are more prone to polymerization (that fancy term I described before) so they will do better on your pan. Likewise, oils with a high heat point can be heated at a higher temperature which will lead to better results and less smoke. In general, it is better to choose a vegetable-based oil. Simple canola or vegetable oil or vegetable shortening will work fairly well.

One of the most highly recommended types of oil is grapeseed oil. It has a low saturated fat content, a high smoke point, and isn’t unreasonably priced. This is the oil that we use for our cast iron seasoning, and it has proven to work well for us and for our customers. 

For a comparison of oil types for cast iron, check out this experiment on thekitchn.com

Another ingredient that has shown to be valuable for cast iron conditioning is beeswax. This is because beeswax can help to create a barrier that keeps water away from your cast iron. It can be especially useful if you store your pans for a while in between uses. We prefer to blend beeswax with other oils to get the benefits of both and use more oil than wax. This is the second ingredient in our cast iron seasoning bars (and also allows us to create our easy-to-use bar shape). 

How do you season a cast iron pan? 

To season your cast iron pan, you will basically warm it up, apply your oil of choice (or our cast iron seasoning), then bring it up to a high temperature and bake for about 60 minutes. Allow the cast iron pan to cool in the oven, then remove and cool completely. This process can be done multiple times with a new pan to start building your layer of seasoning or with a cast iron pan that needed to be stripped down a bit. 

One of the important things to know about seasoning cast iron is that you'll use a different temperature depending on the oil you are using for the process. Please do your research on temperature choices if you are using something other than our grapeseed oil and beeswax blend.

Instructions for seasoning with The Happy Hive Grapeseed Oil & Beeswax Cast Iron Seasoning:

1. Clean your pan so that it is free of any food particles or rust;
2. Dry the pan then place in the oven when cold; set the oven to 450 and leave the pan to heat up slightly (about 5 minutes);
3. Carefully remove the pan from the warm oven (using oven mitts);
4. Apply a VERY thin layer of cast iron seasoning to all surfaces of the pan (including the bottom and handles). It should be so thin that it feels like you are wiping it off completely;
5. Return the pan to the oven (face down) and allow the oven to come to 450 degrees;
6. Set your timer for 60 minutes and leave the pan to bake. You may want to turn on your vent if there is any smoke or smoke smell;
7. Once the timer is finished, turn off the oven and allow it to cool down (opening it right away could fill your kitchen with smoke);
8. After about 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool completely on the counter (OR apply another round of seasoning and repeat).