Care and Use of Cast Iron Skillets
How to cure/season cast iron

This article will tell you all you need to know about curing (seasoning) a cast iron skillet as well as other tips for the care and use of cast iron cookware.

I hope you arrived here after reading the Southern Cornbread Recipe. After all, that's what you are going to put in that cast iron skillet.

Let's start with some basics of using a cast iron skillet. Cast iron will last a lifetime; it's practically indestructible. It is common practice in the South to pass down that favorite skillet from generation to generation. I have one that is probably 40 years old and it's still the best skillet in my kitchen.

I know cooks (myself included) that guard their skillet with their life. No one else is allowed to touch it, much less use it. That old favorite skillet is the pride and joy of many a Southern cook. The reason is that it takes some time and effort to develop your skillet into the perfect cooking utensil, but it's not difficult. Once you have it, there's no other like it.

You should have a cast iron skillet for your cornbread and a separate skillet for other foods. Your cornbread skillet should never be used for anything but cornbread. Other items may contain some form of acid which will destroy that perfect cure on your skillet that you worked so hard to obtain. So, one skillet for cornbread and one for other dishes.

Cast iron skillets retain their heat for a very long time. So, always use some protection for your hands when picking up cast iron. My worse habit is taking the hot skillet from the oven, removing the cornbread and leaving the skillet on the counter or sink. Then 5 minutes later I attempt to move it with my bare hand, forgetting that it is still hot. I've gotten many a blister over the years doing this. So, don't!

Cast iron can be very frustrating when new. Food tends to stick to the metal and there's nothing worse than having to dig your cornbread out in crumbs. Also, cast iron tends to rust. However, there is a way to prevent sticking and rusting. Your new skillet must be cured or seasoned. And, here's the procedure: (Note: Some of the newer cast iron is pre-cured and does not have as great a problem with sticking or rust, but I would cure it anyway.)

CURING / SEASONING
First, throw away any instructions that came with the skillet on how to cure. Don't even read it. Then wash the skillet with hot soapy water. This is the only time you will ever use soap in your skillet. Dry thoroughly. Rub a thin coat of vegetable oil (Crisco works good) over the entire skillet, inside and out, including the handle.

Next, place the skillet in the oven set on it's lowest temperature setting. Place the skillet upside down in the oven with aluminum foil under it to catch any dripping.

Check the skillet in about 10 to 15 minutes. The oil should be tacky to the touch over the entire inside surface. If you have wet spots, smooth them out with the back of a spoon. If you have spots that are not covered with a tacky surface, add oil to those spots. Place back in oven until you have the entire inner surface covered with a tacky oil coating.

Once this is accomplished, turn up the oven setting to 500 degrees. Allow to cure for one hour in the oven.

Note: Your kitchen will be smoky from the oil so do this on a day when you can ventilate the kitchen. When finished your skillet should have an even, black, shiny sheen over the surface. If not, put back in oven for additional time until you get the shiny surface. Oven temperatures vary so the time required may vary.

When storing, you should always rub a light coating of vegetable oil on the skillet. Also, I recommend you do not clean your skillet with soap. Some people feel this is not necessary with the new pre-cured skillets; I still would not do it. You can clean any cured cast iron with hot water and a sponge or plastic scouring pad. Do not use any metal cleaning items that might scratch the seasoned finish you have obtained. Generally, a paper tower is all that is needed. If you must use something stronger that damages the cured finish, you should re-do the curing process.

That's it. Follow these guidelines and you will have the perfect cast iron cooking skillet that you can pass down to your children and their children.