How to season a cast-iron pan? Surface of mine is coming off.
Some people say to put the cast iron skillet in the oven when you run it on the self-cleaning cycle. That will clean it down to the bare iron. You then go through a standard seasoning procedure same as a new piece.
I don’t have anything peeling off my skillet. When it gets too gunked up, I either rub some salt into it as an abrasive or else I wash it with a little dish soap and water and scrub it with a green scrubby or with steel wool. I then rinse and immediately put it on the stove and turn the burner on long enough to get the skillet hot, to be sure it’s really dry.
I NEVER leave cast iron with water soaking in it. It can sit on top of my stove waiting to be washed, but no water touches it till I have enough time and energy to do the above procedure from start to finish. And that includes alert enough and energetic enough to stand there at the stove and watch it while I have the burner on. Don’t want to walk away and forget the stove’s on.
Others using my kitchen may use my skillet, but no one else ever washes it. Just me.
I use a good quality oil and rub it in with a paper towel all over the inside of the pan, even up the sides. Then I put it on low heat on the stove for about an hour until the oil darkens. I only wash with water, soap, and a scrubbie maybe three or four times a year, tops; otherwise, when I’m done cooking, I just wipe mine out with a paper towel and rub with more oil in between uses.
(I have two sizes of cast iron skillets, and use both of them at least 3 times a week, as I cook a LOT)
If you’re frying something like meat or veggies that might “stick” to the pan, just splash in some wine to loosen the food, (de-glaze the pan) and it makes for a terrific tasting sauce!