Hi, Hearthfolk,
You’re probably wondering why I’ve written this post. No, I haven’t suddenly decided to turn this into a food blog. Recipes I love will still pop up now and then, but this space won’t be overrun with them.
This post was born out of a conversation with a friend who wants to cook with cast iron but is very new to that world. Growing up, my family mostly cooked with cast iron and I have – in the last few years – begun baking in it. So I figured, why not put my knowledge out here for you all to have easy reference to?
Now to be clear, I am by no means the ultimate authority on cast iron and cooking with it. There are probably people in the universe that know more than I do. What I’m sharing here is simply the knowledge I’ve gathered along the way, with the hope that it makes your own cast iron journey a little less daunting and a lot more joyful.
✨ Seasoning, Simplified
To me, this is the best place to start.
Seasoning your cast iron is an essential ritual if you do not want your food to stick to the pan. I highly recommend to not do this during the summer, especially if you live in places where it is as hot as Hades unless it is at night. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.
The process itself is relatively simple.
First, pick the type of oil — or lard — that you want to use. You want to select one with a high smoke point as this allows the oil to slowly warm and polymerize, adhering to the pan and creating the non-stick layer you need. Choosing one with a low smoke point will result in the oil/lard burning and potentially risk a sticky mess.
Next, prep your oven. You should either cover a pan with foil to put on the rack below the cast iron piece or wrap the entire bottom rack in foil, whatever you prefer.
Now, place your cast iron piece in your oven and set it to 350℉/176℃. Allow the cast iron to warm with your oven for about ten (10) minutes before removing it — remember your pot holders. Taking either a paper towel or a 100% cotton cloth — like a tea towel without loose threads – you will wipe down the cast iron piece with your chosen oil.
After thoroughly coating the cast iron piece, take another paper towel or cloth and wipe down the excess oil. The surface should look lightly oiled, not slick. Then place it upside down in the oven so that any excess will drop onto the foil below.
After the cast iron is back in the oven, turn the heat up to about 425℉/218℃ and let the cast iron bake for two (2) hours. I know that sounds like forever, but the oven is doing the work. Grab a book and curl up on the couch with a drink while the protective ritual works its magic. When the timer goes off, turn off the oven and let your cast iron cool inside.
I recommend repeating this ritual a few times. I personally choose to season a new piece of cast iron four times before its first cook, but you can do more or less depending on your preference.
🧽 Cleaning Without Fear
Now, if you have been around the American South side of TikTok, you know that a lot of people discuss how to clean cast iron. And if not, well don’t go looking because we’re going to address it here.
Can you wash cast iron with soap?
Yes and no.
And I know that might be very confusing, but I’m going to break it down for you.
If you are using modern day soap like Dawn, then yes, you can use that soap to wash your cast iron. If you are using soap that is made with a lye base however, then no, you cannot use that soap to wash your cast iron.
Lye based soap will break down the polymerized oil that you just spent the time creating in the seasoning ritual thus stripping the non-stick coating. Modern day soaps are not as harsh therefore they are safer to use on the cast iron.
Are there reasons why you wouldn’t wash your cast iron?
The answer to this is a resounding yes if you have any pans that you strictly make cornbread in. To create the cornbread, you bake it with oil and butter which typically keeps it from sticking to the pan. Removing that in any way is going to risk the cornbread sticking, so to be honest wipe the crumbs out and store it away. Do not wash it. I have never washed mine and I most likely never will because I don’t wanna chance if the cornbread will stick or not.
So the moral of the story? Never wash the cornbread pan.
Washing Your Cast Iron
Now that we’ve gotten the myth busting out of the way, let’s actually talk about how to wash your cast iron – excluding the cornbread pan.
I typically save my cast iron for the last piece to be washed when I am handling my dishes. There is nothing wrong with submerging them briefly in soapy water, just don’t let them soak for hours.
To clean them, you can use a Scrub Mommy or Scrub Daddy as the rough side is gentle enough to get any potential stuck on things – it still happens depending on what you made – but not rough enough to mess up the layer of seasoning. You can also use brushes. I have a couple Zefiro Bamboo & Palm Fiber Pot Scrubbers that I use as well if there is just something that the Scrub Mommy just isn’t able to get off.
As you’re rinsing, you’ll actually be able to see that seasoning at work as the water just begins to bead off the pan.
🔥 Keeping the Flame Alive
The ritual of caring for your cast iron is just as important as the seasoning ritual.
Drying
Drying happens to be the most important step after you have finished washing your cast iron. Just like when we were seasoning piece, you will put it in the oven upside down and then turn the oven on. Heat level doesn’t matter here as you’re just warming the oven enough to get the cast iron dry.
And now, I know one of you might be thinking, but I can hand dry this. While yes you can, putting it in the oven with it warm ensures that towel fibers don’t end up in the piece and thoroughly dries it a little better than a towel. You are more than welcome to do both, but I prefer to toss mine in the oven and turn it on warm or 200℉/93℃. This is why American Southerns will always say “Check the oven before you turn it on” as we traditionally dry them in the oven.
Aftercare
This ritual differs depending on the person you talk to. My best friend’s husband dries theirs and then does a seasoning session after every cook to seal in more of the flavors. I personally dry mine in the oven…. And proceed to forget they’re in the oven until I go to use it for something else.
🔮 Myths That Need Breaking
We already touched on how modern soaps are not going to ruin your cast iron pieces – though it is highly encouraged to never wash your cornbread pan for fear of it sticking. But the soap myth is not the only one hanging around.
Cast Iron Is High Maintenance (and Easy to Ruin)
This statement is so inaccurate that it isn’t even funny.
Rust
You go to use your favorite cast iron piece and gasp. There’s rust on it. Banish it from the kitchen!
Wrong.
You can rescue your cast iron from the depths of rusting. I personally use an SOS pad but Lodge has come to the rescue with their little rust eraser tool as well. Do keep in mind once you get the rust off, you will have to re-season your cast iron piece. Working to remove the rust will also remove the seasoning you’ve worked hard on.
Sticky Seasoning / Mistakes Happen
You’ve cooked something in your cast iron. You go to remove it from the pan and it sticks.
Or did you notice that your most recent seasoning hasn’t polymerized properly?
Do not panic. It’s okay and 100% fixable by just sticking your cast iron in some hot water with some soap and washing it.
If you’re dealing with stuck on food, I highly recommend finding a good plastic scraper — I still have my Pampered Chef one and it is my workhorse — and scraping the stuck food while it sits in the soapy water. It will always come free after a good soak and scrub.
And to be honest, you can use a similar method if your seasoning feels sticky after a round in the oven, but I highly recommend the SOS pad instead of the plastic scraper. This is because you want to remove the sticky round of seasoning so that what you put on there next will properly polymerize onto the cast iron – maybe even try raising the temperature in the oven if your last round did turn sticky as well.
So as you can see, cast iron isn’t high maintenance. It’s just about knowing how to care for it and how to fix it if it goes wrong.
You Can’t Cook Acidic Foods in Cast Iron
Now this is a two sided myth.
Yes, you can cook acidic foods in cast iron, but only if the cast iron has been well seasoned.
So if you’re looking at that new non-enamel dutch oven or cauldron with the intention of making an acidic soup and you haven’t layered the seasoning on, I only have one thing to say:
Back away from the cooking idea and get to seasoning.
The whole reason why I’m able to make my beef stew in my cauldron is because I took the time and layered my seasoning on. Even now after a few rounds of making chili, I will pop the cauldron in the oven and toss on a few more layers of seasoning over a few days. Because even with a well seasoned cast iron piece, you will need to add some more layers when you’re cooking acidic foods in it.
All this to say…
Cast iron has been part of kitchens for generations for a reason. It’s sturdy, forgiving, and built to last far longer than most of the cookware we buy today. Even when things go wrong — rust, sticky seasoning, the occasional stuck meal — a little patience and a fresh round of seasoning can bring it right back to life.
So don’t let the myths scare you away. Use it often, care for it well, and let it become part of your kitchen rituals. Before long, that humble pan will start to feel less like cookware and more like a trusted companion in your cooking.
Until our next cup of tea,
Trula Marie
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