The Best Way To Clean and Season a Cast Iron Skillet | Epicurious 101

The Best Way To Clean and Season a Cast Iron Skillet | Epicurious 101

Want to keep your cast iron cookware looking like new? Chef Frank Proto demonstrates and explains everything you need to know to get the best out of your cast iron skillet, from seasoning to cleaning to storage.

Learn more with Chef Frank on his YouTube Channel ProtoCooks!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC368WO9e4BWuPYAeSIuaUsg
and follow him on Instagram @protocooks

Buy a cast iron skillet just like the one Frank uses! https://amzn.to/34SXSFl
Find a stainless steel chainmail cast iron cleaner here: https://amzn.to/33Y96bC

When you buy something through our retail links, we earn an affiliate commission.


0:00 Introduction
1:01 Chapter One – Removing Rust
3:11 Chapter Two – Initial Seasoning
4:28 Chapter Three – Cleaning After Use
6:01 Chapter Four – Storing And Maintaining

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50 Comments

  1. @bitas.959 on February 10, 2025 at 7:01 pm

    Is it OK to season it with coconut oil?

  2. @angelcarmona4540 on February 10, 2025 at 7:01 pm

    Sounds like I’ll be spending about $120 a month, in salt. 😮😅

  3. @loriwitkop1389 on February 10, 2025 at 7:04 pm

    I thought I was the only one that stored their cast iron in the oven!

  4. @yasminenazarine1629 on February 10, 2025 at 7:05 pm

    Two times i buned cast iron skillets by mistakes over heat 🔥 is that healthy to coook in it

  5. @nostromo4269 on February 10, 2025 at 7:05 pm

    Gotta heat that cast iron first bro.
    Then grape seed oil
    Back in at 350 for an hour. Then shut the oven off. Let cool in oven

  6. @yasminenazarine1629 on February 10, 2025 at 7:06 pm

    In different websites they clean use with potatos & salt
    I gusess everyone different

  7. @drannymama on February 10, 2025 at 7:07 pm

    Wish I could show this video to my late mother-in-law. She was so mad at me when I washed it with soap and water. I had never used that type of pan growing up. 😕

  8. @ramonataylor5174 on February 10, 2025 at 7:08 pm

    I’ve had my cast iron pans for 30yrs & can fry eggs with no sticking. Never, ever would I use soap to clean them. To clean fill with water, bring to a boil, quick scrub, rinse under running water, heat pan on stove (in winter I heat then on wood stove) spray with cooking oil & they have been perfect for 30yrs. No soap, no scrubbing.. boil with water all you need to clean

  9. @mhutchins27 on February 10, 2025 at 7:12 pm

    I put a little baking soda and vinegar in mine. Let it sit for a little bit and give it a wipe, comes out great. Also use the same method on my Blackstone flat top grill.

  10. @sandragoodman2059 on February 10, 2025 at 7:13 pm

    Scrubbing with salt … clever!

  11. @Mehiel-Sanctoria on February 10, 2025 at 7:13 pm

    This video is great for convincing someone not to try to have a seasoned cast iron pan.

  12. @vom-batus on February 10, 2025 at 7:16 pm

    yea look… i tried this, did everything exactly as you said, and it made no difference, if anything it made it worse :/

  13. @piovalenzuela7749 on February 10, 2025 at 7:17 pm

    Straight forward and thorough.Thanks.

  14. @kirk3677 on February 10, 2025 at 7:17 pm

    After cooking, add a little water and bring to a boil and use the lodge scraper to release stuck on food, rinse and wipe out. back on stove top burner to dry completely. Then coat with your oil of choice. let cool and store.
    5 minutes of cleanup. No hassle. No issues for years.

  15. @davidruberto4118 on February 10, 2025 at 7:17 pm

    Comedy isn’t your thing my guy. Stick to cooking

  16. @BobRooney290 on February 10, 2025 at 7:18 pm

    wow, talk about afraid of water. i always wait til my pan cools off, then i submerge in soapy water to clean it with a sponge scrubber. never had a problem losing the seasoning on it.

  17. @epicurious on February 10, 2025 at 7:20 pm

    Buy a cast iron skillet just like the one Frank uses! https://amzn.to/34SXSFl
    Find a stainless steel chainmail cast iron cleaner here: https://amzn.to/33Y96bC

    When you buy something through our retail links, we earn an affiliate commission.

  18. @thehungrydutchman on February 10, 2025 at 7:20 pm

    I get the salt part but this might be cheap in the USA, it is defenatly not in euope anymore…..any tips on using something else instead of salt?

  19. @cobruh836 on February 10, 2025 at 7:20 pm

    i dont understand why everybody tells me to use these exotic items instead of a basic kitchen sponge you use for everything else. are you trying to tell me that scrubbing with a chainmail and salt is less harmful to the surface than a sponge? i dont buy that AT ALL
    hipsters

  20. @ES-bc4hl on February 10, 2025 at 7:22 pm

    Thank you! Now I can fix a rusted cast iron pan I’ve had for years hidden by my door (for protection).

  21. @kendawa2918 on February 10, 2025 at 7:26 pm

    Salt and some lime juice.

  22. @edwardking5233 on February 10, 2025 at 7:27 pm

    Ridiculous. No wonder people don’t want to mess with cast iron. Just wash the pan in hot soapy water using a steel scrubbie if needed like a normal person. Rinse, dry, and put away. See how simple it is? Save the salt for cooking.

  23. @kirk3677 on February 10, 2025 at 7:27 pm

    After cooking, add a little water and bring to a boil and use the lodge scraper to release stuck on food, rinse and wipe out. back on stove top burner to dry completely. Then coat with your oil of choice. let cool and store.
    5 minutes of cleanup. No hassle. No issues for years.

  24. @KristineDiaz54 on February 10, 2025 at 7:27 pm

    Thanks for the tips! The method worked for me.

  25. @One-Two-T on February 10, 2025 at 7:28 pm

    0:39 please don’t cook babies, even if they are Dutch.

  26. @rugrat0ne239 on February 10, 2025 at 7:30 pm

    Frying pans, who knew?

  27. @leondgreat1 on February 10, 2025 at 7:31 pm

    Crisco is engine/mechanical lubricant!

  28. @cmcull987 on February 10, 2025 at 7:31 pm

    I see copper scrubbers at the supermarket. Are they okay?

  29. @mlbotma2474 on February 10, 2025 at 7:31 pm

    Crisco and Canola oil? Pass

  30. @eabiisme on February 10, 2025 at 7:32 pm

    1. Vinegar cookoff, heat and use spatula to break up large deposits
    2. Vinegar + salt scrub with brillow pad
    3. Neutral oil scrub with brillow pad or steel wool

    Pan should be clean by now and not producing rust like water does

    4. Reseason

  31. @JohnJones-op8uf on February 10, 2025 at 7:33 pm

    A Green scotch-bright pad works amazing

  32. @harrisoneps on February 10, 2025 at 7:33 pm

    To clean just put some water in that pan and let it cook to a boil on the stove. Then let cool and it’s and easy wipe

  33. @mannycalavera2335 on February 10, 2025 at 7:36 pm

    I like to just let the pan soak with a little water for a short period and then clean it out with a soft sponge. I make sure it is dry when stored, and every now and then I will re-season the pan.

  34. @yasminenazarine1629 on February 10, 2025 at 7:37 pm

    I dont cook evryything in cast iron skillet maybe 🥩 if not in outside backyard maybe fish if not in haven some vegetables but not evrything

  35. @AC-hj9tv on February 10, 2025 at 7:39 pm

    Cast iron is iron
    *takes notes*

  36. @jooseppib1082 on February 10, 2025 at 7:42 pm

    Uses paper towels in cast iron pans. Kent Rollins has entered the chat and wants to know your location

  37. @yasminenazarine1629 on February 10, 2025 at 7:44 pm

    I think i did big mistake i aiwats wash scraps eoth wooden sppon im hot water than after grease it with coconuts oil

  38. @jonbrown5041 on February 10, 2025 at 7:45 pm

    The easiest way to take care of your pan is to not put it away wet to begin with. Rinse with hot water and whatever cloth or scrubber you want, wipe dry, heat on the stove to evaporate residual moisture, then lightly oil all over. Let cool and store for next use. Takes 5 minutes. I’ve been doing this for 20 years and never had a rust spot and never needed to do this foolish stuff.

  39. @caio0gobbo on February 10, 2025 at 7:47 pm

    After watching this video, it became clear to me that cast iron skillets were an invention of the salt industry to boost their revenues.

  40. @johnmoe7845 on February 10, 2025 at 7:47 pm

    Crisco? I’m out

  41. @SnackQueen01 on February 10, 2025 at 7:49 pm

    Soak it in Coca Cola for a little bit and the rust will be removed quickly then rinse it and place it on high heat to dry then you wipe it with oil inside and out then you place it in the hot oven. The coke you drink is so powerful on rust. It’s like magic on rust

  42. @Sunsandsea962 on February 10, 2025 at 7:50 pm

    I use compressed air to get rid of the he debris👍

  43. @fraciscobustos2875 on February 10, 2025 at 7:53 pm

    I knew I was washing wrong😳 now I have a part time job lol

  44. @johngore7744 on February 10, 2025 at 7:54 pm

    Would steel wool be ok. And if so what roughness.

  45. @deanadams3099 on February 10, 2025 at 7:56 pm

    "Whats he looking at?– Butthead

  46. @sbro9242 on February 10, 2025 at 7:58 pm

    Love Epicurious but he is wrong about cleaning the pan. Just rinse it while it’s hot under water and scrub with a brush. Dump out the water, put it back on the cooktop and heat it for about a minute. Done!

  47. @anitat9447 on February 10, 2025 at 7:58 pm

    How often do you have to fully season the entire pan and heat for an hour?

  48. @minhtu5059 on February 10, 2025 at 7:59 pm

    I bought a small cast iron pan because I’d want to increase the iron level in my blood a bit as I was tired most of the time. But this much effort to maintain it…makes me even more tired lol

  49. @vixgnandt783 on February 10, 2025 at 7:59 pm

    I’m probably breaking some rules but I keep an inverted 12” cast iron skillet in my oven in lieu of baking steel. It just bakes everything more evenly. But I’ve never seasoned it 😮

  50. @AdamG.GoNavy.FlyNavy on February 10, 2025 at 8:00 pm

    How to become a slave to your cookware 101.

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