I am the proud owner of 3 new cast iron skillets! My girlfriend Karen gave me these little beauties! They belonged to her parents, but they have not been seasoned. The largest one appears to have been used a few times, unseasoned. Two of them had a few rust spots. So they’ll go through the seasoning process to get ready for kitchen duty! I’ve used the same cast iron skillet for well over 30 years, it was my mother’s and it’s very large and heavy! If that skillet could talk! We’ve been through so much, it’s been in a lot of kitchens with me! It’ll be so nice to have three more sizes! It doesn’t really take much to excite me.
So here’s how to season a cast iron skillet. If there is rust, scour the rust spot with a steel wool pad, just keep rubbing until the rust is gone. I used fine because the rust was minimal. Dump the residue into the trash can.
Wash the skillet with hot water and very little soap. Rinse well and dry it right away. Apply oil to the outside and inside of the skillet using an old rag. How much? Just enough to add a sheen and coat evenly. 
Preheat the oven to 400°. Line the baking racks with foil. Place the skillet on the foil, upside down to catch any drainage and bake for at least 1 hour. Turn the oven off and let them cool down in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 400°. Line the baking racks with foil. Place the skillet on the foil, upside down to catch any drainage and bake for at least 1 hour. Turn the oven off and let them cool down in the oven.
Ready to cook! Don’t use soap on your skillet, just rinse with water and dry right away. If you have to use soap, don’t use a lot and after rinsing, dry immediately and apply another coat of oil. With use, they will just get better and better.
Here’s how they look after emerging from their heat treatment. The nonstick finish on a seasoned cast iron skillet is a beautiful thing!
