How to Season a Cast Iron Skillet (Step by Step)

Quick answer: to season a cast iron skillet, scrub it clean, dry it completely on a burner, then rub a small amount of high-smoke-point oil over every surface and wipe off as much as you can. Bake it upside down at about 450 to 500°F for an hour and let it cool in the oven. Two or three rounds build a durable base; everyday cooking with a little fat does the rest.

What seasoning actually is

When a thin film of oil is heated past its smoke point, it polymerizes: the oil turns from a liquid into a hard, slightly glossy coating that bonds to the iron. That coating is what people call seasoning. It fills the tiny pores in the metal, blocks moisture and gives food something smoother to slide on than bare iron.

The key word is thin. A thick layer of oil doesn’t harden evenly. It turns sticky, collects dust and can flake later. Most seasoning problems come from using too much oil, not too little.

What you’ll need

A cast iron skillet (new, pre-seasoned, or one that needs a fresh start)
Hot water, a stiff brush or scrubber and a little dish soap
Steel wool, only if you’re removing rust
A neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as vegetable, canola or a shortening made for seasoning
Lint-free cloths or sturdy paper towels
An oven, a sheet of foil or a baking sheet for the lower rack, and heat-resistant oven mitts

Pre-seasoned skillets, like most picks in our cast iron skillets for glass top stoves guide, already have a factory coat. You can cook in them right away; extra rounds of seasoning just make the surface sturdier and slicker sooner.

Step by step

Scrub the skillet. Wash it with hot water, a little dish soap and a brush. If there’s rust, scour those spots with steel wool down to clean metal, then rinse well. A quick wash with mild soap won’t hurt established seasoning.
Dry it completely. Towel it off, then set it on a burner over medium-low heat for a few minutes until every trace of moisture is gone. Water hiding in the pores is what causes rust spots later.
Preheat the oven. Set it to about 450 to 500°F, or the highest temperature your skillet maker recommends for seasoning. Put foil or a sheet pan on the lower rack to catch drips.
Oil every surface. While the pan is still warm, add about a teaspoon of oil and rub it over the inside, outside, handle and edges with a cloth.
Wipe it back off. Take a clean cloth and buff the pan as if you made a mistake and want all the oil gone. It should look dry and barely glossy, not wet. This step makes the difference between a hard finish and a sticky one.
Bake upside down. Place the skillet upside down on the middle rack so any excess can drip off rather than pool. Bake for one hour.
Cool in the oven. Turn the oven off and leave the skillet inside until it’s cool enough to handle. Slow cooling helps the coating set.
Repeat two or three times. Each round adds another thin layer. After three, the pan should look evenly dark and feel smooth.

Expect some smoke while the oil polymerizes. Turn on the range hood and open a window before you start.

Keeping seasoning strong between bakes

You don’t need to oven-season often. Cooking is seasoning, as long as you look after the pan afterward:

Cook fatty foods early on. Bacon, sautéed onions, shallow-fried potatoes and cornbread help build the surface. Our cast iron skillet cornbread is a good early recipe.
Go easy on acid at first. Long simmers of tomato sauce or wine can wear thin seasoning. Once the coating is solid, short cooks are fine.
Dry and oil after washing. Clean it while warm, dry it on the burner, then rub in a few drops of oil and wipe it back. See how to clean a cast iron skillet for the full routine.
Avoid soaking and the dishwasher. Both strip seasoning and invite rust.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Sticky or tacky surface. Too much oil, or the oven wasn’t hot enough. Bake the pan upside down for another hour at the same temperature; if it’s still tacky, scrub with hot water and a stiff brush, dry, and re-season with a much thinner coat.

Brown or splotchy patches. Common after the first round and usually just uneven early layers. Keep cooking with fat and do another seasoning bake if it bothers you.

Flaking black bits. Thick, poorly bonded layers are peeling. Scrub off the loose flakes, then season thin. If flakes keep coming, some owners strip the pan to bare metal and start over.

Rust. Scour it off with steel wool, rinse, dry on heat, and season right away. Light surface rust is cosmetic once it’s removed.

Which oil to use

Almost any neutral cooking oil works. Vegetable, canola and sunflower oils are inexpensive and easy to apply thinly. Some cooks like flaxseed oil for a very hard finish, but many find it more prone to flaking, and it costs more. Strongly flavored or low-smoke-point fats, like unrefined olive oil or butter, are better for cooking than for oven seasoning. Whatever you choose, the thin-coat rule matters far more than the oil.

Heavy pans can be tiring to flip in and out of a hot oven. If that’s a concern, a lightweight cast iron skillet is easier to handle, and coil-stove cooks can find flat-bottomed options in our cast iron for electric coil stoves guide.

Questions people ask

How often should I season my cast iron skillet?

Only when the surface looks dull, gray or rusty. Regular cooking with a little fat and a thin wipe of oil after washing keeps most pans in good shape.

Can I season cast iron on the stove instead of the oven?

Yes, for touch-ups. Heat the pan, wipe on a very thin coat of oil and keep it on medium heat until it stops smoking. The oven gives a more even coat on all surfaces.

Why is my seasoned skillet sticky?

Too much oil, or not enough heat to harden it. Bake it again upside down, and use far less oil next time.

Is it okay to use soap on cast iron?

A small amount of mild dish soap won’t harm well-bonded seasoning. Avoid soaking, harsh scouring of good seasoning and the dishwasher.

Do pre-seasoned skillets need seasoning?

No, you can cook in them right away. Extra rounds of seasoning simply speed up building a slicker surface.

What temperature should I season cast iron at?

Many cooks use about 450 to 500°F for an hour. Check your skillet maker’s care guide if it lists a specific temperature.