To re-season cast iron, coat with a high heat oil. Wipe off all the oil with a lint-free cloth. Place in a 300 °F oven for 15 minutes and then take out your pieces and wipe all the oil off again (don't skip this step or the oil might pool on the cookware). Then place the pieces back in a 400 °F oven for 2 hours. Cover the entire surface (the inside and outside of the pan) with a thin coating of oil. Not too much or you'll gunk it up again. Put the pan upside-down in the oven and bake it for an hour at 450°F to 500 ° F. Remove it from the oven, and once it's cool enough to handle, rub a paper towel or rag across the surface. Here are five non-negotiable rules of pan maintenance from McClellan, a bonafide cast iron expert. La Tourangelle Grapeseed Oil. $7.98. Amazon. Buy Now. Save to Wish List. 1. You barely need to clean it. McClellan uses his Smithey 10-inch skillet regularly for dinner. Turn the oven to 400°F. When it reaches that temperature, bake the pan for one hour. At the one-hour mark, turn the oven off and let the pan cool in the oven. You can repeat this process a few Tip 3: How To Remove Leftovers. image via aspicyperspective. Deal with stubborn bits of food by pouring 1 cup of coarse kosher salt into the still-warm skillet. Use a folded kitchen towel or a non-abrasive cloth to scour. Discard salt and food bits, and rinse the skillet with hot water. After you’ve used your skillet, use a sponge to scrub it with water. But don’t let it soak in water, as this can cause rusting. If it still needs a bit more attention, add some kosher salt to the pan and scrub with a damp sponge. The salt acts an abrasive cleaner without disturbing the seasoning. In my (Faith’s) house, washing a cast iron skillet is extremely basic: Wash with a little regular soap and a scrub brush, which is gentle but firm and will remove any bits of food without harshness. Dry with a towel and, if you like, heat up briefly on a burner to evaporate any moisture more quickly. That’s it. Cover the bottom of the pan with a thick layer of kosher salt. Add about 1/2 inch of cooking oil and place over high heat. When the oil reaches the smoke point, pour the salt and oil into a heatproof bowl to cool before discarding. Using a ball of paper towels, rub the inside of the pan until smooth. Many home cooks will clean a cast iron skillet with salt, as it acts as a gentle abrasive. Simply sprinkle on coarse salt while the pan is still warm and use a damp sponge, kitchen towel, or even the cut side of a potato, to clean it the surface. Once the pan is clean, empty out the salt, rinse, dry and apply oil. Start the cleaning process by pouring any grease from the skillet into a container for disposal. 2. Wipe with a Paper Towel. Fold a paper towel and then wipe the skillet to remove any bits of grime and grease. 3. Wash by Hand. Always wash your cast iron by hand using hot water and a soft sponge to gently scrub. vWEGrK.