Season

Supplies:

• Paper towels or a cotton washcloth, dish rag, or old t-shirt to apply your seasoning blend, oil, or fat. Whatever you use make sure it is not something that lints excessively. Blue shop towels work well, but if you are using my seasoning blend I recommend using a rag as it will soak up seasoning blend over time and help you use less
• An oil or fat. Acceptable oils and fats include (but are not limited to):
  • Cast Iron Evan Cookware Seasoning Blend
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Canola Oil
  • Avocado Oil
  • Grapeseed Oil
  • Safflower Oil
  • Crisco Vegetable Shortening
  • Sugar Free Bacon Fat
  • Lard
• Heat resistant gloves. I use a cheap welding glove for my left hand (to hold the hot cast iron) and a regular leather work glove for my right hand (to allow for more dexterity when oiling and wiping the hot cast iron)
• A piece of cardboard to use as a work surface

Preparation

Before you start the seasoning process be sure that your cast iron is completely clean and free of any rust or contaminates. If you have just completed my Cleaning Guide you can skip this step

1. Wash with soap and warm water. If any flash rust has formed since stripping use fine steel wool to remove
2. Rinse thoroughly with cold water until completely clean
3. Dry with paper towels. If the paper towels get dirty during drying then continue rinsing and scrubbing with a nylon dish brush or sponge until clean

Seasoning

Note: Your pan will be hot at this point, wear proper protective gloves to prevent burns.

1. Place your clean and towel dried cast iron in a 250 degree oven for at least 15 minutes (I actually do this step at 350 degrees but I'm using heavy duty welding gloves. You will be handling the pan a lot at this stage so do it at whatever temperature you are comfortable with, as long as the piece is hot. If you are using a lower smoke point oil like vegetable oil you will want to stick with 250)
2. Carefully remove your pre-heated cast iron from the oven and place on a piece of cardboard on your stovetop or counter
3. Using your rag or paper towel apply a small amount of your seasoning blend, oil, or fat to the piece(s) you are seasoning
4. Wipe off any excess with a separate, clean paper towel or rag
5. Place your cast iron back in the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes
6. After 15 minutes carefully remove the hot cast iron from the oven and thoroughly wipe down again with a clean and dry paper towel or rag. This step is crucial, as there is almost always excess oil on the surface after the first wipe down. After 15 minutes the excess will start to bead up making it easier to see and remove. Always wear proper safety equipment when handling hot cast iron!
7. Place cast iron back in the oven and raise temperature to 480-500 degrees.
   All ovens vary, you may need to adjust your temperature up or down a bit to get the desired result. The same goes for different oils and fats, which have different smoke points.
8. Set timer for one hour
9. After one hour turn off your oven and allow your cast iron to cool
*When using other oils, fats, or blends you may need to use a different seasoning temperature. In general you will want to stay between 400 and 500 degrees so this guide should work for most options.

Your cast iron is now seasoned!
I like to repeat this process at least 3 times before use if starting from bare iron, or at least once if re-seasoning or adding a layer to a new pre-seasoned piece. You may find that 3 rounds wasn't enough to fully darken your cast iron, it will likely be different for every piece that you work on. If you'd like you can repeat this as many times as you'd like. With experience you will learn which temperatures work well with your seasoning choice and it will become easy to decide how to proceed after the initial 3 rounds. While it is essentially impossible to "over-season" cast iron, the iron will eventually stop taking seasoning. If the oil, fat, or blend you are using simply beads up on the surface (like water on a freshly waxed car) then you can simply wipe it off and stop, it is as seasoned as it is going to get (other than with use).