I love collecting CI but there is so much differing information and opinions on restoring and they can be complicated. Yours is easy to understand, the science makes sense, and consice. Thank you!! Found you through tiktok

Chris…your videos on cast iron are absolutely the best and most informative videos about cast iron on KZfaq! Thanks!

EXCELLENT video! People ask me why my seasoning turns out so well and I always stress the importance of wiping down the piece so you only leave a micro thin layer of oil on it and keep it turned upside down. I learned this the hard way early in my efforts and my patience and attention to detail have been rewarded with excellent results. Thanks so much for your great restoration videos!

Thank you so much for this video, precise, and to the point. Forwarding on to all my camping friends.

Thank for making this it's alot easier to understand one vid rather then 5 diferent tiktok vids

TIL I seasoned my pan completely wrong, but I now have a very clear path forward on how to season. Thank you boss

Incredibly helpful, thank you.

Hello, Just my suggestions as to how you seasonned your cast iron pan. I recommend warming the pan before the oil application, the pours open up and the oil penetrates all the crevasses in the pan. And as you mentioned the temperature you use is exactly the same as I do. The only other thing I do a bit differently from you is that once the oven reaches the 450-degree mark, I turn the oven off and leave the pan to cool in the oven for a few hours or cool enough to handle with my hands. Your video is spot on, great job. Best Regards.

Well explained thank you!

Very excellent presentation!! Thank You 🙏

Very nice vidio , i started using and restoring a year ago and im hooked ! keep em coming

The last steps (wiping off excess oil) is crucial also because if you don't you may get a lot of smoke coming from the oven.

I like the mindset you put into this video 😎👍🏻

Hi Chris! Thanks for being so helpful! I’ve stripped my cast iron it’s a modern lodge I did the easy off method there was a tiny bit of rust so I did a vinegar soak then rinsed and washed. I’ve done 2 coats of seasoning but the pan is still looking like a bronze color. Is that normal?

Question: my Wagner has developed a 2x2” scratched surface. The rest of the beautiful skillet is great. How do I fix this problem? TYIA & love your content

I see what you didn't wanna brag on. Wagner!!!! Nice iron, nice demo, new subby! Njoyd your show.

How to season. Grape seed oil. Crisco. Avocado oil. Pul little oil in skillet, wipe with rag all over the skillet, inside and out. Use another clean rag, bandanna, to wipe of oil on all parts. Then use clean 3rd rag to wipe off even more. Now put in oven, 450 degrees. Can stack on top of each other. Leave in over for 1 hour. Repeat entire process 4 times for newly stripped. Maybe a couple for existing seasoned pans.

Great video!!! VERY VERY accurate, THANK YOU for helping sooo many people!! You have explained and demonstrated the process and theory throughly. Wish I would have seen this years ago when I got into cast iron!!

Great work

Thanks Chris. Starting a restoration on my first pan. I just stripped all the seasoning off. It started flaking off really bad and very uneven due to lots of trial and error when first using it. Since I got this pan, I’ve gotten a collection. I definitely didn’t go crazy with the other pans, but they are looking much better than my first pan. So that’s why I’m here and I appreciate the detailed instructions. 🤞it comes out good. As far as maintenance, there’s lots of different opinions. Wash with a little Dawn after cooking, or no soap, just rinse, heat on stove and apply a little oil? Just looking for an expert opinion. Lots of folks say they wash with Dawn because there’s no longer any lye. Some swear by it and then they just dry with a towel and put up. Others say absolutely not and you have to oil it after a rinse with no soap.

I tried this method tonight and it works great. 450 degrees is perfect.There was another method that uses a much lower temp and that was not great.

Great info Chris! I have an old Piqua aware Dutch oven that has a blue exterior. It is a cast iron cooking surface and perhaps an enamel exterior. Can I use this process on it?

Found you on KZfaq! Thanks for the video😃 Question: do I wash, dry, season everytime I use my skillets? Or is it a weekly or monthly thing?

When I get one, I heat purge to a high temp on my round Kamado to remove rust and prior funky oils. It beats heating up the house and I live in Florida. I prefer bacon grease once I season several times using flax seed oil. Constant use is its best friend!

Let me ask you this, when I get ready to do my first oiling after a restoration and once I’ve oiled it like so, how come my pans seem like they are soaking up the oil in certain spots as if I never put oil there? And they will flash rust in those spots,

Great job and great explanations

The oven temp should be near the smoke point of whatever oil you choose, not just a random temperature

Thanks for this! If the seasoning is starting to go from the inside of the pan but it's still intact on the outside, do I need to strip it all before I season it? Can I season only the inside without doing a full restoration process?

Some one recommended keeping the pan in the owen for 1hour and just letting it cool there, what's your oppinion about that? can you keep it too long in the owen?

Awesome video! Thank you

How do you clean your rack?😊

Re season after you see wear, etc. But do you mean to strip it back to raw and start process over or just layer on the entire pan again a do a couple of re coats. Thank you

So if you HAVE used too much oil to season at some point, what do you do? Is it enough to clean it well and will the seasoning somewhat even out? (Stripping the pan and starting from scratch seems excessive to me/I don't want to have anything to do with lye. 😬)

What do I do if mine is new from by Lodge, it says preseasoned and I have used it 2 times and cleaned it up with water and dryed it rubbed it inside with oil. Today I totally forgot I accidentally had BBQ sauce on the steaks and it's cooked and stuck on the pan now 😢. I'm currently soaking it in water and salt trying to clean it with the soft side of my sponge. I don't know if I'll have to use dish soap or an abrasive scrub to clean it out? If so I would have to reseason it and hope it works.

I wish I would have watched this video first, lol. I did ok with a brand new set of three pans. I made the mistake of not drying them thoroughly enough after the first (and only) wash and I didn't quite wipe off all the oil before baking. Even a little bit left is a gunky pain.

Question- what’s your opinion on using animal fats such as lard or tallow as seasoning? My guess is that it should be fine as long as I still cover it well and wipe off the excess?

I’ve heard some say to put the cast iron in the oven while it preheats. Thoughts?

El exceso de aceite ocasiona que el sartén de hierro quede con salpicaduras, la recomendación de limpiarlo dos veces antes de meterlo al horno, realmente marca la diferencia.

Hi! thanks for thee video! I hav e a question, how can I fix uneven past seasoning?? can it be evened out? cause now my skillet is super patchy

I've had stickiness on cast iron and just put it back into the oven for an hour or 2 longer when I ran into that problem.

That's a nice seasoning job. If you're restoring several per week you might benefit from using painter's rags from the big box store. What blend of oils are you using? I didn't know what I was doing so I took three popular oils and blended them together in a spray bottle. Grape seed, avocado, and virgin olive. It makes for a nice color but it will require 3-4 coats. Betty Ford doesn't offer treatment for this cast iron affliction, we are on our own. I've already been looking at estate sales this morning. lol

Chris, what about pre-seasoned Lodge pans. Can you use the same process?

I chipped my seasoning on my skillet. Should I strip it and re season?

How soon after seasoning can I use my cast iron skillet?

If the outside of the pan is coated (from Le Creuset) does it still need to be oiled?

What kind of bandanas are those? Cotton or polyester? If you have a link to those you’re using, that would be awesome. Thanks for the great explanation on the process!

Mine is already a nightmare, so I tried to clean good with soap, but the Streaks on sides do not go away, I ve seen people use oven cleaner to strip it but that seemed unsafe.. how do you strip your cast iron after a nightmare?

Stupid question Chris, do you finish the process with one last oiling? To be more specific, I've seasoned the pan going on 4 times now, and when I feel like I've achieved the desired seasoning, do I do one last light coat of oil and then store it? or is it "completed" after it cools down? I'm sure you've mentioned this in a video, but I haven't found the answer just yet. And on a side note, I seriously appreciate your knowledge and your willingness to share this information. Thank you!

How do you best know when a skillet needs more rounds in the oven for seasoning? I’ve scrubbed and cleaned them then followed your instructions to season them in the oven twice. I am unclear if I need to do it a few more times.

Do you have issues with smoke coming out from the oven?

Hey Chris. I’ve followed all of your instructions, got all of my cast stripped down and after re seasoning , 5 layers they all have a brown tint , towel dried no flash rust before the first coat and I used grape seed oil . Wondering what could’ve happened. Thanks

Hi Chris, I think I don't think I have seasoned my cast-iron correctly. They have a sticky feeling. Can I use oven cleaner on them and reseason them correctly?

Any tips if you don't have an oven? I live in my truck and just have a propane stove.

Should the skillet be hot before adding the oil? I saw a video where Kent Rollins says the skillet needs to be heated so as to accept the oil.

I always put my pan in the oven while it is heating up which lets the pan warm up slower than throwing it in a hot oven (which can stress the pan and cause it to crack). Then when it is about 200 - 250 degrees, I pull it out and oil it. then back in the oven, when reaches desired temperature (I like to go slightly higher than the smoke point of the oil) leave it in for an hour. Then let it cool in the oven, once again to cool slower.

Hey bud, got a question for ya. Love you page by the way. You ever come across any cast iron made buy W.J. Loth? found one in my dads basement and restoring it but not to much information out there about them. Thanks

Does this method work with carbon steel pans as well?

Does altitude change these directions any?

Do you preheat the oven?

How many times should I repeat the seasoning process on a brand new ci Pan??

If you forget to wipe off the excess oil and it became gummy after you put it in the oven for an hour. How can you get the gumminess off to redo it?

When I do the cold water rinse, and then when I’m wiping the oil on/off, there’s a brown residue. Is that flash rust, and is that okay to season over? I’ve tried to wipe it away with more and more Crisco, but it still comes up. Thanks!

Can you just wash the bandanas normally?

Great commentary here. definitely a different method from the previous tutorial videos I've seen. One key highlight that was mentioned that all the other videos negated , is how often it needs to be seasoned. You pretty much said what I was predicting; every 4 to 6 months. Maybe sooner depending how often one uses it. Considering I don't use it that much compared to my other pans, the 6-month mark sounds ideal.

Everywhere im reading it says to heat the pans before oiling them

Are the new cast iron skillets as good as the older ones?

I'm no expert but doesn't the type of oil utilized determine the temp to set your oven for the hour? I noticed your "Seasoning & Maintenance Compound" has Sunflower/Grapeseed/Beeswax with instructions stating set oven to 450 for 1 hr. Sunflower oil smoke point of 450, wouldn't I want to set it about 20 degrees over? Grapeseed smokepoint is 375 needing 395, right?

I didn’t whip it off and just put it in the oven and it’s sticky can I fix it

Do you need to heat the cast iron before putting oil on it?

My oven is too small to get pan in, any alternatives?

If don't have a oven...can i use my gas stove??

Can extra virgin olive oil be used?

Stop using pepper to cover specs on your scrambled eggs. Scrub skillet in soapy hot water dry with towel. If black gunk still not totally clean. Dry thoroughly on warm stove top.

I believe bubba missed a step in the process. The first step, after making sure it's clean, is to warm the skillet to 250 or so degrees, F, and then apply a light coat of oil, most people say use Grape Seed Oil, and put in a hot oven. Some say 300 to 350 degrees for one hour. Then turn off the over and leave the skillet in the over to slowly cool down. Once the skillet is down to 200/250 degrees, take out of the oven, apply another light coat of oil and return to the 350 degree over for one hour, then turn off the heat and let it cool down and continue until you get 3 or 4 of the coating/bonding done then they say your cast iron skillet is ready to cook.

The biggest problem is getting the vinegar smell off your hands. 😂 Great video. I'm guessing you're using crisbee puck in your newest videos?

Try seasoning your cast iron with Flax seed oil.. and don’t listen to the haters…all of my cast irons are perfect for eggs over easy because they are perfectly Non Stick😊

Anything worth doing is doing it well! Especially cooking! Didn't u love your grandmas cooking! That's for a reason!

Now I see where I made my mistake! I put a ton of oil on it and put it in the oven! 🤦🏽‍♂️

Why didn't I watch this before I put them in the oven...

I have a steel knife (like cleaver shape and size) from China, as that is a popular cutting tool there. My brother-in-law sent it years ago as a gift. It has a wooden handle. As it is not stainless steel, if I don't rub coconut oil on it immediately after washing, it rusts. How can I season it? As it has the wooden handle, I would hesitate seasoning it in a 450 degree over. Any advice?

Sounds like James Franco

Chris are you a user?

Haaa, good stuff, but that third rag is just plain ol' OCD!!! :)

What about coconut oil or beef tallow for seasoning oil?

Ok I approve this method as an Asian (smarter)

Vinegar bath....steel wool and sand...

Should get the pan warm first then oil

You really can’t rush this. Just clean it out after every use (don’t use dish soap) and re-season it. Just keep it from rusting. Eventually the seasoning gets better and better.

Way too much for me..i will be seasoning more then i cook in it

thats not true...i put mine right into the oven after i oiled it and it turned out beautiful. maybe its the oil you used when yours came out like a "nightmare"

Use a cutting board to keep oil off your counter. Then, a minute later, throw your oiliest rag directly on the counter. Lol.

Funny how you say efficient. Stove top method is efficient and quick.

NEVER USE SOAP AND WATER TO CLEAN A CAST IRON SKILLET! Use a real copper or real stainless steel scouring pad (not the cheap plated pads) and some grease to scrub any stuck on foods loose in the pan and then use a couple paper towels to wipe out the inside of the skillet. Next add a little clean cooking oil (bacon grease preferred) to the skillet and wipe it out again with a clean paper towel to make sure the inside is clean. If the paper towel still has black on it repeat with new grease and wipe it again. Your frying pan is now clean, seasoned, and ready for storage or for cooking. Do not cook tomato dishes in your skillet, and if you cook food that doesn't stick to the pan still give it a light scratch with the pad and some grease and wipe it out and it is good to go again. You can wash the scouring pad (not the skillet), in hot soapy water then store it to clean your pan the next time. My granny taught me this in the 1950's and it has worked for me for going on 75 years. I've got 2 of grandma's skillets I still use I'll bet are more than 100 years old and they have never been washed with soap and water, ever. Just scrubbed with a scouring pad and grease and wiped clean. Any germs that may live on the grease in the pan dies once the temperature of the pan rises above 160 degrees in you are a germophobe. If you clean your skillet this way it will always be seasoned perfectly.

Is there really a more difficult way to season your cast iron? You said this was supposed to be the easiest!

I bought a Lodge Cast Iron and seasoned it with oil and baked at 450 degrees for an hour. I did it twice. After it cooled down, I fried an egg and the egg stuck to the pan. WTH! I returned the pan and bought a non stick pan. Now my eggs don’t stick to the pan. It’s not worth the effort and energy to season a CI.

Unless you live in swamp, absolutely no reason to mess with season for rust prevention. And why make homemade Teflon? If professional Teflon made to exact specifications is unsafe, why pretend yours better?

Too much talking not enough instructions. Nice lighting though.

These things are a pain in the neck...A regular non stick pan is the way to go...Cook n wash it....Bam.....I tried cast iron and it is too much work just to cook some food......

Video too long. Bla bla bla

I screwed up.. left too much oil on it and now it's all web 🕸️ looking inside 😭