Today, we are going to talk about one of the unsung heroes of the farm kitchen, the cast-iron skillet, and its care. If you use a cast-iron skillet, you know it needs to be cared for from time to time. You need to keep it well maintained with a good seasoning oil.

You can, of course, buy a seasoning oil from a local kitchen store. But you can easily make a cast-iron skillet seasoning oil for yourself with only a couple of ingredients.

As we have said many times before, we are a 5 generation family farm. This being said, our Great Grand Parents and Grand Parents lived on this same farm since before The Great Depression. It seems to be a family trait that we do not throw anything away. Once something comes to the farm, it generally stays here. So if it was here during The Great Depression, it is still here, somewhere.

This holds true for kitchen items as well as most of the garden tools, farm implements, and household items. We see no reason to get new ones when the old ones still work well.

And as most people know, the old saying, ” They just do not make them like they used to”, is so often true. So we still cook with our Grand Mothers cast iron skillet. As a matter of fact, we have a whole set of cast iron skillets in different sizes. Yes, they are heavy and sometimes awkward to handle but they are in-destructible.

As with many old things, cast iron requires TLC from time to time. And we do put that poor thing to use. You can use it as a workhorse but you also must love and care for it like one. For this much-needed love and care, we have a homemade seasoning oil recipe. We keep a small jar hanging around the kitchen and when the cast iron starts to get dry or rusty, it gets a good oiling.

It is quite simple to make your own cast iron seasoning oil. You need two ingredients and a few minutes to make it.

You will need:
2 tablespoons beeswax
1/3 cup oil

a small container, preferably glass

When it comes to the oil you use. You can use olive oil, grapeseed, veg oil, canola oil, coconut oil, shortening, or flaxseed oil. Each of these oils can be used the same way. Some oils have better sticking properties and do not have to be used as often. Some are less expensive, others are more expensive. Some of these oils you likely have on hand, others you may not. You will have to decide which oil you want to use. You can buy an oil specially for making your seasoning oil or you can use what you have on hand. Anyway, you go at it, this seasoning oil will help keep your cast iron in good shape.

We use our cast iron regularly. Our skillet is old and has seen many years in this kitchen so we like to treat it with special care. We buy the flaxseed oil to use in our seasoning oil. Flaxseed oil is a bit more expensive than some of the others but it seems to work the best and last the longest. We think our cast iron skillet works hard enough to warrant the extra care.

To make your seasoning oil:

You can go stovetop or microwave. Do note beeswax is flammable, do not let it get too hot or it can start a fire in your microwave or on your stovetop. When making our cast iron oil, we use the stovetop.

Stove Top version:

It melts faster when you grate the beeswax.

Add the beeswax and oil to a pot on the stovetop.

On low to medium heat, warm the wax and oil until it melts. Be sure not to boil. Mix to be sure the wax and oil are well blended.

Being we are trying to be as low waste and environmentally friendly as possible, we use a wooden toothpick to stir our mix. You could use a wooden spoon but the wax tends to be tough to wash off tools and pans.

Again, the mix will be hot, handle with care.
When the wax and oil are melted and blended, remove from heat.

Allow the mix to cool a bit.  Do not wait too long or the mix will get solid.  If this happens you will need to re-melt and stir again. 

Transfer to the jar you will use to store your mix.

When the mix is cool, top the jar and store. This recipe does not make an overly large batch so it is usually used up fairly quickly. But if you need to you can put the jar in the fridge so it will last longer. As this recipe is mostly oil, the oil can go bad sitting on the counter.

As always, be sure to label your cast iron oil. You would not want to mix it up with other DIY projects.

Microwave version:

In the microwave, you can add and melt the 2 directly in the jar that you plan to store your mix in. As always be careful when handling hot liquids. The wax and oil will melt and be hot. The glass jar may also be hot. Be sure to use heat protection.

Microwave and stir until melted and mixed. It is best to heat for 20 seconds at a time and stir well in between heatings. Again, do not let your mix get too hot, it may catch on fire.

Allow the mix to cool. Then top and store.

Again, be sure to lable your cast iron oil.

To use:
Quick Seasoning Method
If you must wash your cast iron, wash and towel dry. Put your cast iron pan on the stovetop and heat to finish drying.

After the skillet is cool, add a bit of oil mix. Be sure to cover the entire pan, handle included. The mix will at this point be cool and solid. Just scoop out a little bit to start with, you can always add more if needed. Again, we try to be as green as possible so we use a paper coffee filter or paper towel to massage the oil into the skillet. A rag will work just as well but the cloth will be ruined by the oil.

You can use your fingers to spread the oil into the pan if you want to. This works ok but if your pan is rough it can scratch up your fingers. We have tried this method also, a coffee filter is better for us.

Side note: the cast iron oil does leave your hands well moisturized also.

Heat your pan on the stovetop just enough to heat up the oil mix. Do not let it get hot enough to catch on fire. Again, that can happen. Let your pan cool and then put it away until you need it again.

To use:
Long Seasoning Method:
If your pan is very old and dry or not seasoned, you may need to be the long seasoning method. Or if it is rusty or dirty, you will need to wash well, dry, and then use the long seasoning method.

This is a set of old rusty cast iron skillets we got at a yard sale.

In this case, rub down your pan with the oil mix. Make sure you get the oil mix rubbed into the pan well. Do not use so much as to leave it sticky or it will make a mess in the stove. The oil and wax will melt and drip into the stove bottom if you use too much.

Place your now oiled pan in the oven at 450 degrees and let it “bake” for 45 min to an hour.

When it is done, take your pan out and let it cool. Then put it away until you need it.

We use our cast iron pan several times a week. Our main cast iron pan usually just sits on the stove waiting for us to use it again. We use the cast iron oil on our pan every week or two depending on how much cooking it has done.
This is a similar situation to changing the oil in your car. They say either every three months or 3000 miles depending on which comes first. The same principle goes for cast iron skillets. If you use it a lot, oil it often. If you only use it now and then, just oil it every few months to keep it in good shape.

We hope you have enjoyed this look into our farm kitchen. Please try out this seasoning oil recipe and decide for yourself which oil you think is best for your cast iron skillet.

Thank you for visiting and please come again for another edition of Out Standing in the Field.