Here is a funny now but not funny then story for you. When I was first married and learning to cook, we inherited a cast iron skillet from my husband’s grandma. Not having any idea what I was doing, I tried cooking eggs in the skillet and they stuck every time. That meant I had to soak the pan afterwards to remove the stuck-on food. Obviously that caused the skillet to rust. Fed up with the dumb skillet that wasn’t non-stick, I put it in a garage sale for $1. Many years later and a little better at cooking, I asked for a cast iron skillet for Christmas. My mother-in-law made a comment about the perfectly seasoned cast iron skillet I sold for a buck in a garage sale twenty years earlier. I had no idea what I had at the time. I bet someone was thrilled with their $1 garage sale find. And now I feel terrible at my naivety all those years ago. What I wouldn’t give to have that skillet back.

Lesson learned. Cast iron skillets are wonderful – if you know how to properly use and care for them. Seasoning new cast iron is actually not as intimidating as it seems. I just followed the instructions on my pans that involved heating and oiling before use. Then, each time you cook with oil or the grease from cooking meat, you are naturally seasoning the cast iron. The main thing to remember with cast iron is not to leave it soaking in water. Simply use a stainless steel pad and water to scrub the pan clean. Then wipe it dry and place it on a burner on low heat to completely remove any water from the pan. I then like to rub my cast iron pans with my DIY cast iron seasoning for good measure. This helps keep any rust at bay and preps the pans for their next use.

Cast iron seasoning basically consists of food grade beeswax and oils such as flaxseed, grapeseed, coconut, or sunflower. I used equal amounts beeswax pellets, flaxseed oil and coconut oil melted in a double boiler. Three tablespoons of each makes enough to fill one 4-ounce container.

Once completely melted, I poured the mixture into 4-ounce candle tins. Labeled with an embossed label, it’s cute enough to keep on the counter or give as a gift.

To use, heat a clean cast iron skillet over low heat just until warm to the touch. Remove from heat. Using a dish cloth, rub a small amount of the DIY cast iron seasoning all over the entire pan including the bottom. Once fully cooled, the pan is ready to be stored away until the next use.

Tomorrow I’ll share one of my favorite recipes to cook in a cast iron skillet – Stovetop Lasagna. Get those cast iron skillets seasoned. You’re going to love this recipe.

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Click HERE to print recipe.