How to Make a Cast Iron Skillet Non Stick

Sometimes cooking with cast iron can be tricky. These simple tips will help with keeping cast iron nonstick so you can enjoy cooking up delicious food for your family.

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Having non-stick pans makes cooking a joy. I love cooking with my cast iron cookware. We have a griddle that has a permanent home on the stove top, an 18 inch cast iron skillet, and a 10 inch skillet. I bought our griddle at one of the local thrift stores and it gets used almost daily. I’ve never had to re-season it. My 18 inch skillet was seasoned when I bought it. I’ve had my 10 inch skillet for a long time. At one point, it was sitting in our storage unit, collecting rust and dust. When I decided I wanted to use it again, I had to scrub it clean and re-season it. Now it works great and I have no problems with it being nonstick. These tips will help with keeping your cast iron nonstick too!

scrambled eggs with bacon and orange slices on a white plate. Cast Iron skillet non stick with scrambled eggs

A Well-Seasoned Pan

A brand new cast iron pan should be seasoned when you purchase. If you happen to find a good one at a thrift store or antique shop, to get best results, it’s a good idea to scrub it well and then put it through a series of seasoning in order to get a good nonstick surface.

The seasoning process for a cast iron skillet is fairly simple. If it has rust on it, you’ll want to scrub it really well. I used hot water, dish soap and a stainless scrubby. After you have it really clean, dry it off well by putting it on the stove over high heat until the water is all evaporated. Once the water is evaporated, turn off the heat.

The Seasoning Process

The next step works for seasoning a pan that’s pre-seasoned, or one that you just finished scrubbing. Heat your pan up a little in the oven or on the stove top so the oil is easier to spread. You’ll want to get some coconut oil (you can also use vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil) and a paper towel. You will rub the paper towel in the oil and then rub the oil on the entire surface of the hot pan. Make sure you get the outside, bottom and handle. A very thin layer of oil is all you need, don’t leave any pools or puddles of oil. Make sure you mop up any excess oil left on the pan.

You’ll want to bake your cast-iron pan at high temperatures. Have your oven pre-heated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the skillet in the oven and set your timer for 20 minutes of bake time. Let the skillet sit in the hot oven until the timer beeps, then remove it and let it cool a bit. You don’t need to cool it down all the way, just enough so that you don’t burn yourself when you run the next layer of oil on.

Repeat the oiling step 3-5 times, depending on if your pan is already seasoned or not. For pans that are not seasoned at all, five rounds is best. You can get away with 2 or 3 if you have a pre-seasoned pan.

The Cooking Process

Once you have your cast iron skillet seasoned well, it will be fairly nonstick all by itself. If you are having trouble with it, here are a few tips to keep it cooking things well.

1. Quick season between use.

After I cook something in my cast iron skillet, I wash it with hot water and a scrubby. I also use a pan scraper to scrape off any food that may be left. Then put it on the stove over low heat to dry. Once it’s dry, I do a quick rub down over the entire pan with some coconut oil. This helps to keep the pan nonstick without having to do a full seasoning.

2. Make sure you have enough fat.

When you cook with your cast iron skillet, you want to make sure you use enough fat. A tablespoon or two of coconut oil, olive oil, or butter goes a long was to keeping your skillet nonstick.

cast iron skillet non stick with scrambled eggs and spatula

3. Don’t overcook.

Remember that the cast iron skillets will hold heat for a long time. You want to keep from overcooking your food so that it won’t start sticking to the pan. To keep this from happening, turn the heat off a couple of minutes before your food is finished cooking.

4. Clean it right.

When you finish using your cast iron skillet, you’ll want to make sure you clean it the proper way. Scrape off any bits of food with your spatula and then let it cool. Run it under hot water and use a soft washcloth or a crocheted scrubby to wash it. Dish soap is not necessary as it will remove the seasoning and cause your skillet to loose its nonstick coating. After you have it cleaned, make sure you dry it well on the stove top over medium heat. If you leave any water sitting in your pan, it will rust and you don’t want that!

cast iron skillet non stick with scrambled eggs and metal spatula

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