Love this cast iron set. Out of the box, it's easy to tell the factory "preseason" is only meant to get them through shipping. They are not ready to cook with out of the box. If you do not know how to season cast iron keep reading. Seasoning cast iron is the absolute most important act of kindness you can do for yourself and your cooking set. There is lots of debate on what oils are best, I personally prefer canola oil. In my opinion, it coats the best and scientifically it is one of the most heat tolerant oils you can choose. Before I tell you my season method, you should know the reason we season our cast iron is to protect it from rust and wear. We do this by rubbing our cast iron down with canola oil like we would rub ourselves down with expensive lotion. If you think of this like moisturizing, seasoning will go smoothly. Before you do anything, line your bottom oven rack with aluminum foil and move that rack to the bottom holder in the oven (see photo). Drop your top rack to the holder right above your bottom rack and preheat your oven to 450 degrees. You want to get an old kitchen towel, something that doesn't give off a lot of fuzz or lint, lay it in your lap, and grab the first cast iron pot or pan. Toss a cap full of canola oil into it and rub it down inside and out. The pan will feel rough and that's normal for an unseasoned pan. Your pans will soften as they season. After the rub down, use your towel to buff your pan. This step pushes the oil into the cracks and crevices and removes the excess oil. Rub down and buff out all of your pans. Once this is done, put everything except the Dutch oven and lid upside down on the top rack of the oven (simply because this is all that will fit in one go). Set a timer for 30mins. You will need serious oven mits when the timer goes off, I recommend heavy duty silicone. When the timer goes off, pull the pans out, put them on the stove top, and put the Dutch oven in on the top rack upside down along with the lid. Set the timer for another 30mins. Once the pans on top of the stove cool enough to handle, rub and buff them down again. I find they cool down faster if you move them onto a towel on your counter top after the first 10mins of being out of the oven. Try to lean them on their side for more air flow. I did this by putting a piece of cardboard against my countertop walls where they meet in the corner (see photo). You want to cycle everything through (rub, buff, oven, cool) 4 times for well seasoned cast iron. It will take about half of a day from start to finish. If you do this correctly, you will know because on every round your pots and pans will be a deeper darker shade of black and feel softer. The softness comes from the oil binding to the cast iron creating a protective layer. This layer is mildly nonstick and allows you to stack your pots and pans, and wash your pots and pans with warm soapy water after each use. It is absolutely imperative that you never submerge them into a sink full of water, and never allow your cast iron to air dry. You must wash them in running water, towel dry immediately after washing, and follow that up with a paper towel to ensure you get every drop of moisture off. It's not a bad idea to rub and buff about a half teaspoon of canola oil before you put them away after cleaning just like you would lotion yourself after you get out of the shower. If you take care of your cast iron, your cast iron will take care of you. Happy cooking.
