I personally have personally found that keep the pan seasoned is paramount! Here is what I do!

As described above, I coat the inside bottom, and sides with a really good cooking oil or shortening. Place a layer of aluminum foil on the very bottom rack, then preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Basically, roasting the oven for one hour, then turning off the oven, and allowing the pan to cool inside the oven. Once cooled, I wash our the excess or oil residue, with a little soap and warm water just to get the stickyness out. Then dry on top of the stove over medium heat, then allow to cool before putting away, or in my case, hanging on the wall.

Now you have a stick-free surface that will last for quite a while.

On my 6 inch pan, I will usually scrub out the inside of the pan that has had a layer of salt poured in it, and allowed to heat over medium heat. This removes food residue, and takes away the oiliness that is left after cooking eggs. Very useful when removing burnt on egg yolk.

I am so sorry! I am new at this stuff! The second paragraph of my comment, 3rd sentence where I am talking about roasting. That should read,

Basically roasting the pan for one hour, which I have inverted (turned upside-down) on the second rack up, so the excess oil or shortening that drips off the side of the pan and onto the aluminum foil so it will not fall onto the floor of the oven.Then let is cool and wash then dry on a burner set at medium, until all the water has sizzled off the pan. Let cool and put away.

Remember, Cast Iron will hold heat for a long time!

yes clean and coate but dont use any kind of soap and only use lard not oil the oil will make it sticky n make it stick n it is batter to brun them in a open fire of wood

You should never use soap on a cast iron pan. You remove the seasoning and cause rust. The oil should be applied both to the inside and outside of the pan and if lidded, the lid should be oiled and seasoned properly as well. Only use hot water and a nylon or natural bristly scrubbing brush to clean your pan. If you or someone has used soap on a cast iron pan you need to reseason it. Cast Iron pans are the best investment you can make, but you have to take care of them. They are great for frying chicken, can sustain very high temeratures, can go from the stove top to the oven without missing a beat and should always be heated before adding food -- otherwise food can stick, but once it has been seasoned properly and used a few times it is very non-stick. If you can not afford a lot of pans I suggest investing in the cast iron -- I actually like it better than my calphalon or 18/10 stainless steel. To properly season cast iron you need to make sure it is thoroughly clean -- this is the only time you would use soap on your cast iron. Then coat liberally with oil, shortening or lard, put in about a 250 degree F oven and bake for 3 to 4 hours then turn the heat off and let sit overnight. You can repeat this step several times as you like. The more you season it, the faster it gains a smooth finish and becomes non-stick.

On going maintainance is cleaning it with hot water and scrubber if neccessary -- usually you can just wipe it out with a paper towel, or use a paper towel and salt (a brown paper bag works well also). Before putting away wipe with a light coat of oil or cooking spray, wipe down and then store it.

You can never go wrong with good cast iron.

Thanks to all of you for your comments. I have a set of cast iron skillets that my mother cooked with before I was born. I remember these skillets and all the good meals that came from them all through my childhood. (I'd often heard the term "season" in ref. to cast iron, but never knew how to do it). I now have a 10yr old grand daughter who loves to cook, and thanks to cooking club, along with passing the skillets and recipes to her, I can pass along the care of the skillets, and of course a membership to the cooking club

update from anonymous user-Friday 3-4-11 2:13 pm, sorry,I wasn't aware that my login had expired. From msmargie56

Does all this seasoning of cast iron work as well when you are using them on camping trips?

I grew up on cast iron skillets. You should never leave them submerged in water and dont use dish liquid on them. Once every couple months or you can even do it once a month. grease you pan completely with a light coat of crisco and bake for 1 hour at 350. It will come out like brand new.

My husband and I both cook in our home. We have several sizes of cast iron skillets. We do wash ours, even with dish soap. We rinse them with very hot water, then dry with a towel, and sit them on the stove. We turn on the flame for a few minutes to make sure all moisture is gone, then we spray them with pan spray, and keep them covered. They stay non-stick.

NEVER put cast iron in water, clean it with some salt and ice. dry it well and put it in a warn oven and then let it set over nite. I am a chef and I would hurt someone who put my cast iron in water. make sure it is well season with lard and burn it out a year using corn cobs. Make bonfire out of corn cobs , put your cast iron in when it is burn down to coal. let them stay in the coals until the are cold. then aand only then wash the pans in water , season and heat to 400 in a oven , let set until cool, wipe it out and it will not stick.