Can Cast Iron cookware surface become Non-stick?

What lures you to a non-stick cookware? It’s glossy, stick-resistant surface? What if your cast iron cookware starts to mimic the non-stick properties of your coated aluminum cookware? It’s time to switch to a healthy cooking style, time to relive the magic and momentous benefits of cast iron cookware. We assure you there’s no cookware as perfect as a well-seasoned cast iron pan! This is your natural non-stick cookware!

1. Benefits of Seasoning:
2. What is Seasoning?
3. How to season a Cast Iron cookware?
4. Key points about seasoning
5. FAQ on Seasoning

1. Benefits of Seasoning :

A well-seasoned cast iron cookware can be the hardest working piece of cookware you own. The better you season your cast iron cookware, the more non-stick cookware-like it becomes. So, a perfectly well-seasoned cast iron should actually be perfectly non-stick.

No wonder, cast iron cookware is often called the original non-stick cookware. And it makes sense too because a well-seasoned cast-iron pan has a naturally formed coating (bereft of any chemicals or toxins) that is formed when fats are heated to a certain point. This heating causes the fat to reorganize into something resembling a plastic coating and bond to the metal.

2. What is Seasoning ?

Seasoning refers to a process of heating oil so that it bonds onto the metal through a process known as polymerization, resulting in the formation of non-stick kind of layer that is commonly referred as the cookware’s seasoning. Cast Iron is super porous, so the fats fill in the pores and seal the surface to form a dense, hard, dry layer called seasoning. It is this layer that gives the cookware its non stick properties while also making it rust proof.

3. How to season a Cast Iron Cookware?

Here’s the easiest way to season your cast iron cookware on a stovetop:

1. Heat up the cast iron pan and rub oil on its surface using a kitchen towel. Keep heating the pan until it reaches its smoking point. Turn off the heat source and let the pan cool down. Wipe off the excess oil.

2. Repeat the process 2-3 times for about 15-20 minutes for the first few uses. Over a period of time the pan will develop its own patina/layer and will become stick-resistance.

3. Though you can use any available oil, for the best result, you should use unsaturated oil as their chemical structure is more reactive.

4. Key points about Seasoning :

So, here are 3 key things that you ought to know about seasoning :

1. You can’t use just any oil for seasoning as this will not produce the same result. So, if you want the best result then you should use flaxseed oil or any vegetable oil.

2. Seasoning a cast iron cookware is simple but also time consuming as the process involves coating the cookware with oil, heating it on a stove top or an oven, letting it cool, wiping the excess oil and repeating the whole process as many times as you want.

3. Seasoning is not a one-time process but a practice that you have to make a part of your regular maintenance.

5. FAQ about Cast Iron Seasoning :

Q: Can you use Cast Iron without Seasoning?

A: You can if you don’t want your cookware to be as good as a nonstick cookware, and if you are ready to use lots and lots of oil because the porous surface of cast iron makes it very sticky.

Q: How long does the seasoning last?

A: Your seasoning will wear down over time and it will also start to lose its non-stick qualities. Therefore you need to re-season and cure your cast iron cookware frequently (once in a month).

Q: Can you cook omelet on a well-seasoned cast iron cookware?

A: Well, not actually. Cast iron has a rather rough surface that will disintegrate any dairy product. So, you should instead use a non-stick pan for this.

Now that you have learnt everything about how to turn your cast iron cookware into non-stick, here are some of our top cast iron cookware. Bring them home and enjoy toxin-free cooking in your naturally non-stick cast iron cookware.

Check out the premium range of Cast Iron Cookware here