Seasoning
After removing the burned-on grease, you are ready to season the piece. Preheat the oven to 125°F. This removes any moisture in the oven which could condense on the cold skillet, leaving a very fine gold or rust color.
Heat the piece in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until hot. Carefully remove the hot pan and apply shortening all over it. I prefer solid Crisco, but you can also use lard or bacon grease. I don’t recommend oil, but it can be used. Solid Crisco will flow right on. Of course, you have to use a hot pad or rag to hold them.
Return the pots to the oven right side up and raise the temperature to 225°F. Leave them in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove and wipe off any pooled shortening, leaving the piece still shining wet. The timing is important here because if you leave them in the oven too long, the shortening begins to thicken.
Return the pieces to the oven for another 30 minutes. Remove and let them cool down for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are very warm but not too hot to work with, then wipe them to a dull shine. If the shiny surface resists wiping, the pan is too cool. The initial seasoning should be accomplished at this point. However, typical of cast iron cookware, the more you use it (and don’t abuse it) the better it will be.
It is generally recommended that you cook fatty foods in the pan the first few times you use it as this adds to the seasoning process. This goes for new pre-seasoned pans as well.
Before adding any fat to the pan when you’re cooking, heat the pan for 3½ to 4 minutes over medium to high, until hot but not smoking, unless otherwise indicated in the recipe.