Originally Posted by BeckyL
... I do season by rubbing with oil and baking on low heat for a couple of hours. I allow it to sit until cool, wipe it out and store it. NEVER put cast iron in the dishwasher. I always wash mine with soap and water for saniltary reasons, put it on a hot burner on the stove to thoroughly dry it and then store once it is cool. ....
My wife and I handle our cast iron about like Becky does. To season a new one or re-season an old one, we use just regular cooking oil (vegetable oil) on a paper towel to coat it, then put it in the oven to bake for an hour or so. We just want to get it good and hot without burning it.
For cleaning, we don’t put ours in the dishwasher either, but we do wash them after every use in mild dish soap, rinse them with water, and stand them in the dish drainer to drip-dry. We store 6 skillets standing in the old dish drainer next to the sink now that we have a dishwasher for nearly everything else.
I’ve left them setting in the sink with soapy water in them overnight several times, with no damage, especially the one that has the ribs in the bottom of it. It requires a metal scrubber on occasion too.
I think one of the things that helps make a cast iron skillet “well seasoned” is constant use, especially using it to cook meat so it gets a lot of animal fat “rendered” in it.
CD in Oklahoma