My Cast Iron Pan Was Sticking? Here’s How I Transformed It ✨🍳
- Lili Marchand
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Let me tell you right away:My cast iron pans have never looked like they came straight out of a Pinterest board.
They’ve got lighter patches, little battle scars, a seasoning that’s not perfectly uniform… basically: they live their life.
But they get better every single month.And that’s exactly what’s going to happen to yours too.
1. Progressive Re-Seasoning (a.k.a. the magic transformation)
Even if your pan is already used, a little patchy, or not very cute, you can turn it into a shiny, non-stick black queen in just a few weeks.
Deep clean (hot water + stainless steel scrubber)
Dry it perfectly on the stovetop
Super-thin layer of coconut or olive oil everywhere(Use the oil you want — I stick to coconut or olive for practical and allergy reasons.)
In the oven, upside down, 1 hour at 220–230 °C (425–450 °F)
Let it cool inside the oven
Repeat 2–4 evenings in a row
You’ll see: pale spots darken, sticky zones disappear, and that black gets darker than your morning coffee.
2. Daily Care (the real secret to pans that age like wine)
This is where the magic happens:the 2 minutes after each cooking session.
Quick version (when you just want to go to bed)
A splash of very hot water for 15 seconds
Scrub with stainless steel scrubber or brush
Quick rinse
2 minutes on the stove to dry
3–4 drops of coconut or olive oil → wipe with a paper towel
Done.
Seasoning-boosting version
Coarse salt + stainless steel scrubber on the hot pan → matte black
3 drops of oil → instant glossy black
Do this 3–4 times and say goodbye to beige and sticky areas.
3. The basic rules (the ones that save pans)
No dishwasher
No soaking
No thermal shock
A bit of rust? Don’t panic :stainless steel scrubber + a tiny re-seasoning = fixed.
Cast iron isn’t fragile. It’s just a little drama queen if you leave it soaking too long 😆
💛 In short
A “perfect” cast iron pan doesn’t exist on day one.But with a quick 2 minutes of love after each meal, it becomes:
darker
smoother
more non-stick
And in a few weeks, you’ll catch yourself sliding an egg in there just for the fun of watching it surf.
You? Do you love your cast iron pans?
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