How to Season a Stainless Steel Pan with Oil

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Converting a stainless steel pan into a non-stick pan

Co-authored by Abyssinia Campbell and Luke Smith, MFA

Last Updated: October 1, 2024 Fact Checked

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Seasoning

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Preventing Sticking

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Storing and Cleaning

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

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It’s always much easier to cook with pans that don’t stick; however, the majority of nonstick pans on the market contain harmful chemicals that make them less than ideal for cooking. Steel pans are fabulous for cooking meats and veggies, but tend to cling to the food they cook. While you don’t technically need to season a stainless steel pan, doing so can add a non-stick sheen that ensures your food comes off the pan intact, without leaving behind any bits. Add oil to a clean stainless steel pan and let it heat to kick off the seasoning process. Afterward, you’ll be able to use your freshly seasoned pan to whip up all kinds of tasty meals for you and your family!

Things You Should Know

Wash your stainless steel pan with dish soap and warm water to ensure that the seasoning oil takes.
Season your pan over medium heat with a high-smoke point oil, like grapeseed or canola oil.
Compost or dispose of the excess seasoning oil in a sealed container.
Store your stainless steel pans between layers of paper towels to prevent scratches and scuffs.

Part 1

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Seasoning

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1
Wash your pan with dish soap and warm water. Scrub the pan with dish soap and a dishrag or sponge. Clean both the inside and outside of the stainless steel pan as thoroughly as you can. Rinse the pan off with warm water, then let it air dry.^{[1]
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Research source} Oil will adhere better to a clean pan.
- Scrub the pan with baking soda and a scouring pad to remove tougher stains.
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Choose an oil with a high smoking point to season your pan with. Sesame, grapeseed, peanut, and canola oil are all great choices for seasoning your pan. An oil with a high smoking point will react more readily to the heat as you begin the seasoning process, and will “stick” better to the pan. This helps your seasoning to last longer and be more effective.^{[2]
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- Other suitable oils include avocado oil, sunflower seed oil, and soybean oil.
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For most pans, this will measure out to about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of oil. Swirl the pan around to spread the oil to the sides. Aim to cover the inside of the pan as thoroughly and evenly as possible so the entire interior is seasoned for cooking.^{[3]
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Avoid cranking the burner up to high to start off the seasoning process; this will cause the pan to heat unevenly and may burn the oil. Medium heat is not only gentler on the pan and the oil, but will ensure they heat up at an even rate.^{[4]
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The oil is ready once thin wisps of smoke begin curling up from the pan. It may take around 3 to 5 minutes for this to develop. Immediately take the pan off of the burner and move it to another burner.
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Let the oil cool for at least 30 minutes. The oil should at least be lukewarm, if not room temperature. You want the oil to be cool enough to not scald to the touch. This will ensure the oil is safe enough to handle for the rest of the seasoning process. Ideally, let the pan sit with the oil overnight.^{[5]
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- Don’t touch the oil to test whether it’s cooled down enough.
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Pour the excess oil into a sealed container, and throw the container away. You will still be able to see some oil in the pan once you’ve finished; this is okay. Pour the oil into a container with a sealable lid (like a leftover glass jar), then seal the container and dispose of the oil in the trash.
- You can also compost your leftover oil, or ask a nearby community garden if they can make use of it.
- Never dispose of leftover cooking oil in your kitchen sink drain. Cooking oil is a pollutant, and can damage your pipes.
Wad up the paper towel and run it along the pan in circular motions. This will both sop up any remaining excess oil, as well as give the pan a noticeable shine. The shininess indicates the pan has been sufficiently glossed and is now nonstick!^{[6]
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Preventing Sticking

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1
Preheat your pan to medium heat before cooking. Doing this will ensure your pan and food heat evenly, and prevent the likelihood of burnt cooking. It should take around 2-4 minutes for your pan to reach medium temperature. Avoid setting the burner to high when you use any pan—especially a seasoned pan. The higher the cooking temperature, the more likely your food will stick to the pan as it cooks^{[7]
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- You’ll know it’s ready if, when you add a drop of water, the water beads and moves easily across the surface of the pan, rather than simply pooling in place.
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Thaw foods to room temperature before you cook. Cold food will ultimately stick to hot pans, causing burning and creating a mess. Let your food thaw in the refrigerator, but take it out for 1 to 2 hours before cooking so it can rise to room temperature.^{[8]
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- Don’t let raw food sit out for any longer than 2 hours, or you increase the risk of bacteria and food poisoning!
Filling your pan up with more ingredients than it can hold leads to unbalanced temperatures and sticking. If you want to cook multiple ingredients in the same pan, stick to only 2 or 3 at a time, and space them out so they each have their own section in the pan.^{[9]
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Cook acidic foods, water-based foods, and sauces in your stainless steel pan. Fruits, veggies, tomato sauce, gravies, and broths are all great foods to cook in a seasoned stainless steel pan. Alternatively, you can use your pan to pan-fry your morning eggs, or sear a cut of salmon for dinner. Stainless steel pans are best designed for cooking these types of foods.^{[10]
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- Stainless steel pans are great for proteins like chicken and steak, but expect some sticking when cooking these, and season your pan beforehand to prevent as much sticking as possible.

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Storing and Cleaning

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Washing a seasoned pan with soap and water after every cooking session will strip away the oil, forcing you to reseason. The oil left in the pan is meant to protect it from stuck-on food, making soap and water unnecessary until your pan becomes too messy to use.^{[11]
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Clean out a messy pan with soap and water. Eventually, your seasoned pan will become messy with residue. In this case, it’s fine to clean it out. Use warm water and a nonabrasive cleaning tool, like a soft sponge or cloth dishrag.^{[12]
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- Don’t wash your pan until it is totally cool to the touch.
- Wipe your pan dry with a paper towel as soon as you finish washing it. This will keep it from spotting.
If there's any residue left over, add dish soap to the pan before submerging the residue with water. Place the pan on the stove and turn the burner on high. Let the pan boil for 5 minutes, then pour out the hot water. The rest of the residue should scrub right off!^{[13]
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Once you wash your pan with soap and water, it's no longer seasoned. To make sure it continues to be a perfect, non-stick pan, repeat the seasoning process!
Stacking pans is a common and useful storage method, but it can easily scratch up the insides of your pans. A scratched pan can’t be seasoned as effectively. Layering a few paper towels or squares of parchment paper inside will give your seasoned pan the protection it needs.^{[14]
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Question

How do I season a red copper pan?

Ashley Ridge

Community Answer

You can season a red copper pan using the same method as you would a stainless steel pan. Add oil to the pan, then heat it up until it smokes. Take it off the burner so it can cool down completely. Pour out the oil and wipe out the pan with a paper towel. Hope this helps!

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Do I season the pan every time I wash with soap and boil?

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Yes, although I highly recommend avoiding using soap if possible.

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Tips

Don’t use any cooking sprays on a seasoned pan. This will only leave behind extra oil to gunk up the pan, and make your food more likely to stick.

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Scrub a sticky pan with salt and oil to get rid of constant sticking.

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