Use the oven, not the stovetop

Don’t season on the stovetop — use the oven.

Trying to season a cast iron pan on a glass top stove almost always ends in smoke. The glass top holds heat unevenly and takes forever to cool down, so oil hits its smoke point and just keeps going. A few seconds of haze becomes a fog machine.

The oven is the answer. You get even heat, no hot spots, and the smoke stays inside the oven. Here’s how:

• Preheat to 400-450°F.
• Wash and dry the pan thoroughly.
• Rub a thin layer of a high smoke point oil (flaxseed, grapeseed, or canola) all over.
• Wipe it off like you never meant to put it on. The thinner the layer, the less smoke.
• Place upside down on the middle rack with foil on the rack below to catch drips.
• Bake for an hour, then let it cool in the oven.

If you absolutely must use the stovetop (maybe the pan is too big for the oven), crank the exhaust fan, crack a window, and use avocado oil (smoke point ~520°F). Keep it on medium-low and wipe off excess oil aggressively. But honestly? The oven is