Your skillet comes pre-seasoned and will become more non-stick with time. After many uses and a lot of love, your skillet will become even better seasoned. For best results, wash, dry, and apply a light layer of oil to all surfaces once you receive your skillet. To thoroughly dry, heat your skillet on the stove to evaporate all residual water before applying oil. After each wash, lightly coat all surfaces and wipe out the excess oil with a clean dish towel. For more information on care and use, please visit our Caring For Your Cast Iron page.
Your cast iron arrives pre-seasoned and ready to cook, but seasoning continues to develop with use. Each time you cook with oils and fats, you reinforce the seasoned surface, improving the natural non-stick performance over time. A small amount of sticking can occur while the seasoning develops, but the more you use your skillet, the smoother the seasoning becomes.
Anything that fills the skillet, uses oil or fat, and gets cooked at a consistently high heat in your oven is a great place to start. Check out our recipes for inspiration.
For best results, preheat your cast iron gradually over medium heat before adding oil or food. Because cast iron retains heat exceptionally well, it's best to avoid overheating an empty pan. Before flipping or moving food on your pan, give it time to form a slight crust and naturally unbind from the surface. As you use your pan over time, the seasoning will strengthen and natural non-stick performance will improve. Initially, your seasoning may look uneven, with some areas appearing darker or shinier. As you continue cooking with oils and fats, the seasoning will become more uniform over time.
Cast iron skillets excel at searing, roasting, baking, frying, and grilling thanks to their exceptional heat retention. They’re great for steaks, chicken, vegetables, cornbread, biscuits, skillet-sized cookies, breakfast dishes, and one-pan meals.
Most foods can be cooked in cast iron. However, cooking with highly acidic ingredients like tomatoes, citrus, vinegar, and wine-based sauces, can negatively impact your seasoning layer and you may want to re-season the pan after use. Do this by washing and drying your pan, applying a thin layer of oil and baking at 450ºF to 500ºF for an hour.
Cast iron develops character over time. As oils and fats build seasoning, the cooking surface may darken, become glossier, or show variations in color. These changes are normal and are signs that your seasoning is continuing to strengthen.
Yes, you can use dish soap. And yes, some of your seasoning might disappear in the process. But that’s okay. The oil or fat from your next meal will help. Absolutely no dishwashers, though.
Yes, you can scrub the hell out of your skillet.
Immediately after washing, heat your skillet on the stove to evaporate any and all residual water. Then, right after drying, lightly coat all surfaces with a refined, neutral oil like canola. Wipe out the excess oil with a clean dish towel.
A solution of one part vinegar to two parts water on a cloth will remove most small rust spots. If the rusted surface is rough, you may want to use steel wool or even 220 grit sandpaper.
You can re-season your skillet using an oven or stovetop.
For the oven: Use a cloth to coat the skillet with a thin layer of neutral cooking oil on all surfaces and rub off any excess oil with a fresh cloth. Then, throw it in the oven at 500ºF for one hour.
For the stove: Heat your skillet on your burner over a low to medium heat. Next, use a cloth to coat the skillet with a thin layer of neutral cooking oil on all surfaces and turn the heat to high. Heat the skillet until it starts smoking and leave it over the heat until the pan stops smoking. Your skillet will be hot, so remember to use a mitt (we prefer silicone) when handling it.
The YETI® Cast Iron Skillets are not machine-milled or machine-ground on any cooking surface creating a smoother finish. They also come pre-seasoned, polished smooth on all surfaces, and have an ergonomic design for easier handling.
Cast iron is produced through an individual casting process, which means minor texture variations are normal and expected. These may appear as small pinholes, faint marks, or uneven surface grain. They do not affect performance or durability, and the cooking surface will become smoother and darken as seasoning develops through use.
No, the handle will eventually get as hot as the skillet itself. Use a handle cover, mitt or kitchen towel. And be sure to turn the handle away from the outside of the stove to avoid accidental contact.
Yes. Don’t throw your skillet into a hot fire to burn the food off or put a hot skillet into cold water. The thermal shock of different temperatures might cause the skillet to warp. Bring up to a gradual heat for induction cooktops.
No, do not put it in the dishwasher. It will rust... And rust isn’t good. To avoid it, hand wash and heat the skillet on the stove to evaporate any residual water. When not in use, store in a cool dry place. Do not leave outside.
14: 14" in diameter | 12" cooking surface
12: 12" in diameter | 10" cooking surface
10: 10" in diameter | 8" cooking surface
8: 8" in diameter | 6" cooking surface
Our cast iron skillets are heavy where they need to be and thin where they don’t.
14: 9.8 lbs | 12: 6.9 lbs | 10: 4.8 lbs | 8: 3.0 lbs.
The tab at the front of the skillet was designed to encourage the use of two hands. Even though this skillet is very light in comparison to other cast iron, they are still best handled as a two-handed lift.
