How Often Should I Season My Skillet?
The short answer: not very often. If a Smithey is being used regularly, especially for cooking with oils or fats, it will naturally continue to season itself through use. There’s no need to re-season your skillet on a strict schedule—only when you start noticing performance issues.
A good rule of thumb is to re-season when food starts sticking more than usual, or if you see bare or silvery patches where the seasoning has worn away. These are signs that the seasoning layer is thinning or uneven, and a quick touch-up will help restore your skillet’s non-stick performance and protect the iron underneath.
Seasoning Instruction:
First, clean and dry the pan (make sure the pan is completely dry by placing the skillet on a warm burner, to help evaporate any hidden moisture. Increase the temperature of your burner to medium temperature and allow the pan to heat for around 5 minutes. Once the entire pan is hot, apply a very thin layer of high-smoke-point oil (like grapeseed oil or avocado oil or beef tallow) with a dry paper towel, and it should start to lightly smoke. Continue to "rub the oil out" with a clean paper towel while the surface smokes. After about a minute of smoking, take the skillet off of the burner. Now you are done! Let it cool and return to room temperature before cooking with your skillet, or attempting to season it again.
Otherwise, keep cooking! With regular use and good care (drying thoroughly, storing properly, and avoiding overly acidic or low-fat cooking early on), your Smithey will maintain and improve its seasoning naturally over time.