How to restore and reseason a cast iron skillet

I use my cast iron skillet to make dosa(crepe made with fermented rice batter) , roti (flat wheat bread) , egg omelet, fish fry etc. I didn't know how to clean and season the skillet properly. Recently I did a cooking demo at The lodge cast iron factory store located in Concord, NC. I was talking to the staff about cooking , recipes and finally I told him that my cast iron skillet has flaky, black built up. Every time I cook something on the skillet the black flaky particles gets into the food. He told me that the black particles are carbon built up and burnt food from over a period of time. I asked him if my cast iron has been damaged and if it's time for me to get a new one. He told me that cast iron skillets are very durable and it's practically impossible to damage them. And he explained the process of restoring and reseasoning the cast iron skillet, which was very easy. I tried it and was surprised to see the results!

How to restore and reseason a cast iron skillet

1. Keep the oven on self clean setting and place the cast-iron skillet inverted inside the oven.

2. When the self clean timer is done, wait until the cast-iron skillet cools down. It will be extremely hot!! Once the cast-iron skillet has cooled down Take it out of the oven and scrape off the black hard particles stuck to the skillet. Use a metal scrub or brush.

3. Once the skillet is clean and smooth apply oil all around the skillet - on the top , the bottom and on the handle. Preheat the oven to 400°F and keep the skillet upside down in the oven. Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes switch off the oven , wait until the skillet cools down and then remove it from the oven . It will look like a new cast-iron skillet!