How to season a cast iron plancha
Updated: 23 October 2026
The plate arrived, the bullet said ready to use, and the first egg stuck, or you found orange spots after a wet Sunday. That is the usual start with bare or pre-seasoned iron, including when a paper insert says season first. This page is how to season a cast iron plancha. The same thin-oil heat applies to bare steel in this set. It is not a ranking. The listings are in the [plancha griddle plate comparison](/hub/grill-accessories/plancha-griddle-plate). Peter F. set this method out on 20 October 2026 from BBC Good Food and Lodge's care pages. It is not a laboratory test.
The plate arrived, the bullet said ready to use, and the first egg stuck, or you found orange spots after a wet Sunday.
The plate arrived, the bullet said ready to use, and the first egg stuck, or you found orange spots after a wet Sunday. That is the usual start with bare or pre-seasoned iron, including when a paper insert says season first. This page is how to season a cast iron plancha. The same thin-oil heat applies to bare steel in this set. It is not a ranking. The listings are in the plancha griddle plate comparison. Peter F. set this method out on 20 October 2026 from BBC Good Food and Lodge's care pages. It is not a laboratory test.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Surface | Dishwasher | Stated heat | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Lodge Lodge LDP3 (42.5 cm) | Flat and ridged, pre-seasoned | No | Oven, stove, grill, camp fire | 7.8 | about £54.04 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Onlyfire Onlyfire cast iron (48.5 cm) | Smooth and ribbed | No | Gas grill, charcoal, gas hob | 7.2 | about £59.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Overmont Overmont OM-Griddle-II | Ribbed and smooth, pre-seasoned | No | Gas hob, oven, induction, camp fire | 7.0 | about £29.17 | View offer |
Which plates this is for
Season bare cast iron, pre-seasoned cast iron, and bare steel. In this set that is the Lodge LDP3, Overmont, the Onlyfire reversible barbecue plate, the heavy GFTIME casting if you treat it as iron, and both CosmoGrill plates. Lodge says factory vegetable-oil seasoning is enough to cook on. Reseason when food sticks or the surface looks dry and grey. The CosmoGrill XXL bullet says ready, and one UK review says the insert said season first. Follow the insert.
Do not season the coated GFTIME plate. It names polytetrafluoroethylene and caps itself at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Stainless is not seasoned like iron. If you are still choosing metal, use the cast iron or stainless plancha plate page.
The method
Wash the plate, dry it until no damp patch remains, then wipe on a very thin film of sunflower, vegetable, or another neutral oil. BBC Good Food's method, written for pans, uses an oven at 240 degrees Celsius, 220 fan, or gas 9, for about 40 minutes. The layer should look almost dry. Puddles turn sticky. Flaxseed oil is optional. Lodge's reseason is 450 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour, pan upside down, with foil on the shelf below. The amazon.co.uk Lodge cell of 212 degrees Fahrenheit is not that temperature.
If the plate will not fit a domestic oven, heat it on the barbecue with the lid down and a thin oil film. Do not chase the 1,200 degrees Celsius cell on the heavy GFTIME listing. Repeat a thin coat if food still sticks. Do not stack oil. Everyday gas preheat is on the griddle plate for a gas barbecue page.
After every cook
While the plate is warm, scrape it, rinse with hot water, and dry on a low flame or in a warm oven until the hissing stops. Then wipe a few drops of oil over the face. Lodge and BBC Good Food both allow a little washing-up liquid. A dishwasher does not. Every filled dishwasher field on the cast iron plates here says No. Do not leave the plate to air-dry.
Rust means the dry was skipped. Scour back to metal, wash, dry, and run the thin-oil heat again. A UK shed stays wet through winter, so store the plate indoors if you can. A plate that arrives warped is a Consumer Rights Act 2015 issue, not a seasoning fault.
Sticky film is not seasoning
The round Onlyfire kamado plate is a special case. Every UK text read mentions a sticky film that has to come off before food. Two reviews use isopropyl alcohol. That film is packing residue, not a season. Oil baked over it sets the residue. Clean it first, dry, then oil and heat if the metal underneath is bare. The material field says iron and a bullet says steel.
Do not use that clean on the PTFE plate. Alcohol and a hard scrub are a poor idea on Teflon. If coating flakes into food, stop and speak to the seller. If you smell gas after moving burners, stop and use a gas engineer. Seasoning does not fix a leak or a cracked lid.
Common questions
Do I season a pre-seasoned plate?
You can cook on Lodge's factory vegetable-oil season, and you reseason when food sticks or the surface looks dry. The CosmoGrill XXL listing says ready to use, and one UK review says the paper insert said season first. If the insert and the bullet disagree, season before the first cook. A pre-seasoned plate is not a non-stick coating. Eggs will still stick if the pan is cold or the oil film has been washed off and not replaced.
Which oil, and how thin?
Use a thin film of sunflower, vegetable, or another neutral edible oil you already have. BBC Good Food describe the layer as very thin, then about 40 minutes at 240 degrees Celsius. Flaxseed oil is optional, not required. If you can see pools or drips on the cooking face, wipe them off before the heat. Thick oil becomes a sticky varnish. You do not need a special seasoning brand for this.
Can I use washing-up liquid?
Yes, a small amount, if you rinse and dry straight away. Lodge and BBC Good Food both allow modern washing-up liquid on cast iron. What they do not allow is a dishwasher. The dishwasher field is No on the cast iron plates in this set that fill the field in. Soap is not the rust problem. Leaving the plate wet is.
What if I see rust spots?
Scour the rust back to metal, wash, dry until no moisture remains, then oil and heat as in the method above. UK reviews on the Lodge griddle report rust when the plate is put away damp. One kamado-plate review reports rust after use as well. Spots do not mean the plate has failed if the metal underneath is sound. A plate that arrives cracked or warped is a different complaint, and seasoning will not pull it flat.
What temperature is wrong on the Lodge listing?
The amazon.co.uk maximum field prints 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Lodge's reseason page says 450 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. BBC Good Food's oven method is about 240 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes. Use those published heats. Do not season toward 212 degrees Fahrenheit, and do not season any plate toward the 1,200 degrees Celsius cell on the heavy GFTIME listing.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
- Food contact materials regulations, GOV.UK (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (England) Regulations 2012 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Emba cast iron cookware recall 2502-0151 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Chemours, Teflon coating safety (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Lodge, how to season (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Lodge, griddles (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- BBC Good Food, how to season cast iron (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Char-Broil UK, grilling with a griddle (retrieved 20 October 2026)