and it will be kind to you.
Sheryl Canter has “a very specific technique for seasoning cast iron cookware”:http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/ that is supposed to produce amazing results. Like all the best techniques, it’s grounded in science rather than hearsay.
But don’t take her word for it–Americas Test Kitchen tried her technique, and found that after treating a cast-iron skillet based on her technique, you could send it through a commercial wash cycle–with degreasing agent–and the finish was undamaged.
Our three cast iron skillets–one of which belonged to my great grandmother–are used so consistently they live on top of the stove; we basically never put them away. We use our stainless steel pots for soups, basically, but cast iron for everything else. This does present me with the small problem of taking them out of circulation to season them well.
Mind you, I have my eye on a Le Creuset Dutch Oven some day. Enameled, but still cast iron.