Many or most sets of instructions on how to season cast iron and carbon steel follow these steps:
- Clean
- Get really hot on the stovetop
- Apply a very thin layer of oil
- Heat for a short time, then take off the stove
- Put it upside down in a medium oven for an hour
- Cool
- Repeat if necessary
Examples of these instructions: cast iron dutch oven; carbon steel pan.
Thing is, I've seasoned more than a dozen pots and pans, both cast iron and carbon steel, including both seasoning from scratch and restoring damaged seasoning. I've never done the oven step, and haven't noticed any deficit thereby.
Am I missing something? Is the oven step necessary? What does it actually do?