A method for forming a solid oxide fuel cell stack from a plurality of individual solid oxide fuel cells, wherein the anodes of the solid oxide fuel cells are infiltrated by one or more materials for making the anodes less sensitive to sulfur poisoning and/or less subject to carbon degradation and/or for improving the electrochemical performance of the stack, the method comprising the steps of oxidizing the anodes of the individual solid oxide fuel cells before forming a stack, building a solid oxide fuel cell stack with all of the anodes in an oxidized state, reducing all of the anodes, and then infiltrating all of the anodes with at least one of the materials.