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I just cleaned up a rusty cast-iron skillet and I would like to season it. The thing is that I don't have lard handy and I'm wondering whether any of my other oils and fats would do. I have: canola, olive, sesame and almond oil. Also, I've heard that appying the oil and reheating multiple times improves the seasoning. Is it true? How many times does it make sense to repeat the process? |
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This question has been answered several times as part of more general questions about seasoning. See the (closely) related links in the related questions list. This one in particular: What's the best way to season a cast iron skillet? Specifically about oil- you want to use an oil that has a high iodine value: http://www.journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_yield.html#highiodine Of those you listed canola (rapeseed) would be highest. If you can find soybean oil it would be even better. These oils polymerize more easily. To create an even coating with good adhesion, multiple thin coats work well. I have read of people doing as many as 6 coats but, in my opinion, you should do at least 2 or 3. |
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From personal experience, I have seasoned my Lodge cast iron skillet recently following the process described here and I achieved good results with basic Crisco, which is more or less Canola oil. So far so good: no sticking and great tasting results. I went through the process five times, but I think that may have been a little overboard. Perhaps someone with more practical experience can comment, but I didn't see a huge difference between the fourth and fifth seasoning. After the third round the pan was already a rich, black color with the sheen of a well seasoned cast iron utensil. However, if you are starting from a freshly scoured pan--you mentioned that you are cleaning up an old rusty pan--it may make sense to go through the process a couple of extra times to make sure all the nooks and crannies are properly filled. Mine came from the factory seasoned, but it wasn't done very well--I had food sticking after about a month. Since I re-seasoned myself it's been going strong for a couple of months now. |
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The best is flax oil. The next best is soybean oil. The third best is liquid canola (not hydrogenated Crisco). This is because of where those oils are listed on iodine index; which is a measure of how much an oil will polymerize. Polymerization is when oil turns into plastic and is the actual chemical process responsible for "seasoning". Here's a whole site dedicated to this topic with more detail: http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/ |
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For seasoning cast iron cookware use Mineral Oil (food grade) |
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