Favorite Natural Oils For Seasoning CI

T

TedW

Member
Just curious if folks have a favorite natural oil they like to season CI with. I had planned to use Refined Grape Seed Oil and beeswax, but the oil was lost in shipment and I never reordered anything. So now I need oil.

I can't find that grape seed oil at the stores (I'm in the sticks) but can order again online.

I'm wondering about Flax Seed Oil, only because I'm in love with Raw Linseed Oil, which is about the same. Maybe someone has used Raw Linseed?

Flax / Linseed, Tung and Hemp are all "drying oils," and I'm not sure if other common fats are similarly "drying." Animal fats and Crisco I gather are very slow drying, like Mineral Oil.

The repeated heating / baking to season I guess is essentially "drying" an otherwise hard to dry fat or oil. I'm spitballing here. Seems to make sense, maybe.

So it would seem that an actual drying oil might season faster, unless it was bad at 400F temps.

Anyone else have a thought on these natural oils for seasoning?

---------- Post added at 11:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:30 AM ----------

Interesting. Someone who concluded the drying oils produce a better seasoning (in their opinion). I like the fact-based approach.

http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

EDIT- I see the Flaxseed Oil finish can chip. Harder things are often also more brittle.
 
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My thoughts are, if you're going to cook in a pan, there is no reason to use a seasoning fat you wouldn't also cook with (or bake, etc.). Crisco, canola, grapeseed, PAM, bacon grease, lard, all fit with that. Flaxseed doesn't, regardless of the "scientific" rationale.

If you search the forum, you'll find many references to the flakiness of flaxseed oil, going way back. More thoughts at:

http://www.castironcollector.com/seasoning.php#fats
 
Could be because of a harder surface, it's likely more brittle. Also rumored that less than pure Flax seed can cause chip. Then you have an awful lot of posters out there that have done it and love it.

I like your rationale, though. Season with what you cook with.
 
Hi TedW:
I've never had anything but good luck using Lard, but I know that pretty much everybody has their favorite!

Good Luck!
-J
 
I have tried everything including flaxseed oil. And I only used that because every article I read raved about how it was the best seasoning for cast iron. Found it did give a nice gloss, but did not get the iron that nice black sheen very fast. So for the past year I have stuck with Crisco with great results. I am going to try lard on my next project!!
 
Lard. Bakes to a tough shiny black even on things you don't cook with. Bake three times between 400° & 475° for an hour each & let cool in the oven. Just one thin coat is all that is needed before the first bake.

My CI tongs, trivets, and ashtrays have stayed beautiful and mold/rust free for many years and still shine.

Hilditch
 
I've been having great luck seasoning with peanut oil, are there any drawbacks to using it other than the remote possibility someone may be allergic to peanuts?
 
I have Lard, Refined Grape Seed Oil, and Refined Flax Seed Oil. And beeswax.

Not sure what fat / oil I'll mix with the beeswax.

Anyone ever introduce a bit of Carnuaba wax? It's much harder than beeswax and I use it with Beeswax on my countertops and wood stuff.
 
I've posted about this quite a few times, on quite a few sites....

It boils down to a simple analogy. What would your great, great Grandmother have used in her cast iron? I'd bet a paycheck it wasn't flax seed oil. It was either lard, Crisco, bacon grease, etc.. It worked for them, it will work for us. Can of Crisco is a few bucks, and works great for me. I've never had an issue with flaking or chipping. I have however read about the problem with flax seed seasoning. Read this thread at /r/CastIron to see what I'm talking about.
 
Ya. Except Crisco was forced on Nana, and is a molecule not normally found on this planet. Many people will avoid Crisco like the plague.

And that's OK
 
RickC said:
I've posted about this quite a few times, on quite a few sites....

It boils down to a simple analogy. What would your great, great Grandmother have used in her cast iron? I'd bet a paycheck it wasn't flax seed oil. It was either lard, Crisco, bacon grease, etc.. It worked for them, it will work for us. Can of Crisco is a few bucks, and works great for me. I've never had an issue with flaking or chipping. I have however read about the problem with flax seed seasoning. Read this thread at /r/CastIron to see what I'm talking about.
Click to expand...

For some reason, in my random readings and searchings for cast iron, I've never gone to reddit. Now that you pointed this out, I'm afraid my day is shot :)
 
Given the division of Flax Seed users out there, user error is a likely culprit. Way too many people are crazy happy with Flax. Another factor is maybe those Flax fans don't cook, either.

The thinness of the Fax application seems to be a really big deal.

One thing, if flax is this finicky a technique, that might be reason enough to avoid it.
 
I've cleaned old pans for friends that used flax, looked terrible and a 6 hour soak in the lye bath - clean as a whistle. Other pans, 2 weeks in lye and a daily scrubbing to get the old seasoning off. There is a difference in seasonings IMO.
 
RobM said:
I've cleaned old pans for friends that used flax, looked terrible and a 6 hour soak in the lye bath - clean as a whistle. Other pans, 2 weeks in lye and a daily scrubbing to get the old seasoning off. There is a difference in seasonings IMO.
Click to expand...

That's good info!
 
Any seasoning, using any fat, that only consists of 5 or 6 thin coats baked on in the oven will come off easily in lye. The old stuff is tougher because it's been cooked on over and over again, leaving a lot more of the kind of stuff that lye doesn't work on. I'd say there aren't too many flaxseed oil seasoned pans out there that don't fall into the first category.
 
RickC said:
I've posted about this quite a few times, on quite a few sites....

It boils down to a simple analogy. What would your great, great Grandmother have used in her cast iron? I'd bet a paycheck it wasn't flax seed oil. It was either lard, Crisco, bacon grease, etc.. It worked for them, it will work for us. Can of Crisco is a few bucks, and works great for me. I've never had an issue with flaking or chipping. I have however read about the problem with flax seed seasoning. Read this thread at /r/CastIron to see what I'm talking about.
Click to expand...

Dittos, RickC,...on a side note on lard...I stumbled upon this:

http://divinehealthfromtheinsideout.com/2011/05/the-truth-about-lard-why-you-should-use-it/
 
Lard rules. Fabulous product. Leaf Lard in a pie crust? Nothing better.

Fear and greed removed this natural product from our tables and shamed mothers into Crisco.
 
We hear of folks pros and cons of different fats, oils and waxes.

So any users of 100% Pure Avocado Oil? Heck it is a high heat oil up to 500 deg.
 
Thought about it. I have Lard, Flax, and grape seed to choose from to mix with the wax. Still wondering about a smidge of Carnuaba wax
 
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