flax seed oil?

S

SRFrancis

Member
I have 3 pieces ready for seasoning and read a post online that their preferred seasoning oil was flax seed. Anyone with experience using it?
 
I have. It makes my house smell bad during and after seasoning, costs a lot, and doesn't seem to do the job any better than lard.
 
Due to a post by a blogger touting it as "science based", many have tried it, but with mixed results. Some have no problems; many find it flakes off. I'm sure you'll get some more replies, but if you search "flax seed" on the forum, you'll find several results.

My take on it is if it's not an oil you would use for heated cooking, why would you season cast iron with it? I agree with Ty's comments as well.

See also: http://www.castironcollector.com/seasoning.php
 
I once posted somewhere here about some flaws with that article, such as which seasoning method was used as a control (stovetop method for regular oil vs. oven baked for flaxseed) and the method used to test its durability (squirt of degreaser in the dishwasher instead of a test that more accurately reflects real usage).

Regardless, I started with flaxseed, it looks great, but after seeing how it held up to use I switched to grapeseed and still use that now. Flaxseed isn't tragically flawed but it certainly isn't superior.
 
This may not be popular but I use Flax seed oil on lots of pans and it works amazing!! super smooth finish, nice dark bronze color. I have really enjoyed it. I haven't experienced any flaking and I like the way it smells. Just my 2 cents. I also use Crisco from time to time.
Kyle
 
I don't think anything is better than continuous use, no matter what oil you use for seasoning / preseasoning! I am now beginning to use my skillets nightly, and they couldn't get any better. :tasty::tasty::tasty: Canola oil, Olive oil, bacon grease, lard, whatever, it helps ! :-D
 
Nick_N said:
I don't think anything is better than continuous use, no matter what oil you use for seasoning / preseasoning! I am now beginning to use my skillets nightly, and they couldn't get any better. :tasty::tasty::tasty: Canola oil, Olive oil, bacon grease, lard, whatever, it helps ! :-D
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What ^^^he^^^ said. :icon_thumbsup:
 
Thanks to all that offered advice. I've lived on the west coast since 72, but, I lived the 1st 18 yrs of my life in SE Missouri, the Show Me State, so, I gotta see it with my own eyes. I did grandpa's piece and my everyday skillet with flax seed, you are right about it stinking in the oven, but, it is a pretty finish, and I did the rectangle shaped casserole/lid piece that I use on my gas grill outside with crisco. 1st test will be this afternoon when I make a roux for some gumbo to enjoy during the game tomorrow.
 
Cooking in cast iron is sort of like Pampered Chef stoneware "The uglier it looks the better it cooks" that's because it's getting more and more seasoning. The only difference is with cast iron "The more ya cooks the prettier it looks":chuckle: I have used olive oil, crisco, Pam, flax seed, but My personal preference is Fresh Lard for the initial seasoning. My advise is try a few and stick with what you like!
 
I seasoned 3 skillets (new to me) with Flax seed oil. After 2-3 uses one skillet flaked badly, right down to grey. After going through the seasoning (6 times) I thought "I'm not going through that again, right now", so I just kept using it. Food didn't stick, and after a few more uses, it blackened right up again.
 
Ty L. said:
I have. It makes my house smell bad during and after seasoning, costs a lot, and doesn't seem to do the job any better than lard.
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Flaxseed oil = Linseed oil and can be bought by the gallon at your local hardware store or farm supply outlet.

I have not yet used this for CI, but will avoid specialty/gourmet stores as a source.
 
Flaxseed oil is the food grade version of linseed oil. Boiled linseed oil from a hardware or paint supply should not be used. It contains chemical drying agents.
 
The terms "flaxseed oil" and "linseed oil" are commonly used interchangeably, but I've sold both and have always thought of them as two totally different products. I sell flaxseed oil to nutritional supplement manufacturers and linseed oil to paint manufacturers and companies making paint thinners. Both are extracted from flax seeds, but linseed oil is extracted using solvents.

In the kitchen, put linseed oil on your wood cabinets, not on your cast iron.
 
SRFrancis: I have used it a couple of times with success. I went about it more of an experiment to see what happens. My approach was this for INITIAL seasoning after cleaning; 1) start with clean, stripped to bare metal piece of iron. This is imperative if you want the best results; 2) Use 100% pure organic, NOT a blend with other oils; 3) Apply sparingly 6 coats and heat @ 500F for an hour for each coat and let cool in between coats. My results was a tough, hard finish. I don't use it on all of my collection. I experimented on a new production Lodge last year or before (lost track of time) so and it worked great. No pealing or flaking and no leaching of taste or smell in cooked foods. And, I decided to test flax oil again on a 100 year Griswold #9 with success. So, for me, I don't use it exclusively because it takes too long for initial seasoning and flax oil is kinda pricey if you use it exclusively and you collect a lot of iron. But a one time purchase to experiment with, give it a try. If flax oil does not work for you, use the remaining flax oil to make a healthy salad dressing. :glutton:

A few pics of my #9 slant logo Griswold seasoned with flax oil recently. >>> https://goo.gl/photos/TCbeUso7svpSwi8h7
 
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