Love Babish, but I have to wonder why he chose vegetable oil for seasoning his cast iron. Everybody seems to have their own special way of doing it, but I've always had really poor luck with...
Love Babish, but I have to wonder why he chose vegetable oil for seasoning his cast iron. Everybody seems to have their own special way of doing it, but I've always had really poor luck with vegetable oil. I got much better results with grapeseed oil (oven at 500°F), and fantastic results using rendered bacon fat (also 500°F). No good for vegans, vegetarians, or those who can't have pork, but bacon fat gives me the most durable, even, and smooth seasoning.
Vegetable and Olive oil both have a pretty low smoke point. They only work if you are using a lower temp like he was. I tend to use either Flaxseed Oil or Bacon Fat and set the oven to max (also...
Vegetable and Olive oil both have a pretty low smoke point. They only work if you are using a lower temp like he was. I tend to use either Flaxseed Oil or Bacon Fat and set the oven to max (also 500). Flaxseed seems to work the best, but its really expensive. l
Most likely he was using whatever was on hand and not giving much thought to the type of oil.
Flax oil is ideal since it polymerizes incredibly well. Flax is also known as food-grade linseed oil, and linseed oil is of course used to make linoleum. The same sort of rubbery plastic we use...
Flax oil is ideal since it polymerizes incredibly well. Flax is also known as food-grade linseed oil, and linseed oil is of course used to make linoleum. The same sort of rubbery plastic we use for floors happens to also be an ideal nonstick coating for pans.
My only recommendation for using flax oil though, is to not use too much. Use very thin coats, multiples if needed. It's easy to leave a puddle in your pan, and most of it will not evaporate away, it'll just turn to a really thick tacky coating and/or a bumpy uneven surface.
That's honestly my biggest problem with cast iron. There's absolutely no good information about it out there. Some people push unsaturated fats, others saturated, and those trying to rely on...
That's honestly my biggest problem with cast iron. There's absolutely no good information about it out there. Some people push unsaturated fats, others saturated, and those trying to rely on drying oils like flaxseed. But none of it is based on an understood process or really any scientific data. I've flirted with the idea of starting a kickstarter just to get to the bottom of it because it bothers me so much.
It certainly seems like something the scientific method could solve if properly applied. The polymerization of various oils is something to be taken into account, as well as the pre/post smoke...
It certainly seems like something the scientific method could solve if properly applied. The polymerization of various oils is something to be taken into account, as well as the pre/post smoke point debate; some people recommend not smoking your oils, others advocate going as hot as you can to fully carbonize the fats.
Sounds like a job for Serious Eats, since applying science to cooking is kind of "their thing". I can't vouch for the accuracy at all, but here's a couple of articles they have about cast iron...
Sounds like a job for Serious Eats, since applying science to cooking is kind of "their thing". I can't vouch for the accuracy at all, but here's a couple of articles they have about cast iron that look like they have some good info:
Do what feels right. Cast iron isn't really necessary in the kitchen, but it does have its uses. Something stainless, and something non-stick will cover just about everything you'd want to do.
Do what feels right.
Cast iron isn't really necessary in the kitchen, but it does have its uses. Something stainless, and something non-stick will cover just about everything you'd want to do.
Love Babish, but I have to wonder why he chose vegetable oil for seasoning his cast iron. Everybody seems to have their own special way of doing it, but I've always had really poor luck with vegetable oil. I got much better results with grapeseed oil (oven at 500°F), and fantastic results using rendered bacon fat (also 500°F). No good for vegans, vegetarians, or those who can't have pork, but bacon fat gives me the most durable, even, and smooth seasoning.
edit: I can spell
Vegetable and Olive oil both have a pretty low smoke point. They only work if you are using a lower temp like he was. I tend to use either Flaxseed Oil or Bacon Fat and set the oven to max (also 500). Flaxseed seems to work the best, but its really expensive. l
Most likely he was using whatever was on hand and not giving much thought to the type of oil.
Flax oil is ideal since it polymerizes incredibly well. Flax is also known as food-grade linseed oil, and linseed oil is of course used to make linoleum. The same sort of rubbery plastic we use for floors happens to also be an ideal nonstick coating for pans.
My only recommendation for using flax oil though, is to not use too much. Use very thin coats, multiples if needed. It's easy to leave a puddle in your pan, and most of it will not evaporate away, it'll just turn to a really thick tacky coating and/or a bumpy uneven surface.
That's honestly my biggest problem with cast iron. There's absolutely no good information about it out there. Some people push unsaturated fats, others saturated, and those trying to rely on drying oils like flaxseed. But none of it is based on an understood process or really any scientific data. I've flirted with the idea of starting a kickstarter just to get to the bottom of it because it bothers me so much.
It certainly seems like something the scientific method could solve if properly applied. The polymerization of various oils is something to be taken into account, as well as the pre/post smoke point debate; some people recommend not smoking your oils, others advocate going as hot as you can to fully carbonize the fats.
Sounds like a job for Serious Eats, since applying science to cooking is kind of "their thing". I can't vouch for the accuracy at all, but here's a couple of articles they have about cast iron that look like they have some good info:
Do what feels right.
Cast iron isn't really necessary in the kitchen, but it does have its uses. Something stainless, and something non-stick will cover just about everything you'd want to do.