When using olive oil to season your cast iron skillet, be sure to use a light olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point and is more likely to burn. In conclusion, olive oil is good for your health as well as cast iron skillet seasoning.
Canola oil is dirt-cheap to buy and is handy in plenty of recipes, so you likely already have a bottle stashed in your pantry. While canola will get the job done, its results aren't as good for seasoning cast-iron. Flaxseed oil and grapeseed oil both get you better results, but you'll pay a premium for them, too.
Do not use olive oil or butter to season your cast-iron pan — they're great to cook with, just not for initial seasoning. Place the pan upside down on the top rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour.
Due to its high smoke point, Canola oil is perfect for grilling, cooking, frying, and seasoning a cast iron skillet. Canola oil's smoke point is approximately 450°F; season your pan with Canola oil at 470°F.
According to experts, a high-quality EVOO has a smoke point of around 410 degrees Fahrenheit. That makes extra virgin olive oil fine for sautéing, roasting, frying and even deep frying.
Olive oil has a high smoke point and when done properly you can keep your pan in good shape for years and years. Keeping your cast iron seasoned will stop rusting and staining and it will let you cook your food to perfection. In this case, olive oil is definitely one of your best friends.
If the seasoning in your pan is sticky, this is a sign of excess oil built up on the cookware. The Fix: To remedy stickiness, place the cookware upside down on the top rack of the oven and bake at 450-500 degrees F for one hour. Allow to cool and repeat if necessary.
If your skillet didn't come pre-seasoned, you may need to season it three or four times to get a good layer of seasoning before you start cooking. Repeat this process whenever you remove a bit of seasoning, which can happen if you cook with acidic foods or at very high heat.
Dry thoroughly right after you clean—do not let your cast iron air dry. Set on the stove over medium heat to evaporate any remaining water. Rub with a thin coat of vegetable oil (about a ½ teaspoon for a 10 inch skillet) until evenly coated and shiny. Let cool completely and store in a dry place.
In short, it's best to apply a very light coating of oil to clean, dry cast iron cookware after each use. The oil protects the iron from moisture and oxidation, which helps prevent rust. Apply cooking oil with a clean, lint-free cloth, then thoroughly wipe down all surfaces of the pan to remove excess oil.
Generally, we recommend seasoning your cast iron about once per month, but after every time you use it works as well if you find that it could use some seasoning. What type of oil is best for seasoning a cast iron skillet? Canola, vegetable, or coconut oil are best.
First, it's important to always heat up the pan prior to adding any oil, butter, or fat. When cooking on cast iron, when it comes to fat, less is not always more. It's better to err on the side of too much fat, and then simply drain any excess after cooking.
When is too much too much? Although it seems odd, it is technically possible to over-season a skillet. Too much oil baked into the cast iron will cause it to polymerize unevenly and eventually will cause the surface of the skillet to flake.
A well-seasoned skillet will have a dark, semiglossy finish and won't be sticky or greasy to the touch. It won't have any rust or any dull or dry patches. An easy way to test a skillet's seasoning is to fry an egg (heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes, then add egg).
Although it's recommended that you only need one coat of seasoning to start searing those steaks and baking those Dutch baby pancakes, many folks apply multiple coats of seasoning onto their cast-iron skillets and Dutch ovens. But, like, four or five.
My cast-iron pan is sticky.
Just line the bottom of your oven, heat it to 450-500°F and let the excess oil drip off over the course of an hour. Turn the oven off and let the pan cool, and if it's still sticky, just repeat the process as needed.
For persistent stains, soak interior of the cookware for 2 to 3 hours with a mixture of 3 tablespoons of household bleach per quart of water. To remove stubborn baked on food, bring to a boil 2 cups of water and 4 tablespoons of baking soda. Boil for a few minutes then use a Pan Scraper to loosen food.
Yes! It's important to warm your pan before adding the coconut oil; 350 F ideally. If you're careful to make sure that your pan is seasoned well, this oil is also perfect for daily cast iron cooking.
Which Should I Buy? Typically, olive oil is a safer bet when cooking because of the higher smoke point and neutral flavor, and extra-virgin olive oil is ideal for a flavorful dressing, a dip for bread, or a last minute pour over a cooked piece of meat.
Many people believe that it is not a good idea to cook with extra virgin olive oil. Several scientific studies have proven over the years that this myth is simply untrue. Not only is EVOO safe to cook with, but it is the most stable and safest cooking oil available.