Seasoning Cast Iron, a new way

It's been a while since I first heard about this, might have even posted something about it but there is a new way to season cast iron that makes it to where you may never have to season it again. The method, use multiple layers of Flaxseed Oil. Apparently there is something about the high level of Omega 3 Fatty Acids that when left at high heat causes them to combine to polymerize to the surface. Here's the link and the article.

Link:
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5820-the-ultimate-way-to-season-cast-iron

Article:
The Ultimate Way to Season Cast Iron
BY COOK'S ILLUSTRATED
PUBLISHED JANUARY 2011
SAVESHARE

We'd seasoned our cast iron the same way for years. But when we heard about a new method that creates a slick surface so indestructible that touch-ups are almost never necessary, we were intrigued.

For years weve seasoned cast-iron cookware in the test kitchen by placing it over medium heat and wiping out the pan with coats of vegetable oil until its surface turns dark and shiny. When a pan starts to look patchy, we simply repeat the process. But when we heard about a new method for seasoning cast iron that creates a slick surface so indestructible that touch-ups are almost never necessary, we were intrigued. Developed by blogger Sheryl Canter, the approach calls for treating the pan with multiple coats of flaxseed oil between hour-long stints in the oven.

How We Tested This Method
We carried out Canters approach on new, unseasoned cast-iron skillets and compared them with pans treated with vegetable oiland the results amazed us. The flaxseed oil so effectively bonded to the skillets, forming a sheer, stick-resistant veneer, that even a run through our commercial dishwasher with a squirt of degreaser left them totally unscathed. But the vegetable oil-treated skillets showed rusty spots and patchiness when they emerged from the dishwasher, requiring reseasoning before use.

Why did the new treatment work so well? Flaxseed oil is the food-grade equivalent of linseed oil, used by artists to give their paintings a hard, polished finish, and it boasts six times the amount of omega-3 fatty acids as vegetable oil. Over prolonged exposure to high heat, these fatty acids combine to form a strong, solid matrix that polymerizes to the pans surface.

How to Season Cast Iron with This Method
Although lengthy, seasoning with flaxseed oil is a mainly hands-off undertaking. We highly recommend the treatment:

Warm an unseasoned pan (either new or stripped of seasoning) for 15 minutes in a 200-degree oven to open its pores. The best way to strip a cast-iron pan of seasoning is to run the pan through your oven's self-cleaning cycle.
Remove the pan from the oven. Place 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil in the pan and, using tongs, rub the oil into the surface with paper towels. With fresh paper towels, thoroughly wipe out the pan to remove excess oil.
Place the oiled pan upside down in a cold oven, then set the oven to its maximum baking temperature. Once the oven reaches its maximum temperature, heat the pan for one hour. Turn off the oven; cool the pan in the oven for at least two hours.
Repeat the process five more times, or until the pan develops a dark, semi-matte surface.

Even after a run in the dishwasher, the pan seasoned with flaxseed oil held on to its perfect seasoning. The pan seasoned with vegetable oil did not.

I'm going to give it a go starting tonight with the first coat. Pics to follow.
 
Here's the pan before starting.

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Into the oven at 200 dF for 15 minutes.
 
Coated with Flaxseed oil

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And upside down into a cold oven, foil under.

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Now warming up to 500 dF and will hold it for 1 hour.
 
I've been doing this to all my CI for the past year - works well.

It required a specific kind of flaxseed oil, though, just to further clarify ...

I believe it's that it's cold-pressed ...

I use Barlean's in a black bottle with burgundy, not the high lignin in blue ;) ...

I can't remember the why, but it's been working good on the grates for the Akorn, my enameled CI wok and tagine etc ...
 
After first treatment, 5 or so more to

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Interesting GM, article didn't say anything about a specific type of Flaxseed oil being required. This is the one I got when I was at the health food store Saturday.

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This is from the live strong website:

Cold Pressed Oils
Cold pressed is a term used to describe the way cooking oil is extracted from its source. The process involves the use of heavy granite millstones or modern presses made of stainless steel to press and grind fruits and seeds to extract their oils. The process generates heat through friction, but in order for an oil to be classified as cold-pressed, this heat must be kept below 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Flaxseed oil is created using low or no heat. When heat is applied to flaxseed oil, its omega-3 fatty acids can be destroyed, thus eliminating the health benefits of these cardioprotective nutrients. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that flaxseed oil deteriorates due to the effects of heat, light and oxygen. Extraction methods that involve minimal heat and avoid exposure to light and oxygen create the highest quality flaxseed oil products.

So it sounds like no matter what the bottle says, cold or fresh pressed, to get good flaxseed oil it has to be cold pressed.
 
On a side note, wife complained last night about the smell of the flaxseed oil while it was in the oven. The smell of the oil does kind of take over the house while its baking, a smell that is reminiscent of fish. Think when I do the treatment tonight I'll do it on the grill so it doesn't take over the house and I can still get it up to 500 dF.
 
Your first go with the Flaxseed oil looks good already.....should be awesome after a few more......I was always told that when seasoning in the oven that the item should be left in the oven to cool down slowly as the oven cools down.....which takes a little bit of time if you dont open the door......seasoning on your grill.......I think will cool down to quickly......its cold in 15 minutes.
 
I could be wrong but I always listened to my father when came to stuff like that......maybe its old school but it worked well for him.
I will watch for your results.......I have Dutch oven to season up......would be nice to do it outside. :)
 
Yeah, didn't think about the slow cool down part. Of course I could heat the oven up right before its done and then transfer it from the grill to the oven and turn it off. Then there would be less smell in the house. Also on lily light 2 burners for a slower warm up too.
 
RocketMan said:
Yeah, didn't think about the slow cool down part. Of course I could heat the oven up right before its done and then transfer it from the grill to the oven and turn it off. Then there would be less smell in the house. Also on lily light 2 burners for a slower warm up too.
Thats a good plan....
 
I take issue with their claim that flaxseed is best - I think it is more the methods they used rather than the oil. They state "For years weve seasoned cast-iron cookware in the test kitchen by placing it over medium heat and wiping out the pan with coats of vegetable oil until its surface turns dark and shiny." This differs highly from the method they used with the flaxseed oil, so the comparison is not equal. Granted, they may have run the veggie oil ones through the same process in their testing, but the article does not specifically state that they did. It simply states that they compared the flax seed version to veggie oil pans, without clarification as to whether the veggie oil pans went through the oven or not.
 
The method is important regardless of the oil used because it is the high temperature that polymerizes the oil. I use canola oil on my pans, and I already use the method they describe that they used with the flaxseed oil. I can tell you that the canola oil finish is definitely polymerized on my pans - that is why I use the method. Flaxseed oil may, in fact, be better than canola oil, or it may not be - I just can't tell based on the wording in the article. And yeah, I know America's Test Kitchen has die-hard fans, as my son is one of them. Just don't bother telling me "ATK tested it so it must be true", as I am not impressed by a show's popularity. They would need to clarify how they tested the veggie oil pans to satisfy me.
 
geeme said:
I take issue with their claim that flaxseed is best - I think it is more the methods they used rather than the oil. They state "For years weve seasoned cast-iron cookware in the test kitchen by placing it over medium heat and wiping out the pan with coats of vegetable oil until its surface turns dark and shiny." This differs highly from the method they used with the flaxseed oil, so the comparison is not equal. Granted, they may have run the veggie oil ones through the same process in their testing, but the article does not specifically state that they did. It simply states that they compared the flax seed version to veggie oil pans, without clarification as to whether the veggie oil pans went through the oven or not.
 
The method is important regardless of the oil used because it is the high temperature that polymerizes the oil. I use canola oil on my pans, and I already use the method they describe that they used with the flaxseed oil. I can tell you that the canola oil finish is definitely polymerized on my pans - that is why I use the method. Flaxseed oil may, in fact, be better than canola oil, or it may not be - I just can't tell based on the wording in the article. And yeah, I know America's Test Kitchen has die-hard fans, as my son is one of them. Just don't bother telling me "ATK tested it so it must be true", as I am not impressed by a show's popularity. They would need to clarify how they tested the veggie oil pans to satisfy me.
 
I posted extensively on this about a year ago, or so ... including the Sheryl Canter blogs, and then some ...
 
I checked it out from a lot of different angles/cultures, with some extra focus on high-heat usage from the Asian contingent, who use 100k+ BTU burners regularly, because I was planning to use high heat ...
 
One of the benefits re: the flax is the low-rancidity of the oil ...
 
I have never had any issues using my old tried and true method....veg oil.....in the oven upside down for 1 hour at 400 degrees and let cool in the oven.....repeat once more and im good to go....never any probs......everything is getting to scientific for this old fellow. :lol:  :lol: 
 
grantmichaels said:
I posted extensively on this about a year ago, or so ... including the Sheryl Canter blogs, and then some ...
 
I checked it out from a lot of different angles/cultures, with some extra focus on high-heat usage from the Asian contingent, who use 100k+ BTU burners regularly, because I was planning to use high heat ...
 
Cool. I have not read your posts, but may take some time to find them. I learned about the heat and oil polymerization maybe a year or two ago and since switching, have never had a problem even though I use dish detergent on my pans now. Cleanup is so much easier and forget about baby-sitting the CI!
 
grantmichaels said:
One of the benefits re: the flax is the low-rancidity of the oil ...
Um, yeah, but following polymerization rancidity isn't an issue. What am I missing in your comment?
 
Once you clean up your pan and are ready to store it most people wipe it down with a thin coat of oil.....if that pan is not used for a bit that oil that you wiped on after cleanup will go a bit rancid smelling....some quicker than others....if the pan is used often that oil does not have time to take on a little funk.......I think that is what grantmichaels  is getting at.
 
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