Finding the right oil can keep cast iron seasoned. We have researched the numerous options on the market for you so that you can make an informed decision about cooking oil for you and your household. Cast iron cooking provides many menu options, and the oil used while cooking should do the same. Important considerations for which oil to use include smoking point, flavor, perpetual seasoning, and easy clean-up.
Based on these factors, olive oil, canola oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil are some of the most versatile answers for your kitchen. There are many choices of oil from standbys like vegetable and olive to avocado or sunflower oil, or even vegetable shortening. Each of these has properties that complement cast iron cooking, but some supersede the rest. The smoking point of cast iron is a point of no return.
It means that the oil has changed from a cooking base to burning in the bottom of the pan. Burning becomes a problem because it changes the oil composition and releases things called free radicals or toxic fumes. No one wants to inhale or cook food with something that has entered the toxic zone. In order to keep you and the food you are putting into your body safe, choose an oil that matches the temperature zone used for cooking.
Extra-virgin olive oil has a relatively low smoke point, around degrees. Avocado oil has the most tolerant smoke point at degrees. Depending on the dish, it may depend on the choice of oil for the meal. Asian cuisine may require peanut or sesame oil to imbue a certain palate. However, sometimes a more neutral flavor is called for. Oils like soybean, canola, sunflower, or refined olive are all known for their neutral flavors.
Clean-up the kitchen with ease after cooking with cast iron. Wiping out the skillet with a clean cloth or paper towel is the first step. Afterwards, rinse with water and a little bit of vegetable-based soap for the truly tough and stuck-on spots. Click here to scrapers at Amazon. Scrapers, small plastic squares for kitchen clean-up, prove helpful and economically sound in keeping cast iron in good health. However, both of those oils have a high percentage of saturated fats compared to more modern cooking oils which, pro-tip, is why they solidify at room temperature , so there are better options available.
Safflower oil , flaxseed oil , grapeseed oil , and canola oil are all very low in saturated fats, and all would be great options for re-seasoning your pan. If you have one of them in your pantry, go ahead and use it! Grapeseed and canola oils both have smoke points in the low s, and canola oil will usually be the cheapest of the bunch. All four will give you great results, and should keep your pan slippery and rust-free for years to come, as long as you remember to clean it properly.
Field Company. Field Company fieldcompany. Related Story. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. I highly recommend using either flaxseed oil, grapeseed oil, or corn oil to season your cast iron. We want a perfectly clean surface so the oil can get perfect coverage and develop a strong bond with the metal. To get the best possible results, an optional step is to first scrub the cast iron with kosher salt. Kosher salt is an excellent way to remove any impurities on the surface.
The salt will melt away as soon as you get to the next step, so it leaves no trace behind. Here is what the salt and my fingertips looked like after some light scrubbing:. Once you finish scrubbing the surface using salt, thoroughly wash your cast iron in hot soapy water and completely dry it out.
The best way to quickly dry your cast iron is to lightly heat it either on the stove or in the oven to quickly evaporate any residual water. I recommend using your oven to lightly heat your cast iron. The key word here is lightly. Using too much oil will cause issues with polymerization and leaves a sticky surface. The last thing you want after cleaning your cast iron is for paper particles to be embedded in the oil. Lightly cover the entire outside surface and handle in the oil.
In the above photo, the entire surface and outside surface has been lightly oiled. Aim for a very light coat for the best results. Once your cast iron has a very thin coating of oil evenly across the entire surface, you can heat it up in the oven. Why use an oven: while you could use a stove to season your cast iron, it will give inconsistent results. I highly recommend using an oven. The advantage of placing it upside down is that any excess oil will run out of the pan instead of pooling up.
The reason is that this temperature should be high enough to surpass the smoke point of any type of oil you use. Keep your cast iron in the oven for at least minutes, or until the entire surface has blackened. Remember that you will be heating the oil past its smoking point, so expect smoke.
You should be able to smell the oil after about 15 minutes. I recommend doing this on a day when you can open up windows or use ventilation to extract as much air as possible. Once the time is up, remove the cast iron from the oven and set it on a stove or heat-proof surface to return to room temperature. I rest it on the stove and use the overhead extraction fan to help cool the pan down.
We need to repeat this process multiple times to gradually build up the seasoning layers. Multiple thin layers are superior to one thick layer. Imagine painting your car. After you repeat this process do not repeat step 1 as it will ruin the coat you just created around times, you will have built up decent protection for your cast iron.
You should end up with an almost pitch-black skillet with an even and glossy coat across the entire surface as shown below:. I repeated the steps 5 times and the end result was a nice glossy and dark surface across the entire pan. The first few times you use your newly seasoned cast iron, avoid cooking any acidic foods or sauces. The last thing you want for your newly seasoned skillet is to ruin it by cooking with some acidic sauce.
Anything that has a long tradition such as cast iron is bound to collect a few myths over time. Acidic foods such as tomato can eat away at the seasoning in your cast iron. So this myth does has some truth in it like many myths. The reality is that if you have a well-seasoned pan, it is perfectly capable of handling acidic foods on occasion.
If you want to cook tomato sauce or anything else acidic on your cast iron, make sure you have a well-established seasoning and limit the time you spend cooking with it. Plan for your next use of your cast iron to use something non-acidic to restore some of the seasoning lost. The seasoning on cast iron can be surprisingly resilient.
0コメント