Cast Iron seasoning temperature

[b.woody]

I am new to cast iron and still figuring out the seasoning temperature coz I find it confusing. I keep seeing different things so I'm not sure what to follow, really.

A lot of sources say you should heat the pan past the oil's smoke point and that seems to be the most common way to get the oil to polymerize, which means the oil turns into a hard, non-stick coating on the metal. For the oils they mentioned, unrefined grapeseed oil has a smoke point around 420F and refined avocado oil is much higher at around 520F. So... the optimum temperature for seasoning should be a little bit above the oil's smoke point to ensure the oil turns into a hard layer and doesn't end up sticky, is that correct?

And then there's a reminder to wipe off all the excess oil before you bake it or you will end up with a sticky mess. I haven't tried though. If you are using an oil with a lower smoke point, like the unrefined grapeseed, how high do you dare to push the temperature without the oil just burning off? Also, what is your favorite high smoke point oil that gives the best final finish?

 

[yvoxxxx]

I always listen to the chef. Yeah, you need to wipe the excess oil when you are seasoning. It needs patience and you cannot just skip one step otherwise you'll ruin everything.

 

[Squint]

I just do mine upside down in my gas barbeque grill on hi for at least an hour. Doing them in the house oven stunk up the house and set off smoke detectors.

 

[castiron5eeker]

A lot of sources say you should heat the pan past the oil's smoke point and that seems to be the most common way to get the oil to polymerize, which means the oil turns into a hard, non-stick coating on the metal. For the oils they mentioned, unrefined grapeseed oil has a smoke point around 420F and refined avocado oil is much higher at around 520F. So... the optimum temperature for seasoning should be a little bit above the oil's smoke point to ensure the oil turns into a hard layer and doesn't end up sticky, is that correct?

ah, no worries, you're on the right track already. seasoning involves heating oil past its smoke point to polymerize it into a hard coating, and using a temperature about 50°F above the oil's smoke point (like 475-500°F for grapeseed/avocado) for an hour is a common
it's an effective method to get a great non stick finish, but you must wipe off excess oil first to avoid stickiness.
refined grapeseed oil, avocado oil, and soybean oil being top choices for high smoke points and good results

 

[Alan]

I just do mine upside down in my gas barbeque grill on hi for at least an hour. Doing them in the house oven stunk up the house and set off smoke detectors.

That's something new. Good tip! If you spread excess oil, it'll just drip right off.

 

[Alan]

ah, no worries, you're on the right track already. seasoning involves heating oil past its smoke point to polymerize it into a hard coating, and using a temperature about 50°F above the oil's smoke point (like 475-500°F for grapeseed/avocado) for an hour is a common
it's an effective method to get a great non stick finish, but you must wipe off excess oil first to avoid stickiness.
refined grapeseed oil, avocado oil, and soybean oil being top choices for high smoke points and good results

I go for avocado oil.