That moment I realized I'd been seasoning my cast iron wrong for 7 years

Last week I was at a friend's house and she cooked eggs in her pan without any sticking. I asked how she seasoned it and she said she uses a super thin layer of oil then wipes it off like she made a mistake. I've been slathering mine on thick this whole time. No wonder my eggs always look like a disaster. How thin do you guys actually go with the oil?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_lee5d ago

Wait, so you're telling me you've been doing it wrong for 7 years and only figured it out by watching someone else? I've been doing the thin layer thing for about 2 years now and it's night and day. But here's the thing, I still end up with a sticky mess sometimes even when I think I've wiped it clean enough. Is there a specific kind of oil she's using or is it just any bottle of vegetable oil? I've been using canola but I'm wondering if that's part of the problem.

michaeld485d ago

i always thought you had to lay it on pretty heavy too. your friend saying to wipe it off like you made a mistake is actually a really good way to think about it, i'm gonna try that. idk why but i just figured more oil = better seasoning, guess i was dead wrong about that one.

wesleyb205d ago

Watch the smoke point on canola, that's probably your sticky issue. @the_lee, you might be using oil that's burning before it polymerizes. Canola has a lower smoke point than something like grapeseed or avocado oil. I switched to grapeseed a few months back and the sticky mess stopped happening. Also, your "wipe it off like I made a mistake" trick works best if you let the pan cool down a bit before the second wipe. Too hot and the oil just bakes on uneven. I do my first wipe with a paper towel right after I put the oil in, then wait maybe 30 seconds and do a dry wipe with a clean cloth. That second pass gets the excess oil that would just turn into a gummy layer. Been doing it this way for about a year now and my pans look like glass.