Yes, you can season a cast iron pan or dutch oven with canola oil; it’s safe. The refined canola oil has medium high temperature smoke point; that lies in between 400F-425F.
Moreover, this oil is health safe and adds natural flavor to dishes, so the food test remain unchanged. And you can enjoy original test of your recipe.
However, the best cast-iron seasoning oils are edible dying oils, like flax-seed or sunflower oil. These oils have high smoke points temperature. That’s why, you will get an extra advantage to cook your food at a higher temperature, without loosing the food test.
Most of the time, I use cast iron pans for high heat grilling & roasting recipes, over 400F. Therefore, picking the right seasoning oil is very crucial for us.
Some cheap seasoning oils inject flavor into dishes; as a result, the original foods test get deteriorated. I highly recommend you to avoid those oils, like- coconut oil.
Is Seasoning A cast iron Cookware with canola oil Safe To Do It?
The canola oil contains 28% polyunsaturated fat, 7% saturated fats & 64% monounsaturated fats. Which is good in terms fat combination for polymerization.
So, if you go with canola oil, then you have to cook under 400 degrees F. The canola oil is best for seasoning non-tick pans.
Because maximum home chefs use non-stick cookware; to cook at a lower temperature.
Once the seasoning oils reached their smoke point, the oils start vaporized. As a result, the polymerized coating gets ruined; the cast iron catches the rust very quickly.
However, lodge cast-iron seasoning sprays contain healthy edible oil like canola oil.
I hope I have cleared all of your doubts on – seasoning cast iron with canola oil is safe or not. In this latter part, I will go through how effectively you can season your skillets.
Pre–Seasoning Guide:
Before seasoned your precious cast-iron cookware, you have to check few parameters. Otherwise, the time, effort & your money will get wasted. like-
1st. Be sure the cast-iron cookware is completely rust free. It’s not safe to do seasoning on rusted cookware. You will face toxic intricate on foods & the polymerized coating will quickly start peeling off.
2nd. Remove all the food residues from these pans & pots. If some food odors stick on the cast-iron cookware during seasoning, it will get burnt; left black residues on it.
3rd. Please, dry these cookware before you go for polymerization. If some moisture elements present on these cookware, the oil will fail to polymerized these pans & pots.
4th. Always smear a thin layer of coating on cast-iron cookware. Sometimes, thick oil coating also creates black residues during seasoning. For better polymerization, you can repeat the oil coating process two to three more times.
How To Season A Cast Iron Cookware With Canola Oil?
- Rinsed the cast iron with warm water & clean them very well. You can use liquid soap gel & nylon scrubber to pull off the cooking odors.
- Wipe the cookware with a kitchen towel or paper towel to soak excess water from it. Place the pan/ pot on a stove-top. And turn on the flame until they get entirely de-moisturized.
- Now, pour a tablespoon of canola oil on this cookware & smear it very well with a paper towel. Please make sure you applied a thin oil layer on each & every angle of that cookware.
- Put the pan under an oven, & set the temperature over 410F; just above the canola oil smoke point temperature.
- Set the seasoning time for 30 minutes. Let the cookware clam at its original temperature under the oven.
- Finally, the cast-iron cookware gets well polymerized. To get better seasoning, you can repeat the procedure two more times.
How Do I Care For My Cast-Iron Cookware?
Well, to care for the cast iron pans, griddles, and dutch ovens, you have to follow some simple checklist.
- Never rinsed hot cast iron with water. A non-uniform thermal contraction can crack these cookware.
- Always clean your cookware with warm soapy water. You also can use the cast iron scraper to pull out stuck on odors.
- Once it is done, now make it de-moisturized completely.
- Now, smudge this cookware with a canola oil coating. You can use lodge cast-iron seasoning oils. That contains 100% refined canola oil.
- Next, gently wipe out excessive oil from these cooking sets with a paper towel or cotton buds.
- Place the cookware on a stove; set the flame at high temperature for 5 minutes. Finally, turn the stove off & let it quiet at room temperature.
- To keep these cookware safe, either use a cookware hanger or cast-iron storage.
- If a place on cookware on another, place a paper towel in between this two cookware. So, that cast-iron seasoning keeps protected for a longer time.
- Always skip metallic spatulas; the best cast-iron cooking utensils are wooden spatulas. Silicone spatulas are thermal safe (not oven safe) till 400F. The cast iron temperature easily reaches over 450F & never drops temperature quickly.
Note:
If you are a daily cast-iron user, then you can skip the light-seasoning process. Just right after you clan the cast iron.
Smearing the thin oil layer is ok; because canola oil comes with a natural flavor. So, the food test will remain unchanged.
Never put any cast iron pan or bake-ware under a dishwasher.
Should You Set Oven Temperature Above The Seasoning Oil Smoke Point?
Yes, you have to set the oven temperature above the smoke point of the seasoning oils. The polymerization process starts once the oils reach at it smoke point temperature.
Let’s take an example- the standard canola oil smoke point is 400F. Therefore, you have to set the oven temperature near 410F-415F.
Lodge cast-iron seasoning oil’s smoke point is 425F. In case you use this oil, you have to set the oven temperature near 435F to 440F.
What Is The Perfect Temperature To Do Cast Iron Seasoning?
The answer is it depends on the seasoning oil smoke-point temperature. In general, the cast-iron cookware is oven-safe 500F to 550F.
Therefore, if you change the seasoning oil, then you have to change the oven temperature. But this temperature can be between 400F to 520F. Please check the table for more information-
| Oil Name | Smoke Point | Ideal Seasoning Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| Canola oil: | 400F | (410-415)F |
| Sunflower oil: | 450F | (460-465)F |
| Flaxseed oil: | 450F | (460-465)F |
| Safflower oil: | 510F | (520-525)F |
| Grapeseed oil: | 420F | (430-435)F |
| Corn oil: | 450F | (460-465)F |
| Rice Bran oil: | 450F | (460-465)F |
| Peanut oil | 450F | (460-465)F |
What Oils Are Alternative Of Canola Oil For Cast-Iron Seasoning?
You can go with flaxseed oil, sunflower oil, or peanut oil; these are excellent canola oil alternatives.
Conclusion:
Finally, we finished this detailed discussion. We recommend you go with canola oil if you cooked below 400F. Once the cooking temperature exceeds the seasoning-oil smoke point temperature, the coating start vaporized.
However, the canola oil adds natural flavor to dishes, unlike coconut or sesame oil. That’s why even if you cooked over 400F, the coating might get ruined, but the food test will remain unchanged.
Related content:
- How to clean burn cast iron pans?
- Is olive oil good for cast iron seasoning?
- Skillet vs. Pans.
- Can you put a non-stick pan under dishwasher?
- How to tell if a non-stick pan is ruined?
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