How to Season Cast Iron with Canola Oil

Did you know that you can season cast iron with canola oil? With its neutral scent and high smoke point, it’s a great option for seasoning.

The process only takes about an hour in the oven. Once you get your pan seasoned, maintenance is easy!

Here’s our step-by-step guide on how to season cast iron with canola oil.

Note: If your pan has a wooden handle, you’ll need to season your cast iron on the stovetop.

What You Need

• ~1 tbsp canola oil (depending on the size of the pan)
• Abrasive scrubber – sponge or scrub brush
• Dish towel
• Dish soap
• Oven
• Sink
• Baking sheet or aluminum foil

1. Preheat your oven to 350º F.

Canola oil has a smoke point of 400º F., so it’s important to keep the oven temperature below that.

A little smoking is fine – in fact, this tells you the seasoning is working. But prolonged excessive heat will cause your canola oil to burn.

If that happens, you’ll want to reseason the pan. When oil burns off, it becomes bitter and will impart that flavor into the pan.

2. Add a layer of foil or a baking sheet under the pan to catch drips.

3. Clean your pan thoroughly with an abrasive scrubber and dish soap.

When your cast iron pan arrives from the factory, it often has a factory coating that needs to be removed before seasoning. Scrub the pan with a scrubby sponge or steel wool and dish soap to completely remove this coating.

After you season your cast iron cookware, we don’t recommend using abrasive scrubbers to clean cast iron. But in this case, you are preparing the pan for seasoning, So scrub away!

4. Dry the pan thoroughly with a towel, then on your stovetop.

Before seasoning, you want to remove all moisture from the pan. After drying it with a towel, heat the pan up for a couple of minutes to remove the last remaining water from it.

5. Apply a thin layer of canola oil to the entire pan: bottom, handle, sides, and interior.

Add some canola oil into your cast iron pan and spread it with a paper towel. You don’t need to be too generous with the coating. Just make sure you cover the entire pan.

6. Bake your cast iron pan upside down in the oven for one hour.

You don’t want the canola oil to pool in the bottom of your pan while it’s baking. Otherwise, it will come out sticky. So make sure it’s upside down!

7. Let it cool in the oven for at least 30 minutes.

8. Start cooking!

Seasoning your pan with canola oil is that simple! Remember to reseason it twice a year. If you cook often with acidic food or do a lot of high heat cooking, you may need to season your pan more often.

You can repeat steps five to seven a few times to toughen up the layer of seasoning on your pan if you’d like. But it’s not required.

What’s the difference between canola oil and vegetable oil?

Canola oil is a type of vegetable oil made from pressed canola seeds. Vegetable oil is a blend of many different types of plant-based oils such as canola, sunflower, and grapeseed oil. Canola oil has one of the highest percentages of monounsaturated fat, a healthy fat, compared to other vegetable oils. Conversely, it has one of the lowest percentages of saturated fat.

Canola oil has a smoke point of 400º, while vegetable oil ranges from 400º to 450º. Both are often used for cooking.

What’s the difference between canola oil and olive oil?

Canola oil is made from pressed canola seeds while olive oil is made from pressed olives. Both are used for frying, but canola oil has a slightly higher smoke point at 400º. Olive oil has a smoke point of about 375º. Olive oil has a stronger sweeter taste than canola oil which tastes neutral.

Looking at fat content, these oils are similar. Canola oil has more polyunsaturated fat, while olive oil has more monounsaturated and saturated fat.

Is canola oil good for frying?

Canola oil is a great option for frying. It has a neutral taste so it doesn’t impart much flavor to your food. With a smoke point of 400º, you can cook at a high heat without burning off the oil. Many vegetable oils have higher smoke points, though. Avocado oil, also a vegetable oil, has a smoke point of 520º. If you cook at hotter than 400º, avocado oil is a good option.

Is canola oil bad for you?

Experts are divided on the health benefits of canola oil. Some studies have shown that canola oil contributes to high cholesterol and blood pressure. But, canola oil contains high levels of monounsaturated fat and low levels of saturated fat, which is good for your health. Avocado and olive oil are healthier alternatives to canola oil for cooking.

What is canola oil made from?

Canola oil is made by pressing canola seeds and extracting the oil. It is rich in healthy monounsaturated fat and low in saturated fats which are not good for the heart.

We hope your layer of seasoning turned out great! Repeat the process a few times to reinforce the layer of seasoning. If you want to use a different oil to season your cast iron, check out the articles below!

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