I tried the method and while I got a super slick surface, some parts of the pan still had a brownish tint instead of being jet black. I did not do the vinegar soak step because the pans appeared to have no rust on them. Was that my mistake?

The comments on that article are also a gold mine of information. There is a link to a study that used different oils and discussion of iodine values. One of the comments posits that soybean oil is actually more effective since it has a higher iodine value.

I sure think too much thinking is going into these pans. Use, clean and use again. If seems dried out cook something greasy (bacon) - or oil your pan. Done.

I find it amusing that I apparently live in some bizarro world where lard is widely available but flaxseed oil is nowhere to be found.

In some of the posts on this article, canola oil was mentioned. I have lots of that at home already. Do you think I could use that instead of flaxseed oil? Seems like a good winter time project...

We've been using plain old olive oil for years. About once a year, the (clean, dry) pan gets a nice layer of olive oil rubbed all over the inside, baked in a 350F oven for about an hour, then we turn off the oven and let it sit to cool overnight. In the morning, wipe out the excess and voila - seasoned pan!

@Rachel, I'm sure any edible oil will work.

Flax is linseed, no?

I found liquid Flaxseed oil in my local pharmacy.

Yes, linseed and flax are the same but the linseed oil from the hardware store often has additives that may contain heavy metals or other things you don't want to ingest.

Her tutorial of seasoning looks great, but it starts with a pan that you've cleaned using oven cleaner (toxic?) or hooking up a car battery to it. Both seem excessive!

@ Rachel C: I use canola all the time on mine. Works great.

Coconut oil or palm oil (vegan shortening) also work great!

I agree with kbedore. I appreciate the science, but in practice "use the pan, and cook something greasy when it gets drier" seems to be all I need to know.

I found flaxseed oil in the vitamin aisle at my grocery store. I find that Canola oil leaves a sticky residue on my pans. The flaxseed oil does not.

I sort of tried it, but found the flax oil to have a distinct flavor that came through in cooking.

It's nice to see someone pays attention to the links I post in the comments ;)

Linseed is made from flax but BEWARE.....linseed oil is highly flammable. And can spontaneously combust if dried too fast...DO NOT use in kitchen products. I've used cast iron for yrs and some of those belonged to my great grandmother. After cooking I simply wash hot with hot water ONLY?.no soap and then dry well, while still warm I put a bit of shortening or cooking oil..any kind and rub a thin coat in the pan...with a paper towel..never have a problem with rust or sticking

If you read through the article and the comments you'll see that she recommends the flaxseed for seasoning at a high heat---but NOT for cooking! She has lots of discussion about reaching the oil's smoking heat and how that releases free radicals--which are great for creating the smooth surface you see in the photo--but which is not something you want to happen if you are cooking.

I'm sticking to wiping my cast iron out with olive oil and heating it a bit. (My version of "cooking something greasy." Also, I have a Emeril griddle, but the other two skillets are cheap and bumpy and will never have that smooth finish anyway.

I couldn't agree more.

I just finished this method last weekend, and am really impressed. Yes, it was a lot of work and time (took me all weekend). I did it on a cold weekend and used the heat.

Yes, you can season your pans with olive oil or canola. The point of the flaxseed is to create an extra hard seasoning that is hard to scratch and non-stick, whereas the other oils will have a softer seasoning and be more susceptible to scratching and easier to wear off.

In the last couple years I started using my cast iron skillet more often and that in and of itself I think has kept it well seasoned, if not completely non-stick to boot. After cooking I either wipe it out or fill it with water and let it sit for a while (no soap needed),then dry it thoroughly, spray it with olive oil and put it back in the oven where it resides until I need it again. I don't even wipe out the old oil before cooking. Just use the dang thing!

Thanks for the link, this was very informative. Well worth the read, the comments on the original post are very good as well.

I will also add that this method was written up in Cooks Illustrated, they ran a pan seasoned in this way through a commercial dishwasher and the seasoning was fine. So yes, other (easier) seasoning methods probably work fine, but I was very impressed with this tidbit!

I'm glad this topic came up......I have two cast iron skillets that haven't been used for a while. They were not rusted at all but were "dry" and grey. I rubbed them inside and out with a thin layer of vegetable oil and put in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour. After they cooled, the inside was kind of "patchy" (not slick and black) so I repeated the process again the next day with another thin layer. It still was not completely smooth and was a little bit sticky. Leave it to me to mess up the "simple" things.....any tips or suggestions? I would like to get these pans back into working order.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Well, perhaps my experiences can help. I worked my way through college cooking, and nearly quit to go to CIA (not the agency, the culinary institute), and for the past 30 years, cooking has been my hobby. Although I left years ago, my "people" are from Appalachia, the polite way of saying "hillbillies" and that means lots of cast iron cooking.

The flaxseed oil works. It is simply the best, and I have tried every method I've ever read about.

Now, if you have a pan already seasoned, nice and dark, no crusty stuff, then just keep using it, make some cornbread in it, avoid too much soap or scrubbing (use kosher salt to scrub if you need to), and your pan will be fine.

But, if like me, you like finding an old, rusted piece of cast iron and putting it back into service by gifting it or even selling it, then here is my method:

1. You have to get rid of the rust. I recently got a set of six Japanese sukiyaki pans that had been stored outdoors for years, completely rusted. It was my greatest challenge to date, and if my method worked for these pans it will work for any.

2. You can use the oven cleaner in a trash bag method (spray, put in a bag, leave a couple of days, and scrub with a wire brush) but I don't like the chemicals. You can use plain old lye, but I'm not a huge fan of this although it works. My method is to get a wire brush for my electric drill and just use some patience and elbow grease.

3. Run the pan through a self-clean cycle in an electric oven. I just did nine pieces at once, including the four horribly rusted sukiyaki pans.

4. Use the brush/drill a bit more.

5. Use vinegar - soak for thirty minutes and scrub. At this point, you will have raw, exposed cast iron. It will rust INSTANTLY, so fast you can see it happen. No matter, it is just a thin layer and not the deep rust you just worked so hard to get rid of.

6. Warm the pans a few minutes (15) in a 200 degree oven.

7. Use a silicon brush an a bit of flaxseed oil to coat the pans. Flaxseed oil is available at most health food stores and is refrigerated as it goes bad easily. After brushing on, wipe with paper towels, getting as much off as you can. You can't have too thin a coat of oil.

8. Place upside down in the oven, open a window and turn on your fan, and crank the oven to 500 degrees. Set a timer for 90 minutes. This will allow them to come up to temperature and the bake at 500 for 60 minutes.

9. Turn off the oven, and come back when they are cool.

10. Repeat the warming, oiling, and 500-degree treatment. I go for five or six cycles.

11. If your pans are just crusted or have light rust, you can skip the wire brush/drill and the vinegar and just start with the self-cleaning step. What I've described here is for the worst-case scenario when you have a pan that seems hopeless. I've put many pans back into use that people thought were hopeless but a typical flea market pan is much easier to deal with.

The satisfaction of returning an old pan to use is tremendous, and is a very green endeavor.

The finish from the flaxseed oil is never patchy or gummy; it is a very durable seasoning. I'll usually do a batch of cornbread in a re-seasoned pan as just one batch will make the pan seem like one that has cared for and used for many years.

Look for old pans. Lodge is OK, but has a very rough finish. If you can find an old Wagner or Griswold, or any pan stamped with "Erie," you will be much happier than with a Lodge.

Years ago, people would store their cast iron in the oven, and the heat from the pilot light would maintain a perfect environment for the pans. Since those ovens are long gone, I just spray them with a bit of Pam and place some paper towels between the ones I have to stack in the cabinet.

I hope this helps.

For anyone still interested, I found the exact answer to my question in the comment section (thanks to Russell) of the article that was written by Sheryl. My problem was that using canola oil left the finish a little bit sticky. After doing it at low temperature twice and the result being a bit sticky, I used Russell's method exactly and it was perfect! This is definitely my method now. Here was Russell's comment on the other article:

Anyone want that glossy finish and not smoke up your house?
This is how I did it. You can use whatever oils you want.(Flax, sunflower, soy, canola…)

1. I used canola and wiped it on thin
2. Then you want to dry the oil by cooking below the smoke temperature at first. Canola smokes pretty hot at about 475F, so bake your pan at 350F for 1.5 – 2 hours, it will not all disappear in the form of smoke. Instead it will be slightly tacky.
3. This is where you follow the high heat advice and crank the temperature beyond the smoke point of the oil you’re using 475F-500F for canola for 1 hour. That bakes the dried oil on the pan and really does feel like smooth enamel and will no longer be tacky.
4. So it’s a combination of peoples advice that is the actual way to season a pan. Found out from experimentation. This also saves money on oil because it doesn’t all turn to smoke. Even when I baked on the tacky oil past smoke point at 500F it wasn’t that smokey in here. Didn’t even use my fan. Cool and repeat
Good luck