Funny, I actually go over the smoke point to polymerize. I use ghee and cook at 525 for 1 hour, repeating the process for additional layers. It makes beautifully smooth and hard finishes.
Literature on the subject has been highly contradictory in my experience. Some argue that the oil or fat should be below smoke point, and others say it should be over. I personally avoid Crisco, vegetable oil and seed oils in my cooking and I extend that to seasoning as well.
Ghee has worked fantastically for me but it’s another case of he-said-she-said, with half the internet thinking it is the perfect cooking and seasoning fat, and the other half decrying it for a higher rate of spoiled or rancid seasoning — issues I’ve personally yet to come across. Everyone’s mileage varies so much with cast iron, doesn’t it?
Funny, I actually go over the smoke point to polymerize. I use ghee and cook at 525 for 1 hour, repeating the process for additional layers. It makes beautifully smooth and hard finishes.
Literature on the subject has been highly contradictory in my experience. Some argue that the oil or fat should be below smoke point, and others say it should be over. I personally avoid Crisco, vegetable oil and seed oils in my cooking and I extend that to seasoning as well.
Ghee has worked fantastically for me but it’s another case of he-said-she-said, with half the internet thinking it is the perfect cooking and seasoning fat, and the other half decrying it for a higher rate of spoiled or rancid seasoning — issues I’ve personally yet to come across. Everyone’s mileage varies so much with cast iron, doesn’t it?