this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2024
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Different types of oils form different polymerized surfaces, too. Related to the greentext, some people came up with the idea of flaxseed as the best oil for seasoning cast iron based on some theorycrafting about chemistry at a high school level, and it turned out that flaxseed oil seasoning chips and flakes really, really easily.
So there are a bunch of people out there doing it wrong and complaining that it's too fussy.
How about olive oil? Does it work and make anything you cook smell/taste more delicious?
Also, I've heard some mention that cast iron pans can infuse your food with more iron, but wouldn't the seasoning block that? Or do iron ions move through the seasoning over time?
It's pretty likely that the temperature needed to polymerize the oil would destroy whatever compounds are responsible for making olive oil taste and smell the way it does. Plus, if done well, seasoning creates a permanent bond between the polymer and the metal, so you probably wouldn't get anything to come out of the seasoning into the food.
As for adding iron to the food, you might be thinking of acidic foods causing iron to leech out into the food. If the seasoning is "perfect" then this might not happen, but any weakspots in the seasoning can allow acids to corrode the pan if they're left there long enough. Common advice you'll find is to avoid cooking acidic food for long periods of time (e.g., simmering tomato sauce for several hours)
No there are actual cast iron trinkets you can cook with to fortify your food with iron. I can't answer if that same effect would work through seasoning though.