6 ms·
Linseed oil is the usual culprit. It oxidizes more readily than other oils at room temperature, and a pile of rags can insulate enough for the center to reach a
by black6 6y ago
Linseed oil is the usual culprit. It oxidizes more readily than other oils at room temperature, and a pile of rags can insulate enough for the center to reach autoignition temperatures. The low smoke point for linseed oil also makes it well-suited for seasoning cast-iron cookware (only be sure, please, not to use boiled linseed oil, as it contains lead.)
- Arainach 6y ago>low smoke point for linseed oil I would naively think you would want an oil with a high smoke point for seasoning. Can you elaborate on why a low smoke point is preferable?
- black6 6y agoYou want it to smoke when seasoning. That's an indication that free-radicals are being created which set off the polymerization of the oil and create the seasoning. Low smoke-point oils are more convenient because they start polymerizing at lower temps.
- black6 6y agoYou don't want it to smoke when cooking, because ingesting the free-radicals is generally considered unhealthy ;)
- TheSpiceIsLife 6y agoThis is a glaring connection I rarely see people make. In fact, I've been banging on about it for 15 or so years, and, I kid you not, you're the first person I've seen being this up. Strange! Unusual cross section of knowledge: I studied nutritional medicine in a formal capacity for four years 2000 through 2003 inclusive, and I'm also a welder by trade.
- jacquesm 6y agoAt the cross roads of knowledge domains interesting conclusions can be drawn, and sometimes fruitful cross pollination occurs. One thing about the successful founders that I know is that they are not confined to just one domain, and I have been wondering for a long time if that is a trait that helps them to be successful.
- refurb 6y agoThe free radicals don't stick around for very long, maybe seconds before they react with something else. And cooking in general create a bunch of carcinogens like acrylamide, etc. You can reduce it, but it's tough to eliminate it completely.
- biomcgary 6y agoMy wife uses linseed oil on cast iron. Almost as good as non-stick. Linseed oil has a lot of triply unsaturated α-linolenic acid, which is reactive (due to multiple double bonds) and supports polymerization. A few thin layers of linseed oil added to cast iron and baked to the smoke point create a beautiful sheen and make it easy to clean.
- c0nsumer 6y agoFinally, a reply that is correct. Thank you; too many people leave seasoning up to being some mystery when it's really just that straightforward. FWIW, I wrote this up a few years back after I went down the rabbit hole of seasoning pans, only to find that it's actually really simple and just as you describe: https://nuxx.net/blog/2014/01/24/well-seasoned-cast-iron-pans-flaxseed-oil/ https://nuxx.net/blog/2014/01/24/well-seasoned-cast-iron-pan...
- heavyset_go 6y agoLinseed oil is just flaxseed oil, and I've found that the latter term is used in cooking contexts, whereas linseed oil is a term used in various industries that use industrial grade flaxseed oil. I make this distinction because when I went to buy "linseed oil" to cook with on Amazon a while back, it brought me to various linseed oils that were not meant for human consumption.
- londons_explore 6y agoWhy would boiled oil have more lead?
- black6 6y agoLead oxide is a catalyst to polymerization. For wiping down and protecting wooden tool handles it's nice to have the oil harden quicker at room temperatures.