She may be right that flax oil is better, but I don't think she gives the right reason. I don't think she knows what she's talking about as far as the science g

She may be right that flax oil is better, but I don't think she gives the right reason. I don't think she knows what she's talking about as far as the science goes -- I'm far from an expert, but I believe most cooking oils will polymerize through exposure to oxygen and heat -- it doesn't require special drying oils. There's a traditional black smith's finish to make an almost indestructible coating by rubbing some beeswax on steel heated to the smoke point... I imagine it's the same process when seasoning a cast iron pan with cooking oil. BTW, There seem to be a lot of people looking for cast iron pans... Keep a lookout at garage sales and swap meets. You can usually find pans without too much trouble, and for around $5--$10 or so. As far as seasoning goes, I just wipe some olive oil on and heat it 'till it smokes, let it sit, and repeat three or so times. As far as I can tell the oil forms a tough plastic-like coating. The only thing that'll damage it in normal use is cutting into it with a sharp knife or the edge of a spatula, or burning the coating off by getting the pan too hot. Flax oil max stick less, or be slightly better in some other way, but I doubt there is much of a difference.