How To Season A Cast Iron Skillet With Avocado Oil

Can I use avocado oil to season a cast iron skillet?

In this article, we will be discussing how to season a cast iron skillet with avocado oil.

Avocados are an amazing fruit used in many ways other than eating them, and seasoning cast iron just happens to be one of them.

I really enjoy eating avocados, too, though. I like to slice them and eat them with salt and pepper. And I definitely love making and eating guacamole out of them too!

But in this article, we are not talking about eating an avocado or making guacamole.

The big question was, can avocados and, more specifically, avocado oil be used to season cast iron?

The short answer is, yes, you can, and one of the biggest benefits of using avocado oil to season cast iron is its smoke point.

What Is Smoke Point

In case you are not aware of what is meant by the smoke point of an oil, it is the point at which that particular oil begins to smoke when it is heated.

When the oil is heated above its smoke point, at that point is when it begins to break down.

You may be wondering what temp to season cast iron with avocado oil and what I will typically do is heat it at the smoke point or just slightly below that temperature for best results.

Avocado oil has the highest smoke point of all seed or plant-based cooking oils. Lodge’s chart shows an avocado oil polymerization temperature of 520 degrees, making it an excellent choice for seasoning cast iron. 

You want to use a high smoke point oil, so the seasoning on your cast iron skillet doesn’t chip or flake off when heated to higher temperatures.

In addition, avocado oil has a neutral smell. So you won’t have any weird tastes or odors when you use it for seasoning your cast iron pan.

Cast Iron Seasoning

I don’t always use any oil when seasoning cast iron skillets. But, when I do, I use avocado oil, grapeseed oil, and bacon grease to establish an ideal base layer of seasoning.

What is seasoning exactly?

Cast iron seasoning is something that many people feel is a complicated process, which it really isn’t.

Seasoning the cast iron is necessary to protect it from moisture penetrating the iron and causing it to rust. And that’s the sole purpose of seasoning cast iron.

But that poses another question.

What is the BEST OIL for seasoning cast iron? 

There are so many views and opinions surrounding seasoning cast iron, but cast iron seasoning is really not that complicated.

I’m certainly not an exception because I have opinions about the best oil for seasoning cast iron.

Generally speaking, when I purchase a new piece of cast iron, whether it’s Lodge or some other brand, all I do is just wash it, dry it, and begin cooking in it, as seen here.

Most of the time, I use bacon grease because I cook a lot of bacon.

But grapeseed oil is great for seasoning cast iron as well.

But we’re talking about avocado oil.

Avocado oil has the highest smoke point of all the other oils.

So that makes it an excellent choice to season your cast iron.

But always remember this. Seasoning is nothing more than a very thin layer of oil baked onto the cast iron.

You just don’t want to apply too much!

How To Season A Cast Iron Skillet With Avocado Oil

As I mentioned earlier, seasoning cast iron is a process that is not extremely complicated.

The video below demonstrates my steps to season a cast iron skillet with avocado oil.

In Conclusion

If you use cast iron for cooking, seasoning is something that we have to do to maintain our cast iron to keep them in good shape and protected from rusting.

What is the best oil to choose when seasoning cast iron? Again, it will come down to what you find works the best for you.

I cook so much bacon that my cast iron stays in good shape year-round. And avocado oil is great for cooking steak too!

But, if you need to season your cast iron pan, avocado oil is one that I highly recommend you try.

Leave us a comment and let us know what oil you use and what oil you would never use!