Which Oil Should You Use to Season Your Frying Pan?
You've just unpacked your brand-new frying pan – and you can hardly wait to get cooking. And no wonder: there's so much you can make in a great pan.
But before you start searing the perfect steak or sizzling vegetables, your cast iron or carbon steel pan needs a little preparation. By seasoning the pan with oil, you build up a so-called seasoning – a natural layer that protects the pan and gives it a built-in non-stick effect.
There's a tried-and-tested method to get your new pan off to the best possible start – and it all begins with choosing the right oil.
In this guide, we'll walk you through which oils are best for seasoning your frying pans, and which ones you should reach for when frying.
See our selection of pots and pans here.
The Best Oils for Seasoning a New Pan – and Building Natural Non-Stick
To build the best possible seasoning on your frying pan, you'll want to choose a neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point – or our seasoning paste.
We recommend oils such as rapeseed oil, grapeseed oil or sunflower oil, and we'd suggest steering clear of oils with a low smoke point. That means avoiding butter, sesame oil and your good extra virgin olive oil when it comes to seasoning your pan.
A little tip: when it comes to seasoning, the cheapest oils are often the best. As a general rule, cold-pressed oils aren't suitable for frying or seasoning.
1. Our supermarket favourite: Grapeseed oil
Grapeseed oil is a little pricier than the other two oils in this guide, but if you can get your hands on it, it's our clear favourite from the supermarket shelf. With a smoke point of around 216 °C, it builds a strong, durable seasoning – and works wonderfully for everyday frying too.
2. The easiest to find: Refined rapeseed oil
When most people think of cooking oil, rapeseed oil is usually one of the first that springs to mind. Its taste is fairly neutral and its smoke point sits around 204 °C – which makes it an excellent choice for seasoning your frying pan.
Just keep one thing in mind: go for a basic, refined rapeseed oil rather than the fine, cold-pressed variety, which has a much lower smoke point and isn't suitable for the job.
3. The highest smoke point: Sunflower oil
Sunflower oil boasts the highest smoke point of the three – somewhere between 230 and 250 °C, depending on how refined it is. That makes it another excellent option, and like rapeseed oil, you'll find it on almost every supermarket shelf.
4. Our own: Seasoning paste
We've also developed our very own seasoning paste, which can be used for both seasoning a new pan and for ongoing care. It's made from a perfectly balanced blend of beeswax and natural oils – and gives truly outstanding results. To set the seasoning paste properly, the pan needs to reach around 225 °C.
Which Oil Is Best for Seasoning Frying Pans?
While rapeseed oil and sunflower oil both work perfectly well, our top recommendations for seasoning are always grapeseed oil or our seasoning paste.
Which Oils Should You Avoid for Seasoning?
When seasoning carbon steel pans, avoid oils that are full of flavour or have a low smoke point. That includes flaxseed oil, sesame oil and olive oil – and butter is a no-go too.
Why Is It So Important to Season Your Carbon Steel Pan With Oil?
Seasoning – i.e. treating your pan with oil – is essential for cooking, cleaning and the long-term care of your pan.
A well-seasoned pan is much easier to clean, as the natural non-stick layer from the oil keeps food from sticking. At the same time, the thin layer of polymerised oil protects the pan against rust and corrosion.
Once your frying pan has built up a good seasoning, you'll quickly notice that it combines the very best qualities of cast iron, non-stick and standard steel pans – all in one.
Seasoning your frying pan with oil may sound like a fiddly task at first, but trust us: you won't regret it. The reward comes almost immediately, in the form of a versatile, hard-wearing pan that will serve you well for many years to come.
Now that you know which oil to use, the next step is putting it into practice.
