![cKW5y4xokqs65J84WBUSiDv8E6_8dIukviHW5tSCkmw[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/XV30Sq1.jpg "cKW5y4xokqs65J84WBUSiDv8E6_8dIukviHW5tSCkmw[1].jpg")
So how does one achieve an even black seasoning? I've tried a few times and it always comes out mahogany and splotchy. I use flaxseed oil, apply a bare amount, spread it around with paper towel, then buff it with a clean paper towel. Oven at 500 or so for an hour or two and then I just let it cool down in the oven. What am I doing wrong? Too little oil? Not evenly spread enough? Temperature/time issues?
I'm at a loss.
>>7453522
Too much oil. Turn the pan upside down when you put it in the oven. Wipe it out again after it's been in for 15 minutes. You're on the right track. Don't forget you'll probably need to do it 2 or 3 times as well.
![Qt6XXHG[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/NOlLOMi.jpg "Qt6XXHG[1].jpg")
>>7453536
I've done 5 or so coats on this pan and its still pretty similar (lighting makes it look more black than it actually is). Forgot to mention, but pan is always upside down during seasoning.
As someone said, too much oil. Apply a decent amount to coat it entirely, then reapply periodically, but be sure to wipe the excess off. It blackens with usage.
>>7453522
Flaxseed oil is extremely inconstant for color. Many cast iron collectors wont use it for that reason. On the other hand people who don't give a shit about even color. Flaxseed will give you a darker and very good starting seasoning for cast iron.
I use unrefined coconut oil for few reasons. Mostly because I always have it. Other reasons are it's naturally anti-fungal, and antibacterial. So I never have to worries about a pan that sits a long time with excess oil. I have never had a pan spoil even when I used olive oil but I don't think it's a bad idea.
I have both used lard and olive oil. Olive oil worked best out of those two.
And if you want a dark as night pan. You need to cook greasy shit in that mother fucker for years. Let the layers build up.
The super clean dark pans you see online are mostly good lighting. In a real kitchen the dark pans are the ones with years of carbon build up on them. And in all honesty those pans are some what more dirty then needed.
>>7453522
Crisco shortening.
Heat up the pan on the stove, apply liberally with a paper towel or somesuch, but not liberally enough to leave a puddle in the bottom of the pan.
Put in oven at 500 for an hour while right-side up.
EZPZ
>>7453522
Just start cooking some shit in, anon. You cannot replicate a thoroughly seasoned pan without cooking in it. It takes time. What you have done is set a base seasoning, not the seasoning it will acquire with use.
Just buy non stick or stainless steel (preferably one of each) and stop worrying about this shit
You want a very small amount of oil, like half a teaspoon. Spread it all over with a towel, then wipe again with a clean paper towel. It should not look wet. Another sign that you're using too much oil is if it feels sticky after heating.
Heat it for about 30 minutes, then apply another layer. There's really no limit on how many layers you can add. More is better, so if you have a whole day you could well add 20+ layers. Ideally you would do a sort of on-going seasoning as you use it - every time after you've used the pan, wash it, dry it, heat it on the stove and apply another layer of seasoning and let cool.
>>7455877
This.
>>7453856
This. OP what did you think, you could season your pan without actually cooking anything?
Just cook stuff in it. Yes, at first it might stick a little. Boo hoo. Keep cooking stuff in it, don't use more than a teeeeeny drop of soap to clean it if you must, and don't use the scrubby part of a sponge to wipe it off. Then put it away with a razor thin coat of oil. It will eventually develop a nice seasoning.
>>7455877
This 100%. Spending time learning to do things is dumb when you can just have your hand held throughout life.
>>7456067
Unfortunately I don't have the book anymore, but one of my old Uncle John's Bathroom Readers had a detailed guide on how to make your own Jell-O. It involved scraping horse or pig bones clean, boiling them in a vat, cooling the whole thing so you can separate out the gelatin, then using chemicals to basically bleach the gelatin so it doesn't taste like meat, and then how to prepare it and add your own color and flavorings. The entire process takes around a week or so.
The article ends with "Or you could go to the grocery store and pay 99 cents for a box of Jell-O." Doing it yourself isn't black and white thanks to a convenience-based society and economies of scale.
Aside from that, you're comparing apples to oranges to begin with. Something comparable would be "go out and buy a preseasoned pan" or "pay somebody else to recondition the pan," not "get a pan that avoids the disadvantages of having to care for cast iron ever"
>>7456096
Enjoy your post-apoc.
>>7453522
The color doesn't really matter. It will still work fine even with a coloration like that, though as you cook in it, it will turn blacker over time.
Some richfag want to try using this to season a cast iron/carbon steel pan? Should give the toughest coating of anything.
https://www.fishersci.com/shop/products/linoleic-acid-99-acros-organics-3/p-4509596
You castcucks sure crack me up every time.
>>7456065
>muh superior cast iron cookware
>yeah it's going to stick sometimes, deal with it
>don't want to spend hours of time and effort seasoning and maintaining it? g-grow up!
>what do you mean you want to cook something else than bacon on it?
>and you can't wash it in the dishwasher
>or use soap to clean it
>or use an abrasive to scrub it
>or soak it in water
>or cook anything acidic in it
>b-but it's durable
No shit, a fucking porcelain frying pan would last a 100 years if you had to treat it with the same level of care as cast iron.
>>7456112
I'm diabetic. I'll die within a month without medication. I don't worry about it.
>>7453568
i chubbed
