Short Answer: Avocado oil can be used to season a carbon steel pan, but I wouldn’t recommend it because it might contain fibers that make your seasoning more fragile. Because some avocado oils contain small amounts of fibers that can burn and turn into carbon making your seasoning flake off and cause build up. Also other avocado oils are sold as such but in reality are not real avocado oils.
Avocado has seen a rise in popularity amongst health nuts and people looking to get into a healthier lifestyle. With that products made out of avocado have come up. Salsas, spreads, mayonaise, hummus, dips of all kinds and even desserts. Another product is avocado oil.
On paper avocado oil has all the specs to be the best candidate for seasoning carbon steel pans and cookware. However, in this article I’ll discuss why avocado oil might not be the best choice.
Do You Actually Have Avocado Oil?
There’s been a study done at UC Davis has found that about 80% of avocado oils are of poor quality, rancind or mixed with other cheaper oils, like safflower or soybean oil. Other companies use damaged or avocados or lower qualities, making it go rancid even before the expiration date.
So when you think you’re seasoning your pan with avocado oil, are you really using avocado oil? Or are you using something sold as avocado oil but instead is practically 100% soybean oil?
Please be mindful of what you’re buying because it might not be what you were looking for. And also, ask yourself, is it even smart to use avocado oil to season your pan? It’s expensive and the actual avocado oil is hard to come by, do you really want to spend more money on real avocado oil just to use it to season your pan? I personally think that other alternatives like canola, sunflower seeds and grapeseed oil are better and cheaper to season your pan.
Avocado Oil To Season Carbon Steel?
Technically, yes you can. However, in practice it’s not something I would recommend to do. Why is that? A few things actually – which might make you reconsider using avocado oil to season your brand new carbon steel pan.
The Smoke Point Is TOO High
Yes you read that right, it’s too high. To really get a nice seasoning the oil need to polymerize and bond to the metal of the pan. Meaning it needs to harden to get that non-stick like feature. You should usually see some smoke after a few minutes (usually 3-4 minutes) on high heat.
You might say “Hey! I see smoke coming off the pan, it should be working!”. Avocado oil often times is virgin, meaning it’s not refined, so it has other stuff, like fibers in it, similar to extra-virgin olive oil. Which are great for you, but not really good for seasoning.
It’s More Expensive Than Cheaper Alternatives
Compared to other cheaper options, real avocado oil is going to be quite expensive. Why use it just to season when you could use something cheap and available everywhere like grapeseed or canola oil?
Not only that, you’re probably going to have to order it online because real avocado oil is hard to come by. So if you buy it from somewhere else it’s likely to be mixed with other oils, which again leads to the question: Is it really avocado oil?
How Does Grapeseed Oil Compare?
Grapeseed oil is another alternative to avocado oil. It’s much easier to find, less expensive than avocado oil and it doesn’t contain any fiber.
It’s also very neutral tasting, which means you won’t taste anything while cooking, which is why it’s often used in restaurants.
So if you’re thinking about using avocado oil to season a carbon steel pan, maybe try grapeseed oil first. If you don’t like it, then you know where to look next.
What About Canola Oil?
This one is probably the most available and easy to find in any supermarket near you. Not only that but it’s also pretty inexpensive.
It has a high smoke point and it’s neutral tasting, making it perfect to use to season your pan. This one is also seen in a lot of restaurants to sear meats on high heat.
As a result, it’s one of the most recommended not only for carbon steel pans but also for cast iron cookware in lots of forums and threads on the internet.
Which One Should You Choose?
As you’ve seen, there are plenty of reasons not to choose avocado oil over other alternatives. But at the same time, as long as you’re careful, it shouldn’t hurt anything.
I’d go with either grapeseed or canola for now since they’re both safe and affordable. But if you want to take it up a notch, you can always switch to coconut oil. Coconut oil is amazing for cooking and it’s easily accessible anywhere. Plus, it’s super healthy for you.
But remember, don’t forget to keep an eye out for fake avocado oil. Sometimes it looks exactly like the real thing but it’s not. The best way to tell is to check the ingredients list. If it says avocado oil, then it’s probably the real deal. Otherwise, it’s probably fake.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many reasons why avocado oil isn’t the best option to season your pan. There are much safer and cheaper alternatives to use.
If you still want to try avocado oil, make sure you do some research before buying. Make sure you get the real deal and not some knockoff version.
And if you decide to give it a shot, please let me know how it turns out and let me know by either sending me an email with some photos.