Seasoning aluminum cookware

[paulraphael]

A while ago in a thread about cast iron cookware, someone asked about seasoning bare aluminum pans, and posted a picture of one that was already well spotted with polymerized fat. Consensus was that this was just a dirty pan, and that she should wash it properly and drop the subject.

I started wondering why, and when recently confronted with an aluminum griddle that was turning brown and black, decided to experiment.

I scrubbed it, covered it with a thin film of safflower oil (high in polyunsaturated fat, smoke point listed as 440F) and cooked in a 500F oven. Every ten minutes or so I pulled it out and wiped on another thin layer of oil with a paper towel. After about five coats, and close to an hour's buildup of smoke in the kitchen, the griddle had a deep, glossy, brown-black coat. A perfect seasoning. It's practically bulletproof; it won't scrape or scrub off, is reasonably stick resistant, and water beads up on it as if it's greased.

Sticking is rarely a problem on griddles, but I'm finding it much easier to clean than when the metal was bare. I can report back when I've put a few more miles on it.

At any rate, I don't see any downside to this treatment. Makes me want an aluminum skillet that's 1/4" or more thick ... it could replace cast iron for many things.