Smoke Point

[rotuts]

Well. this thread proves it. We might think we know stuff, ....

but we don't

but we can be interesting and chatty.

Edited November 5, 2012 by rotuts (log)

[gfweb]

I have tweeted Harold McGee, begging for help.

[paulraphael]

Smoke point has more to do with the level of refinement than the kind of oil.

 

I usually used a refined safflower oil, marketed as "high heat." It's what I use anyhow for sauteeing, it's not expensive, and it's very high in unsaturated fats, so seasoning things goes quickly.

 

I don't actually know how big a difference smoke point makes. To properly season a pan you have to go beyond the smoke point. If you're not carbonizing some of the oil, the finish will be sticky.

[rotuts]

I doubt that you need to go to the smoke point for oils to polymerize  

 

but your coating has to be thin or it is going to take a long time for the oil to ' dry '

 

why do I say this ?

 

Ive done a lot of woodworking and and oil finish is a very common finish.

 

boiled linseed is one of them , but there are newer concoctions that have ' drying ' agents mixed in.

 

along w other stuff that can give you a matt or gloss finish  etc

 

it take 24 - 48 hours for these thin coatings to ' dry ' and get ' hard '

 

no smoke point involved.

 

Im wondering if those who have had flaking w flax seed oil did not either develop very thin coats , or not let the coats completely polymerize

 

between applications.    once a layer is covered by another there might not be enough contact w oxygen for that layer that's n0ot completely 

 

polymerized and that area might flake off.

 

the key is  very thin layers , and a lot of patience between layers.

 

between layers Personal Beverages are helpful , in my experience.