I was wondering what oil to use to season a baking steel.

It is A36 steel (not cast iron)

I had some plates cut by a steel vendor and will prep them for use as pizza steel/baking steel, rather than pay for a baking steel (tm)

Baking steel (tm) recommends flax seed oil.

I was wondering if anyone would know why they would suggust flaxseed oil over other types? For example, avacodo oil that has a higher smoke point. What about using something cheaper and more common like conola oil or vegetable oil? What about crisco?

Any and all of them should work fine as long as you don't exceed the smoke point for too long and burn it all off the steel.

i have been googling the topic and not finding much other than people using flax seed oil

i looked at the thread about cast iron vs carbon steel pans...some ideas in there, plus googling about a carbon steal pan instead of baking steel yielded more results

it actually seems like the lower smoke point oils are preferred, and flax seed is the favorite

i am not thrilled about this,but i may end up using that

14 pcs of steel 16" x 15" x 3/8" thick to be transformed into pizza steel

I used flaxseed oil and got a nice dark seasoning on a carbon steel pan.

Really depends on what temps you plan on using the baking steel at...if you plan on using it at 450+ you might want to use a high smoke point oil...if it's really only up to 425 and lower, it shouldn't matter much.

Flaxseed oil is the new hotness...but before that, it was a different oil, and before that it was crisco/lard...they all worked just fine.

I bought my flax seed at my local supermarket and it seasoned my cast iron up great.  

I do use spray vegetable oil (house brand of Pam baking spray) and bake the rinsed and dried-off pan as in-between seasoning to keep it slick and cover scratches from the spatula. I seems to work pretty good for me but I count vouch for any of the others being better or worse.

That looks heavy.  

Me?  I'd try Crisco first, and if I didn't like the results I'd cook/wash it off and try something else.

thats a good point, i plan to use at a minim of 500, possibly as i high as 700

but....they guy that sells the baking steel (tm) that runs then that hot, used flax seed oil

406lbs

i transferred them to a regular size pallet so i can move it around with a pallet jack

i need to grind the burr off the edge, soak in vinegar to remove mill scale, then oil them and season some of them

this will all be sold or gifted, so I will leave seasoning up to those that receive them

Once the steel is PROPERLY seasoned, you don't need to worry about the smoke point of the oil you used to season it.  You have a created a polymerized coating that is very heat resistant.  That's why you can season the bottom of a pan and not worry about it when you set it on a burner.



 

I disagree.  At 700ºF  for any more than 15 minutes it will start burning the polymerization off of the pan.  

I strip all my new pieces in the oven on self clean.  Burns literally everything off the pan and gives me a good base to apply the new seasoning on.

Of course, a pizza at 700ºF for 15 minutes will be a hunk of carbon...so he should be fine for the short cooking times at those temps.

I'm not sure what temp or how long the self clean cycle on an oven is.....It will completely remove the seasoning.

Or, you could just wash it in warm, soapy water.  According to cast iron skillet lore, simply storing a pan in the same kitchen with a bottle of dish soap will apparently remove years of seasoning in a matter of seconds.

For a Pizza Steel, I don't think you need or want any seasoning on the floor. Higher temps for pizza will cause it to burn off, anyway. I have been using a pizza steel for 5 years and never saw the need to season. BTW, I like how they cook.

I had a custom steel made from BakingSteel.com. It is the size of the inside of my oven, minus 2 inches on all sides.

ETA: I see from BakingSteel's website that they preseason their steels. Who knew? haha. You could have fooled me.

So, if you need to, maybe season with some Avocado Oil. It is a high burning temp oil. Costco has a good price on a bottle.

Seasoning prevents the steel from rusting... mine (homemade from A36 sheet, 1/2" thick) will most certainly rust if the seasoning gets worn in one area.

That being said, the reason for oils like flaxseed etc is that they have a lower polymerization temperature so the season process goes smoother/faster. You can use any oil you want. I use flaxseed and run my oven at 550 when baking pizza and haven't had any issues with the seasoning burning off. I have had issues with "flops" (toppings sliding off) essentially stressing the season off. Like when cleaning a skillet, when you get it rip roaring hot then dump water in and it removes everything on the bottom of the skillet, the cold toppings hitting the hot steel will do the same to your seasoning...

how many coat/bake/cool cycles did you do with the flax seed oil?

I can't recall, 3-5 I'm guessing with the occasional touchup every now and then.

For Pizza I wouldn't bother to do much more than give it a light coating of flax seed oil or a spray of PAM just to keep it from rusting.





Pizzas need to 'float' on a layer of corn meal so the crust doesn't scorch...and it adds amazing flavor as the corn meal toasts.





This shows the concept of putting cornmeal on your 'pizza paddle', but it's kind of lame and is full of erroneous shit.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrEmMXSgRmU





When you roll out your dough and need to get it onto the paddle, dust it with flour and fold it in half - then fold it in half again so it's a quarter wedge. Put a liberal layer of yellow cornmeal on your 'pizza paddle' and spread it out really well.





Now you can pick up your 'quarter circle' of dough, set it on the paddle and unfold it. Take a paint brush and brush off the excess flour from the top surface. You finish building your pizza while it's on the paddle.





Sauce, cheese, toppings and a handful of cheese on top and you're ready to slide it onto your platen in your oven. You use a 'pizza peel' to help slide it off the paddle.





Sliding the pizza off the paddle using a peel takes a bit of a 'touch' or it will snag and accordion up on you. Kind of getting the whole thing moving towards the back of the oven...then quickly pulling the paddle out from under the pizza while pushing with the peel. Takes practice.










Incidentally, this is a pizza paddle:





This is a peel. It's a metal blade:





This is a pizza oven brush. Brass bristles. Flip it over and it has a scraper edge. You just need to brush off the cornmeal and any topping/cheese that got onto your platen and your good to go: