Debate: Oven seasoning vs stovetop seasoning - which actually works better?

Honestly, I tried both methods last month on my new Lodge skillet, and oven seasoning at 450°F gave me a way more even coat than stovetop. But my buddy swears stovetop works fine if you use grapeseed oil. Has anyone else noticed a big difference in durability after a few cooks?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaron_gonzalez5d ago

Actually I remember seeing a test from this YouTube channel Cast Iron Cookware directly comparing seasonings. They baked oven seasoned pans at 400 degrees with vegetable oil and did stovetop seasoning with crisco. The oven came out way more consistent with no sticky spots and looked darker after five cycles. But the stovetop method actually held up better against scrambled eggs and acidic tomato sauce in their durability test. Kinda weird how the less pretty seasoning can sometimes be tougher.

caseyfox4d ago

And that matches what I've noticed too - my oven-seasoned skillet looked perfect out of the gate, but after a few rounds of bacon and eggs, the stovetop one actually felt slicker and more nonstick. I think the high heat in the oven can make the oil polymerize too fast, which looks nice but doesn't bond as tight to the metal compared to the slower stovetop buildup. So yeah, oven for looks, stovetop for actual cooking performance seems to be the real split here.