Brushing your cast iron grill grates with oil is a crucial last step in grill cleaning. It protects them and ensures the grill is ready to go every time you go to use it again. There are a lot of different oils you can use, but some of our favorites are canola, vegetable, olive and of course, bacon grease.
You're not treating the metal itself so oil in the food is sufficient. There isn't enough surface area on the grates to hold oil and the steel doesn't get seasoned the same way or have the same risk of rusting that cast iron does. Cast iron grates need the oil to maintain seasoning and not rust.
The cool food lowers the temp of the grates and will keep that burnt oil residue off the food. But you want to use an oil that has a high smoke point. Most refined cooking oils will do the job. I use an inexpensive refined olive oil which has a higher smoke point (over 450°F) than extra virgin olive oil (about 375°F).
Using oil prevents food from sticking and helps to add another layer of seasoning as you cook.
Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) are essential for the operation of many restaurant kitchens. Without cooking oil and grease, restaurants would not be able to deep fry or grill the foods they serve to perfection.
Preheat and clean your grill before each use to prevent food from sticking and to ensure optimal cooking results. Coat the grill grates with high smoke points oils, such as canola or avocado oil, to create a non-stick barrier that also enhances the flavour.
Sticking. The Cause: Occasionally food may stick to your cast iron cookware. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as not using enough fat or oil when cooking, using cookware that isn't well seasoned, or when breaking in new cookware that hasn't built up additional layers of seasoning.
Oil, especially canola oil (bad, unhealthy oil), should not be used. If a quick oiling (not seasoning) in between is desired, it's best to use a high temperature oil like avocado. A quick rub can do the trick, if your pan looks a bit dry. I have one pan that is about 100 years old!
Remove cast iron grill top from the base and wash it in hot, soapy water while scrubbing rust spots with steel wool. (Scrub ONLY the rust spots with steel wool.) Rinse and dry thoroughly with a lint-free cloth. Then re-season.
All cooking oils and fats can be used for seasoning cast iron, but based on availability, affordability, effectiveness, and having a high smoke point, Lodge recommends vegetable oil, melted shortening, or canola oil, like our Seasoning Spray.
Without this layer of carbonized oil, iron cookware would corrode and rust due to the oxygen and moisture in the air. On a microscopic level, cast iron has a jagged, uneven surface. This texture provides more surface area for the seasoning to bond and adhere to the iron.
For high-heat grilling, we recommend using oils with the highest smoke points, ranging from 400°F to 450°F. Vegetable and canola oil perform really well at high temperatures and are probably the most commonly used oils in grilling.
When using carbon-steel and cast-iron pans, some people like to heat the dry pan first, then add the oil. This is because high heat causes the oil to oxidize and polymerize, allowing it to bond to the metal, filling in any small pits and divots—a process that seasons the pan, essentially giving it a nonstick surface.
First, it's helpful to know that when people warn against "ruining" a cast-iron skillet, usually they're talking about the seasoning. Cast-iron pans improve every time you use them, thanks to an accumulation of polymerized oil and fat particles baked onto the surface.
You should only need to fully re-season your cast-iron cookware one to two times a year, but you may also want to give it some extra seasoning love anytime you cook something that requires a heavy-duty cleaning.
The method to cooking with cast iron on the stovetop is HEAT, do not add the cooking oil until the pan feels hot, because the oil will be the benchmark of the pan's readiness. If the butter sizzles, pan's ready. Oil slides across the pan with easy, pan's ready. Oil is a tool you can use in cast iron skillet cooking!
Make sure the entire surface, including all corners, is coated thoroughly. Do not use salted fat such as margarine or butter. Fire your grill up again and let it heat at low-medium heat (200-400 degrees) for 30 minutes. This will bake the oil into the cast iron and create a protective non-stick layer.
Hold the spatula near the hot skillet, and apply a small amount of neutral cooking oil or butter. (A cold smashing tool can create sticking, so a bit of grease and heat helps.)
Burgers and other fast-cooking meals need turning every so often, so all you'd be doing is opening and closing the lid, which defeats the point of trapping air, moisture, and smoke. Grilling at this temperature will cook the insides of your food too, so there's no advantage to grilling with the lid closed.