I started seasoning my cast iron with mayo and it actually worked better than oil

I was tired of my skillet flaking after every bacon batch, so I tried mayo after a buddy from a diner in Chicago swore by it. The egg test passed on the first try and the finish was way more even than my usual canola method. Has anyone else tried this or am I just lucky with a weird experiment?

2 comments

2 Comments

skyler51622d ago

Every time I tried grapeseed it flaked worse than mayo.

jamies4522d ago

actually worked better than oil" - hold up, man. I gotta push back on this one. Mayo is just oil and eggs, so you're basically seasoning with oil plus extra stuff that can burn off weird. I've been cooking with cast iron for like 15 years and the whole "mayo trick" seems like a gimmick diner guys swear by because they're always in a rush. The egg test passing right away doesn't mean much, it could just be that mayo has lecithin which helps stick temporarily. That even finish you saw? It might peel or flake in a month once the moisture in the mayo cooks out. Stick with high smoke point oils like grapeseed or avocado, they're cheaper and way more predictable. I've seen too many people mess up their pans chasing shortcuts, lol.