That's me, working hard in my lab creating the perfect formula for my new product I call: Zeeswax. Ok so it's a stock photo and it's not me, but I did create a new product! Seriously! Here are the deets!
What is Zeeswax? A wax compound for maintaining and seasoning cast iron and carbon steel cookware that I developed after watching too many YouTube, Ticky-Tok and Facebook/Instagram Reels videos. I carefully selected ingredients including Organic Grapeseed Oil, Organic Sunflower Oil, and because I've got a guy, locally sourced Arizona Organic Beeswax. (Thanks Rusk Backyard Apiary!)
Why Zeeswax? I hate maintaining my cast iron pans and other cookware. As a result, I barely use them and they sit on a shelf collecting dust. I also succumbed to the misinformation that cast Iron is too delicate and too much work! After watching my cast iron heroes restore and season their cookware, I started my own journey to restore my collection. They came out great! But now the fun really started!
Once I got them cleaned up, I had to figure out what to use to season and more importantly, maintain these pans once they were brought back to life... So I did as everyone does, I went to Amazon and started shopping... What a joke, the stuff that some of the major manufacturers sell for seasoning is literally canola oil in a can (I'm looking at you Lodge.) Not to mention overwhelming. There are a lot of products on the market that you can buy: liquids, pastes, sprays, you name it, they make it. And if you actually look at the ingredients of those products, they're often using inferior oils, or many times they won't even tell you what actual oils they use. So I went deeper down the cast iron rabbit hole and came out the other side with my own recipe. But this yielded a lot of oil, so I thought, other people are obviously in this same predicament, so why not package it up and sell it?
So Zeeswax was born! I mentioned earlier that there is a lot of misinformation surrounding cast iron. And I'm here to tell you that it's neither delicate nor too much work! Just clean it with soap and water (yes, you can use soap on cast iron), dry it off, apply a thin layer of Zeeswax, wipe off the excess, and store your pan. It's that easy.
So whether you're restoring antique cast iron, seasoning, or maintaining your current collection, Zeeswax will have your pans looking and performing great for literally generations to come! And did I mention that it's also great for carbon steel cookware? Because it is! My carbon steel wok has never looked better!
This sounds amazing, where can I buy Zeeswax? Well, you can't. Yet. Zeeswax is currently in production. But you can get on the preorder list by emailing me at: zachgarcia at yahoo dot com. I have a limited amount of beeswax for my initial run so supplies will be limited. This means getting your orders in sooner than later. Zeeswax will come in a 2-ounce tin and will cost $12 (plus shipping if you're outside of my delivery zone). Zeeswax is proudly made in Arizona and is 100% organic. I am working on the ecommerce site at zeeswax.com but you may also Venmo me @zachgarcia76 with your order. Just mention Zeeswax in the comment.
How to use Zeeswax:
Maintenance: After cleaning and drying, apply a thin layer to the cooking surface with a paper towel or rag. And probably the most important step: Wipe off the excess oil with a clean paper towel or rag. If you leave excess oil on your pan it will get tacky/sticky. Simply removing the excess oil will prevent this from happening.
Seasoning: Apply a thin layer to the entire utensil. Wipe off the excess oil with a clean paper towel or rag. Place in 450° oven for one hour. Repeat if necessary. (More than likely you're going to want to repeat this multiple times. 4 seems to be a sweet spot. But some pans might take as many as 5 or 6 coats. Be patient, don't skip steps. Bad initial seasoning treatment is often how good pans go bad.)
*Any 'sediment' that may, though not often, appear is a natural occurrence from the rendering process of the beeswax, and is completely safe and does not change the function of the Zeeswax.
**This product is intended only for the use of seasoning and maintaining cast iron and carbon steel cookware, and is not sold, promoted, or intended as a food product and therefore is not under regulation by the FDA/USDA.