Carbon steel pans

[Sleek-Jet]

My wife's favorite non-stick pan finally wasn't, so I ordered a new carbon steel pans off of Amazon last night.

My go-to pan is my old Lodge cast iron skillet, I cook everything in there except anything tomato based and I use my All-Clad pan for those dishes.

Kind of excited to try this out, everyone raves about how easy the pans season and that they are virtually non-stick.

Like guns, I have a serious cook wear fettish that I keep at bay most of the time. Maybe this pan will be then one that keeps the itch scratched for a while.

Which reminds me I've been looking at antique shotguns...

 

[Sleek-Jet]

So color me impressed. Pan showed up on Thursday. The biggest PITA of it is removing the wax covering the manufacturer puts on it to keep the pan from rusting in shipment. After that I seasoned it as directed and it took on a nice bronze color.

This morning I gave it the acid test, scrambled eggs. With a little butter in the pan nothing stuck and it cooked like cast iron, very even heating and no hot spots. A quick rinse under hot water to wash a few bits out and it was clean. Then just dry it out, put it back in the heat for a minute and oil it for storage.

Think I'm going to like this pan.

 

[Brobee]

Let’s see what you got. I have a small collection of cast iron that was originally my grandparents. It’s my daily go to set. I’m like you with my cookware. Sounds like you got a nice one.


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[Brobee]

Also I’m surprised you got it that fast. I can’t get anything off amazon faster than like 3 weeks.


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[pronstar]

Also I’m surprised you got it that fast. I can’t get anything off amazon faster than like 3 weeks.


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Nearly all of my Amazon orders state this, and they arrive 1-3 days later anyway.


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[Sleek-Jet]

Also I’m surprised you got it that fast. I can’t get anything off amazon faster than like 3 weeks.


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Yeah, scheduled delivery was on the 27th but they obviously got it done quicker.

 

[Sleek-Jet]

Yeah I know, the splash shield on the.stove is a mess, on my "to do" list.

 

[sintax]

glad you've had good luck with them. I picked one up and it really has not grown on me yet. I've gone through a few different seasoning exercises with it, but it still doesnt seem to hold up as well as my cast iron. It seems like sure enough something will stick and i'll have to end up taking off the seasoning in an area and having to reseason the whole pan.

I'm not giving up yet, but I'm just not "in love" I guess. What did you season with? I first did normal veg oil, then eventually broke out the expensive grapeseed oil and got the best seasoning using the oven method.

 

[Sleek-Jet]

The instructions said to use oil, salt and potato skins. Used vegetable oil. Seemed to work but I didn't get the same showoff seasoning that the people on YouTube get. Cooked salmon tonight, worked well again. I will say I haven't gotten the glass slick season you see in the videos, but nothing is stuck either, food lifts clean off the pan.

After cleaning I go through the same routine as my cast iron skillet. Heat it back up with a little oil till it smokes then wipe it out and let it cool.

I still like my cast iron better (so far) but this is a good replacement for an aluminum pan with Teflon on it.

 

[Xring01]

I bought myself a Star Gazer awhile back

Stargazer | Cast Iron Cookware Made in USA

Cast iron skillets made in the USA: Stargazer is based in Allentown, PA.

stargazercastiron.com

Its expensive, but damn its worth it. When it comes to cooking seafood. I am the snobbiest of snobs on the fucking planet. Nothing cooks seafood like cast iron.

Puts that perfect sear/color which I love. No restaurant in the world that cooks better scallops or fish than mine.

I am not saying that the Star Gazer is worth more than the lodge or other brands. They all get the job done, But I till say the stargazer is not as porous as the other brands. Has a much smoother finish. Nothing sticks to this thing at all. Its almost stupid proof. After you done cooking/eating... Get some hot water out of the sink, put it in the pan. Let it sit a minute or so. Grab kitchen scrubbing brush (no soap).. 2-3 swipes around the pan. Pour it out, rinse it, wipe water off. Oil it... ready for the next use. Lodge cast irons are the same process, just a bit more scrubbing at times. Pending what I cooked.

I also have steel ones, that I bought at Army Navy story in Temecula. they are not as good as cast iron, but I do use them on acidic things that I dont want to mess up my good cast iron with. ( I would love any advice you have on conditioning the steel ones... I am obviously missing something)

Another key cooking item I have. Is a Martha Stewart Enameled Dutch Oven. Huge oval shaped. I bought it years ago for $89 or $99. Loved it so much I bought the same one for my sister, and Sister in laws, neices , family members that love cooking. Great Xmas gifts.

Another key thing I use every day...
Shun - Blue Steel 7" Knife. Its pretty much the only knife I use in the kitchen. Every time I use it, I wash it immediately, and put it away. In 3 years or more, I have only sharpened it once. Once a month I use the round honing knife thingy on it and its back to razor sharp... every 2 years or so, a few swipes on japanese stones. Its was ready to roll. Honestly, its my favorite knife I have every owned. I am picky, cause I have XXL hands, knife that fits my hand is a necessity. Stays starp, love the blade shape.

 

[Sleek-Jet]

I thought about a LAM thread on my kitchen stuff...

• Lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet. Had it for well over a decade now. I've reseasoned it a few times mainly because I end up cooking the wrong thing in it and strip the seasoning.
• All-Clad 14 inch saute pan. Probably the most expensive pan I have. Bought it with a William's Sanoma gift card from my wedding. Great stainless steel pan that is all one piece. I use it for acidic recipes that don't play well with the cast iron.
• Lodge 8 qt enameled cast iron pot. This is what I have instead of a Dutch oven. All soups get made in this pot.
• A set of Shun knives, a birthday present from my wife years ago. Nothing like really nice cutlery.
• Various el-cheapo pots and pans. When my brother got divorced I somehow got his cookware and still use some of it.
• A Boos cutting board. All my food gets prepped on this, it now has lots of character. I need to sand it down a gain to smooth it back out.

And last but not least, my Viking stove. It was in the house when we bought it. Up to this point I've always cooked on general cooktop/stoves. But I don't think I could go back at this point. What a great piece of machinery.

 

[sintax]

The instructions said to use oil, salt and potato skins. Used vegetable oil. Seemed to work but I didn't get the same showoff seasoning that the people on YouTube get. Cooked salmon tonight, worked well again. I will say I haven't gotten the glass slick season you see in the videos, but nothing is stuck either, food lifts clean off the pan.

After cleaning I go through the same routine as my cast iron skillet. Heat it back up with a little oil till it smokes then wipe it out and let it cool.

I still like my cast iron better (so far) but this is a good replacement for an aluminum pan with Teflon on it.

hahaha ya, i tried this first, i did not like this method at all

 

[Sleek-Jet]

I'm not sure what the potato skins do, I think they just act as a timing devise. "Keep doing this until they are crispy". If I have to completely re-season I'll use a different technique.

 

[Sleek-Jet]

So after a couple weeks of living with this pan I came to a conclusion. This a great piece of kitchen equipment, and I didn't buy one big enough.

My cast iron skillet is 12", with about an 11.5" cooking surface. More than enough for 4 pork chops, chicken thighs steaks or even salmon fillets. I ordered the 11 5/8 inch steel pan. However due to the slope of the sides that only gives me about a 9 1/2 inch cooking surface. What ends up happening is the food gets a bit crowded, and when that happens a lot of steam is produced. This seems to strip the seasoning off. As long as I can keep the meat from touching in the pan it is all good and the seasoning stays on the pan. I imagine as the pan seasons due to use that this will not be as much of an issue.

But I'm going to order a larger one anyway...

 

[BUSTI]

de Buyer mineral B pans are my go to.