Carbon steel is a material known for developing a natural non-stick patina.
This means that the surface develops its colour and appearance over time as the pan is used.
This change in appearance may cause some doubt as to whether the pan is well on its way to developing natural non-stick properties or whether it needs to be seasoned again.
In this post, we will give you an overview of all the different phases and challenges you may encounter with a carbon steel frying pan – so you know exactly how to handle it best.
You can either use this guide to prepare for the stages your new carbon steel frying pan will go through, or as a reference if you are unsure what to do with your pan as you use it.
1. Sticky seasoning
The first phase we see is a carbon steel frying pan with a sticky surface.
How did this happen?
Oil often collects in patches on the surface, which is a result of either using too much oil when seasoning or using an oil with a low smoke point, such as olive oil, and cooking at a high temperature.
What should you do?
If your pan is only slightly sticky, the best thing to do is to continue cooking in it – or possibly re-season it. This will even out the sticky areas and cover them with several layers of seasoning over time.
If the pan is very sticky, you can clean it with steel wool and then season it again. This will completely reset the pan, so we only recommend this if the pan is very sticky.
Forgotten how to season your pan? See our guide here
2. Stained seasoning
Here, your pan will often be covered with a number of small spots that are also slightly sticky. This forms a cobweb-like network of hardened and sticky oil.
How did this happen?
This is another sign that you have used a little too much oil during seasoning. The consistency of oil becomes thinner when the pan is heated in the oven – so to avoid this, you can wipe your pan once more after it has been heated in the oven for a while.
What should you do?
Fortunately, this has no functional significance, so you can simply continue to use your pan as usual. The spots will disappear as they are levelled out and covered with more layers of seasoning over time.
3. Seasoning falls off
If some of the seasoning has fallen off your frying surface, I can assure you that this is actually very normal.
How did this happen?
One reason for this is that the pan is relatively new and has only been seasoned once. As the polymerised oil layer is very thin, it doesn't take much for the iron to show through.
Another reason may be that you have cooked acidic foods in the pan. These break down the seasoning. If you like to fry tomatoes, do so in a stainless steel pan.
Can't recognise either of these scenarios? Then the reason why the seasoning is coming off may be that you have used metal utensils on the pan.
You can do this, but it wears down the surface a little more.
What should you do?
Fortunately, the solution to this challenge is very simple.
The best thing you can do with a pan like this is simply to keep cooking lots of food (without acid) in it so that you burn more oil into the surface.
Have you used metal utensils? Yes, then re-season the pan at regular intervals or switch to wooden or similar utensils.
4. Seasoning does not stick
In this example, your pan will have the same silver-grey colour as when you received it, after you have seasoned it.
How did this happen?
If the pan is still silver-grey after being seasoned in the oven, this is a sign that the oven was not hot enough.
What should you do?
Here, the solution is again simple. You need to season the pan again, making sure that the oven is heated up properly – preferably to around 230 degrees, depending on the oil you are using.
5. Small rust spots
As you probably know, a carbon steel frying pan is primarily made of iron. And iron is reactive, which means that it can rust. That is precisely why it is extremely important to maintain a good seasoning, as this protects the iron from rust.
How did it happen?
If you have lost some of your seasoning, e.g. when cleaning or cooking acidic foods, there is a risk that the pan will develop small rust spots if exposed to moisture.
What should you do?
If there are only small, localised rust spots on your pan, start by trying a gentle method to preserve as much of the remaining seasoning as possible. Begin by scrubbing the rust spots with the coarse side of a sponge.
If this is not enough, you can follow this more aggressive method to remove the rust.
Regardless of which method you use, it is extremely important that you rebuild your seasoning immediately.
6. Large rust spots
The problem here is the same as described in the previous scenario, but to a more pronounced degree.
How did this happen?
This is very likely to happen if you have cooked acidic food in the pan, which has exposed the entire cooking surface of the pan, or if you have used washing-up liquid to clean the pan, which also breaks down the seasoning.
What should you do?
Here you need to use the coarse method to remove rust, as mentioned in the previous scenario. Find the guide here
7. The perfect pan
Is your pan a deep dark colour across the entire surface, and is it smooth and even?Then you've got a 12 out of 10 for carbon steel pans!
But it takes time and lots of cooking to achieve this result. So don't worry if it doesn't look like that yet. It will come with time!
