Help and advice for start over on new (1 day old) de buyer mineral B fry pan

[Cooklearner]

Hi All,

New to Chow and any cookware requiring seasoning, but loving the idea of these de buyer carbon steel pan. I apologize beforehand that this is long to read, but I don't know how to make it any more concise without leaving out the details.... So please be patient with me please if you're able to please!

So I got myself the 9.5" mineral B pan and was very excited last night. Got to clean the pan with boiling hot water and nylon brushes and a drop of detergent (forgot not to use it). Then followed the seasoning instruction in the booklet, with grapeseed oil.

From what I've read so far, I must have done something wrong already, as the entire side of the pan is now brown and in one area blue black, with a ring of gold stuck on oil where the top of the oil was. Funnily enough the area which was covered by the oil during the seasoning didn't turn as dark, just only very slightly yellowed. I followed the instruction to the tee. Heating the 1 cm deep of oil for 5 mins, starting on medium low gas heat, then turning it down to lowest gas setting when I saw the side turning so dark.

Undeterred and terribly excited, I proceeded to fry an egg on it, again with grapeseed oil. The egg didn't stick at all until I turned it over and it stuck a bit, but was easily removed from the pan. I then poured boiled hot water into the pan to clean it and then into hot running water, scrubbing with the nylon brush. Wiped it down, only to find some soft gooey material left behind on the cooking surface and many spots of gold 'burnt' oil on the sides of the pan. The soft gooey material was easily moved with a wipe with paper towel and another hot water rinse, but I couldn't remove the spots of stubborn oil from the sides. I thought maybe that's the way it's supposed to be, until I read up more about the cleaning of these pans from discussions here. I think the little spots are what you call crud here?

So I had a disturbed sleep last night thinking I may have just 'runied' the pan first time using and cleaning it.....

Anyways, decided to fry another egg this morning with olive oil instead. BIG mistake, where the egg didn't touch the pan where the olive oil was, it turned dark brown and had the crud forming in no time, as compared to using grapeseed oil. Egg cooked and removed about the same ease as the first time, thankfully.

So I used some vegetable oil and cooking salt to try and scrub the crud off, only to a small extent. So i used the Scitch Brite green scourer to patch test a crud area, which removed it fine but left small scratches and exposed the silver surface underneath. I stopped and used the oil and salt again, warming the pan a little, still the spotty crud's there, not as much. I'm wondering if it's meant to be this hard work?

So I don't want to use the pan for the time being until I get some advice from you all.

Here a the questions:
1. Did I burn the sides of the pan when I first seasoned it? Or is there something wrong with the pan, which I doubt....
2. Was it not hot enought, hence the gold oil line of crud forming where the oil finished?
3. Should I be using a different oil, and if so, what's a good alternative? i know olive oil's not good now for these pans.
4. Have I been using too high a heat to cook the eggs? So far the highest heat setting has been medium at the start then turned down to medium low after the egg finishes its initial sizzling.
5. What should I be doing to stop the crud from forming?
6. How should I best clean the crud off? The scotch Brite green scourer heavy duty? Or non scratch pad with bar keeper's friend? And should I be just cleaning the crud off or just do the whole pan?
7. Should I wipe some oil on the exterior surface of the pan as well after cleaning?

I've a feeling I will need to start over again, so I'd really appreciate any input you have to help me do it better second time round! Cos despite these hiccups, I can already see the great potential this pan has had I know better how to use and treat it! Thank you in advance.

[Cooklearner]

Ok, so I spent the rest of the arvo scrubbing away with the baking soda and paper towel, giving up to the green pad with the real stubborn areas.....

Reseasoned it twice with vegetable oil...... This time only a few mm deep of oil and swirling it around so no gold ring..... (Unfortunately I hadn't had chance to run down the shops and was really wanting to get the pan underway..... Sorry didn't get to use the lard guys after all your suggestions...) wiping the oil down real good afterwards and just warmed the pan up again with nothing in it. Then the seasoning looked a bit thin on the green pad scratched areas, so I thought I'll use a small fatty piece of bacon instead to sorta season the pan.... Rubbed it all around the pan, no sticking at all, the bacon just slid around in the pan. In fact the bacon stuck onto my nylon tipped tongs, go figure! Tipped out excess oil while hot and wiped it real good til I could hardly feel the oil. Then washed it under hot running water once the pan got cooler. Wiped it dry and applied a very very thin layer of vege oil and ready for yummy bacon and eggs tomorrow morning!

I also kept a very keen eye on the heat to make sure it didn't burn the oil again.... Hopefully eggs will be good after another lot of bacon tomorrow. That piece of bacon was so crispy as compared to other pan surfaces I'd used in the past!

Feeling much more confident now and ready to use my pan for more cooking tomorrow. Thank you everyone. If anyone thought what I did with this 'start-over' is not quite right, especially using the bacon fat instead of lard.... Please do comment so I can improve. Definitely wished I had some lard to do the first layer of seasoning though....

I'll post pictures once I figured out what's stopping me pressing the browse button to attach free photos.

[Chemicalkinetics]

Bacon fat can be tricky. Not that it is wrong, but many bacon have sugar in them as ingredient, so you can burn sugar on the pan making it sticky. So don't be discouraged if the pan seems more sticky tomorrow. It is temporary.

[Cooklearner]

Oh darn, I definitely will b getting some lard quick and fast! Serves me right not doing it the ways you've all suggested to be better.....

[Chemicalkinetics]

I think lard in theory is better, but millions of people can season their cast iron and carbon steel without lard, so I won't sweat about it. It really won't make a huge difference in my experience. I have seasoned using lard and I have seasoned using vegetable oil. Bacon grease is not a problem too. I have done that. I just want you to know not to get surprised in case there are some sugar burnt. It has no long term effect.

[Cooklearner]

Thanks Chem. The pan didn't feel sticky this morning.

HOWEVER, I cooked a batch of mushrooms with some butter, which was fine, took a while cos in fear of burning the butter I had the pan on low heat to start off with. Tipped the mushrooms out to cook the bacon. Ran it under hot water before wiping it dry to put the bacon in. Kinda noticed that for some reason the mushrooms had somehow deglazed some of the seasoning! Either my reseasoning yesterday wasn't done properly cos I was too scared to turn up the heat and have gummy oil residue.... Or the mushrooms do have deglazing properties?

Anyways, I stupidly put the fatty bacon on, yes, on lowish heat, but sizzled, without putting in more oil, cos I thought bacon had enough fat....... And you would not believe the amount of sticking I had! So..... My seasoning yesterday probably didn't work, or the mushrooms took it off, or I cooked the bacon on too low a heat....... So I wasn't game enough to cook the eggs on it this morning.

Luckily this pan is great to learn with, as it can't really die on me :)

So I finally got to the shops and found some pork lard, ghee, and washing soda. I think Gary would be happy to know.... :P

Yeh I know Chem, re: lard, but I kinda wanted to taste it again, after all these years and didn't mind trying. I didn't get vegetable shortening cos I don't really bake.

So back to seasoning, with lard this time. Although i'm not planing to strip the pan as it looks pretty clean and I have managed to clean it and cook in it alright without burning more oil on it.... Washing soda's kinda a back up, but I read I could add it to washing and stuff like that, so multipurpose. I'm gonna try tanuki soup's method.

In all, I'm very glad to have purchased this pan so far because it's really making me learn so much more about cooking and the use of different oils and fats, etc. it'll ultimately make me a better cook in the long run with a great pan as a result :).

Will report back after the next lot of seasoning. Happy weekending!

[wiselad]

Cooklearner,

It was a very frustrating (and yet oddly fun) process for me learning how to season my pans. I'll share with you what I learned:

1) Seasoning carbon steel is different than seasoning cast iron.

I got great results oven baking my seasoning onto cast iron and then using a derivative of Canter's method of doing a quick season on the stovetop using flaxseed oil. It took me about a day to put on about 6-7 oven baked layers plus one session of 30 minutes of stovetop seasoning for me to have a durable, slick seasoning that has remained intact.

2) When I tried to season Carbon steel the same way, I found the the initial seasoning came off. So I burned it all off and started over and the same thing happened. So I started over a third time, and again the initial seasoning came off, but this time I just kept using the pan and I discovered that eventually another layer of much more durable seasoning starts to build. Now the pan has a durable seasoning that super slick (fried eggs slide around without even having to dislodge them with a turner) and doesn't easily come off.

3) Cook fatty meats in your pan to help continue it's seasoning build-up. If you just do an initial seasoning, but then only cook eggs and veggies in the pan after, I think the seasoning will suffer as a result. I found that cooking steak, hamburger, and bacon really help to serve as a seasoning touch up and even continue to improve the performance of the seasoning. I especially like searing steak on the stovetop and then finishing the the oven. That seemed to really help the seasoning process.

That all said, my recommendation to you would be to keep on cooking fatty meats in the pan. All the weak seasoning will come off but then before you know it, a new more durable layer will begin to appear. You'll see this a just a couple of weeks if you use it everyday for fatty meats. Here are some pic's of my 12 inch debuyer.

[Cooklearner]

Hi wiselad,

Thank you for the pictures! I must say yes the process is testing my patience, which I don't have much of, but I'm actually enjoying the whole process despite the mild frustrations. Although I haven't really given it heaps of go yet,mso can't say I suppose.

I was hoping it would replace my non stick fry pans for all types of dishes, excluding the acidic ones, of course. I'm of the understandning perhaps it'll require a bit more cooking meat on it prior to that stage. How has it performed with fish with yours? I do quite a lot of sautéing and am wondering if it is the appropriate pan for that.

That aside, thank you for your encouragement. I'm so glad to see your pictures of the pan, as mine (the sides) looks almost the same with the much darker ring all around the sides of the pan. Although tipping the mushrooms out had lightened that part of the side. Of course the base isn't anywhere as dark as yours. I do wish I could post some pictures, but still to no avail. Will have to wait till I get a new laptop.

It'll be some meaty feasts coming up over the next couple of weeks!

[Chemicalkinetics]

<took a while cos in fear of burning the butter I had the pan on low heat to start off with.>

Excellent point. Yes, butter can burn easily. Some people mix butter with regular cooking oil to get around this problem.

<Either my reseasoning yesterday wasn't done properly cos I was too scared to turn up the heat and have gummy oil residue>

Actually, the gummy residue arise due to incomplete seasoning. In other words, it is more difficult to get gummy residue at very high temperatures. The oil would first turn into gummy residue and then turn into black carbon / seasoning. Gummy residue raise if you have too much oil or the seasoning time is insufficient.

<Or the mushrooms do have deglazing properties?>

Not that I know of.

<And you would not believe the amount of sticking I had! So..... My seasoning yesterday probably didn't work>

Actually I would. The sugar in the bacon will caramelize and stick. I don't know if your seasoning got taken off, but bacon will stick a little even on a very well seasoned pan. The trick is wait for the bacon get cooked before moving it. Don't force it. Just gently push the bacon around.

<after all these years and didn't mind trying>

Yeah, you can use lard for seasoning cookware, cooking, and baking. It is said that lard is the best fat for making pie crust.

[Cooklearner]

I can't believe I didn't take your word about the bacon!!!!! What a fool I am!

[GH1618]

It will take awhile for the seasoning layer to harden and build up, so it probably is vulnerable depending on what is cooked in it before it hardens. I only cook meat in mine.

[tanuki soup]

Hi again, Cooklearner --

Just to amplify on Chemical Kinetics' comments. I wonder whether you might be approaching the seasoning process too cautiously. During seasoning on the stovetop, the goal is to get a very thin and even layer of lard or oil *smoking* hot so that it bonds firmly to the carbon steel surface. This is much hotter than you would heat up the pan for normal cooking.

Here are pics showing the stages of stovetop seasoning for my carbon steel pan. From left to right: 1) new and shiny, 2) one layer of lard seasoning, 3) three layers of lard seasoning.

As I've continued to use the pan, the seasoning layer has sort of waxed and waned, but has never formed a gummy residue.

Good luck with the lard!

[Chemicalkinetics]

<get a very thin and even layer of lard or oil *smoking* hot>

Agree.

<This is much hotter than you would heat up the pan for normal cooking. >

This was obvious to me, but now that you have mentioned it. I wonder if this point wasn't made more clear to others.

[tanuki soup]

Hi CK,

I wonder whether Cooklearner has noticed the other currently active carbon steel thread here. Many of your comments in that thread are germane to CL's issues, so I'd like to provide a link:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/850937

[Cooklearner]

Hi tanuki soup,

You're absolutely right! The more I've been playing with the pan, the more I'm realizing that I didn't bring it up to high enough heat yesterday as I was wanting to avoid that gummy residue. On the other hand, I don't have to scrub off anything today..... The stuck bacon came off quite easily. Thankfully!

Thank you for the pictures, it really helps to see it in progress. I haven't had a chance to season with lard as yet today. But will be doing that tomorrow! Can't wait.

When you say heat the thin layer of lard to smoking hot, can you really see the smoke? Previously you mentioned to put it on medium heat, that's in gas stove yeh? As my stove top seems to be quite hot and I normally have to turn the heat down a bit, otherwise it does get really hot.

And thank you for that link, will check it out. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to look further and wider. So sorry to everyone who may have had to repeat their wisdom in this thread again!

Thank you!

[Cooklearner]

Hi tanuki soup,

Also, where you mentioned to wait till the pan dolls before another layer of seasoning is applied, do you mean cool enough to handle and touch, or cool to coldish?

Have been reading the thread you kindly linked, can't believe how many similarities our issues may be! I'm so sorry to have asked similar questions here again! You are all so awesome. Just didn't think it was the same issues due to the post title, as mine's mineral B..... Guess not much of a difference at the end once all seasoned properly, base material being the same....

[tanuki soup]

Hi again, Cooklearner --

To answer your questions:

Yes, smoking hot means you can see the smoke coming off the pan. It shouldn't be billowing smoke, but it should be obviously smoking. I think CK described it very nicely in the other thread.

I use an induction cooktop, but I think medium heat is about right for gas too. If you're heating up an empty pan, it should get plenty hot.

Yes, by cool, I mean cool enough to handle and touch. Don't try to hasten the process by running cold water over the pan or anything. Just let it sit for half an hour or so until it cools down.

And if you're interested in watching videos, you can also visit YouTube and search on "seasoning a wok". Since most woks are made of carbon steel, the seasoning procedures are the same.

Good luck!

[Cooklearner]

Thank you tanuki soup. I'll be having some fun later today!

[Chemicalkinetics]

I agree with tanuki soup. I suppose tanuki and I both believe in high temperature seasoning. Now, there are people who prefer low temperature seasoning. I have done both, and personally I prefer the higher temperature. I don't want to get to into the differences for now, but feel free to ask about them in the future.

For now, bring your cooking oil to smoking, but just barely smoking -- just very faint. You don't want it to smoke like hell. First, there is no advantage in excessive smoke. You will trigger your fire alarm, and the kitchen will smell bad for a day or two. Second and more importantly, it is actually dangerous because the oil can suddenly go flash burning and catch on fire if you need it way above the smoke point. If you can have fire extinguisher, then you can use it as well.

To control the heat, you may have to physically lift the pan up. For example, if you suddenly notice the pan is too hot and smoke is coming off too fast. Instead of simply dial down the heat and wait. You may wait to physically lift the pan and place it on the other stoves just for a few seconds.

I agree with tanuki in term of your question about cooling. You just have to wait for it to cool somewhat. It does not have to be room temperature cold. Usually 15 minutes is enough, but you can always wait longer.

P.S.: In the case, the pan suddenly catches on fire. Do not pour water into the pan. That is the worse you can do. The water will push the burning oil off the pan, and now you have very hot oil spill everywhere and fire everywhere. If your pan catches on fire, then open your oven and just stick it in, and close the oven door.

[Cooklearner]

Thank you CK. the first aid advice is very important to know. I was re-reading the de buyer cooking experience thread last night. It was great revision! I'd only read it when this first seasoning was done, but I'd actually forgotten a lot of the advice on it. Probably cos I read it late at night....

[Cooklearner]

Hmmm, just took some pictures but I can't attach them! The 'browse' button is not responding...... Odd.

[Cooklearner]

Wow! Thank you to all that's shared their advice and experience. You're all so generous! Yes I'd definitely try and take pix of the pan in its current state and take another one when I've got it 'right'. Got some trouble with my laptop so using hubby's iPad, not so proficient with it yet.

Sorry for my ignorance and thank you for your patience!

[breadchick]

Best of luck with your pan. You will LOVE carbon steel!! (I'm a huge fan myself.)

[Cooklearner]

I'm so excited! The idea of not having to cook with those possibly harmful non stick surfaces is just brilliant! Yes I'm aware it won't be non stick like those surfaces, but beats me having to replace the pan every couple of years or worrying if I've overheat the surface. I just need to learn to cook better :)

[wiselad]

I think if you follow the below process you can prevent the gooey oil buildup for fried eggs. I also fry eggs in a debuyer pan as well.

1. I think your starting heat is a little too high. Pre-heat at Medium-Low, or maybe just a bit higher.
2. Add butter instead of oil after the pan has had a chance to heat up. This benefits you in two ways. 1) It has better non-stick properties than oil from my experience. 2) It serves as an indicator if your pan is too hot. If the butter burns almost immediately, then your pan is way too hot. Your pan is the right temp when it melts and gentily sizzles immediately but does not start to burn right away (it will after a minute or two, so be careful).
3. Make sure to take the pan off the heat after you've removed the product from the pan. If you accidentally leave it on the heat, then you will get gooey oil buildup.

Also, there's nothing wrong with your pan. Just find a way to remove the gooey buildup and prevent it from coming back. Whenever you see gooey buildup it usually means the pan was too hot with no product covering that particular area. Keep using your pan to cook things like steak, hamburger, and bacon, and your pans seasoning will build up over time giving you better non-stick performance as it ages. Good eats!

[Chemicalkinetics]

I think you have some good advices here.

<Heating the 1 cm deep of oil for 5 mins>

I always felt that 1 cm advice is too much, but it should work. I just think it is wasteful.

<I think the little spots are what you call crud here?>

I don't know what people call them, but I just call them incompletely seasoning or oil burned. They are gummy and sticky, right? I use the term crud to describe hard black charcoal like burned on material stuck to the pan. Not sure what definitions other people use.

<1. Did I burn the sides of the pan when I first seasoned it? Or is there something wrong with the pan, which I doubt....>

No, it is just incompleted seasoning in my opinion. It is a ring form slightly above the 1 cm oil level, right? The oil fume formed there.

<2. Was it not hot enought, hence the gold oil line of crud forming where the oil finished?>

You can put it that way, but there isn't much you can do about it because it is way up on your pan, right?

<3. Should I be using a different oil, and if so, what's a good alternative? i know olive oil's not good now for these pans.>

In my limited experience, most oils work fine. I know people say lard is the best, but I find them to be about the same for me. Your definitely do not want to use extra virgin olive oil.

<4. Have I been using too high a heat to cook the eggs? So far the highest heat setting has been medium at the start then turned down to medium low after the egg finishes its initial sizzling.>

That really comes from experience. I usually heat the pan medium hot (which could mean anything to anyone), but I turn down or turn off the heat after the egg hit the pan.

<5. What should I be doing to stop the crud from forming?>

Again, what is your definition of crud again? Yellow and golden sticky oil, right? You could try to move swirl your pan a bit or use your turner to move the food a bit during cooking. What probably happened is that you have oil stationary at the same spot for too long and then it starts to burn, but not completely burned.

<6. How should I best clean the crud off? The scotch Brite green scourer heavy duty? Or non scratch pad with bar keeper's friend? And should I be just cleaning the crud off or just do the whole pan?>

Baking soda with a green pad works very well. Bar Keeper's Friend is good for many things, but not this one. Just focus the gummy sticky stuffs. Oh yes, if it is only the gummy sticky yellow stuff, then I often use baking soda with a plastic scraper. You can use a old credit card too.

http://www.amazon.com/Unknown-Plastic...

<7. Should I wipe some oil on the exterior surface of the pan as well after cleaning?>

You can, but really not necessary. I don't.

[Cooklearner]

Thanks Chem, although I don't understand how the area that wasn't covered by the oil in the initial seasoning could turn so dark, as I haven't seen anything like it on any of the pix and videos on the Internet.

Yes I think the spots are burnt oil stuck on, although they don't feel sticky, maybe due to fresh film of oil on top it after cleaning. They're definitely not food stuck on.

So if I used the green pad, should I be concerned with the little silver scratches that come through? Is that less abrasive than fine steel wool?

Hmm as Wiselad mentioned, I think I might start with too hot a pan, so when I put the egg in, the oil splatters everywhere, including the sides of the pan, hence the little spots of oil, which then gets burnt on as food doesn't really touch the sides of the pan. I'll really have to reduce the heat even though I thought I was already.

So the green pad and bicarb soda cleaning the burnt in oil won't do too much damage to the seasoning once I get it going?

[Chemicalkinetics]

<So if I used the green pad, should I be concerned with the little silver scratches that come through? Is that less abrasive than fine steel wool?>

The green pad is actually very aggressive. Maybe not as aggressive as steel wool, but it is very effective at removing many things. It will definitely remove your seasoning too. If you want to remove those burnt oil without removing the seasoning, then your best bet is to use the salt method or a plastic scrapper. That being said, it is not a huge deal if you remove a bit of seasoning. You will always able to re-season it during normal cooking.

<which then gets burnt on as food doesn't really touch the sides of the pan>

It is side of the pan, right? Then dont' worry about it too much. You don't really use the side to cook the food directly.

<So the green pad and bicarb soda cleaning the burnt in oil won't do too much damage to the seasoning once I get it going?>

I would give the paper towel + bicarb soda a try first. Make a very thick paste of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) with minimal amount of water. Then, scrub it along the pan with a folded paper towel. If that seems way too gentle, then use a green pad. Keep the pressure light at first. Again, if it is only the side of the pan, then I don't worry about it.

[Cooklearner]

Yes the yellow gold brown ring is on the side and so are the many little spots. There are some very small areas on the base close to where it meets the sides.

The oil and salt clean did remove quite a bit yesterday, now that I had another look at the pan this morning, just took quite a good while of scrubbing. I'll definitely give this paper towel with bicarb soda paste a try first and go with more aggsive methods if that doesn't work well.

If all else fails i'll definitely scrub everything off with the steel wool or green pad and start over and season with lard or shortening. Looks a lotta fun :).

Two more questions, when I clean the burnt oil off, that will make the thin seasoning patchy right? Does that matter for future seasoning with uneven seasoning layer? Am I thinking too much! Or should I be doing the bicarb soda paste everywhere to make ithe surface more 'even', not worrying about the sides.

The fact that the sides of the pan looks darker than the base isn't worth worrying about yeh? I still don't understand how the sides got blue black and dark brown without oil on them, hence they shouldn't be seasoned. Kinda looks weird with a ring of dark around the supposedly more 'seasoned' cooking base. Maybe the sides got too hot without the oil covering with the first seasoning?

Thank you Chem, you're so resourceful! Thank you also for the amazon link.

[Chemicalkinetics]

<If all else fails i'll definitely scrub everything off with the steel wool or green pad>

:) Are you sure? If these are only on the side, then I won't worry about them too much. That being said, there is no harm doing it as long as you have time and energy for it. If you really want to scrub the entire pan, then I would just put the whole pan in the self cleaning oven and just bake everything off. Just to be clear? You want everything off, right? Including gummy thing, seasoning... everything?

<when I clean the burnt oil off, that will make the thin seasoning patchy right? Does that matter for future seasoning with uneven seasoning layer? >

If you clean it with green pad or steel wool, then you will make the seasoning patchy, so yes to your question. It does not matter for the future in most cases. The only case which would make a difference is that you have a very thick layer of existing seasoning, which could make the existing seasoning starts to flake off, but I doubt you are in that situation.

<I still don't understand how the sides got blue black and dark brown without oil on them, >

Actually, you can season a pan without oil, but that is in seasoning class 201, and you have to take seasoning class 101 first. Just kidding. Here is a youtube video of a carbon steel wok seasoning at the very first step without oil and the wok turned blue (first step without oil, second step with oil). I have done this to my cookware many times.

http://youtu.be/_SesaUVFZ-M?t=8s

Here is another one, but without the actual video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBZu7d...

Now, I am not saying that is exactly what happened to your pan because I have not seen it, but this could happen. In addition, the oil fume can season your pan too. So while the oil liquid might not be touching the side, the fume was.

Hope your carbon steel pan works out for you. I love carbon steel and cast iron cookware.

[Cooklearner]

I've decided I'll just try the baking soda paste trick first without the whole pan being scrubbed to 'original' . Yep time and energy a bit restricted...mainly wanted the gummy thing off really and how to keep the pan clean properly off these gummy things in the future.

I'll trim one of my old cards up to help with the scraping.

Pretty cool that one can season the pan without oil! I didn't know that.

I've been contemplating taking some cooking classes lately now I'm home more.

Oh the carbon steel pan WILL work! I'm already so very excited and loving it! Just want to make sure I'm not doing something silly before cooking more on it, otherwise would've done so much more with it by now.

Btw you and Gary r up late if you'r in the US! Or have I lost my marbles?

[Chemicalkinetics]

Yes, Gary and I are in US, but I guess we are both night owls. It is 1:02 AM, and I am practicing my music instrument for tomorrow, so my tutor teacher can check on my progress.

<Just want to make sure I'm not doing something silly before cooking more on it>

From what you have described, I think you are doing fine.

[Cooklearner]

I suppose it won't be drums that you're practicing! That's commitment I say to do it so late!

[Cooklearner]

Thanks Chem for your encouragement!

[GH1618]

It is only 10 pm in California.

To avoid leaving a gummy surface after seasoning, wipe the excess oil out with paper towels while the pan is warm. The initial seasoning layer should be very thin. You won't get a better result be leaving excess fat in the pan.

[Chemicalkinetics]

I was from California, just so you know....

[Cooklearner]

Ha it never ceases to amaze me how we can chat to people all over the world so easily these days with the internet.

Btw Poh from one of the YouTube links you gave was one of the Aussie Masterchef contestants.

[Chemicalkinetics]

She is an Aussie? :D

The whole night person vs day person.... It has a strong genetic aspect, not much can change that.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/t...

[Cooklearner]

Maybe I should Skype my cousins or aunty..... She's also a night person. So am I... Seem to work better in the quietness of the night.

[Cooklearner]

Yes I'm learning that..... (re: Gary's last comment, sorry still haven't figured out quoting previous comments) Wish I'd been more patient.

[tanuki soup]

I'd scrub the inside of the pan down to bare metal with steel wool under hot water and then season with lard on the stovetop. The steel wool won't hurt the pan, it will just get you back to square one. After drying the pan, apply a very thin layer of lard to the inside with a folded up paper towel - so thin that you feel you have wiped it all off but the pan still feels slippery and greasy. Put the pan on the stovetop over medium heat and kind of tilt and roll it around to heat up all the inside surface. The pan will quickly turn dark in each area where you expose it to the heat. You can also rub the inside of the pan with a folded up paper towel with a bit of lard on it held in a pair of tongs. After this, you should see a relatively even, brownish, semi-transparent initial layer of seasoning. Let the pan cool. Repeat. Repeat again. You should now have an even, almost iridescent dark-brown/black seasoned pan. Seriously, if you screw up, you can always steel wool the pan down to bare metal again, so you can just relax and enjoy the process!

PS. Hope you can post a picture of your successfully seasoned pan.

[Cooklearner]

Excellent! I'll have to find some shortening or lard now :)

[Cooklearner]

On a side note, do people use lard or shortening to cook generally, other than baking, which I understand uses more of shortening? And if so, what dishes do you cook in which you use these in?

[Chemicalkinetics]

I asked that question once. I know for sure that people do use lard. In fact, that was one of the most original cooking oil really.

Shortening.... I didn't know, but a few people here say they do.

Here:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/741085

[Cooklearner]

I know what lard is now! Used to see it with some fried onions in a ball next to the stove top @ grandma's in Asia. Food cooked with it taste real good!
I've really only been taught by mum how to cook with olive oil on non stick pans......

[paulj]

Isn't there some video demo of seasoning a wok by stirfrying onions till they char?

[GH1618]

I would clean it with washing soda. If you use this, be sure to wear gloves.

I would use Crisco shortening for the initial seasoning.

[Cooklearner]

Thank you for that. Although it sounds quited caustic. What would difference be between using this and the bar keepers friend?

[GH1618]

BKF is acidic, washing soda is alkaline. I don't say BKF wouldn't work, but I use my BKF only for cleaning my shiniest stainless steel. Washing soda is an inexpensive chemical for removing grease. You just want to get the pan completely clean before reseasoning.

Caution: do not get washing soda on aluminum!

[Cooklearner]

I see, does using washing soda 'strip' the whole pan of any little seasoning it has? Just curious as if I should use it on the pan once some good seasoning has been done in the future. Also, is it a 'harsher' way as compared to using bicarbonate soda? As Chemicalkinetics suggested using bicarb soda with the green pad. Or is it the same? i'b sure to keep it away from aluminium!

[GH1618]

You definitely do not want to wash a properly seasoned pan with alkaline cleaners. The purpose of this step is to get the gunk off so as to start over.

[Cooklearner]

Ok I get you.

[Chemicalkinetics]

Baking soda is very weak in comparison. It can surround the greasy and make it easier to remove these gummy substance, while not strong enough to remove your seasoning surface.

[GH1618]

Chem is right, washing soda is a stronger alkaline than baking soda. Caustic soda is even stronger — you don't even want that in the house. However when a chemical is said to be "harsh" that means (to me) you don't want to get it on your hands. Put a strong chemical which attacks the thing you want to get rid of (grease, oil) and not the pan is ideal, in my opinion. Chemical cleaning may be hard on the hands, but it will be easy on the pan if the right chemical is used. Abrasive cleaning will affect both the grease and the pan.

I would use gloves even with baking soda or ordinary dish detergent, because I am prone to dishpan hands,

[Chemicalkinetics]

<Chemical cleaning may be hard on the hands, but it will be easy on the pan if the right chemical is used. >

That just means human is weak....

[Cooklearner]

Ok, this is making so much more sense now.

So in your opinions and esperiences, from what you've gathered from what's happened so far, should I be better off just stripping the pan with the washing soda straight up now, or should I try the baking soda paste trick first and see how it goes?

[GH1618]

Yes, same thing.

[Cooklearner]

Thanks Gary! I knew I was thinking too much, my husband said that this morning. I can get so pedantic really. He was pretty annoyed this morning that I wouldn't let him use the pan for bacon, ha!

[Cooklearner]

:D

[Cooklearner]

Yes I wear gloves when washing up as well cos my hands are not up to it. I already wash my hands very often throughout the day due to my job, so wearing gloves to do washing up is good.

[Cooklearner]

Argh I don't know how to copy and paste quotes in this forum!!!! The iPad's not helping either......

[Cooklearner]

What may be the second best alternative to Crisco shortening as it isn't easily available in Australia. Sorry for the trouble!

[GH1618]

Any solid shortening is preferable to an oil for first seasoning, or lard if you are not a vegetarian. Light oils like grapeseed are used where they become incorporated in the food and minimum effect on the taste is desired, or olive oil when the flavor is wanted. You want the initial seasoning fat to stick to the pan, not go into the food. When it hardens, it should have no effect on the food.

[Cooklearner]

Ok I see.

[Sid Post]

Cooklearner,

I have real good luck with canola cooking oil. "Wet" a paper towel with it and wipe your pan down, then heat it until the oil turns black. Swirl as needed to heat the whole pan.

Criso and hog lard also work well if you have some handy.

[Cooklearner]

Thanks Sid Post!

[paulj]

My variation on this pour a bit of oil in the pan, swirl it around, and then wipe 'dry' with a wad of paper towel. Heat, and periodically wipe again. The idea is to maintain a thin layer of oil that does not form a gunk layer. The paper chars a bit. I also add more paper to the wad as needed to keep my hand safe.

[Cooklearner]

Yes, although I think I may have been too fearful to turn up the heat high enough yesterday in fear of the oil residue.....