This pan is awesome! I followed all the steps from America's Test Kitchen to clean and season it. First I ran it under hot water and scrubbed it with a scouring pad and soap. I made sure to scrub both sides multiple times.
To season, I used the recommended 2/3 cup of salt, 1/3 cup of oil and 2 potatoes worth of peels. I used medium to high flame and stirred almost constantly, making sure to rub the peels along the side walls as well. The metal won't start to brown until the peels are blackened and the oil begins smoking. If you have a grill, I would recommend using it instead of the stove. There was a lot of smoke! I would have liked a deeper season, but I had to stop because of the smoke. There was too much oil, so I ended up adding another 1/4 cup of salt. I would also suggest a 3rd potato if you have the 12in pan. I'm going to do additional seasoning with my flaxseed oil, but this will do for now. I need a break from the smoke lol. I did apply a light coat of flaxseed all over the pan, including the bottom, after it cooled down.
After just one round of seasoning, it's pretty non-stick already! I fried up some spam (don't judge) and it was like a slip n slide in there hahaha. Immediately after, I tested out 4 scrambled eggs and nothing stuck! Later on in the day, I tried to fry up 2 over easy eggs and it was sliding around like the spam! My new favorite pan for sure.
After it cooled down (took a while, since it retains heat so well), I just wiped it out with a paper towel. It looks like nothing ever happened and still has its mirror like seasoning. To store it, I just wiped it down with a thin coat of flaxseed all over and stuck it in the oven. I like to keep my cast iron in there too since we don't have much room in the kitchen, just tbh.
All in all, I would highly recommend these types of pans. It's the perfect balance between stainless steel and cast iron. Plus, you don't have to worry about that nasty teflon coating junk ending up in your food. I'm looking forward to using this for the years to come. As long as the handle weld holds up, this pan should last forever!
MRiveradont understand the purpose of the salt. I use salt to remove seasoning from a pan when it needs to be redone.
Salt absorbs oil and water, plus it is a good abrading material to remove organic buildup.
CalaverasgrandeThe salt and potato peels serve to help remove any left over coating on the pan, as well as remove moisture during the seasoning process.
MRiverai dont understand letting the oil smoke so much. The purpose of the seasoning process is to "feed" oil into the micro pores of the metal, but smoke is simply an indicator of the temperature at which an oil begins to degrade/oxidize. Is burning oil on the pan really necessary?
MRiveraGreat looking pan. I just lept into the carbon steel scene with an AUS-ION smooth 10" skillet (check it out, no welds or rivets!!). I can't believe I waited so long to do this! My only comment would be that the flaxseed oil is great for seasoning because it will polymerize at a low temperature, but you don't want to store or cook with flaxseed as it quickly goes rancid. Definitely choose a different oil to store the pan with.
To season, I used the recommended 2/3 cup of salt, 1/3 cup of oil and 2 potatoes worth of peels. I used medium to high flame and stirred almost constantly, making sure to rub the peels along the side walls as well. The metal won't start to brown until the peels are blackened and the oil begins smoking. If you have a grill, I would recommend using it instead of the stove. There was a lot of smoke! I would have liked a deeper season, but I had to stop because of the smoke. There was too much oil, so I ended up adding another 1/4 cup of salt. I would also suggest a 3rd potato if you have the 12in pan. I'm going to do additional seasoning with my flaxseed oil, but this will do for now. I need a break from the smoke lol. I did apply a light coat of flaxseed all over the pan, including the bottom, after it cooled down.
After just one round of seasoning, it's pretty non-stick already! I fried up some spam (don't judge) and it was like a slip n slide in there hahaha. Immediately after, I tested out 4 scrambled eggs and nothing stuck! Later on in the day, I tried to fry up 2 over easy eggs and it was sliding around like the spam! My new favorite pan for sure.
After it cooled down (took a while, since it retains heat so well), I just wiped it out with a paper towel. It looks like nothing ever happened and still has its mirror like seasoning. To store it, I just wiped it down with a thin coat of flaxseed all over and stuck it in the oven. I like to keep my cast iron in there too since we don't have much room in the kitchen, just tbh.
All in all, I would highly recommend these types of pans. It's the perfect balance between stainless steel and cast iron. Plus, you don't have to worry about that nasty teflon coating junk ending up in your food. I'm looking forward to using this for the years to come. As long as the handle weld holds up, this pan should last forever!