New high carbon steel skillet

[Major Nikon]

So I probably needed another skillet like a hole in my head, but I've gone and got another one. I already have a couple of cast iron skillets and this pan isn't really going to do anything those can't. But I was wanting a 12" skillet with sloped sides and the choice was between something like the Lodge proline and the one I wound up getting which is made of high carbon steel instead of cast iron. I do quite a bit of pan searing and this one should prove a bit better than cast iron in that regard, but time will tell. I also hope to be able to do things like omelets with this pan instead of my aluminum teflon type pan I'm using now. Ideally I would like to replace that pan with this one completely, but I'll just have to see if the non-stick properties live up to the hype.

High carbon steel pans haven't been discussed much here. They are more common in the commercial kitchen than for home use although they are getting more popular with home cooks. To describe the pan it's best to compare it with cast iron as most cooks will be familiar with. Weight is similar to cast iron. My BSR cast iron 12" skillet weighs about 8 lbs and this one weighs 7 lbs, so not much difference there. It's still a heavy pan that doesn't move around much on the burner and due to it's heft it has good heat retention properties like cast iron. Also like cast iron it relies on seasoning for it's non-stick properties which is basically polymerized cooking oils which form a strong chemical bond to the pan. With regular use the non-stick properties rival teflon type pans.

Here it is after the initial cleaning and seasoning per the manufacturer's instructions. The cost was $58 and tends to fluctuate on Amazon. I have yet to use it and probably won't for at least a couple of days.

[42bambi]

1. Interesting. Let us know how well it works for you. NT

[pangaia]

2. I have 2 carbon steel woks..

the 12" i have had for about 20 years.
the 14" about 5.

nothing sticks to those works of art...

enjoy...

[Major Nikon]

3. I've been using high carbon steel woks for over 30 years

It's basically the same principle, but the commercial style skillets are much heavier.

[pangaia]

5. I don;t think these are what is considered 'high carbon,'

which is usually seen as about 1% carbon, give or take.

At least most Chinese woks are not. No way could a high carbon content be hammered the way Chinese woks are.

Is yours a different material? It does looks different...

[Major Nikon]

6. Probably more accurate to just call them carbon steel

I think I read somewhere these types of skillets are 1% carbon. They are certainly very rigid and are along the lines of cast iron.

[pangaia]

7. humm.. interesting....

i only have those 2 hammered Chinese woks and the obligatory 50 year old, 10" LODGE cast iron skillet.
also.. now non-stick.



BTW, if you can, let me/us know how it works for you...

[mitch96]

8. "I don;t think these are what is considered 'high carbon,'"

I thought it was funny that cast iron has more carbon than carbon steel pans.. I love mine. My old man who was a merchant seaman brought home two from France back in the '50's
Great stuff. Like mentioned, season like cast iron. I also got a carbon steel omelet pan. The sides are just right... As for cast I just get the old stuff like griswold or wagner.. I like the smooth insides. New ones are too bumpy. YMMV
m

[pangaia]

9. nice looking pan...

i like very good quality stuff.. anything.... of course most good stuff i cannot afford, but great woks are cheap.. knives on the other hand....

timpani sticks and percussion instruments are an exception... I have about 70 pair of timpani sticks. ALL but 2 with bamboo handles and all hand made... nuts, eh...

just got a gorgeous salsa guiro from Puerto Rico.

[mitch96]

10. "timpani sticks "

You got me there, I had to look that one up.. Used for kettle drums, yes?
I get my carbon steel when on sale.. If you look at any of those cooking shows that's all they use. Very rarely do they use cast iron..
I just got two Japanese manufactured knives at Home goods. They get some good stuff if you know what your looking for. Single bevel gyuto for a very reasonable price.. A keeper.
m

[pangaia]

11. yup.. kettle drums.. :)))))

a pair of high end hand-made mallets can cast anywhere from $60-$200.
This guy makes some of the best, and most expensive...
https://www.batteria-timpanisticks.com/en/products/timpanisticks/classic

But there are many other very good makers.. depends what sound you need... :&gt )

I have 2 chinese 'cleavers,' both hand-made carbon steel, one for bones and .. the other one.
not very expensive-- maybe $25-30.... but very good.
One I got at THE WOK SHOP in SF and the other in Chengdu.

---and three japanese knives -- a deba, a nakiri and a santuko.. I've got about $1500 in those three !!UGH !!!

[mitch96]

13. "I've got about $1500 in those three !!UGH !!! "

Yikes... that's way above my pay grade... I bet they cut like "budda"...
m

[democrank]

4. Kick

and thanks

[Major Nikon]

12. Finally got a chance this morning to use the pan

I made a simple 3 egg asparagus omelet which is a pretty good test as egg proteins get very sticky when they cook. This particular pan is a bit large for a 3 egg omelet. Probably better suited for a 5 egg omelet split between two people. Nevertheless it did an excellent job and much better than I ever imagined. I suspected it would take more development of the seasoning before the non-stick properties started to shine. Nope. With just the initial seasoning this pan actually performed better than my commercial teflon pan I've been using for many years. With no coaxing from the spatula the omelet slid right out of the pan, which rarely happens with my teflon pan. So how can this be? Well, I suspect it's because the teflon pan is aluminum and the pan cools a bit when the eggs are poured in.

Because the pan is made of steel instead of aluminum, browning of the omelet was superior to teflon as well. I might have to buy a 9" version of this pan and ditch my two teflon pans completely.

[trof]

14. I bought one of those about a year ago.

Never got the seasoning right so I don't use it.
Plus it's a 12" (heavy) and I should have gotten a 10".
How did you season yours?

[Major Nikon]

15. I just did what the manufacturer said to do

[trof]

16. OK, that's not like other methods I've seen.

I give 'er a shot.
Did it work for you?
Thanks

[Major Nikon]

17. Yes, it worked better than expected

An omelet is a pretty good test and it slid right out of the pan. I was expecting several uses to build up more seasoning before I got that kind of performance.

[trof]

18. OK, I'm gonna Brillo the thing back to virgin and start over.

Merci

[Major Nikon]

19. I have the de Buyer pan

It came with a beeswax coating which is very important to remove prior or you won’t get proper adherence from the seasoning. I’m not sure if other manufacturers pans come that way, but if not they would have a machine oil that must be washed off.

I’ve seen other methods that season them in the oven as I’ve done with cast iron. Not sure how well that works with these. I do know woks are typically seasoned using a similar method as the video and they become very non-stick.

[trof]

21. We have a wok we got maybe 40 years ago?

Didn't know about seasoning back then.
It just seasoned by cooking in it.
It's the round bottom type with the burner ring.

[Major Nikon]

22. It's the same with these pans

Or cast iron for that matter. They will eventually season themselves through regular use. It just makes it easier to jumpstart them with some initial seasoning.

[sir pball]

20. I learned to make an omlette in one of those

None of this nonstick stuff, though they are much easier.