I left this IKEA Vardagen pan too long on the gas stove while trying to dry it up. I did a salt scrub (holding back on vinegar for now) and nothing changed.
Should I
Edit: Thanks everyone! I will cook with it and see how it goes. If it turns out bad, I'll use vinegar and abrasive scrub.
I rescued this dog from ebay for thirty bucks. I knew it was a hot mess; but 2 exoglass spats came with it - so it I suppose it was an elbow grease special 🙃
I accepted the gunk in the pan; and some BKF took care of that fairly quickly; but the crud on the bottom was a true scrubfest, who knows what they were doing with it 🤷♂️ it’s slightly warped too
accidentally took it past blue due to the pan being thinner than the big Matfer - I didn’t pull it off the heat in time; but so what… looks don’t matter for cooking!
I also took the opportunity to ease the edges of the handle with a sander, highly recommended! happy cooking!😀
Ok so I just bought a de Buyer 28 cm carbon steel pan. Was very hyped for it only to find out my 28 cm lid doesnt fit this one. Turns out it is because of the angled shape..Tbh, that wasn't a problem I expected so you can imagine my frustration but ok I guess...So I went onto the internet to find what lid I can buy and this is how my disappointment started.
Turns out a lid from de Buyer (because I wanted to be very sure it fits) is the same price as the pan and even more, I even saw that a lid over the carbon steel pan is not generally recommended because it can destroy the seasoning and it promotes rust...The internet and even the lady from the shop told me that (yes, I called her after my lid disappointment)
Now my question is...what's the deal in practice? Do you guys use lids? What kind and at what size of a lid I need to go for this pan to fit. Do I need to do the seasoning again every time I use the lid? I cook quite often with a lid so.....
Also, since I am on the topic, it is also not recommend to use acidic food like tomatoes and stuff. But again, in practice how does it work? Can I get away just with cleaning or do I need to do the seasoning again every time I use this type of food?
I don’t know what happened. I never cook anything above medium heat and I’m pretty sure those spots came from today after I was searing some wagyu on low heat with olive oil. How do I fix it??
I think they are very nice, just everyday use
EDIT:
Added progress pics in comments… after a vinegar + soap scrub, then after a quick heating with a tinyyy amount of oil that I then rubbed off with a paper towel. Looking okay?
Original:
Bought this carbon steel pan from ikea a few weeks ago. First seasoning with canola oil went great, was working non stick like a charm, then it got rusty and flaked off from being left to dry (not making that mistake again). Cleaned it and scrubbed off as much of the black as I could before re-seasoning with canola oil. This time, there were a couple spots where you could still see silver. Now, a week later, the seasoning layer is thick, textured, and patchy, and non stick not working so well. Also amber coloured round the edges which I don’t thinkkk is rust but not sure if it’s meant to look like that. What to do? 🙏
Just received a carbonsteel pan as a gift. Used it one time and seasoned it 3-4 times. Is this fine? Should it look like this? (I have no idea what I am doing).
I came home to find this pan after I had Airbnb guests in my apartment. You can’t have nice things anymore. Is this ruined or can I save it?
Been using my carbon steel pretty consistently and feels relatively smooth to touch but not sure if it’s supposed to look like this at this stage.
This is what my Madein carbon steel pan looks like after first use.
I didn’t season out of the box as it said I didn’t need to.
The pan also doesn’t fit in my oven so can’t season it that way which was my intention after reading this subreddit. However after it saying I didn’t need to so skipped that step.
Edit: thanks for comments. Reason I ask is I was cooking beef with oyster & soy with some corn starch in it and it was stick loads. Pan was very hot and used oil.
Any time I need to do some heavy scrubbing with a chain mail scrubber (like if I have some oil residue or really hard food bits) I'll finish by scrubbing with a sponge and dish soap. No matter how long I do this, when I dry my pan on the stove and wipe it down with some oil my paper towel has copious amounts of black residue on it. Paper towel after paper towel, black residue. Infinite black residue.
Second time trying a rose omelette, pretty happy with it. 3 eggs and chives finished with melted cheddar. Set the top with a lid and a little steam. Happy cooking!
Hi everyone,
Complete newbie here. I’ve read quite a bit, but I’d like to ask for advice based on the photos.
I seasoned my first carbon steel pan - unfortunately before I found this subreddit :) - and I now realize I used way too much oil. After around five cooking sessions, it looks like this.
My question is: should I just keep cooking with it and hope everything evens out over time? The visual appearance doesn’t bother me at all. Or would it be better to strip it and start over properly?
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Stir fry.
I cook on induction so no wok. This works well in my 12.5" Debuyer. Just have to cook in batches so you dont over crowd the pan. The photos are at the end after it is all together.
One photo is pre sauce
Next is with sauce
And of course a post cook pan shot so everyone can critique my seasoning :-)
Just got this Vardagan delivered by FedEx. Here is a picture of the outer box.
My question is: how do I use the pan that came inside? It seem a little weird. Picture of unopened pan box for reference.
Bought these used Mineral B pans. Should I consider removing the seasoning?
My GF is jealous of how much better the sear often is using my carbon steel de buyer compared with stainless steel DeBuyer. She struggles to get a golden sear on hers and I think I’ve finally convinced someone else to invest and it’s my GF! Although I can’t see her sharing photos of her own to strangers on the internet.
Both DeBuyer. Pan on top I’ve had for years, mostly cook eggs in olive oil in it and it works like a dream. Pan on bottom is newer and I’ve cooked some ground beef, grilled cheeses in butter, quesadillas in oil, etc. It doesn’t perform great with eggs. Not sure why it turned dark and the better performing pan never did. Maybe the butter. Should I strip or just keep cooking?