Care and Maintenance

 

We get a lot of questions on how to care for our carbon steel skillets. If you have ever owned and used cast iron cookware; it is very much the same.

Our skillets are pre-seasoned with coconut oil and ready to use. It’s the thin layer of polymers from the coconut oil that bond with the iron and produce the non-stick coating on your pan. The best way to further season your pan is to use it every day and follow proper cooking and cleaning guidelines. Here are a few we find important.
 

Cooking

  • Always preheat the pan before cooking.

  • Use plenty of oil or fat.

  • Control the heat to ensure you are not over heating the oil nor burning your ingredients (fine line at times).

  • Your pan can be used on the stovetop, in the oven or over an open campfire.
     

Cleaning

One of the most crucial aspects of care for a well seasoned carbon steel pan is how you clean it.

  • While the pan is still warm, rinse with water and a soft sponge, or just wipe it clean with a dish/paper towel.

  • If food is stuck to the surface, the absolute best are those stainless steel chain male scrubbers. If you don’t own one…yet, scrub the pan with salt and a paper towel—then rinse. The salt will act as an abrasive, but it will not scratch through your hard-earned non-stick coating.

  • To keep from rusting, always towel dry the pan after washing.

  • Avoid using soap and the abrasive side of a sponge.

  • Never put the pan in the dishwasher.

  • If you plan on storing the pan for a while between uses, clean the pan, warm it and apply a thin layer of oil.


     

Seasoning

One of the most common questions we recieve is; how to season a carbon steel pan? If you are having trouble with food sticking while cooking, use more oil or try cooking a meal high in fat or oil. If this method doesn’t help, or you are just not satisfied, you may need to re-season your pan. Don’t worry; there are many seasoning methods, and we will explain our two favorites. Both methods described below will produce smoke, so turn on your range hood’s fan, or open a window.

Stovetop

  • Heat the pan, and in the center place a small amount of medium-temp oil until it smokes (coconut, flax, or canola are the best).

  • Work the oil around the pan and coat the entire surface; keep the oil hot and smoking.

  • Allow the pan to cool; discard oil then, wipe clean with a paper towel.

Oven

  • Scrub the pan clean with soap and abrasive side of a sponge to remove as much food, oil, and carbon build up as possible.

  • Heat the pan in the oven at 300 for 10 minutes

  • Remove the pan from the oven and coat with a medium-temp oil.

  • Wipe off the excess oil (the pan should appear wet but not greasy), and place the pan upside down on the middle rack of the oven.

  • Heat the pan at 550 for one hour; then, let it cool slowly in the oven.

The oven method is the most thorough and will best restore the pan’s even finish. Both methods may be used as often as desired and will only improve your pan’s non-stick performance.


 If you have any questions on the information above please feel free to contact us. We are here to help!