Also this might be off topic for this community as this is a carbon steel pan (Merten & Storck).
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I’d melt it down and recast it.
Usually with cast iron if I damage the seasoning at all this is my workflow.
No you don’t.
Yes I do.
I usually put it back into the molden Earth core to melt it at its origin temperatures. Just like mother nature intended it.
Wait really? I thought sandblasting was extreme.
That’s…no one recasts cast iron. That’s so expensive and time consuming for such a cheap material.
There are people that take cast iron so seriously I thought this was a new level. Plenty of people with the time and money on their hands too.
You just aren’t taking this seriously I see
Personally, I’d just keep cooking with it. I wish someone had told me that when I was getting started with carbon steel. In my experience, keeping the seasoning visually even across the pan is much harder on carbon steel than cast iron. I was restarting constantly because it would look splotchy, but eventually gave up on that. As long as it performs fine and there’s no rust, there’s nothing to worry about. Eventually it’ll all even out.
This sentiment is worth spreading. Cast iron pans were around long before anyone knew what a polymer was. You can get a -good- seasoning coat from just regular use. Active seasoning can give you a -better- one, but pans have lasted decades and generations on just the seasoning gained from cooking.
I’d just give it a scrub to remove any rust then apply a light coat of oil and put it in the oven to season.
Or you could try the stove top method for woks.
honestly just melt it down and recast it.
Is that actually cast iron? Never seen a pan like that called so.
It’s carbon steel, but the seasoning process is the same.
Yes not hard to get it back in shape again.
- Clean it up and put a few cm (inch whatever) of peanut or other high temp oil in. No olive oil!
- And put it on high blazing fire for about 10-15 min or so.
This will fume a bit so keep a window open. But the looks and non stick quality will be completely restored .
You’re fine enough. Might need to restart, but I’ve seen pans in worse shape recover fine through regular use. Mind you, it won’t be as low-stick as if you scrub it down to metal and reseason, but it isn’t necessary.
This is what mine looks like after washing it out with a chainmail scrubber and soap and water. Just do a couple quick seasoning layers on the stovetop with high smoke point oil (avocado, grape seed, etc) and a paper towel to get the layers on as thin as possible.
Looks ready to cook to me. I cook with mine looking like that all the time. The finish varies depending on what I last cooked in the pan.
yes and no. it’ll be fine if you continue regular use. heat slow, oil well. then dry well, protect with a very light coat of fat. a single drop is enough to oil the whole base. test w with your finger, if it feels oiled it’s oiled.
If you are really obsessed with getting a perfect finish then you could but i would just make sure no rust, put a bit of oil and keep cooking or heat up with the oil to put a fresh layer on the bottom if im feeling like it.
Most steel is/was nonstick. Give it a steel wool, see if it comes up. If not, in the bin
This pan is very clearly carbon steel as op stated. Carbon steel is never teflon and needs to be seasoned like cast iron pans
Isn’t all steel carbon steel? What’s the difference here?
The amount.
This pan is so dark, I’ve no idea how I’m getting downvoted. Could be anything under that. And this article https://www.xometry.com/resources/materials/high-carbon-steel/ suggests heat treatment is very bad for high carbon steel.
I’ve steel pans that are well used and they are nowhere near this colour. Would love to see if it cleans up and some after pictures OP!
I’ve no idea how I’m getting downvoted.
I don’t agree with this use of downvotes, but to answer your question, I suspect it is because you wrote that steel is non-stick. It isn’t. Steel pans can be made non-stick with a coating of teflon or polymerized oils.
The teflon is indeed my original intention. Trying to find a steel pan without can be challenging even!
Not really. Just look for “carbon steel” in like, any internet search. Sometimes you end up with results that are Teflon coated, but in general carbon steel is the preferred term for pans used in professional kitchens because they’re sturdy, relatively cheap, lighter than cast iron, and can be made non-stick through the same process used with cast iron.
Yes but carbon steel in this context refers to steels with moderate carbon content(under what you would find in cast iron) and no chromium that would make it stainless steel
Typical carbon steel alloy is about 1% carbon and rest iron, cast iron pans are >2.5% carbon and stainless steel has usually about 15% chromium and few percent of other metals aswell
