Carbon steel is a material known to build natural nonstick through patina.
This means that the surface develops its color and appearance over time as the pan is used.
This change in appearance can certainly raise doubt about whether the pan is on its way to building natural nonstick, or if it needs a new seasoning.
In this post, we will give you an overview of all the different stages and challenges you may encounter with a carbon steel frying pan - so you know exactly how to handle it best.
You can either use this guide as preparation for which stages your new carbon steel frying pan will go through - or as a reference, if you are unsure what to do with your pan as you use it.
1. Sticky Seasoning
The first stage we look at is a carbon steel frying pan that is sticky on the surface.
How did this happen?
Here the oil often collects in patches on the surface, which is a result of either using too much oil when seasoning, or using an oil with a low smoke point, such as olive oil, and cooking with it at high temperature.
What should you do?
If your pan is only slightly sticky, the best thing you can do is keep cooking in the pan - or possibly give it a new seasoning. Then the sticky areas will be evened out and covered with multiple layers of seasoning over time.
If the pan is very sticky, you can clean the pan down with steel wool and then apply a new seasoning. Here you restart the pan completely, so we only recommend this if the pan is very distinctly sticky.
Have you forgotten how to season your pan? Then see our guide for it here
2. Spotted Seasoning
Here your pan will often be covered with a number of smaller spots, which are also slightly sticky. It forms a cobweb-like network of hardened and sticky oil.
How did this happen?
This is again a sign that you used a bit too much oil when seasoning. The consistency of the oil becomes more runny when the pan is heated in the oven - so to avoid this, you can dry your pan an extra time after it has been heated for a while in the oven.
What should you do?
This fortunately has no functional significance, so you should simply continue to use your pan as usual. Then the spots will disappear as they are evened out and covered with multiple layers of seasoning over time.
3. Seasoning Peeling Off
If some of the seasoning has peeled off your cooking surface, I can assure you that it's actually very normal.
How did this happen?
One reason this happens can be that the pan is relatively new and has only received a single seasoning. Since the polymerized oil layer here is very thin, it doesn't take much for the iron to be exposed.
The other reason can be that you have cooked acidic foods in the pan. These break down the seasoning. So if you like to fry tomatoes, do it in a stainless steel pan
Can't you recognize one of these two scenarios? Then the reason the seasoning is peeling off could also be that you've used metal utensils on the pan.
You can certainly do this, but it wears more on the surface.
What should you do?
The solution to this challenge is fortunately very simple.
The best thing you can do with such a pan is simply to keep cooking lots of food (without acid) in it, so you burn more oil into the surface.
Have you used metal utensils? Yes, then give the pan a new seasoning at regular intervals, or switch to wooden utensils or similar.
4. Seasoning Won't Stick
In this example, your pan will have the same silver-gray color as when you received it, after you have applied your seasoning.
How did this happen?
If the pan is still silver-gray after being heated in the oven, it's a sign that the oven wasn't hot enough.
What should you do?
Here the solution is again simple. You need to build a new seasoning, making sure the oven is heated well - preferably to around 230 degrees, depending on which oil you use.
5. Small Rust Spots
A carbon steel frying pan is, as you probably know, made primarily of iron. And iron is reactive, which means it can rust. That's exactly why it's super important to maintain good seasoning, as it protects the iron from rust.
How did this happen?
If you have lost some of your seasoning, for example through cleaning or cooking acidic foods, there is a risk that the pan will develop small rust spots if exposed to moisture.
What should you do?
If there are only small, localized rust spots on your pan, start by trying a gentle method so you preserve as much of the remaining seasoning as possible. Therefore start by scrubbing the rust spots with the rough side of a sponge.
If this is not sufficient, you can follow this rougher method to remove the rust.
Regardless of which method you have used, it is super important that you rebuild your seasoning right away.
6. Large Rust Spots
Here the problem is the same as described in the previous scenario, but in a more pronounced degree.
How did this happen?
This will most likely occur if you have cooked acidic food in the pan, which has exposed the entire cooking surface of the pan - or if you have used dish soap to clean the pan, which also breaks down the seasoning.
What should you do?
Here you need to use the rough method to remove rust as mentioned in the previous scenario. Find the guide here
7. The Perfect Pan
Does your pan have a deep dark color across the entire surface, and is smooth and even?
Then you get a perfect score for carbon steel pans!
But it takes time and lots of cooking to achieve this result. So don't worry if it doesn't look like that yet. It will come with time!
