A carbon steel frying pan is a pan for life – and it only gets better with time.
However, there are a few things you need to bear in mind when cooking with this fantastic pan – and you must especially avoid warping your carbon steel pan.
Follow these 3 simple tips to avoid warping your carbon steel frying pan:
1. ALWAYS heat the pan slowly
We'll start with the most common reason why carbon steel becomes warped.
Carbon steel consists of 99% iron, and iron expands when it gets hot. If you heat your pan too quickly, you risk warping it.
Therefore, we recommend:
- Heat the pan on low heat for a few minutes (2-3 out of 9 on induction).
- Raise the temperature to medium heat, also for a few minutes (5 out of 9)
- Now raise the heat to the desired frying temperature
- Add oil (flavourless) shortly afterwards and allow the oil to reach the same temperature as the pan
- Add your room-temperature food
2. Take the food out of the refrigerator in good time
This is something that many people forget in the rush of everyday life, but this simple tip will give you better frying results and take good care of your pan.
Take the food out of the refrigerator in good time!
When frying steaks, aim to take them out of the refrigerator an hour before frying so that they reach room temperature.
Why?
You already know that iron expands when it gets hot – and the opposite happens when the pan gets cold, so you want to avoid that!
That's why you should avoid placing an ice-cold steak on your hot pan – not only because you risk warping your pan, but also because you'll get a poorer result.
Read how to cook the perfect steak here→
3. Never pour cold water on a hot pan
A housekeeping tip you probably already know
Cold water on a hot pan is a no-go!
In fact, it's rarely necessary to use water at all to clean your carbon steel pan.
Read our guide to cleaning your carbon steel frying pan here→
