Carbon Steel Skillet

[Chuck Naill]

Well, who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Last week I purchased a carbon steel 12" skillet and have been following accepted wisdom seasoning. It has a nice peanut oil polymer coating.

[Ole Juul]

I assume you mean cast iron. I've got a collection of those. If you fry regularly, it's the only way to go.

[An old bloke]

I assume you mean cast iron. I've got a collection of those. If you fry regularly, it's the only way to go.

I agree. Using a cast iron frying pan to sear a steak or chop, and the finishing under the griller is a first step to a great meal.

[Yazeh]

Not a cast iron.

[Ole Juul]

Not a cast iron.

Of course, but Chuck said he seasoned it, which makes me think it actually was cast iron.

[Robert]

I've got two carbon steel pans - a 10" and 12" - and I did season them per instructions from the manufacturer, MadeIn. They are wonderful pans, considerably lighter than their cast iron counterparts, which I gave to my sister. MadeIn now also sells pre-seasoned carbon steel pans.

http://madeincookware.com/collections/carbon-steel

[Brilliant Bill]

Why would he say carbon steel if he meant cast iron?

They are different items.

[Ole Juul]

Why would he say carbon steel if he meant cast iron?

They are different items.

I didn't know that you "season" carbon steel pans.

[Yazeh]

Why would he say carbon steel if he meant cast iron?

They are different items.

I didn't know that you "season" carbon steel pans.

We learn things, every day, don't we, eh?

[Wile E Coyote]

Not a cast iron.

Of course, but Chuck said he seasoned it, which makes me think it actually was cast iron.

They both require seasoning. Cast iron takes longer to heat but arguable, heats more evenly because it's thicker.

Carbon steel is usually smoother, lighter, and thinner. It can have hot spots, especially the thinner pans. But it is also more responsive.

The woks you see in asian restaurants are almost always carbon steel since they heat faster and the temperature is easier to control, especially with a 100k BTU burner. Your stove at home is more around 15k BTU max, which is why you can't cook the same way they do.

I have and use both for different things. I do prefer the carbon steel because it's lighter and easier to move around.

This is FPG, right?

[FredRydr]

...This is FPG, right?

No, it's FPN. We changed our look and opened a cooking channel.

[Chuck Naill]

I've been surprised to experience how non stick a seasoned carbon steel can be. It has been suggested to just use hot water for both cast iron and carbon pans. This was another fun fact.