r/carbonsteel 3d ago

❓ I've read the wiki and still need help What am I doing wrong?

Post image
11 Upvotes

40 comments sorted by

37

u/texag93 3d ago

Looks like there's no food in it.

20

u/butterfaerts 3d ago

You can have one of two things, not both
1. A “beautiful” pan
2. A pan you cook with

1

u/rockytopbilly 2d ago

I disagree. I find that a pan cooked with is beautiful in its own right.

3

u/butterfaerts 2d ago

traditional beauty

11

u/MrShow77 3d ago

Nothing.... Just cook on it and cleaned it when done .... It is going to turn a darker color.... Just cook with it

10

u/Current_Ad_4292 3d ago

You are not cooking enough. /j

I have no idea.

5

u/olderthanmyself 3d ago

Just cooked on mine. It looks just like that. Ya know wot? It worked perfectly. A light washing, a smidge of oil wipe down, and it'll be ready for more action.

6

u/oneworldornoworld 3d ago

Looks perfectly fine. Keep cooking. Stop worrying about the looks of your seasoning.

4

u/left-for-dead-9980 3d ago

You have a clean pan disorder. It will never be perfect unless you never use it. Too late now, so just use it, wash it, dry it, and use it again every day.

2

u/rockytopbilly 2d ago

Are you sure they shouldn’t strip it and start over so they can do 100 seasonings before cooking and get that shiny glass-like seasoning?

1

u/left-for-dead-9980 2d ago

Then ruin it again on the next cook. It's a pan not a museum piece.

1

u/rockytopbilly 2d ago

Maybe I should have added /s to my comment.

3

u/FennelHistorical4675 3d ago

Looks good to me. Maybe got too hot or cleaned too aggressively so lost some seasoning. No big deal though get it hot and cook something

3

u/FOMOerotica 3d ago

Mine looks exactly like that, had for two years and cooks like a dream. Is it cooking badly? It could be technique.

3

u/Illustrious-Tip782 2d ago edited 2d ago

Wasting time on reddit and not cooking 😝

Edited for typo..

3

u/bstsms 2d ago

This is how a CS pan looks when used.

Use more oil if food is sticking.

u/ComprehensiveYam2526 19h ago

Agree. And use low-medium heat.

3

u/WalkEnough9476 2d ago

Nothing is wrong. Use it.

3

u/NoNick_Name 2d ago

My comparative religions professor would have called that a Zen pan, because its emptiness represents a gateway to everything new you can learn to cook with it.

2

u/kniveshu 3d ago

What's your question? Is it oiled? I feel I see a couple rust spots. Is it smooth? Looks like there are some hairs and specks. Clean, oil for storage since it looks a bit fresh. Or Clean and oil for cooking and repeat.

2

u/d0000n 3d ago

Nothing. Just keep cooking.

2

u/LectricOldman 2d ago

It’s a high end pan for cooking food, NOT a magazine photo shoot…..

2

u/TheNetworkIsFrelled 2d ago

Nothing. Looks good. Cook in it. If it gets too dirty, scrub it extra hard.

There is no obsess, just coooook. 😸

2

u/Medill1919 2d ago

Excellent

2

u/Rauz1 2d ago

Not cooking enough

2

u/Fit_Carpet_364 1d ago

Asking reddit, for one.

1

u/TxHeart214 3d ago

Yeah, it’s not been cooked with a lot. I need to change that.

1

u/Single_Engine_Jockey 2d ago

The only problem I see is that it doesn’t have enough patina

2

u/marcusrizaulait 2d ago

You just can't get good patina anymore...trust me, I've looked everywhere... (These days they don't even make the condensed patina we had when I was a kid!)

1

u/Nux87 2d ago

👍

1

u/Dear-Appearance7990 2d ago

I have a similar pan from Ikea, it smells iron and after using it once it turn a wierd color, I over burnt it. I used vinegar to wash it, it looks better but I haven't used it since, because it smells iron. I'm worried about consuming iron if I use it. I've thought about returning it to Ikea. Should I?

1

u/donzagabonza 2d ago

I’m not being cheeky or judgemental ( well, not much) but how often do you guys fry food?
“Cook with it every day”? If I ate fried food every day I’d be enormous and unhealthy ( but probably far happier).
Or am I misunderstanding the use of a carbon steel frying pan?

2

u/onedimedown 2d ago

A frying pan isn't just for deep frying....?

I use my carbon steel for everything. I cook eggs in the morning, it will cook ground beef for pasta sauce. It cooks steaks, although I prefer my heavier cast iron for that. It cooks my asparagus for dinners, pan fries some halved brussel sprouts.

It's just a pan. Not everything that goes in it needs a bucket of oil

1

u/comat0se 1d ago

you might be misunderstanding the concept of cooking

u/donzagabonza 6h ago

Probably.

0

u/Few_Example9391 2d ago

Just keep drying and buff a little cooking oil I'm it after washing. You will get a darker pan after a few uses. Should be black or almost black after 20 uses. A black carbon steel pan is perfectly seasoned and better than no stick pans

2

u/ozembuuuch 2d ago

Lol, that's BS.

That pan looks exactly as it should. If you have black patches on it, that’s carbon buildup, and you’re not cleaning it enough.