Should I cook in the old carbon steel skillets I just bought at a flea market? And can I use them for campfire cooking?
I just bought two carbon steel old pans, numbers 43 and either 6 or 9 (orientation?), at a flea market. One of the skillets has a lot of burned on flaky black very hard something - outside, mostly, on sides and bottom, and some around the top edge of the inside sides. I need to clean them, but they appear to be seasoned okay. The super hard stuff on the outside and inside has me worried. How can I clean that off and start out well?
Also, I bought them to use over a campfire, on a grill grate, so they won't rest on coals or wood. Is this acceptable for carbon steel, and if so, are there any parameters for heat or closeness to the fire?
At home, I cook almost completely on cast iron and coated cast iron. Are cast iron and carbon steel skillets the same basically in regards to seasoning and cooking on electric, or should I use them more like stainless steel?
Best Answer
You can season these pans by heating with salt in the pan until it is extremely hot. The salt is abrasive and will remove any particles when you rub it around the pan with a dry cloth. Be very careful as the salt is very hot! This opens up the pores in the steel. Remove the hot salt and ad some veg oil, olive oil or what ever you have and let it season the pan. The pan should now be non stick and the heat has sanitized the pan. Remove the oil and wipe with a paper towel.
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Can you put carbon steel in a campfire?
For those unfamiliar with carbon steel, it's similar in concept to cast iron in that it must be seasoned and eventually develops a slick non-stick coating, it can handle high temperatures, including baking and direct flame (even being placed directly in a fire) but it's lighter weight because the steel is thinner and ...Does carbon steel need to be seasoned?
Just like cast iron, carbon steel needs to be seasoned\u2014this is the process that polymerizes fats heated in the pan and bonds them to the cooking surface, forming a coating that protects against rust and helps food release more easily. The good news is that seasoning carbon steel is quick and easy.Can you burn a carbon steel pan?
Step 5: Burn it On The burner works well, but because carbon steel doesn't conduct heat well, you may need to move the pan around to ensure the oil has formed a polymer everywhere.Can you cook with unseasoned carbon steel?
Most carbon-steel pans will arrive from the manufacturer with a waxy coating that should be removed prior to cooking. This is because carbon steel, without the protection of a proper seasoning, will rust. The coating protects the new, unseasoned pans from rusting while in transit.Equipment Review: Best Carbon-Steel Skillets (Can This One Pan Do It All?) \u0026 Our Testing Winner
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Answer 2
Good (?) carbon steel pans can be cleaned in a self-cleaning oven, just as cast iron. I use both A LOT (read, exclusively). My steel French crepe pan needs cleaning occasionally but I season it as I do cast iron. The flaky stuff may be soot, fat, or nearly anything in between. Clean'em, season 'em, and take care of 'em. They should provide good service. Rust forms fast on carbon steel.
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