Source
r/AskCulinary•
Func

I messed up when seasoning my carbon steel pans

I got received a couple carbon steel pans for Christmas and followed seasoning instructions online in a half-assed fashion.

https://imgur.com/7dof58J

https://imgur.com/qAfYkel

https://imgur.com/k98Dkv5

What I did:

  1. Preheated oven to 350F

  2. Coated pans in vegetable oil

  3. Placed pans in over about halfway through preheating

  4. Left in oven for 1hr

  5. Turned off oven and forgot about them while watching The Office for three hours

  6. Suddenly remember I need to take care of the pans and wipe the excess oil off.

  7. Pull luke-warm pans out of the oven and frown at their ugly stains.

I realize I fucked up, but how do I unfuck this? Is there any way to get these dotted stains out? Is this a result of using too much oil or not wiping off the excess oil quickly afterwards?

Thanks guys.

Posted Jan 3, 2018, 6:44 AM UTC

1513
Bran_SoloGilded Commenter•

You applied way too much oil. The spots are runs of oil that cured, and I suspect are a little lumpy and sticky. Follow any of the guidelines at r/castiron for reasoning (it's the same for carbon steel) but honestly, don't overthink it: cook on it, clean it, and if it looks dry give it a LIGHT coat of oil.

9
Revan343•

Thirding the 'too much oil' vote.

When you oil the pan to season it, you should almost be wondering if you accidentally wiped all the oil back off; you want it that thin.

That's for cast iron, anyways; afaik it's the same for carbon steel

2
hagns•

If you have access to a restaurant supply store, I’d personally try Carbon Off and/or Bar Keepers Friend (or other variations), steel wool, and lost of elbow grease.

Otherwise I have no idea. Sorry bud.

1
BattleHall•

With straight carbon steel, there's probably no reason to go through the effort and cost to source some Carbon-Off (though I would for something like aluminum); you should be able to just use run-of-the-mill spray oven cleaner like Easy-Off. It's also what is commonly used for stripping old cast iron.

1
[deleted]•

[deleted]

-4
asad137•

Sure it's toxic, but it also washes off completely. People have been using BKF to clean cookware for ages and I've never heard of anyone being poisoned by it.

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

-8
Bran_SoloGilded Commenter•

Oxalic acid is not a mutagen and it’s also found naturally occurring in spinach and carrots.

4
hagns•

That’s why you send it through a dishwasher, bud. Be smarter than the chemical and you’ll be fine.

1
SloppyJoeBeaver•

Too much oil. Very light coats for the seasoning. When I did what you did I just burnt off the seasoning and started again. Heat the oven to 550, leave the pan in there and open a window for the smoke to burn it off.

1
fckedup•

Just be careful doing this if you have a gas oven; had a family friend who poisoned herself doing exactly this... Make sure you stay in the ventilated area!

1
SloppyJoeBeaver•

Good point, proper ventilation is very important with gas stoves.

1
Gimpy1405•

No big deal. Use Barkeepers Helper and scrub off some of the drips and reapply with a lighter hand. Perfection in seasoning is over-rated. Just season one more time and then cook in them and see it as an ongoing process. They and you will be fine.

1
gmwrnr•

This post will help you! I just used regular paper towels, not his fancy Scotch ones, and it came out just fine

1
j89k•

Yes - there was too much oiled used as the others have pointed out. Barkeepers Friend might help - lots of elbow grease. Before you try that technique you might consider trying to use some white vinegar (if the pan is brand new) it will likely work with minimal effort. You can also use yellow cap easy off oven spray (it has lye in it) that will strip the pan with minimal effort. Be sure to wear rubber gloves. Put pan in a garbage bag (double bag it) and let it sit outside for a day. Wash off the seasoning and neutralize the lye with some white vinegar. Dry and re-season.

When you are seasoning wipe on a layer of oil - and wipe AS MUCH as you can off. After about 10 minutes in the oven pull it out and wipe again, this will clean up any droplets that may have formed.

Keep in mind - carbon steel pans are not often pretty - your seasoning is likely to be kind of ugly for several months before it evens out.

1