r/carbonsteel

First pan: 11" IKEA Vardagen, been used heavily, poor initial seasoning (used way too much oil) still very nonstick, though. No complaints

Second pan: 9" IKEA Vardagen, figured out how to season better (room for improvement)

I wanted to try this out on a carbon steel skillet to see if it would work. I used a 5” Cast-A-Way carbon skillet as my test pan (I also have their 8” and it works great).

Rust bluing was a process used extensively on firearms in the 1800’s to increase the corrosion resistance and durability of steel components. Unlike high temperature “bluing,” where the part is heated until it turns blue, rust bluing results in a thicker, more durable layer of black iron oxide, also known as magnetite. The process relies on forcibly creating a surface layer of red rust and then submerging it in boiling distilled water to turn the red rust into magnetite. For anyone else who wants to try, I included my protocol below. There are plenty of videos online (mostly gun related) that describe this process in detail. This protocol uses food-safe materials (would not recommend using commercially available kits with toxic components). I think it turned out pretty well, although it’s hard to say how much cooking I’ll be doing with a 5” skillet… The color is a deep blue black before seasoning, and turns almost black after seasoning. The last few pictures show a comparison to my other CS pans. This process was only used for the interior of the pan.

Is this necessary for cooking? No.

Is it time consuming? Yes.

Is the final color a deeper blue than "heat bluing"? Yes.

Was it fun? 100%!

 

 Materials:

1. Acetone (100%)
2. Rust solution (4 Tbsp of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar, 1 tsp salt), recipe from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lXeT2qzCi0. Prepare in a non-metal bowl or you will rust the bowl.
3. Blow dryer
4. Distilled water
5. Glass containers for mixing rust solution
6. Cotton balls
7. Nitrile gloves
8. Steel wool

 

Protocol:

(1) Strip seasoning by simmering in tomato sauce for ~10-15 minutes. The metal should look clean and shiny.

(1a) (optional) Mechanical surface roughening: Use stainless steel chain mail, scotch-brite pads, and steel wool to increase the pan’s surface roughness.

(1b) (optional) Acid etching: Simmer in vinegar for 10-20 minutes until the metal takes a dull gray appearance. Ideally this increases the surface roughness further.

(1c) Wash, rinse, and dry the pan.

(2a) Degreasing: Use nitrile gloves to avoid fingerprints. Wipe the surface with cotton soaked in acetone to remove any trace amounts of oil. Oil will interfere with rust formation and cause uneven patches.

(2b) Apply rust solution: Wipe a thin coat of the rust solution on the pan using cotton balls. Not much is required here, just a thin, uniform coat. Allow the pan to rust for 10-30 minutes. Accelerate the rusting process by using a warm blow dryer and holding over a simmering pot of water. Do not let water vapor condense on the pan while cold or it will form rust dots. The goal is to create an even coat of red rust. The process is complete when there is an even layer of red rust on the surface.

(3) Dry the rust: Use a blow dryer to evaporate any liquid left in the pan.

(4) Boil in water: Prepare a boiling kettle of distilled water. Pour the boiling water into the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Filtered water is probably okay but distilled water is allegedly better. Hard water may interfere with the process.

(5) Convert red rust into magnetite: Allow the pan to simmer in boiling distilled water for 15-30 minutes until the red rust turns black (magnetite). It looks like magic when this happens. When complete, pour out the water and briefly let air dry.

(6) Remove the loose magnetite: Use steel wool to “card” or scratch off the loose black “velvet”. Avoid pressing too hard and focus more on broad strokes. Continue wiping until no more black velvet comes off. Test by using a paper towel. Avoid introducing oil or fingerprints to the surface. Note: If you press too hard with the steel wool, it is possible to remove all of the magnetite. Also, soak the steel wool in acetone a few times to remove any potential factory oil on the wool.

(7) Repeat these steps (2-6) for a total of 5-10 times until the desired finish is achieved (degreasing, rusting, boiling, carding). With each cycle, the light spots should fill in until a deep blue/black color is achieved. When finished, wash the pan thoroughly with soap and water.

(8) Season using any preferred method. In this process I used 3 coats of grape seed oil in the oven.

(9) Just keep cooking!

I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’ve had this debuyer for 3 weeks now and have done everything you’re supposed to. My seasonings come out how they are supposed to rub the oil off come out not sticky or streaky. I’m watching the temps not with a temp gun but doing the butter test and it’s working exactly how the videos say. Still this thing sticks like hell! The was eggs and rice, most of the eggs were fine but the middle just stuck. Driving me nuts I thought these things were supposed to be easy than a plain ole lodge cast iron

I've found a couple of these pans,due for the dump. They all look more or less like this. Is it worth restoring?

I accidentally left carbonara overnight and cleaned it in the morning and now it looks like this. Should I re-season it or is it still fine? Thanks 🥲

Series of photos over 2 years.

1. first stovetop season and blueing

2 and 3) blackened nicely over time and use. Eventually, the sides built up a tough black layer of carbon

4. finally decided to clean off the carbon buildup so I used BKF and brought it back to near metal.

Bottom and cooking surface is mostly clean, inner edge and top are not scrubbing off easily

Worth restarting the process and getting those bits off?

For some reason I can't figure out how to post both pictures and video on the same post, so sorry I can't add more pics.

Ok so let's start with specs:

Strata Carbon Steel Clad with Aluminum

Top Diameter: 14"

Cooking Diameter: 6.75"

Depth: 3.75"

Thickness: 2mm

Weight: 3lbs 9oz

Handle length: 8 inches Stainless

Yosukata Flat bottom Blue Wok Carbon Steel

Top Diameter: 13.5"

Cooking Diameter: 6.3"

Depth: 3.6"

Thickness: 1.8mm

Weight: 4lbs 1.6oz

Handle length: 5.5inch wooden

So the Strata is larger in every dimension but is still lighter by just over half a pound! That's impressive.

When it comes to seasoning, the Yosukata was easier to get seasoned and because it was blued it resists rusting so that's good. The Strata is nitrided so it also resists rusting but is surface is significantly smoother than the hammered surface of the Yosukata. That smoothness did make it harder for it to season. Not impossible but more difficult. Also because the Strata has a stainless handle it is easier to season it in the oven than the Yosukata with its wooden handle.

After seasoning both passed the egg sticking test easily.

Ok now let's consider what the Strata advertises itself as: a wok for western stove tops. The Yosukata wok is a flat bottom as well BUT like most Carbon steel pans they are prone to warping when heated. My glass cooktop reveals even the slightest warping (watch the video).

I was disappointed that it did reveal warping in my Strata, and yes i heated them both very slowly to reduce the chance of warping. But I can't complain too much because the warping was minimal. My Yosukata wasn't prefecture perfectly flat when it arrived but when I heat it up, it becomes a spinner. (Watch video).

So I have an iwatani 15000btu butane burner. Many chefs recommend a burner like this instead of the glass top. My glass top powerboil setting is 18000 btu but it is 9" in Diameter. Because the bottom of the woks doesn't exceed 7" there is heat that isn't making direct contact with the pans over 2" in Diameter making the 1800btu burner significantly less efficient than the iwatani which outputs flame roughly 5.5" in Diameter meaning all the btu are hitting the bottom of the pan.... however, gas by very it's very nature is less efficient than the electric. So what's the point? They probably equal out to some degree. However, when it comes to warping, bottom line, no matter how you slice it, the Yosukata will perform better on an iwatani than a glass cooktop. The Strata will perform well on both.

I decided to put the Strata on the glass cooktop and the Yosukata on the gas cooktop and put them head to head to see which one will boil 2 quarts of water faster?

Strata: 5min 47sec

Yosukata: 7min 25sec

Is that because of the pan? Or because of the burner? I'll let you decide. I can tell you that i gave the Yosukata the best chance because it won't beat the Strata on the glass cooktop because it makes significantly less contact.

I can also tell you that the Strata gets up to temp significantly faster. Also, the Yosukata has a hard time getting any heat up the side walls. I don't have a round bottom wok with a significant wok burner that gets flames to wrap around the sides. That kind of heat just doesn't happen on regular western stove tops (sure maybe specialty ones). So I think Strata is definitely getting closer to getting more heat up the sides to replicate the sort of cooking a normal wok would see on an actual wok burner.

There is one application where I prefer the Yosukata over the Strata and that's making popcorn. The yosukata wok is the perfect stovetop popcorn maker. Small Diameter at the bottom being in direct contact with the heat plus the warping, and cool sides prevent the popcorn from scorching.

But there's one caveat. If you've ever made stovetop popcorn you know you have shake the pan back and forth a lot. The handle angle of the Yosukata is great for trying to toss and flip food. But for back and forth shaking it's more awkward. The Strata isn't as easy to toss food but it is much easier to shake and maneuver. Since with most western cooktops that are electric or induction you won't be lifting the wok as much the less aggressive angle handle is more comfortable.

Overall, I highly recommend the Strata wok IF you want a Carbon steel wok that solves many of the problems that standard woks face on standard western cooktops. If you have an actual wok burner, the Strata is not for you. But if you want the closest performance of a wok on a western glass or induction burner then I think the Strata is going to be a significantly better choice than a standard flat bottom wok.

I think i messed it up with the kind of beads on here, they are on the walls too. Is this just a bar keepers fix and redo? Any help would be great thanks!

EDIT: Its a strata pan with a carbon steel interior and a stainless steel exterior

Partner burn some sugar to it, and I spent a couple hours cleaning it. Surface is smooth, but not sure if it looks right. Thanks!

I have been researching, searching, and finally settled on a workhorse. I’m going to clean, season and put it through the paces this weekend. I know the versatility of this pan, but I haven’t had a proper crepe for 35 years. To say I’m excited is an understatement.

Super impressed with how well the Cast A Way handled scrambled eggs, and this was literally my second time cooking in it. I did a layer of seasoning after cooking fish the night before, but these eggs just wouldn’t stick. So much fun. Flipping is a little harder with the outward flared sides - I’m still learning. Heat is low, warmed the pan a couple minutes, dropped a small amount of butter in and waited for the butter to start gently foaming. It brings me joy! Thanks to so many recommendations and posts from this forum to get me off on the right foot.

There’s a lot of posts of new CS owners overthinking the seasoning process, so wanted to share a realistic example of what a well used Matfer pan looks like after 5 years of regular use. Never intentionally stripped and reseasoned. There were many times the pan developed an unacceptable amount of carbon build up and many times when the seasoning flaked off. It’s all part of the process. My pan won’t make it to any magazine covers, but it’s 10/10 as a tool in my kitchen. Also throwing a gratuitous shot of the dirty underside, since those private parts are rarely shared around here!