# Pans



## rami_m (Oct 3, 2017)

Haven't been commenting much these days, but still following along. I have been using a circulon pan from Costco to saute veggies, cook steaks, shallow fry stuff ( rarely). We have a gas stovetop at home. 

I am looking for something decent. Easy to care for and reasonable $$. What should I look out for?


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## dwalker (Oct 3, 2017)

Go to a restaurant supply store. I use Vollrath mostly. They have lines that are comparable to top home brands for half the cost. This includes Teflon, stainless, aluminum, and multi-ply.


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## rami_m (Oct 3, 2017)

Thanks. But which type should I go for for my applications? Any idea the pros and cons of the various options?


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## rami_m (Oct 3, 2017)

dwalker said:


> Go to a restaurant supply store. I use Vollrath mostly. They have lines that are comparable to top home brands for half the cost. This includes Teflon, stainless, aluminum, and multi-ply.



Which line would you recommend?


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## daveb (Oct 3, 2017)

I'm liking de Buyer a lot for your application. Not dime store cheap but not prohibitive either. And induction ready when you move into big leagues[emoji41]


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## malexthekid (Oct 3, 2017)

These days I find myself using a cast iron skillet for frying meats, Lodge, A carbon steel de buyer for sauting eggs etc (have to reason as I cooked something on to it and had to scrub it clean, silly me) and a scanpan ctx non-stick fry pan for when that is needed.

My principle these days tend to be if it is high heat where I am likely to get oil burning on I will use the carbon or cast iron where that is a benefit rather than an annoyance.

I should add I would love to use stainless pans but I just suck at them. Cannot cook on one without sticking. No ides what I am doing wrong.


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## Mucho Bocho (Oct 3, 2017)

The only issue I have with cast iron its hard to work with acidic sauces. The pan that has been an excellent balance of ultra high heat capable can handle a finishing sauce is these Spring USA BLACKLINE https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VXC2LME/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## daveb (Oct 3, 2017)

Mucho Bocho said:


> The only issue I have with cast iron its hard to work with acidic sauces. The pan that has been an excellent balance of ultra high heat capable can handle a finishing sauce is these Spring USA BLACKLINE https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VXC2LME/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20



Aw chit Dennis. You're always costing me money. How does the Spring compare to the de Buyer Min B? I have a Spring fondue set from when family lived in Sweden - 55 yrs ago. Best ever for meat (frying) fondue.


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## niwaki-boy (Oct 4, 2017)

Mucho Bocho said:


> The only issue I have with cast iron its hard to work with acidic sauces. The pan that has been an excellent balance of ultra high heat capable can handle a finishing sauce is these Spring USA BLACKLINE https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VXC2LME/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


Ive looked at those for a long time never ran into anybody whos used them. Are they nice and smooth inside? 
For a heavy carbon pan I have a couple of Dartos from Argentina. Theyre stamped out in a single piece so there are no rivets to contend with. Nothings going to hurt these not even Jethro's head, I love these pans although theyre limited in size. Free shipping for $100usd orders! 
For the op... I just replaced a mixed bag of stuff with Volrath pots and pans from the Optio series to use with a couple of induction hobs. So far so good, the sidewalls are thin so you do get flame lick from a gas burner using the smaller sizes. These are a great value imo.


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## Mucho Bocho (Oct 4, 2017)

Im super impressed with the Spring USA pans. They actually have smoother bottoms than debuyer. No need to season them either. Plus their induction comparable. Also they have s nice shape. Conical sides but taller than debyuer. No rivets either.


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## rami_m (Oct 4, 2017)

Mucho Bocho said:


> Im super impressed with the Spring USA pans. They actually have smoother bottoms than debuyer. No need to season them either. Plus their induction comparable. Also they have s nice shape. Conical sides but taller than debyuer. No rivets either.



And can't be found in Australia [emoji35]


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## HRC_64 (Oct 4, 2017)

Lots of good advice here already.

i use au carbone for about 80%
other/ usually stainless lined for acids 

(And when i need to see my reflection in the pan )

In all seriousness, sometimes the colour/contrast sometimes 
is quite useful. Also, simply sometimes I want a different conductor.


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## Matus (Oct 5, 2017)

daveb said:


> Aw chit Dennis. You're always costing me money. How does the Spring compare to the de Buyer Min B? I have a Spring fondue set from when family lived in Sweden - 55 yrs ago. Best ever for meat (frying) fondue.



I had both and both are great. Both with heavily bow-out if the size of the coooktop is not sufficient (I am talking about simple glass-ceramic cooktop). Also - the taller the sides of the pan, the more likely that the pan will bow in use. With that said - both pans take a good seasoning. The deBuyer I had (carbone plus, 32cm) was way too large for our cooktop (unfortunately), so I gifted it to my friend who uses it in a pro kitchen and loves it. The Spring in 28cm size has a bit smaller bottom, but still bit too large - thus bows again, but untill it cooks well I will keep it. I like the shape with taller steeper sides. I only used these 2 pans for frying - never to make a sauce or similar. For anything else I have 28 cm Falk copper pan which is fantastic (and which can actually handle a fair amount of stirr frying itself).

And with all that said - my all time favourite is a much cheaper pan from *Turk* in 24 cm size (bottom is slightly smaller than the heated area of our cooktop). It has low sides and a coarse 'ridge mesh'. It was about 20 or 25 . It remains super flat even at temperatures that are too high to cook (when seasoning, etc). It took the best seasoning of the 3 pans and I use it mostly for steaks (one at a time) and eggs. 

If I ever buy a "large staining pan" again, then most probably a cast iron (so that it keeps shape) from Skeppshult. I got a pancake pan from them and LOVE it to bits. Non-sticking from the very first pancake. This just reminds me that I need to send that thank you note to Skeppshult 

There you go, my $0.02


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## boomchakabowwow (Oct 5, 2017)

i'm not at the place where i can recommend DuBeyers carbon..yet. (i did fry Spam last night for musubi in it..but a shovel could have sufficed)

here it goes. Cuisinart Multiclad Unlimited. i have two sauce pans. my friend has the Saute. talk about "under the radar" bad ass pans. not that expensive and i think they rock perfectly on the stove top just like the AllClad i have cooking next to it. as a home cook,i could have done 100% without the all-clad. just saying..but i do love them all.


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## Iggy (Oct 5, 2017)

Demeyere Industrial Allclad ... best allround pan I know


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## OliverNuther (Oct 6, 2017)

You might be fishing in the wrong pool Rami, you've heard the saying about cooks being knife people or pan people? No prizes for guessing which camp everyone here falls into. Having said that I use a mixture of non stick, stainless and cast iron. Anolon non stick for low heat applications, stainless for most everything else and cast iron for high heat searing. I'm not super familiar with Sydney suppliers but places like Myers, DJ's, Harris Scarfe, Robins Kitchen etc tend to be overpriced unless they're having one of their 50% off sales. 

TBH if I was replacing all my pieces nowadays I'd just be going cheap. My Anolons were an expensive set at the time but some are losing their coating in places even though I've been careful with them. They're about 5 years old. I've got a few stainless pieces from Robins and Costco which are good but not especially cheap. Probably the best value pieces are some cast iron pans I got from Chinatown about 30 years ago for about 10 bucks. Totally indestructible. 

A lot of it comes down to personal opinion too. Do you want flashy or workmanlike? Have a look at Nisbets. They're a restaurant supply store. I get a fair bit of stuff from their Brisbane store. Cheap, utilitarian, if I had to be rebuild my kitchen today that's where I'd be going.

Oh, and they've got blue steel pans too if that's your thing. I bought a couple years ago, spent hours seasoning them and have never used them. They look great though.....if I could find them.


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## Customfan (Oct 6, 2017)

So much good information!

I will take a different approach! Wont focus on brands, there are enough good suggestions already, I will focus on process....

All I can say is that there is no perfect all around pan, period. One thing Ive learned after cooking for decades is that with practice you understand how different materials react, conduct heat, stick, etc. Therefore you need to have different pans in the same way that you need a wrench and you also need pliers because they work for different purposes and situations.

Sure you could use stainless for non stick optimum situations but the results would not be optimum, So, start cooking and find the right pan for the dish, say... cast iron. Find dishes that work for that pan... make mistakes and then find the right pan for another dish, research, borrow, sell, do more research and before you know it you will have a very well crafted set of tools and you will know exactly how and when to use them!!

Understand variables, limitations of pans and how burning temperatures of oils work, then try cooking the same ingredient in different pans, now change the temperature in the same pan... fine tune until you can tell the material, characteristics of the tool given the task.

Good luck!


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## rami_m (Oct 7, 2017)

OliverNuther said:


> You might be fishing in the wrong pool Rami, you've heard the saying about cooks being knife people or pan people? No prizes for guessing which camp everyone here falls into. Having said that I use a mixture of non stick, stainless and cast iron. Anolon non stick for low heat applications, stainless for most everything else and cast iron for high heat searing. I'm not super familiar with Sydney suppliers but places like Myers, DJ's, Harris Scarfe, Robins Kitchen etc tend to be overpriced unless they're having one of their 50% off sales.
> 
> TBH if I was replacing all my pieces nowadays I'd just be going cheap. My Anolons were an expensive set at the time but some are losing their coating in places even though I've been careful with them. They're about 5 years old. I've got a few stainless pieces from Robins and Costco which are good but not especially cheap. Probably the best value pieces are some cast iron pans I got from Chinatown about 30 years ago for about 10 bucks. Totally indestructible.
> 
> ...



Well. I found a stainless all- clad d5 10 inch at Myer for 145, not sure if worth it. Nisbits are around the corner from me at castle hill so may be worth a visit. All their stuff is the one brand vuume so not sure if any good?


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## rami_m (Oct 7, 2017)

Customfan said:


> So much good information!
> 
> I will take a different approach! Wont focus on brands, there are enough good suggestions already, I will focus on process....
> 
> ...



Yea. I don't cook consistent enough to work it out. Best I can hope for is the tool doesn't make my life harder than it has to be.


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## OliverNuther (Oct 7, 2017)

rami_m said:


> Well. I found a stainless all- clad d5 10 inch at Myer for 145, not sure if worth it. Nisbits are around the corner from me at castle hill so may be worth a visit. All their stuff is the one brand vuume so not sure if any good?



I'm pretty sure all their stuff is Chinese which keeps the prices down. I've bought oversize stock pots and stew pots from them and they're fine. I haven't bought any domestic size sauté pans from them but I would expect them to be ok as well.


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## Mute-on (Oct 7, 2017)

Lodge cast iron in Sydney 

https://www.petersofkensington.com.au/Public/Lodge-Logic-Cast-Iron-Skillet-30cm.aspx

All Clad and others too


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## rami_m (Oct 21, 2017)

https://xkcd.com/1905/


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## OliverNuther (Oct 21, 2017)

rami_m said:


> https://xkcd.com/1905/



Gold.


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## Mute-on (Oct 22, 2017)

rami_m said:


> https://xkcd.com/1905/



Baa, haa, haa


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## Choppin (Oct 26, 2017)

Matus said:


> And with all that said - my all time favourite is a much cheaper pan from *Turk* in 24 cm size (bottom is slightly smaller than the heated area of our cooktop). It has low sides and a coarse 'ridge mesh'. It was about 20 or 25 . It remains super flat even at temperatures that are too high to cook (when seasoning, etc). It took the best seasoning of the 3 pans and I use it mostly for steaks (one at a time) and eggs.



Just ordered this. Good thickness (2.5mm from what I have read) and price. Do you think the ridge mesh offers any advantage or disadvantage over a plain finish?


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## rami_m (Oct 29, 2017)

Still have not made up my mind. May drop it for a little bit.


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## Matus (Oct 30, 2017)

Choppin said:


> Just ordered this. Good thickness (2.5mm from what I have read) and price. Do you think the ridge mesh offers any advantage or disadvantage over a plain finish?



I was not sure about the grooves first, but they do not seem to interfere in any negative way. I will be curios to hear how do you like the pan


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## Choppin (Oct 30, 2017)

Matus said:


> I was not sure about the grooves first, but they do not seem to interfere in any negative way. I will be curios to hear how do you like the pan



Thanks. Ill definitely post my impressions here. Im also curious to try these Turk pans:

https://www.kaufmann-mercantile.com/product/149000043458/turk-one-piece-forged-iron-fry-pan

Its discontinued by this retailer but can be found in other sites (easier in Europe). Seems like an interesting alternative to cast iron.


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## Matus (Oct 30, 2017)

Those more expensive Turk pans are forged from one piece. I have not used one - I do not know how flat the bottom is going to be. But they look great and I was tempted when I was buying mine.


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## Choppin (Oct 30, 2017)

Matus said:


> Those more expensive Turk pans are forged from one piece. I have not used one - I do not know how flat the bottom is going to be. But they look great and I was tempted when I was buying mine.



I found a German seller on eBay selling these for a reasonable price and shipping WW. Will get a 20cm small one to try and get back here with my impression!


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## TheCaptain (Oct 31, 2017)

Choppin said:


> I found a German seller on eBay selling these for a reasonable price and shipping WW. Will get a 20cm small one to try and get back here with my impression!


Links?


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## Choppin (Oct 31, 2017)

TheCaptain said:


> Links?



Link below. Its the cheapest seller I found for Turk pans (that ships worldwide). Non-EU customers get VAT deducted from the price (just buy it and the seller will refund the VAT). European customers might find something better at Amazon UK and DE (Germany). 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/151028183172

Several sizes available through the link. Take a look at the other items from this seller - he also has the ridged-pattern pan that Matus mentioned, as well as a version with taller sides. 

I will let you know how it works out once I get mine.


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## TheCaptain (Oct 31, 2017)

Thanks for the link! Can't wait to hear your thoughts.


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## phoosty (Nov 7, 2017)

Quick question on the Spring USA pans: are the dimensions listed the upper or lower diameter?


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## Matus (Nov 8, 2017)

phoosty said:


> Quick question on the Spring USA pans: are the dimensions listed the upper or lower diameter?



Size of the pan is to my knowledge always the upper (lid) size. BTW I have also the Spring pan in 28 cm size. It is a really nice pan, but needs a lot of heat on the (tall) sides, otherwise the bottom it will bow-out - our did. It dances around on our glass-top stove, but still cooks reasonably well. On gas this would not be a problem.

One general comment - I have come to an impression, that the taller/thicker the walls of an iron pan are, the higher the probabilitiy that the bottom will not remain flat - at least on a glass-top stove. This is most probably because the taller & thicker the walls are, the colder they will remain when cooking and will thus not expand as much as the bottom. What seems to help is to have the dimater of the heated area in the stoove larger than the bottom of the pan, so the sides got more heat. Again - this would not really be a problem on a decent gas stove.


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## Devon_Steven (Nov 8, 2017)

Matus said:


> One general comment - I have come to an impression, that the taller/thicker the walls of an iron pan are, the higher the probabilitiy that the bottom will not remain flat - at least on a glass-top stove. This is most probably because the taller & thicker the walls are, the colder they will remain when cooking and will thus not expand as much as the bottom. What seems to help is to have the dimater of the heated area in the stoove larger than the bottom of the pan, so the sides got more heat. Again - this would not really be a problem on a decent gas stove.



Matus,

Thanks for these insights (the one quoted and an earlier one above).

I have 2 De Buyer Carbone Plus Round Frying Pans at 32cm and 24cm and use these on an induction top. The larger of these pans has deformed a little, although note from De Buyer's FAQs (https://www.debuyer.com/en/faq) that the pans are slightly convex


_*Why is my iron pan curved?
*
All de Buyer iron pans have a slightly convexly curved bottom to guarantee a great stability when they are used on powerful heating sources (especially on induction). This convex curve prevents pans from deforming and doesnt spoil their cooking properties.

Induction hobs showing an exceptional heating performance, when using an iron pan, it is necessary to:

- cook at a medium temperature,
- avoid using the powerboost function,
- avoid over-heating your iron pan while it is empty.

These precautions are essential for pans from 26cm of diameter to avoid deformation._

Anyway, I'm pretty sure that my 32cm De Buyer has more convexing that it did to begin with (although it still works well enough). Even with the largest of four induction 'burners' the outer edges of the pan are not getting as hot as the centre.

Following Matus's info in this thread, I have just ordered a Turk 28cm (model no. 65228) from here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000KKLZHC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Let's see if this one stays flat like Matus's (also, this one should fit in the oven - my De Buyer 32cm is just too big for that!).


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## Matus (Nov 9, 2017)

Devon, I hope that you will like the Turk pan. I will be curios to hear whether it will remain as flat as our 24cm version of it.


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## Devon_Steven (Nov 9, 2017)

Matus said:


> Devon, I hope that you will like the Turk pan. I will be curios to hear whether it will remain as flat as our 24cm version of it.




Hopefully it will 

I'm also interested to see how the seasoning goes with the Turk. My two Carbone Plus pans need to have the seasoning maintained as small areas of seasoning often flake off. This happens more so with the larger pan and - in particular - if I try to cook liquid (other than oil). It's okay if I deglaze the pan and quickly make a sauce, but any extended contact with liquid will often lead to flaking.

Another poster in another thread mentioned that this flaking may be due to the surface of the steel pans being more polished in comparison to cast iron, meaning that the seasoning doesn't have such a textured surface to cling on to. To test this theory, I roughed-up the surface (with 240 grit wet and dry) of my carbone pans and re-seasoned them to see if things improved. Things did improve, to some extent anyway - especially in the 24cm one.

If I have a bad flaking experience in the future, I might remove the seasoning again and try roughing them up with a lower grit paper before re-seasoning again...


Steven


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## Ryndunk (Nov 9, 2017)

Carbon steel is the way to go. I have de buyer pans at the house, love them. At the restaurant I buy Matfer Bourgeat carbon pans. Very affordable, cook wonderfully. Matfers are a bit more shallow but have a slightly larger cooking surface. You won't be disappointed with either.


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## tripleq (Nov 10, 2017)

Devon_Steven said:


> Hopefully it will
> 
> I'm also interested to see how the seasoning goes with the Turk. My two Carbone Plus pans need to have the seasoning maintained as small areas of seasoning often flake off. This happens more so with the larger pan and - in particular - if I try to cook liquid (other than oil). It's okay if I deglaze the pan and quickly make a sauce, but any extended contact with liquid will often lead to flaking.
> 
> ...



Hey Steven. I've had this issue of flaking a few times with different pans and woks. In my case I found the root cause was initially seasoning with too much oil. When I re-seasoned using much thinner coats the issue disappeared. As for this thread and the Turk pan... yet another thing to try...


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## HRC_64 (Nov 11, 2017)

Agree with tripleq on the seasoning issue.

lots of people try to season steel like iron.
do things like bake the pan with oil for 1 hr.

cast iron is more porous than steel
its like a stone that is soaker vs splash and go.

absolutely wrong to treat them the same--
steel has its own properties.

steel is easy to season, btw.
takes <30 min

After reading amazon reviews/complaints, 
its clear that user error is often a big factor.


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## orangehero (Nov 11, 2017)

Mucho Bocho said:


> Im super impressed with the Spring USA pans. They actually have smoother bottoms than debuyer. No need to season them either. Plus their induction comparable. Also they have s nice shape. Conical sides but taller than debyuer. No rivets either.



I recently picked a Spring USA pan and it is very high quality only I am not sure about the powder-coated handle and some kind of coating both outside and inside the pan. Would rather if it was all raw steel.



HRC_64 said:


> lots of people try to season steel like iron.
> do things like bake the pan with oil for 1 hr.
> 
> cast iron is more porous than steel
> ...



What is the best way to season steel?

Does anyone have experience with Darto pans? 

https://www.darto.org/us/


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## Matus (Nov 11, 2017)

I am no expert on seasoning of steel pans, but what worked best for me was to first just warm up the pan, put a little linseed oil on a paper towel and just make the pan greasy and wipe all the oil you can wipe. The heat it up and let the oil burn away (the surface will become mat). Repeat the process a few times, but leave the pan to cool down in between.

What I also do often is after using the pan I would scrubbed it under hot water with a steel wool sponge, dry with a paper towel and bring it up to the smoking point, so the thin layer of fat left in the pan would be carburised. That seems to bring a rather stable seasoning over time.


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## niwaki-boy (Nov 11, 2017)

@orangehero.. I have Dartos and love them! They are pressed so theres no rivets and are very heavy duty. First thing you want to do is get the manufacturing oils off the pan with a solvent like lacquer thinner then go to seasoning. Gett'm up to about 500 after wiping a couple thin coats of oil and youre good to go. Using them will further help but right away eggs were slipping around easily. Only downside.. I wish they had one size larger. I used peanut and canola also heard that lecithin is good. Theres a video on their site that shows their seasoning process. Also Nicolas is very responsive to email.


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## tripleq (Nov 11, 2017)

Matus said:


> I am no expert on seasoning of steel pans, but what worked best for me was to first just warm up the pan, put a little linseed oil on a paper towel and just make the pan greasy and wipe all the oil you can wipe. The heat it up and let the oil burn away (the surface will become mat). Repeat the process a few times, but leave the pan to cool down in between.
> 
> What I also do often is after using the pan I would scrubbed it under hot water with a steel wool sponge, dry with a paper towel and bring it up to the smoking point, so the thin layer of fat left in the pan would be carburised. That seems to bring a rather stable seasoning over time.



This is pretty much it. Good seasoning is about applying a **very thin** layer of oil and then heating it to the oil smoke point. This releases free radicals and causes the oil to polymerize. I've had the best results using flaxseed or peanut oil and repeating 5-7 times. If you're having problems with seasoning it is usually best to clean everything off the pan before starting again. Popular cleaning techniques include placing the pan inside an oven on a cleaning cycle, oven cleaning sprays and electrolysis. Electrolysis is particularly effective on cast iron.


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## DamageInc (Nov 12, 2017)

salt potatoskin oil


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## HRC_64 (Nov 12, 2017)

DamageInc said:


> salt potatoskin oil



yes, this releases some acids in the skins. 


START
+++++

1) The acid to cleans the pan, and acts like a primer for paint. 

2) then you put down the seasoning oils. 

REMEMBER:
steel is not porous like iron, 
so this has to be VERY THIN oil layers.

3) the step everyone misses is to remove oil impurities.
you do this by a quick rinse (the water should dance...)
let it dance, then chuck it out. (spoonful/s not litres)


4) wipe it dry, wipe new oil.

5) repeat the cycle.
Maybe its 3 minutes per cycle x 5 -7 times.

do not skip this step.

the impurities will float out in the water
(think clarifying butter).

++++++++

END


if you ever loose seasoning, just repeat this.

TLDR:

Failure modes:

1) start with dirty steel. solve problem by using a cleaning step.
2) leaving burned oil impurities. solve this by method above
3) treating pan like a soaking stone(iron), not splash and go (steel). solve this by method above

If you leave the impurities in,
they will build up and be gummy,
leading to trapping more oil, too thick layers
(not polymerized fully...catches food...etc)


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## HRC_64 (Nov 12, 2017)

Remove any such impurties at a later stage also,
should they build up from cooking/normal use
(eg, from cooking or searing in smoking oil)

Do this with BLUE scoth-brite pad+water (no soap)
Rinse clean water, wipe new oil (thin layer)
Heat once (maybe) or just store with thin oil layer to protect.
(then heat up next time @ preheat, and wipe just before cooking)


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## Choppin (Nov 29, 2017)

I received a Turk pan this week and got to season it and cook a bit. Its not the criss-crossed one Matus mentioned - I also ordered that one but havent received it yet. Its the one-piece, forged one, size 20cm: http://www.turk-metall.de/cms/index..._id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=26&lang=en

So far I really like it... The texture is rougher than carbon steel, but smoother, with a tighter grain compared to cast iron. Looks like kurouchi a bit (see pic). I found it a bit easier to season than cast iron - after 4 rounds in the oven I got a decent seasoning and had no sticking issues when searing some veggies. Heats up as fast as carbon steel and cleans up easily. 

I cant comment on seasoning stability yet, but given the texture I expect it to be somewhere between CI and CS. 

One thing that surprised me was the weight. It actually weights less than De Buyer carbon steel pans of same size (this applies to all sizes, just compare the link above with the info at De Buyers website). Yet it has similar thickness from what I can tell. Probably construction and forging process have something to do with it...

Ill probably get it in other sizes. Seems like a great alternative if you are looking for a CI/CS pan. I liked the one-piece, rivetless construction, weight, overall feel and handmade factor.


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## Matus (Nov 29, 2017)

That pan looks really nice. I will be curios to hear how does it compare to the other Turk pan (the one with ridges). The surface ineed looks like it was left like that after forging. It makes me wonder whether these pans get some sort of 'heat treatment' after forging (not necessarily quenching for higher hardness though  )


May I ask how is the flatness of the pan? Would it work on 'standard' glass-top stoove?


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## Choppin (Nov 29, 2017)

Matus - I will make sure to make a comparison between both pans when the ridged one arrives. Shouldnt take long. 

About flatness - when I lay the pan on my countertop and press around the rim, it does show some movement. So the bottom is apparently not completely flat. Its quite subtle - I didnt notice it when using on my gas stove and some of my vintage CI have a similar degree of movement. But on a glass stove it might be an issue.


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## Matus (Nov 29, 2017)

Thank you Choppin. A not 100% flat bottom is something I kind off expected with a forged pan. I am looking forward to your comparison.


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## Choppin (Nov 29, 2017)

You are welcome Matus. Please keep in mind that I have never used a glass stove, so I have no idea how flat the pan would have be to work well (I just assumed 100%). It is only slightly uneven, like I said I didnt even notice when cooking on my gas stove. Nothing too expressive.


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## Devon_Steven (Dec 2, 2017)

I also got my Turk recently.

Pics here: 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/2cj79h

Nice pan - nowhere near as bad fit and finish as the one pictured in the Amazon listing. Used some wet and dry sandpaper to polish the weld a bit but everything else was nice and smooth.

Noticably lighter than the De Buyer pans I have.

Took a nice smooth seasoning with about 8 applications of wiped-on mineral oil on the hob top. First use was some breaded salmon tonight - not exactly a sticky meal but I got the impression that the pan will perform very well. Will report back on egg-performance tomorrow.

One thing I noticed, the handle got quite a bit hotter than the De Buyer handles when seasoning (but that's longer high heat than normal applications).

Finally, the warping situation... you will see before and after pics in my album... there has been a slight concaving after the seasoning, but minimal, and performance is not affected.

In the before, pic, you can see that the pan is manufactured with a concave/convexing (depending on which way up you are looking at the pan); this is consistent with De Buyer who state that they build their frying pans with a concaving to add to the robustness.

I am cooking on a glass top but using induction heat, so the physical contact with the glass is not critical for me.


Best wishes
Steven


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## Devon_Steven (Dec 2, 2017)

tripleq said:


> Hey Steven. I've had this issue of flaking a few times with different pans and woks. In my case I found the root cause was initially seasoning with too much oil. When I re-seasoned using much thinner coats the issue disappeared. As for this thread and the Turk pan... yet another thing to try...



Triple, 

For some time I've been wiping the seasoning oil on with a cloth, rather than pouring and then wiping. That may have improved things. I also think that just the pans getting more and more use helps the seasoning to become more resilient. I always apply a hot oil wipe or two or three before putting the pan back on the shelf.


Steven


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## Matus (Dec 2, 2017)

Thanks for reporting on your new pan Steven. I have actually never checked whether my Turk pan has some slight concavity to its bottom (which would explain why it feels sitting dead flat on the stove).

I completely second your approach of building and sustaining the seasoning. I do it in a very similar way and it works very well for me too.


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## Choppin (Dec 3, 2017)

Thanks Steven. I usually season in the over to avoid warping. Heating an empty pan for longer that a few minutes usually doesnt end well for me.


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## Matus (Dec 3, 2017)

Choppin said:


> Thanks Steven. I usually season in the over to avoid warping. Heating an empty pan for longer that a few minutes usually doesnt end well for me.



It escapes me why I never came to the idea of seasoning pan in the oven. Sounds like a great idea. Is 270 degrees Celsius enough? That is as far as our oven goes.


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## Paraffin (Dec 3, 2017)

Matus said:


> It escapes me why I never came to the idea of seasoning pan in the oven. Sounds like a great idea. Is 270 degrees Celsius enough? That is as far as our oven goes.



I season pans in the oven, usually for about 45 minutes, although 30 is probably enough. 

For a temperature setting, I think the main idea is to stay far enough below the smoke point of whatever oil you're using. This avoids a bitter taste in the seasoning (and a lot of smoke in the oven!). I season pans at 400 F / 232 C for peanut oil, where the smoke point is 450 F / 232 C.


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## Obsidiank (Dec 3, 2017)

The main idea is for oil polymerization which occurs above the smoke point. Youre supposed to season above the smoke point. However, I will say its a crapshoot seasoning in the oven and Ive gone back to the tried and true salt/potato peel method. 



Paraffin said:


> I season pans in the oven, usually for about 45 minutes, although 30 is probably enough.
> 
> For a temperature setting, I think the main idea is to stay far enough below the smoke point of whatever oil you're using. This avoids a bitter taste in the seasoning (and a lot of smoke in the oven!). I season pans at 400 F / 232 C for peanut oil, where the smoke point is 450 F / 232 C.


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## Paraffin (Dec 3, 2017)

Obsidiank said:


> The main idea is for oil polymerization which occurs above the smoke point.



I don't think it's necessary to season above the smoke point because I've had good results staying below it. Maybe it's the extended time? Anyway it works for me, YMMV, etc.


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## HRC_64 (Dec 3, 2017)

any steel pan that warps at the smoke point is junk


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## Choppin (Dec 3, 2017)

Most recipes for oven seasoning call for 450 f (232 c). I usually go up to 250 c. 

In every seasoning I get smoke (a lot). I understand its a natural and necessary aspect of seasoning (I read someone here explaining it better but cant find the post).


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## Choppin (Dec 3, 2017)

HRC_64 said:


> any steel pan that warps at the smoke point is junk




Ive had this happen to all clad and de buyer pans. In both cases I used mid/high heat and either left the pan empty for too long or used a burner that was too small.


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## Matus (Dec 3, 2017)

HRC_64 said:


> any steel pan that warps at the smoke point is junk



No, it is the fact that you can not heat the pan completely evenly. Iron is not a particularly good head conductor, so the sides of the pan will stay considerably cooler - in particular on a glass top stove where the heated surface is not large enough. On gas this may be less of an issue (and it will be less of an issue if the pan is not perfectly flat). I had a 32 deBuyer Carbone Plus and it warped badly - the bottom of the pan was actually large than the heated area on our stove. Now I have another iron pan - the bottom is just as large as our stoove, but the pan still bowed out considerably. With the smaller Turk I had 0 issued. The pan is smaller & thinner and the sides are rather low. At some point I will get a larger Turk pan and see what will happen.


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## HRC_64 (Dec 3, 2017)

Choppin said:


> In both cases I used mid/high heat and either left the pan empty for too long or used a burner that was too small.



sounds legit


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## AnthonyC (Dec 8, 2017)

I have a Le Crueset enameled cast iron skillet that we use a lot and is fairly non-stick without seasoning. I also have a couple Lodge skillets that came pre-seasoned. If you cook with oil or other fats, that is usually enough to keep them seasoned as long as you don't soap-soak them or scrub too hard. 

Cooks Illustrated has a video of how they season new pans. I'll see if I can find the link and post it today.


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## DitmasPork (Dec 9, 2017)

Depends on what you want to spend. On the low end there's Tramontina, made in Brazil and/or Chinagood for the cheap price.

My kitchen's workhorses are Paderno (world cuisine), de Buyer, a couple of vintage cast iron skilletsin addition to a few copper pans that are needing re-tinning.


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