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Carbon steel pans have many characteristics with cast iron pans. For example, both contain a trace amount of carbon.

Despite these similarities, many professional chefs have long favoured carbon steel pans and skillets in their kitchens.

Why Do Professionals Prefer Carbon Steel Pans?

Carbon steel pans provide a number of benefits. They are, for example, lightweight and compatible with a range of heating sources.

They provide a safe, non-toxic, and nutritious method of food preparation.

Below is a summary of other major reasons why professionals utilize carbon steel pans.

Reason No. 1: Carbon Steel Pans are Extremely Versatile

Carbon steel pans are adaptable since they may be used for a variety of cooking procedures.

You may use them for stir-frying, braising, sautéing, browning, searing, and baking, for example.

Searing chicken, fish, and steak on carbon steel pans is ideal.

These pans may be used to cook pancakes and scrambled eggs, egg-fried rice, an apple pie or deep-dish pizza, or just to sauté vegetables.

Reason #2: Carbon Steel Pans may be used with a variety of heat sources.

One of the finest features of carbon steel pans is their adaptability with various heat sources.

These may be used in electric, gas, and induction ovens, as well as on induction cooktops.

Carbon steel pans are thus useful for professionals who wish to cook on induction cooktops as well as traditional ovens.

Moreover, carbon steel pans may be used on the grill, cooktop, broiler, or oven.

Reason #3: Carbon Steel Pans are Very Long-Lasting

Carbon steel is made up of 99% iron and 1% carbon, making it highly strong. This permits the steel to be shaped into pans and skillets without shattering throughout the production process.

If properly maintained, carbon steel pans may easily endure for more than 30 years.

This distinguishes them from PTFE-coated cookware, which, even with appropriate maintenance, only lasts a few of years.

Hence, if you drop your carbon steel pan on the floor by accident or overheat it, the chances of it being destroyed are relatively minimal.

The carbon steel pan will only get a minor scuff or a small dent.

Reason #4: Carbon Steel Pans Are Safe to Use.

Cookware made of carbon steel is absolutely safe to use. This is due to the fact that both carbon and steel are non-toxic and harmless components.

Also, unlike Teflon, carbon steel pans do not have a PTFE layer. Seasoning carbon steel pans with vegetable oil or lard properly results in a nonstick surface.

While cooking with carbon steel pans, just a tiny amount of grease is required. This guarantees that the food you cook is nutritious and low in fat.

Reason #5 Carbon Steel Pans are Heat Tolerant

Another reason professionals utilize carbon steel pans is their ability to endure heat.

In other words, carbon steel pans can withstand high temperatures for extended periods of time. This better feature enables cooks to safely leave these pans on the stoves.

Carbon steel cookware can often endure temperatures of up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit. Some are more heat tolerant than others.

The ICON carbon steel pan, for example, can withstand temperatures of up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit.

Moreover, the Made In carbon steel cookware can withstand temperatures of up to 1200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Carbon steel’s ability to endure high heat makes it ideal for cooks who prepare steaks and burgers.

Carbon steel pans heat very quickly for this reason.

Many professionals and chefs use carbon steel pans because they must make meals fast in order to satisfy orders.

When opposed to cast iron, carbon steel pans heat up significantly faster. The thin shape of the carbon steel pans enables heat to travel quickly from the burner to the surface.

Another benefit of carbon steel cookware is that it cools relatively quickly. This function is important for professionals who prepare sensitive components.

Also, it saves them time since they do not have to wait long before cleaning it up.

Carbon steel pans are great for professionals because to their response to heat. This is due to the fact that it prevents people from undercooking or overcooking their dish.

Moreover, professionals can simply manage temperatures while adding or deleting substances.

Reason #7: Carbon Steel Pans Are Beautifully Designed

Carbon steel pans with slanted walls are ideal for sautéing foods. They also make it possible for the user to effortlessly flip meals such as omelets and pancakes.

As compared to cast iron cookware, carbon steel is much lighter. A 12-inch cast-iron pan, for example, weighs around 8 pounds.

A 12-inch carbon steel pan, on the other hand, weighs little more than 3 pounds. Its lightweight characteristic makes carbon steel pans easier to operate.

Finally, carbon steel pans have a long handle. This makes it simple for cooks to lift and move it.

The long handle also keeps the pan reasonably cold, making it simple to handle. Carbon steel pans include a hole in the handle that enables professionals to hang them while not in use.

Reason #8: Carbon Steel Pans Are Cheap

Carbon steel cookware is popular among home cooks, chefs, and professionals since it is inexpensive. For example, a carbon steel skillet may readily be found for less than $50.

This cookware has a 30-year lifespan, making it even more inexpensive.

Carbon steel pan costs are comparable to cast iron pan pricing. Nonetheless, as compared to stainless steel cookware, these carbon steel pans represent a little portion of the cost.

Hence, if you want high-quality cookware on a tight budget, carbon steel is the way to go.

How Should Carbon Steel Pans Be Seasoned?

If you decide to purchase a carbon steel pan, keep in mind that it must be seasoned before use.

Seasoning carbon steel pans is necessary for a variety of reasons. To begin with, properly seasoning a carbon steel pan prevents corrosion. This is particularly true if you live in a humid climate.

Second, seasoning carbon steel pans improves their performance. It provides a nonstick surface to the pan, which is necessary for cooking many sorts of dishes.

The following are some instructions for seasoning a carbon steel pan.

Step 1: Determine whether your pan has been pre-seasoned.

Most carbon steel pans are sold unseasoned with a rust-prevention coating. Some merchants, however, do offer pre-seasoned carbon steel pans.

As a result, you must first determine whether or not your cookware is pre-seasoned.

Check the color of the pan to assess its seasoning. If the pan is not seasoned, it will be metallic grey.

Step 2: Clean and Dry the Pan

The next step is to wash the pan and remove the protective layer. Next, using soapy, lukewarm water, clean the pan well.

This will kill any germs or bacteria that are still on the pan.

After cleaning the pan, dry it with a towel. Unfortunately, this may not be sufficient to remove all of the moisture.

As a result, set the pan over a heat source to remove all of the liquid.

Step 3: Apply Oil to the Surface and Buff It

A modest quantity of cooking oil should be poured onto a kitchen towel. Grapeseed oil, vegetable oil, and canola oil are all effective.

As a result, you may choose one that is conveniently accessible to you. Next, using an oiled kitchen towel, rub the inside and outside of the pan.

Remember to rub away any extra oil thoroughly until the pan looks to be fully dry.

Keep in mind that too much oil might ruin your pan. It may, for example, cause solidified droplets to form on the cooking surface.

It may also leave the pan with a sticky, splotchy covering that is difficult to remove.

Step 4: Preheat the Pan

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Put the greased pan in the oven. Let it to sit for at least 30 minutes.

During this phase, your kitchen may get a bit smoky, so keep the windows open for good ventilation.

The oil will next be converted into a polymer to form the first layer of coating. The main reason for utilizing an oven is that it uniformly warms the pan.

Even the best cooktop burners may produce cold and hot areas, resulting in uneven seasoning.

Step #5 Repetition of the Previous Step

Buff away the excess residue by rubbing the pan again with oil. Then return it to the oven for another 30 minutes.

This step should be repeated 4 to 6 times in total for the optimum seasoning.

Check the color of your pan to see whether it has been adequately seasoned. A dark brown color shows that your pan has been properly seasoned.

After the pan has cooled, the seasoning process is complete, and your pan is ready to use.

Last Thoughts

The final line is that professionals choose carbon steel pans because of its advantageous characteristics such as cost, adaptability, and so on.

If you acquire a carbon steel pan, remember to use it correctly to guarantee that it lasts a lifetime!

You may also be interested in:

  • What Pans Does Gordon Ramsay Use?
  • What Cooking Pans Does Jamie Oliver Use?
  • Carbon Steel Pan vs. Stainless Steel Pan – Which One is Better?
  • How to Fix Warped Carbon Steel Pan?

FAQs

What are the pro & cons of carbon steel pan?

Carbon steel cookware is thinner and lighter, making it simpler to use on the stove. The disadvantage is that heat retention is reduced since there is less bulk to store the heat. It’s also not particularly thermally conductive, so anticipate hot areas that cause certain meals to cook unevenly.

Why do people use carbon steel?

When people speak about carbon steel, they typically mean high carbon steel, which is utilized in blades and tools. High carbon steels are very hard, making them excellent at resisting abrasion and keeping form. They can resist tremendous stress before deforming.

How does carbon steel benefit cooking?

Because of its strength and longevity, it is also an excellent material for cookware. Carbon Steel, like cast iron, can withstand and react to heat very well. But, unlike cast iron, it is very light, making cooking with it simple and painless.

What are the advantages of steel pan?

These are some indisputable advantages:
Very long-lasting. Did you know that certain types of stainless steel are almost unbreakable? … Superb Cooking Performance…. Fast and Simple to Clean…. Needs Very Little Maintenance…. Non-Reactive to Specific Foods…. Lightweight and Easy to Storage…. Polished, Glossy, and Contemporary.
Additional details…•September 30, 2019

What are the advantages of carbon steel pan?

Carbon steel cookware is lightweight, durable, and conducts heat faster and more evenly than almost any other comparable material. It’s more adaptable and simpler to work with than cast iron, and much more durable than stainless steel, copper, and standard nonstick.

What are the benefits of a carbon steel frying pan?

Carbon steel cookware warms rapidly and evenly, giving you a lot of control over your cooking. Carbon steel cookware warms evenly and fast when heated. This gives you greater control over the cooking process, which may result in superior outcomes.

What are 5 uses for carbon steel?

It is also known as mild steel and is extensively used structurally in buildings and bridges, axles, gears, shafts, railroads, pipelines and couplings, automobiles, refrigerators, and washing machines. High carbon steel has much higher tensile strength and is used to manufacture cutting tools, blades, punches, dies, springs, and high-strength wire.

What are 5 uses of high carbon steel?

Because of its excellent wear resistance and hardness, high carbon steel is utilized in cutting tools, springs, high-strength wire, and dies. Tyre reinforcement, forging grades, rail steels, spring steels, pre-stressed concrete, wire rope, and high-strength bars all require higher carbon steel.

Why do chefs use carbon steel pans?

Carbon-steel skillets can brown food as deeply and uniformly as cast iron skillets. It also has two advantages: it warms up faster and is lighter in weight, making it simpler to handle.

What cooks best on carbon steel?

Carbon steel pans are the preferred cookware in restaurant kitchens because they are flexible enough to handle low-heat cooking of delicate meals like eggs and crepes as well as high-heat sears of meats like fish filets and steaks.