I made the jump and just received my new Lodge carbon steel skillet. I opted for Lodge over some of the other higher priced offerings. I have a newer Lodge cast iron skillet that I sanded down with help from a YouTube video and it's now almost on par with a few Griswold skillets I have.
I have a carbon steel insert for my Weber that is awesome and after 6 coats of peanut oil and some cooking on it, it's pretty non stick.
Should I just season my Lodge the same way I did the Arteflame insert?
Also, anyone that's used a carbon steel skillet for searing, does it do about the same as cast iron?
Thanks in advance.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: joatmonv,

Carbon steel is just cast iron with less carbon.

The sear should be fine.

Play around with the temps. Im sure you'll have it tuned in ASAP.

Carbon steel has tempted me several times but I just can't abandoned my cast iron. I have several old Griswolds that I use regularly. They are seasoned to the point where I just have to wipe them out with a cloth after cooking.

I also purchased a Finex a couple years ago that has worked it's way into the line up as well. I like to leave that one on top of the stove as a piece of eye candy it's such a beautiful pan. It is a high end piece of cast iron and cooks like a dream and gets better every time out.

I have several pieces of Lodge cast iron given to me by people who purchased them and just couldn't get the hang of cast iron cooking and got frustrated. They are decent pieces for the price point. Keep us posted on how you like that carbon steel. I just may have to add one to the arsenal one day.

I've got a De Buyer carbon steel pan and I'd say it compares well to my Lodge cast iron. My wife prefers it because she can pick it up easier then the Lodge. It's not much lighter but it's lighter.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
Carbon steel has tempted me several times but I just can't abandoned my cast iron. I have several old Griswolds that I use regularly. They are seasoned to the point where I just have to wipe them out with a cloth after cooking.

I also purchased a Finex a couple years ago that has worked it's way into the line up as well. I like to leave that one on top of the stove as a piece of eye candy it's such a beautiful pan. It is a high end piece of cast iron and cooks like a dream and gets better every time out.

I have several pieces of Lodge cast iron given to me by people who purchased them and just couldn't get the hang of cast iron cooking and got frustrated. They are decent pieces for the price point. Keep us posted on how you like that carbon steel. I just may have to add one to the arsenal one day.

I have 3 Griswold pans too that are seasoned so good that I fear cooking nothing in them. Did a cast iron pizza last weekend in the #8 Griswold and it slid right out.
I just want to try out something different for a change a pace. Quite a bit lighter than cast iron and it's a #10 so I can do some big steaks.

I don’t have a carbon steel skillet, but I have a steel griddle. On the right in this photo, before I seasoned it:



Its unusual, because its long handle is integral with its pan. Most steel frying pans and griddles have handles that are welded or riveted on. The integral handle makes it a much neater pan, but its maker must send a lot of scrap metal back to the foundry!

I have several Matfer carbon steel pans, absolutely love them. They will never replace my collection of cast iron, but they are great in their own right.

Seasoning is a breeze if you have a gas stove. If you don't, it is a little more difficult, but easy enough to do.

If you have an electric stove, disregard the potato and salt nonsense in the instructions. Scrub the pan well to remove all shipping oil. Dry thoroughly. LIGHTLY coat the entire pan with an oil that you know the smoke point of. By lightly coat I mean wipe the oil all over, then get a clean paper towel and wipe it dry again. Bake the pan in the oven at the same temp as the smoke point of the oil you used. After an hour shut down oven, leave pan in oven until cool. Congrats, you know have a properly seasoned carbon pan.

With time, the pan will turn black as coal. If you get sticky brown spots, you used too much oil and didn't wipe enough of it off before baking.

Carbon steel is nice in that it heats up really fast and easy to manipulate, like tossing, shimmying, tilting over heavier cast iron and multi-clad stainless/aluminum pans. It doesn't hold heat like cast iron and it doesn't consistently spread heat like clad-metal pans but, when you need a easy sear, carbon is nice. Not a surprise when chefs are making steaks in restaurants, if they're not using flame or, broiler, carbon pans usually get the call.

quote:

Quite a bit lighter than cast iron and it's a #10 so I can do some big steaks.

This is what had me thinking about trying out carbon steel is the weight. My Finex #10 skillet with lid weighs in at just over 11 pounds. With food in it you are not going to easily one hand it. But the sides are 1/4" thick. Heat retention is incredible. I actually use it as a keep warm server while I'm preparing other things.

My wife will not touch any cast iron which is fine with me as I do nearly all the cooking. We also have a glass top stove so one slip with a cast iron pan on top of that and you will be buying a new top to the tune of around $700! If I dropped that Finex pan on it I'd probably have to open the oven to retrieve it!

I've got a couple of Matfer carbon steel pans, they're awesome for cooking eggs and such.

One of them is a crepe pan, very light weight, very low sides to roll out the crepe, and slicker than...something. Things just roll or slide right around and about and out.

I'll recommend them.
.

Did 2 extra thick boneless pork chops tonight on the new pan. 3 minutes each side and then 9 minutes in a 400° oven. Turned out excellent. Sear was basically like cast iron but the pan was lighter.
I did sand it down smooth like the Lodge cast iron skillet I have. Not sure why they want a rough surface on all their stuff.
Sausage tomorrow morning(no eggs yet) and I'll go from there. Pleased so far.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
Carbon steel is nice in that it heats up really fast and easy to manipulate, like tossing, shimmying, tilting over heavier cast iron and multi-clad stainless/aluminum pans. It doesn't hold heat like cast iron and it doesn't consistently spread heat like clad-metal pans but, when you need a easy sear, carbon is nice. Not a surprise when chefs are making steaks in restaurants, if they're not using flame or, broiler, carbon pans usually get the call.

[FLASH_VIDEO]<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S5pTGUBVy8Q" width="560"></iframe>[/FLASH_VIDEO]

Excellent videos.
I did my pan last night the way I did my Arteflame insert for my Weber charcoal grill.
I did the pork chops with just one seasoning session and it did really good. Sticking was very minimal and the sear was very nice.
Water wash with a bristle brush afterwards and then back on the stove over medium flame. It dried and then I went up to medium high flame and proceeded to put 4 coats of avacado oil on it letting it smoke each time and wiping off excess. Pan was black as night when I was done, smooth and not oily at all.
This morning was sausage patties in it and it was better than last night. Great sear and to the point of non stick.
Water wash with a brush again and a new coat of oil put on. Pan looks fantastic and I think I'm trying eggs tomorrow morning.
I also browsed a DeBuyer mineral B pan that looks interesting. It's a small pan but to start with almost bare carbon steel is part of the fun.

I bought a carbon steel skillet here:

https://madeincookware.com/pro...riant=13597160243279

I’ve had it a couple of months and I’m really happy with it. My favorite feature is how fast it reacts to heat.... up and down. I also like the lighter weigh vs. cast iron.

I find myself reaching for the carbon steel pan instead of my 50 year old Griswold cast iron most of the time.

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Yarchin:
I bought a carbon steel skillet here:

https://madeincookware.com/pro...riant=13597160243279

I’ve had it a couple of months and I’m really happy with it. My favorite feature is how fast it reacts to heat.... up and down. I also like the lighter weigh vs. cast iron.

I find myself reaching for the carbon steel pan instead of my 50 year old Griswold cast iron most of the time.

I think I'm getting to the point of carbon steel over cast iron also. I just ordered a deBuyer mineral B pan yesterday.
I have my grandmother's set of Griswold pans and I love them but the carbon steel is lighter and seems to be easier cleaning to me.
Good thing is, I own no Teflon so I guess it'll just be cast or carbon. Perhaps I'll start collecting carbon steel and pass that and the cast down to my daughter.

quote:

I think I'm getting to the point of carbon steel over cast iron also. I just ordered a deBuyer mineral B pan yesterday.
I have my grandmother's set of Griswold pans and I love them but the carbon steel is lighter and seems to be easier cleaning to me.

I'll take those heavy old Griswolds off you're hands. They are just taking up space for you now.

^^^^ The carbon steel pans offer you an option from cast iron.

Cast Iron has the mass to stay hot when cooking, that's great when that's what you need and want.

Carbon Steel Pans heat up quickly and cool down quickly, this is what you want and need for certain types of cooking.

In that regard Carbon Steel Pans and Woks are quite similar. Woks warm up to hot temps very quickly, cook and cool down quickly thus not overcooking because you can move it in a second. Same for Carbon Steel Pans.
.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
I don’t have a carbon steel skillet, but I have a steel griddle. On the right in this photo, before I seasoned it:



Its unusual, because its long handle is integral with its pan. Most steel frying pans and griddles have handles that are welded or riveted on. The integral handle makes it a much neater pan, but its maker must send a lot of scrap metal back to the foundry!

BTW – The maker of my steel griddle also makes steel frying pans with handles integral with the pan. And they’re pre-seasoned.

“Patented one-piece and rivet-free construction for improved hygiene and multi-generation heirloom durability; No food traps around rivets, no wobbly handles!”

https://solidteknicsusa.com/shop/10inchquenched

After cooking with it 3x this weekend, I can honestly say I love this pan.
It is a Lodge and needed sanded down but after I did sand it, wash it and then season it, it's been awesome.
Last night I did a 22oz. Ribeye on the pan and then it went in the oven. Nothing stuck and the sear rivals my cast iron.
I'd say with the initial seasonings and use, I have 6 coats of avacado oil on it now and when I say the finish is slick, I mean slick as shit as the saying goes.
This was a cheap Lodge pan and I have a deBuyer mineral B on the way. That should even be better.
I would tell anyone with cast iron that carbon steel is just as good or better and also recommend the Lodge carbon steel pan.