Carbon steel & cast iron pan care and seasoning guide

Cast iron and carbon steel pans must be seasoned to ensure they work properly and last a lifetime. Seasoning is a thin coating of polymerized fat that helps prevent food from sticking and protects the pan from rust.

While cast iron and carbon steel differ in use, caring for and seasoning them is virtually the same. There are many methods, but this is the one we’ve found work best:

Important: 

• If you have a Prince Kogyo pan with a wooden handle, do not put it in the oven. You can season it over medium heat on your stove top instead.
• Yamada brand woks and frying pans have an anti-rust coating that must be removed before seasoning. Make sure to ventilate if doing this indoors, as it will be smoky! Place the Yamada in an oven or BBQ, heat to 500 degrees F, and bake for one hour. Allow to cool completely, and then scrub well before seasoning.

SEASONING

1. Heat the oven to 200 °F and warm the unseasoned pan for 15 minutes to open its pores.  
2. Remove the warm pan from the oven (don’t burn yourself!).  Rub the cooking surface with a Knifewear seasoning stick, or place one tablespoon of neutral oil (e.g., flax, grapeseed, or canola) in the pan. Using tongs, rub the oil into the surface with paper towels. With fresh paper towels, thoroughly wipe out any excess oil to leave just a thin coating. 
3. Place the oiled pan upside down in a cold oven, then set it to 450-500 °F. Once the oven is preheated, bake the pan for one hour. Turn off the oven, and allow the pan to cool completely before removing it.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 a few more times until the pan develops a dark, semi-matte surface. 
5. Reseason your pan whenever the dark coating starts to wear away from use. 
6. After washing, dry your pan on the stove over medium heat for a quick maintenance seasoning. While warm, add a thin coat of oil with a paper towel and tongs. It will smoke a bit as the oil polymerizes and will begin to look dry when done. Allow the pan to cool on the stove before storing it.

The first few things you cook in your carbon steel should be high in fat. Bacon works great, or even just using extra oil for your stir-fry.

CLEANING

An abrasive steel wool pad or harsh soaps will strip the seasoning right off a carbon steel or cast iron pan. Instead, use water and a drop of mild detergent on a Tawashi Brush. The gentle coconut fibres of the brush are tough on food but easy on steel. Rinse your pan in hot water and dry thoroughly to avoid rust. Wipe it down with a bit of oil and you are done!

If your pan has a bunch of gunk burnt on to it, use a chainmail scrubby. The steel scrubs off food easily, but the round edges won't damage your seasoning.

HEATING

When using your pan over any kind of electric stove, take care to heat it slowly. Extreme uneven heat can warp the steel, so heat the pan slowly over a low temperature, and never heat it above the medium setting. A little patience on a lower setting will allow the pan to get hot enough for a great sear without damaging it.