# Durable seasoning on Carbon steel pans?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durable-seasoning-on-carbon-steel-pans/832371>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [April 11, 2019, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durable-seasoning-on-carbon-steel-pans/832371 "2019-04-11T00:18:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durable-seasoning-on-carbon-steel-pans/832371/1 "2019-04-11T00:18:07Z")

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A long long time ago, in a thread far far away.  
[https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=802248](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=802248)

I was bitching about my inability to find a smooth enough cast iron pan so “that a wistful sigh will send an egg sliding across the pan”

Soon after that however I came to my senses and realized that carbon fiber pans are perfectly smooth for a fraction of the price of a milled cast iron pan, and are awesome at transferring heat for something like a sear. However, I can’t quite call them mankind’s perfect pan because…

The seasoning is so much more impermanent compared to cast iron, at least when acid is involved. Yesterday I was doodling in the kitchen with my carbon steel pan with some cubed-up pork chops I had cut up to eat on salads. As the work progressed I decided to juice a lemon and deglaze the pan with that. Instantly a prefect seasoning job just disappeared into the ether and I was left with a skillet with a shiny steel bottom. So now I start over seasoning again I guess.

Does anybody know how to make a durable seasoning coat on carbon steel?

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**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durable-seasoning-on-carbon-steel-pans/832371/2 "2019-04-11T00:22:02Z")

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I suppose I should mention that by trade name it is a Matfer “black steel” pan, in the 1:1000000 chance that makes a difference but for all other intents I’m pretty sure that carbon steel is carbon steel.

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**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durable-seasoning-on-carbon-steel-pans/832371/3 "2019-04-11T02:26:30Z")

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I have carbon steel wok. Don’t recall the maker. Couldn’t have been very expensive. Cause I’m cheap.  
I burnt salt in it and rubbed Crisco in it and put it in the oven for a while. I want to think it came with instructions to do that. I’ve always known about salt thing from my MIL.  
Now I don’t use it often. But it’s had a season since I did that. I also don’t put tomatoes of any kind near it.  
You gotta burn that salt good.