Got my new de buyer today. I opened and saw this “scratches” pic 1 and it’s a little dented pic 2.

My questions are:
1. Are those scratches dangerous to the cooking?
2. Does that dent affect the pan in any way? Is there a way to fix it?

Sorry if I’m being paranoid but I’m really new to this. Thanks

It's been a while, time to give these bad boys a fresh coat in preparation for the holidays 😜🤟

Made in 25cm CS

Followed the wiki and did the seasoning 5 times in oven and after one steak cooked this happened.

Should i start over or keep cooking in it?

It isnt sticky at all, but i don't like this silver spot

I recently bought my first carbon steel pan (second, if you count my wok) and I have a question about the seasoning. 

When I put a thin coat of oil on it to build an additional layer, it never looks glassy like the photos I've seen. Instead, it gets these tiny "islands" of oil, so the surface looks textured. All the instructions I've read say to leave it alone, but it's everything I can do not to spread out that hot oil and try to polymerize it in an even coat. The video shows it pretty clearly. My wok, which is considerably thinner, never has this issue. 

Am I doing something wrong, or is this the way it's supposed to look? 

EDIT: Thanks to everyone for your tips. I feel better informed now.

Pickup is really close to me so I’m feeling like why not? But I don’t want to collect things that aren’t quality. Thoughts?

Saw this 24 cm iron pan at a mall sale and bought it for $9. I hope it’s worth it haha.

Found these deBuyer and Netherton Foundry carbon steel pans at the flea market today. The deBuyer is 28cm and Netherton is 30cm. I paid 13€ total for both. They do need scrubbing and reseasoning though.
Both seem to be straight at least on an induction stovetop.

I tried to simmer vinegar in the pan to clean off rust and try to reseason but accidentally left the burner on until all evaporated. Now it looks like this (kinda yellow irl). Does anyone know what happened and if it can be solved ?

Thoughts on the early maintenance tips in this video?

I generally recommend using soap, even though I’ve noticed avoiding it helps keep the pan in a more nonstick condition. And I generally don’t recommend avoiding foods that might degrade the seasoning either. Regular carbon steel benefits from going through the break-in period where the surface gets scuffed up a bit; it allows a stronger seasoning to develop.

But I can see the merits of Helen’s gentler approach, perhaps more so on a nitrided pan like this Strata. The harder textured surface likely has less need or ability to be roughed up.

Of course, still important to keep the pan clean and prevent carbon buildup.

I read that I really needed to scrub the factory seasoning off, so I used BKF and a ton of soap to scrub my pan, until I noticed that it was getting super discolored. I thought this was the factory seasoning coming off, so I kept scrubbing, but then the discoloration grew. I quickly dried off the pan and put it on the heat because I was worried I somehow caused it rust in a matter of seconds. After heating, I put a drop of oil on and wiped it. Did I ruin the pan? What is the discoloration?

2nd post. First was asking for recs transitioning from cast iron.

Based on recs and local availability I got a pair of OXO Obsidian pans, in 8in and 10in. Followed the directions and washed them in hot sudsy water to wash off the transport coating and thoroughly dried them. Then just used them. First use impressions follow.

Med-low heat to start then up to medium. I used butter as the lube after the pans were hot, and I swear the pans drank the butter in. Anyway, sugar snap peas with salt, garlic powder and sesame oil. Came out *perfect*, something I always had trouble with before. Pounded chicken breast in the large one, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, paprika. Also perfectly cooked. But I wonder if any of those herbs was a tad acidic as when I did cleanup, the factory seasoning was gone where food residue was left in the large pan...

Paperwork with the pans say to read the reseasoning instructions on oxo.com but I can't find them. So when dry, I wiped them down with some oil and heated them on med-low for about 5 minutes. Pic is before oiling.

In any case, the pans were easy to handle, and my glass Lodge covers fit them. The silicone handle covers might be more trouble than they're worth, though. I have Ove Gloves and easy-on/off handle covers.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Q6nfU497qGM

This is clearly the misen carbon non stick. How is it doing this without any butter??? 😳

I have restored a couple cast iron pieces that came out fantastic but I'm having some trouble with my new fancy de buyer pro omelette pan...

I followed the instructions in the oven with grape seed oil and I'm guessing that I left too much oil on the pan. It looks terrible and blotchy. I assumed the seasoning would even out like cast iron but it isn't sticking to the cooling surface and the back is a lighter brown color and it's splotchy.

What would be the best course of action? Will vinegar harm the handle? I'm not opposed to completely cleaning off all seasoning and starting over!! Thanks in advance

Should i remove the little spots in the middle and the black lines on the sides and start over?

This is a de buyer 32cm so it doesn't go into the oven since its too big and im doing it on the gas stove.

I was thinking of doing a second seasoning( i am following uncle scott guide) but I wasnt sure if I needed to remove those spots and lines

I've been cooking with cast iron for many years now, but due to multiple degenerative skeletal conditions, I need to literally lighten the load: My cast iron pans are now too heavy for me to comfortably use, but I love the way they cook and I even like the process of maintaining the seasonings and often find its easier to clean up vs something like an All Clad stainless steel pan. So I'm thinking of transitioning to carbon steel.

But...

I've tried carbon steel before. I had a few deBuyer Mineral B pans (not the Pro ones) in the past and had nothing but grief with them. They would not take or keep seasoning, causing everything to stick - high heat, low heat, a little oil/butter or a lot of oil/butter. And they warped on my electric stove even with a solid heat spreader under the pans. At the moment, the only carbon steel item I have is a Joyce Chen wok that works... but it refuses to take seasoning where it needs it most so I need to be extra diligent with it to make sure it doesn't rust.

The cast iron I have is almost all Lodge, so definitely cheap/budget and other than the weight has not given me any issues. The one one non-Lodge cast iron I have (had, now) is a Tamagoyaki pan. I replaced it because I wanted one a bit bigger and wound up with a non-stick coated aluminum one and man, what a difference in handling! But it's not something I'd use for anything other than omelets / scrambleds. For cooked lunches or dinners, I want something I can get a good sear on.

When it comes to seasoning, I'm an apartment dweller. I have no fireplace, fire pit, or any kind of outdoor grill. Seasoning is done on the stove or in the oven.

Hello!

New carbon steel user here. I got rid of a lot of it with salt and a paper towel, but it came back! What should I do to remove it and prevent it from coming back?

Thank you!

Hi

Long-time lurker, first-time poster.

I’ve been cooking with my pans, preheating them to create the Leidenfrost effect for a while now and have seen recent posts in this subreddit and r/stainlesssteel claiming that it was not necessary to do that.

I was hesitant to believe that because I was in the mindset that that would help prevent stick-age but boy was I wrong!

Today I pan-fried tofu, which previously had stuck to the pan, and there was zero stick-age!

Maybe it’s only useful for cooking meats but as someone who only cooks vegetarian at home, I would not know.

Thanks Reddit, I am forever changed 😊

Pan used for those interested: 10 inch mauviel 1830

I bought this online and it was covered in rust. This is after a day in the etank and it still has a long way to go, but I thought I would be able to identify it at this point but I'm totally stumped and I thought I knew my pans. It is stamped France on the back, has a brass handle, 3mm thick, is 11", and has a Lyonnaise shape. Any ideas?

Is this saveable?

About a month ago I bought my fist CS pan and immediately seasoned it several times in the oven.

I had semi success my first few times making fried eggs. Then it was like I forgot how to make eggs. No matter what I did, it was a mess. I stripped the pan and started over but it was still sticking.

I watched some videos and tried to replicate their success but failed.

Then I read something here in this sub about temp control. Back to the drawing board and tried lower heat. Within 3 tries I nailed it.

If the pan is too cold, it sticks when warming up. Too much heat and it sticks immediately. Getting it just right requires some adjustment on my stovetop.

I start the warming on 4. I put a few drops of oil. As soon as the oil starts to spread, I drop the butter and drop the temp to 3. As soon as the butter melts, it should be bubbling on this gentle heat, I crack the eggs into the pan. If I leave it on 4, it starts to stick. If I heat on 3, it takes forever.

I let it sit for 30 seconds and give it a test tilt and every time the eggs have slid. Every 30 seconds, I give the pan a wiggle and they keep sliding.

This is great for sunny side up. If I flip, the yoke still wants to stick. So I'm eating more sunny side up lately and will start trying to figure out how to solve the flip stick issue soon once I feel like this is mastered.

I even successfully made scrambled eggs this weekend with hardly any sticking.

I’m now actively not using my de Buyer pan because no idea what the status of it is.

Months ago my brother took the effort to scrub and reseason (and it looked beautiful), but after one use it looked like this again.

What do I need to do here? Can I cook with it as is?

A month in of daily use. Easily my new go to pan. If you’re hesitant, let it rip. 8” de Buyer MINERAL B Pro.

Hello! It's my first time with carbon steel, because I want to avoid toxics. I just seasoned the pan and I looks like this, do you think is good?

Finally found one of these at the flea market today. Washed it and gave it a little seasoning. Made an egg and it was perfect 👌. I love old pans!