How do I clean my carbon steel pan?
How do I clean my carbon steel pan?
To preserve the non-stick effect of your pan's patina, a few tips and tricks for cleaning carbon steel will help keep your pan in top condition. Under no circumstances should you try to clean your carbon steel in the dishwasher! However, washing up liquid and abrasive brushes should not be part of your daily cleaning routine. Instead, simple methods often help clean your carbon steel after cooking and prepare it for the next use.
Method 1: Wipe out
A good first step in cleaning is wiping out your cooled carbon steel pan with a paper towel, cloth kitchen towel, or microfibre cloth. If nothing is burnt on your pan (leaving food residue behind), you can put it away again because it is ready for the next cooking adventure.
Method 2: Coarse salt and oil
If there are burnt-on residues in your pan that cannot be easily wiped away, it is advisable to help with a little "peeling": To do this, add two tablespoons of salt and two tablespoons of neutral oil (which can be heated to a high temperature) to your cooled pan and rub it out with a kitchen towel in a circular motion to loosen the residue. You can then wipe out the pan with a clean cloth. If there is still residue in the pan, method 3 will help.
Method 3: Boil it out
Fill your pan with water to cover the base and bring it to a boil on the hob. As soon as the water boils, use a wooden kitchen utensil to scrape off any residue stuck to the pan. Then empty the pan and wipe it clean with a paper towel. You can then put it back on the hob and heat it over low to medium heat. Once the pan is completely dry, you should wipe it out again with a very small amount of oil and a paper towel. The paper towel may now turn a brownish colour due to the searing process, but this does not mean that your pan is dirty! You can continue to use it as it is without hesitation.
When do I need to re-season my pan?
Suppose your pan still needs to be ready for use again after using the methods mentioned above, for example, in the rare case that food is still sticking. In that case, if the patina has become uneven or rust has formed, you will have to resort to harsher methods, but these will also affect your burnt-in patina. So only if nothing else helps, or the material of your pan is damaged (for example, by rust), you can find our tips for deep cleaning and removing rust from your carbon steel here:Help – my carbon steel is rusted!
