Carbon Skillets

[Altadan]

So,

I went for yet another potato dish in mine... today was Spanish tortilla.
Start off with generous oil, on 5heat, sliced onions and small cubes of potatoes.
Everything was sliding around nicely till the point I added salt, pepper, and dried thyme & rosemary. I'm not sure if it's one, all, or none of the above, but at that stage the oil was gone, and things started to stick badly.
I added more oil, and still it was just disappearing (potatoes were thirsty, I imagine).
I was getting such crustations stuck on the pan, that I just knew the eggs would fare ill in this situation... I gave up and passed everything over into a nonstick :\ added the egg, cooked the sides, and threw it in for a short broil.
Came off very nice, but everything took me a whole lot longer...

I'm not sure if my pan was too hot, unseasoned, just needed a LOT more oil... or maybe I should have added salt and herbs only much later...
I'm not yet giving up, but I am quite confused and at a loss. Just steaks for now? What's the path ahead?

---
Try a little lard or bacon fat, let it heat then add oil and see if you get better results (and taste!). Add salt too early and it draws out water.

Any alternative to bacon fat? Will beef fat work?
I thought the salt had something to do with it!

[Bensbites]

The best way I found to season my markers, make pancakes

1) spray canola oil, a thin layer on low/medium heat. Once the pan is warm enough the bubbles pop and the surface is smooth and glossy, add your pancake batter. The pancakes absorb the extra oil. Wash out when done. After a few weekends of pancakes for the kids, I finally had a working seasoning.

Good luck

[gladius]

Any alternative to bacon fat? Will beef fat work?
I thought the salt had something to do with it!

---
Yes, tallow works well too.
Saturated fats are actually better for you provided they are from good sources:

https://www.westonaprice.org/health-top ... y-on-fats/
https://www.westonaprice.org/health-top ... -and-oils/

Stay away from con-ola: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-top ... t-con-ola/

[Bluenoser87]

I used regular lard for seasoning my carbon wok and cast iron skillet. Worked great

[Altadan]

Pancakes sound great. I've got avocado oil,
but, is there any room for good ol' olive oil in all this?

[Bensbites]

Pancakes sound great. I've got avocado oil,
but, is there any room for good ol' olive oil in all this?

I think the smoke point of EVOO is too low. I have no problem using refined olive oil.

[Drewski]

Cooked up some pork chops in the 14" Mineral B tonight. This was the first time cooking with it. Worked great but ended up losing most of the seasoning that I put on with the salt/oil/potato skin method. Found this out when I was drying it on the stove with a film of water inside it. Instantly formed a thin orange film of rust along the sides, but this came off with a wipe of oil.

---
A little bacon fat, more heat and split into two batches may have yielded different results.

Thanks! The butter/oil didn't start spitting like crazy when I put the chops in, so I figured it wasn't hot enough to start.

[gastro gnome]

So,

I went for yet another potato dish in mine... today was Spanish tortilla.
Start off with generous oil, on 5heat, sliced onions and small cubes of potatoes.
Everything was sliding around nicely till the point I added salt, pepper, and dried thyme & rosemary. I'm not sure if it's one, all, or none of the above, but at that stage the oil was gone, and things started to stick badly.
I added more oil, and still it was just disappearing (potatoes were thirsty, I imagine).
I was getting such crustations stuck on the pan, that I just knew the eggs would fare ill in this situation... I gave up and passed everything over into a nonstick :\ added the egg, cooked the sides, and threw it in for a short broil.
Came off very nice, but everything took me a whole lot longer...

I'm not sure if my pan was too hot, unseasoned, just needed a LOT more oil... or maybe I should have added salt and herbs only much later...
I'm not yet giving up, but I am quite confused and at a loss. Just steaks for now? What's the path ahead?

Hmmm. I never had this issue when breaking in pans (and I've done it at least twice). I didn't add any saturated fats either. I did use a bunch of oil, though, but that is kind of the point with a tortilla.

[mauichef]

Cooked up some pork chops in the 14" Mineral B tonight. This was the first time cooking with it. Worked great but ended up losing most of the seasoning that I put on with the salt/oil/potato skin method. Found this out when I was drying it on the stove with a film of water inside it. Instantly formed a thin orange film of rust along the sides, but this came off with a wipe of oil.

---
A little bacon fat, more heat and split into two batches may have yielded different results.

Thanks! The butter/oil didn't start spitting like crazy when I put the chops in, so I figured it wasn't hot enough to start.

I have become an ardent proponent of the reverse sear method of cooking steaks and chops.
Next to a sous vide, for me it is the most reliable and effective way of getting that perfectly controlled result on any thick cut of protein.
https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/03/how ... steak.html

[gladius]

I have become an ardent proponent of the reverse sear method of cooking steaks and chops.
Next to a sous vide, for me it is the most reliable and effective way of getting that perfectly controlled result on any thick cut of protein.
https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/03/how ... steak.html

---
Ray, how do you reverse sear in just a carbon steel pan without boiling the meat in its own juices?

[old onion]

Pancakes sound great. I've got avocado oil,
but, is there any room for good ol' olive oil in all this?

I must confess that I ,as a home cook,never gave smoking points much thought and not knowing any better have mostly used just EVOO for cooking just about everything. Since the wife bought three big bottles of it,I'll continue to use it,though other means are probably better.For steaks in a CI or CS that's all I ever used.First by seasoning my steak and then patting it with olive oil,garlic and Thyme and searing.Always comes out great too.I have Avocado oil,but not sure I care for it for some things and Canola oil,though I use it at times,I find it leave me with a raw fish taste in some foods.I use Peanut oil often since I have much of that because of my Wok foods and deep frying.

[Drewski]

---
A little bacon fat, more heat and split into two batches may have yielded different results.

Thanks! The butter/oil didn't start spitting like crazy when I put the chops in, so I figured it wasn't hot enough to start.

I have become an ardent proponent of the reverse sear method of cooking steaks and chops.
Next to a sous vide, for me it is the most reliable and effective way of getting that perfectly controlled result on any thick cut of protein.
https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/03/how ... steak.html

Thanks Ray. I've never done a 1-person steak with reverse sear, but any larger beef or pork is always done with this method.

[snipes]

Just added my second carbon skillet to the collection, well ordered it at least. Was looking for something that could accommodate bacon and up to a porterhouse steak, but in reality needed to support a good size ribeye. I have a well broken in 8.5" Matfer and thought I'd try a du Beyer this time, but I'm not a fan of the helper handles that come on their larger pans. Went with another Matfer 12.5". I've been nothing but happy with my 8.5", and am looking forward to breaking it in.

I kept telling myself that I don't need one as I have two pans already in that exact size, but not 100% happy with either of them.

And on the topic of reverse sear. I'm also a fan. If it's a thicker cut that can't be cooked solely on the stove top ( >1" thick), I do it on the smoker then finish. Really, really good.

[gladius]

And on the topic of reverse sear. I'm also a fan. If it's a thicker cut that can't be cooked solely on the stove top ( >1" thick), I do it on the smoker then finish. Really, really good.

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I have only done reverse searing on the grill, start to finish since I already have a lit fire I don't bother to transfer to a pan.

[mauichef]

I have become an ardent proponent of the reverse sear method of cooking steaks and chops.
Next to a sous vide, for me it is the most reliable and effective way of getting that perfectly controlled result on any thick cut of protein.
https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/03/how ... steak.html

---
Ray, how do you reverse sear in just a carbon steel pan without boiling the meat in its own juices?

I place the meat on a wire rack inside a baking sheet and cook in the oven at very low temperature to the desired degree. Then I transfer it to a smoking hot skillet and 30 seconds on each side and it’s done. I have found that a barbecue or any other method is not reliable enough plus the oven is just so much easier to use. Aside from using sous vide this is an incredibly accurate way of getting a perfect steak edge to edge.

[Drewski]

I have become an ardent proponent of the reverse sear method of cooking steaks and chops.
Next to a sous vide, for me it is the most reliable and effective way of getting that perfectly controlled result on any thick cut of protein.
https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/03/how ... steak.html

---
Ray, how do you reverse sear in just a carbon steel pan without boiling the meat in its own juices?

I place the meat on a wire rack inside a baking sheet and cook in the oven at very low temperature to the desired degree. Then I transfer it to a smoking hot skillet and 30 seconds on each side and it’s done. I have found that a barbecue or any other method is not reliable enough plus the oven is just so much easier to use. Aside from using sous vide this is an incredibly accurate way of getting a perfect steak edge to edge.

Besides, the article says that this method is superior to sous vide as the steak gets a chance to dry while it is heating, allowing for a better crust. I've been happy using a temperature probe on larger steaks and roasts for doing this on the BBQ. Get some smoke then too.

[gladius]

I place the meat on a wire rack inside a baking sheet and cook in the oven at very low temperature to the desired degree. Then I transfer it to a smoking hot skillet and 30 seconds on each side and it’s done. I have found that a barbecue or any other method is not reliable enough plus the oven is just so much easier to use. Aside from using sous vide this is an incredibly accurate way of getting a perfect steak edge to edge.

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This makes sense where the pan is not cooking the meat at lower temperature reducing risk of taking off pan seasoning.

Compare to traditional searing first, creating Maillard crust and sealing in the juices then lowering heat to finish but being able to completely cook the meat in a single pan.

[gladius]

I've been happy using a temperature probe on larger steaks and roasts for doing this on the BBQ. Get some smoke then too.

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An instant read thermometer makes a world of difference!

[mauichef]

I've been happy using a temperature probe on larger steaks and roasts for doing this on the BBQ. Get some smoke then too.

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An instant read thermometer makes a world of difference!

I never cook meat, poultry, fish etc without one. Indispensable.

[Drewski]

Put these up in the stairwell pantry and it made me think of the "how do you store your stones" thread.