Carbon Skillets

[Nav85]

After cooking and cleaning with chainmail scrubber.
I coat the pan using a paper towel. Heat untill a whisp is smoke starts up and let cool.

[Drewski]

After cooking and cleaning with chainmail scrubber.
I coat the pan using a paper towel. Heat untill a whisp is smoke starts up and let cool.

So does the bees wax burn off before being used with food the next time?

[old onion]

My post disappeared so I'll re-write.
I have seasoned my cast iron in the oven using Crisco and it was a good seasoning but I am baffled by using Beeswax as part of the seasoning when most of the carbon skillet directions say to remove it before seasoning since they are shipped with a coating as a rust prevention.

[Drewski]

My post disappeared so I'll re-write.
I have seasoned my cast iron in the oven using Crisco and it was a good seasoning but I am baffled by using Beeswax as part of the seasoning when most of the carbon skillet directions say to remove it before seasoning since they are shipped with a coating as a rust prevention.

+1

[Nav85]

There is a product called crisbee I’ve found on several YouTubeers using to season cast iron skillets. I bought some on amazon and realized it’s just crisco+beeswax hence crisbee. The bees wax is there to help keep the balm more solid at room temp vs straight crisco. It’s minor amounts and the wax along with crisco help create a beautiful seasoning layer.

[old onion]

There is a product called crisbee I’ve found on several YouTubeers using to season cast iron skillets. I bought some on amazon and realized it’s just crisco+beeswax hence crisbee. The bees wax is there to help keep the balm more solid at room temp vs straight crisco. It’s minor amounts and the wax along with crisco help create a beautiful seasoning layer.

Learn something new everyday.Thanks.

[Altadan]

There is a product called crisbee I’ve found on several YouTubeers using to season cast iron skillets. I bought some on amazon and realized it’s just crisco+beeswax hence crisbee. The bees wax is there to help keep the balm more solid at room temp vs straight crisco. It’s minor amounts and the wax along with crisco help create a beautiful seasoning layer.

I'm still baffled. Beeswax? So, a super thin layer, or what? Can you post a link to one of those YouTubers?

[gastro gnome]

I bought a Crisbee stick and have been using it for the last month or so.

The listed ingredients are Soybean Oil, Beeswax, Palm Oil. It does smell a wee bit like beeswax. I'm guessing it is a small amount. My hoemade board butter is (I think) 4:1 oil to beeswax and smells more strongly of beeswax. In any case, I'm not sure I've noticed a huge difference in using this stick versus just applying canola oil (as I did before). I was hoping the application would be a bit cleaner, but even though I use the stick to apply it, I still wind up spreading it with a paper towel (which I had hoped to avoid in order to be less wasteful). Oh well.

The presence of wax in the product doesn't strike me one way or the other.

[old onion]

Took a bite out of an artificial wax apple one time.That was enough for me.

[Nav85]

YouTube crisbee or amazon search for it.
I personally tried different ratios of crisco to bees wax and found that a 16oz tub of crisco and 4oz of food grade organic bees wax weighed out on my kitchen scale works great. I melt the crisco in a small sauce pot and add bees wax till it’s all melted down to liquid. I bought some 16oz tins with screw tops to pour the mix into. I let sit and it hardens to a chap stick consistency. I take some paper towels and in a circular motion, load it up with some of the mixture. Wipe on the hot carbon pan like your waxing a car, wax on wax off.

[rayl1234]

I am also a crisbee convert, but will confess to starting a new pan with flaxseed to give it a nice undertone (and one thin layer is not at risk of flaking -- the frequent complaint about flaxseed is lack of durability).

[old onion]

That Crisco and Beeswax formula sounds pretty close to the same mix as what I made up for lubing the cylinders on my cap and ball Navy Arms revolver.

[jbart65]

I’ve been using grape seed oil. Field thinks it’s the best oil for seasoning and I like what i’ve Seen so far.

Finally cooked eggs in my Matfer three months after getting it. Slid right out of the pan. Only some tiny stickage on a few parts of the white that touched part of the carbon that did not have butter on it. Just make sure you swirl the butter better than I initially did.

[jbart65]

Tonite it was Chilean sea bass. Great crust - I floured first- and the fish never stuck the tinsiest bit.

My 12-inch All-Clad now only comes off the bench - and only once or twice a week.

[rayl1234]

Random observation. 2 de Buyer pans bought in early Jan. Both initially seasoned similarly and similar amount of use (stove top and oven).

But the one that is sized for duck breasts is essentially totally non stick by now. Could rendering duck fat be a magic elixir? I’ve found one inquiry on Reddit, but it was dismissed due to cost. Though if one prepares duck fairly regularly, maybe spread it around by cutting a breast in half to fit smaller pans, etc. Just wondering...

[Jeff B]

In general, any cooking that renders any animal fat is good for seasoning carbon/cast iron skillets.
Remember back in the day it was lard and bacon fat the our elders used that seasoned their skillets.

[gladius]

In general, any cooking that renders any animal fat is good for seasoning carbon/cast iron skillets.
Remember back in the day it was lard and bacon fat the our elders used that seasoned their skillets.

“Pork Fat Rules!” — Emeril

[Altadan]

In general, any cooking that renders any animal fat is good for seasoning carbon/cast iron skillets.
Remember back in the day it was lard and bacon fat the our elders used that seasoned their skillets.

“Pork Fat Rules!” — Emeril

Don't chicken out on using the fat, it really does work

[Nav85]

Yea cooking bacon does wonders for speeding up the seasoning process.

[Altadan]

Yes,
We've been cooking up some more beef lately, and I often trim off some of the extra fat, and throw it on the pan to melt before the steak goes on with salt n' pepper (see 11o'clock on the photo)
Man, everything folks said about these pans is true! the browning, and omnomnom, the flavors.

Also, I've been wanting to mention this for other potential users;
on my electric stove-top we've found that level 5 (out of 1-10/High) is really the sweetspot with these pans.
6 gets really hot, but can still be used. Anything above 6 just has the stove top flare too often, and the carbon steel just doesn't need that much heat. At least in my experience.
4 is often by fall-back for onions, and other dishes that are already well on their way, but anything under 4 has the stove-top flare on such low frequency that I don't feel the heat is really penetrating the thick pan. At least not to begin with.
5 is where most of everything happens.