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Misen Warranty Registration

Misen Warranty Registration

Carbon Nonstick™
Use & Care

Carbon Nonstick™
Use & Care

Quickstart Guide

Quickstart Guide

  • After unboxing, wash and dry the pan before first use.
  • Safe for all cooktops—gas, electric, induction—and oven or grill use up to 500°F.
  • Use any utensils you like—metal tools are fair game.
  • Cook with high-smoke point oils (canola, avocado, grapeseed) for the best performance, especially early on. Low-smoke point oils (like olive oil) can burn and lead to sticking.
  • Hand wash, no dishwasher!
  • Avoid putting a hot pan under cold water—this can warp the pan.

Setup Step 1

There are eight plastic films that can be peeled off from the bottom of the module. Start with removing two (one from each edge). Place the module on your storage surface and test by putting a knife in and pulling the knife out. The unit shouldn't move.

Depending on your surface and where you place it, you may want to remove more. (The feet use a non-permanent adhesive and are repositionable, but very sticky. Two may be all you need!)

Setup Step 2

To assemble, snap large modular pieces together at the base, and snap small modular pieces to either side of a large one. You can continue to add pieces until every one of your knives is protected!

Setup Step 3

Use the large modular pieces for blades 
6 to 10 inches in length. Use small modular pieces for blades less than 6 inches in length.

Fried egg in a skillet on a modern stovetop.

If You Wanna Nerd Out

Tips For Heating Carbon Nonstick™

Gas Stove

  • Start with a medium-low flame, low enough that it stays under the base of the pan.
  • Let the pan heat for 1–2 minutes before adding oil (gas heats fast and adjusts quickly)

Electric Coil

  • Start at medium-low (around 4–5 out of 10).
  • Place pan on the burner before turning it on.
  • Give it 3–4 minutes to preheat. Coils are slower to heat and hold their heat longer—plan ahead.

Induction

  • Use a low setting (around 3–4 out of 10) —induction heats fast.
  • Preheat for just 1–2 minutes.
  • Match the pan to the burner size for even heating and to avoid warping.
A hand holding a spoon over a pan with cooked meat and herbs.

Your First Few Cooks

Test the heat settings on your stove with a few simple meals. You’ll get a feel for how quickly the pan heats up—and how little oil you need. Start with lower heat, add a thin layer of oil, and look for a gentle sizzle. Smoking? Turn it down. No sizzle? Turn it up.

We recommend cooking with oil regularly for the first month—it helps build the pan’s natural nonstick surface faster.

A hand wiping a frying pan with a kitchen towel.

Caring For Your Carbon Nonstick™ Pan

  • For best results, clean while the pan is still a little warm.
  • Use warm or hot water, soap if you’d like, and any sponge or towel.
  • For stubborn bits, use a pan scraper.
  • Dry right away to avoid water spots (cosmetic only—won’t affect performance).
  • Over time, the pan’s surface will darken. That’s seasoning—and it’s a good thing.
Fried egg in a black skillet on a stove.

What’s Self-Seasoning?

Due to its nitrided surface, our Carbon Nonstick™ Pan starts out quite nonstick-y. But when oil is regularly heated on the surface, it accumulates over time, forming a thin, bonded layer that makes the pan even more nonstick. This additional layer:

  • Prevents food from sticking
  • Makes cleanup easier
  • Helps protect the pan

You’ll see the surface change color—first in dark-colored spots, then across the whole pan. The more you cook with oil, the better it gets.

Totally optional: Want to speed up the self-seasoning?

After cleaning, heat the pan over a low flame. Add a few drops of oil and wipe it into the pan with a paper towel. Wipe until the surface looks dry—that micro-thin layer is all you need. Then just store the pan, and you’re good to go ‘til next time.

Setup Step 1

There are eight plastic films that can be peeled off from the bottom of the module. Start with removing two (one from each edge). Place the module on your storage surface and test by putting a knife in and pulling the knife out. The unit shouldn't move.

Depending on your surface and where you place it, you may want to remove more. (The feet use a non-permanent adhesive and are repositionable, but very sticky. Two may be all you need!)

Setup Step 2

To assemble, snap large modular pieces together at the base, and snap small modular pieces to either side of a large one. You can continue to add pieces until every one of your knives is protected!

Setup Step 3

Use the large modular pieces for blades 
6 to 10 inches in length. Use small modular pieces for blades less than 6 inches in length.

If You Wanna Nerd Out

Tips for Heating Carbon Nonstick™

Fried egg in a skillet on a modern stovetop.

Gas Stove

  • Start with a medium-low flame, low enough that it stays under the base of the pan.
  • Let the pan heat for 1–2 minutes before adding oil (gas heats fast and adjusts quickly)

Electric Coil

  • Start at medium-low (around 4–5 out of 10).
  • Place pan on the burner before turning it on.
  • Give it 3–4 minutes to preheat. Coils are slower to heat and hold their heat longer—plan ahead.

Induction

  • Use a low setting (around 3–4 out of 10) —induction heats fast.
  • Preheat for just 1–2 minutes.
  • Match the pan to the burner size for even heating and to avoid warping.

Getting the Most Out of Your Modular Knife Storage

    • • Holds from 1–100+ knives.

  • • Use with any brand of knife—not just Misen!

  • • Hand wash with lukewarm, soapy water. Dry thoroughly, especially the slot and base.

  • • Do not put modules in dishwasher or soak in water.

  • • Modules are intended to be installed on a flat horizontal surface. Do not attempt to install on a wall or in vertical orientation.

Your First Few Cooks

A hand holding a spoon over a pan with cooked meat and herbs.

Test the heat settings on your stove with a few simple meals. You’ll get a feel for how quickly the pan heats up—and how little oil you need. Start with lower heat, add a thin layer of oil, and look for a gentle sizzle. Smoking? Turn it down. No sizzle? Turn it up.

We recommend cooking with oil regularly for the first month—it helps build the pan’s natural nonstick surface faster.

Getting the Most Out of Your Modular Knife Storage

    • • Holds from 1–100+ knives.

  • • Use with any brand of knife—not just Misen!

  • • Hand wash with lukewarm, soapy water. Dry thoroughly, especially the slot and base.

  • • Do not put modules in dishwasher or soak in water.

  • • Modules are intended to be installed on a flat horizontal surface. Do not attempt to install on a wall or in vertical orientation.

Caring For Your Carbon Nonstick™ Pan

A hand wiping a frying pan with a kitchen towel.
  • For best results, clean while the pan is still a little warm.
  • Use warm or hot water, soap if you’d like, and any sponge or towel.
  • For stubborn bits, use a pan scraper.
  • Dry right away to avoid water spots (cosmetic only—won’t affect performance).
  • Over time, the pan’s surface will darken. That’s seasoning—and it’s a good thing.

Getting the Most Out of Your Modular Knife Storage

    • • Holds from 1–100+ knives.

  • • Use with any brand of knife—not just Misen!

  • • Hand wash with lukewarm, soapy water. Dry thoroughly, especially the slot and base.

  • • Do not put modules in dishwasher or soak in water.

  • • Modules are intended to be installed on a flat horizontal surface. Do not attempt to install on a wall or in vertical orientation.

What’s Self-Seasoning?

Fried egg in a black skillet on a stove.

Due to its nitrided surface, our Carbon Nonstick™ Pan starts out quite nonstick-y. But when oil is regularly heated on the surface, it accumulates over time, forming a thin, bonded layer that makes the pan even more nonstick. This additional layer:

  • Prevents food from sticking
  • Makes cleanup easier
  • Helps protect the pan

You’ll see the surface change color—first in dark-colored spots, then across the whole pan. The more you cook with oil, the better it gets.

Totally optional: Want to speed up the self-seasoning?

After cleaning, heat the pan over a low flame. Add a few drops of oil and wipe it into the pan with a paper towel. Wipe until the surface looks dry—that micro-thin layer is all you need. Then just store the pan, and you’re good to go ‘til next time.

Getting the Most Out of Your Modular Knife Storage

    • • Holds from 1–100+ knives.

  • • Use with any brand of knife—not just Misen!

  • • Hand wash with lukewarm, soapy water. Dry thoroughly, especially the slot and base.

  • • Do not put modules in dishwasher or soak in water.

  • • Modules are intended to be installed on a flat horizontal surface. Do not attempt to install on a wall or in vertical orientation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Carbon Nonstick™ made of?

Carbon Nonstick™ is a carbon steel pan with an aluminum core. It’s 3-ply, meaning it has three layers. The inner layer is the aluminum core, which helps the pan heat and cool more quickly than other carbon steel pans. The top and bottom layers are nitrided carbon steel.

Nitrided carbon steel is essentially carbon steel that has been super-heated in a nitrogen-rich oven, which creates an extremely durable, corrosion-resistant, and virtually nonstick surface without the need for coatings.

Nitriding is extremely safe and widely used in industries beyond cookware, including aerospace, automotive, surgical, and industrial machinery.

How is Carbon Nonstick™️ nonstick without any coatings?

Carbon steel (Carbon Nonstick's™ primary material) relies on something called “seasoning” to achieve its non-stickiness. Unlike ceramic (aka Silicon dioxide) and nonstick (Teflon) which both require a special coating, seasoning is completely natural and builds up more and more over time.

This process of seasoning is called polymerization: when any type of fat is heated in the pan, it chemically bonds with the metal to create a durable coating that prevents rust and improves nonstick properties. The more you cook, the more the seasoning builds up. Over time the pan will become even more nonstick.

Our pan takes things a step further: through a process called "nitriding," Carbon Nonstick™ is fully nonstick right out of the box, and even moreso over time. Nitriding is a process by which a metal surface is super-heated in a nitrogen-rich environment, which creates an extremely durable, corrosion-resistant, and virtually nonstick surface without the need for coatings.

Nitriding is extremely safe and widely used in industries beyond cookware, including aerospace, automotive, surgical, and industrial machinery.

Does Carbon Nonstick™ contain PFAS, PTFE, or PFOA?

No, Carbon Nonstick™ is free of PFAS, PTFE, and PFOA.

How can Carbon Nonstick™️ be nonstick and also last forever?

Traditional nonstick pans (Teflon) and ceramic are both made with coatings that wear off over time, making the pan useless. Carbon Nonstick™ does not contain any chemical coating; instead, it self-seasons over time as you cook with it, creating a lasting, nonstick surface.

This process of self-seasoning is called polymerization: when any type of fat is heated in the pan, it chemically bonds with the metal to create a durable coating that prevents rust and improves nonstick properties.

This process happens naturally as you cook. The more you use the pan, the more layers of seasoning build up, and the more nonstick the pan becomes.

Carbon Nonstick™ takes it a step further: through a process called nitriding, this pan is made even more nonstick out of the box and over time. Nitriding is a process by which a metal surface is super-heated in a nitrogen-rich environment, which creates an extremely durable, corrosion-resistant, and virtually nonstick surface without the need for coatings.

Nitriding is extremely safe and widely used in industries beyond cookware, including aerospace, automotive, surgical, and industrial machinery.

Is Carbon Nonstick™️ as nonstick as traditional nonstick or ceramic nonstick?

TL;DR: At first, no. But soon, yes.

The longer answer: Traditional nonstick (Teflon) and ceramic are both made with chemical coatings that create a nonstick effect on your pans. Carbon Nonstick™ does not contain any chemical coating, therefore it may not be quite as nonstick right out of the box. However, while ceramic and other nonstick pans lose their nonstick coating as you use them, Carbon Nonstick™ will actually become more nonstick with use as cooking oils build up on the pan’s surface (this is called seasoning, and Carbon Nonstick™ seasons itself naturally as you use it). So while your other nonstick pans will be useless in a matter of years, your Carbon Nonstick™ has the potential to last forever.

Can I cook acidic foods in Carbon Nonstick™?

Absolutely, bring on the lemons! Whereas most carbon steel pans will lose their seasoning and rust if they're exposed to acid, Carbon Nonstick™️ can stand up to acid without a problem. (We find it especially useful for finishing our pasta in tomato sauce.)

That said, our factory recommends waiting about 30 days before you go heavy on the acid, so that the pan has a little time to build up its seasoning.

Do I have to season Carbon Nonstick™️?

No. Unlike traditional carbon steel cookware, you don’t need to season your Carbon Nonstick™️ pan. By simply cooking with it, you'll be seasoning it; the more you use it, the more seasoned it becomes.

That said, we like to apply a thin layer of cooking oil to the pan’s surface after cooking, and rub it in with a towel. This step speeds up the seasoning process, but it is completely optional.

Is Carbon Nonstick™️ pre-seasoned?

Carbon Nonstick™️ is not pre-seasoned. This sets it apart from our Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel, which is pre-baked with neutral oil to jumpstart the seasoning process. Carbon Nonstick™️, on the other hand, does not need to be pre-seasoned because it's been nitrided, which does the same job. Instead, the pan is simply wiped down with a thin layer of neutral corn oil after nitriding. This moisturizes the pan and makes it nice and slippery right out of the box.

How does Carbon Nonstick™️ compare to Misen’s previous Carbon Steel pans?

We still love and use our Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel pans. But there are some key differences between that pan and Carbon Nonstick™️.

First, Carbon Nonstick™️ is lighter: only 2.48 pounds, compared to 3.2 pounds. It's an easier pan to hold and use on a daily basis.

Second, Carbon Nonstick™️ doesn’t require seasoning. Our original Carbon Steel needs to be regularly seasoned as you use it, that seasoning can come off depending on what you cook, and sometimes the pan needs to be re-seasoned from scratch. That won’t happen with Carbon Nonstick™️ because it’s nitrided, aka heated in a super-hot, nitrogen-rich oven to make it extra-hard, extra-smooth, and extra-durable.

Third, Carbon Nonstick™️ has an aluminum core, while our Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel pan does not. The aluminum core makes the pan lighter and helps it heat and cool faster. This responsiveness to temperature changes makes your cooking more efficient and precise, whereas our Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel has slightly better heat retention for tasks like heavy-duty searing.

Fourth, Carbon Nonstick™️ is resistant to rust. Our other carbon steel pan isn’t nitrided, so it will rust if you don’t wash and dry it immediately after cooking. Carbon Nonstick™️ can soak in the sink overnight without issues.

What is nitriding?

Nitriding is a process by which a metal surface is super-heated in a nitrogen-rich environment, which creates an extremely durable, corrosion-resistant, and virtually nonstick surface without the need for coatings like ceramic or Teflon.

Nitriding is completely safe and nontoxic, and is widely used in industries beyond cookware, including aerospace, automotive, surgical, and industrial machinery.

What is Carbon Nonstick™ made of?

Carbon Nonstick™ is a carbon steel pan with an aluminum core. It’s 3-ply, meaning it has three layers. The inner layer is the aluminum core, which helps the pan heat and cool more quickly than other carbon steel pans. The top and bottom layers are nitrided carbon steel.

Nitrided carbon steel is essentially carbon steel that has been super-heated in a nitrogen-rich oven, which creates an extremely durable, corrosion-resistant, and virtually nonstick surface without the need for coatings.

Nitriding is extremely safe and widely used in industries beyond cookware, including aerospace, automotive, surgical, and industrial machinery.

How is Carbon Nonstick™️ nonstick without any coatings?

Carbon steel (Carbon Nonstick's™ primary material) relies on something called “seasoning” to achieve its non-stickiness. Unlike ceramic (aka Silicon dioxide) and nonstick (Teflon) which both require a special coating, seasoning is completely natural and builds up more and more over time.

This process of seasoning is called polymerization: when any type of fat is heated in the pan, it chemically bonds with the metal to create a durable coating that prevents rust and improves nonstick properties. The more you cook, the more the seasoning builds up. Over time the pan will become even more nonstick.

Our pan takes things a step further: through a process called "nitriding," Carbon Nonstick™ is fully nonstick right out of the box, and even moreso over time. Nitriding is a process by which a metal surface is super-heated in a nitrogen-rich environment, which creates an extremely durable, corrosion-resistant, and virtually nonstick surface without the need for coatings.

Nitriding is extremely safe and widely used in industries beyond cookware, including aerospace, automotive, surgical, and industrial machinery.

Does Carbon Nonstick™ contain PFAS, PTFE, or PFOA?

No, Carbon Nonstick™ is free of PFAS, PTFE, and PFOA.

How can Carbon Nonstick™️ be nonstick and also last forever?

Traditional nonstick pans (Teflon) and ceramic are both made with coatings that wear off over time, making the pan useless. Carbon Nonstick™ does not contain any chemical coating; instead, it self-seasons over time as you cook with it, creating a lasting, nonstick surface.

This process of self-seasoning is called polymerization: when any type of fat is heated in the pan, it chemically bonds with the metal to create a durable coating that prevents rust and improves nonstick properties.

This process happens naturally as you cook. The more you use the pan, the more layers of seasoning build up, and the more nonstick the pan becomes.

Carbon Nonstick™ takes it a step further: through a process called nitriding, this pan is made even more nonstick out of the box and over time. Nitriding is a process by which a metal surface is super-heated in a nitrogen-rich environment, which creates an extremely durable, corrosion-resistant, and virtually nonstick surface without the need for coatings.

Nitriding is extremely safe and widely used in industries beyond cookware, including aerospace, automotive, surgical, and industrial machinery.

Is Carbon Nonstick™️ as nonstick as traditional nonstick or ceramic nonstick?

TL;DR: At first, no. But soon, yes.

The longer answer: Traditional nonstick (Teflon) and ceramic are both made with chemical coatings that create a nonstick effect on your pans. Carbon Nonstick™ does not contain any chemical coating, therefore it may not be quite as nonstick right out of the box. However, while ceramic and other nonstick pans lose their nonstick coating as you use them, Carbon Nonstick™ will actually become more nonstick with use as cooking oils build up on the pan’s surface (this is called seasoning, and Carbon Nonstick™ seasons itself naturally as you use it). So while your other nonstick pans will be useless in a matter of years, your Carbon Nonstick™ has the potential to last forever.

Can I cook acidic foods in Carbon Nonstick™?

Absolutely, bring on the lemons! Whereas most carbon steel pans will lose their seasoning and rust if they're exposed to acid, Carbon Nonstick™️ can stand up to acid without a problem. (We find it especially useful for finishing our pasta in tomato sauce.)

That said, our factory recommends waiting about 30 days before you go heavy on the acid, so that the pan has a little time to build up its seasoning.

Do I have to season Carbon Nonstick™️?

No. Unlike traditional carbon steel cookware, you don’t need to season your Carbon Nonstick™️ pan. By simply cooking with it, you'll be seasoning it; the more you use it, the more seasoned it becomes.

That said, we like to apply a thin layer of cooking oil to the pan’s surface after cooking, and rub it in with a towel. This step speeds up the seasoning process, but it is completely optional.

Is Carbon Nonstick™️ pre-seasoned?

Carbon Nonstick™️ is not pre-seasoned. This sets it apart from our Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel, which is pre-baked with neutral oil to jumpstart the seasoning process. Carbon Nonstick™️, on the other hand, does not need to be pre-seasoned because it's been nitrided, which does the same job. Instead, the pan is simply wiped down with a thin layer of neutral corn oil after nitriding. This moisturizes the pan and makes it nice and slippery right out of the box.

How does Carbon Nonstick™️ compare to Misen’s previous Carbon Steel pans?

We still love and use our Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel pans. But there are some key differences between that pan and Carbon Nonstick™️.

First, Carbon Nonstick™️ is lighter: only 2.48 pounds, compared to 3.2 pounds. It's an easier pan to hold and use on a daily basis.

Second, Carbon Nonstick™️ doesn’t require seasoning. Our original Carbon Steel needs to be regularly seasoned as you use it, that seasoning can come off depending on what you cook, and sometimes the pan needs to be re-seasoned from scratch. That won’t happen with Carbon Nonstick™️ because it’s nitrided, aka heated in a super-hot, nitrogen-rich oven to make it extra-hard, extra-smooth, and extra-durable.

Third, Carbon Nonstick™️ has an aluminum core, while our Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel pan does not. The aluminum core makes the pan lighter and helps it heat and cool faster. This responsiveness to temperature changes makes your cooking more efficient and precise, whereas our Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel has slightly better heat retention for tasks like heavy-duty searing.

Fourth, Carbon Nonstick™️ is resistant to rust. Our other carbon steel pan isn’t nitrided, so it will rust if you don’t wash and dry it immediately after cooking. Carbon Nonstick™️ can soak in the sink overnight without issues.

What is nitriding?

Nitriding is a process by which a metal surface is super-heated in a nitrogen-rich environment, which creates an extremely durable, corrosion-resistant, and virtually nonstick surface without the need for coatings like ceramic or Teflon.

Nitriding is completely safe and nontoxic, and is widely used in industries beyond cookware, including aerospace, automotive, surgical, and industrial machinery.