Your new pan has been pre-seasoned at our factory, which means that we’ve built the base layer of its natural, nonstick cooking surface. You’ll need to follow a few important steps in order to strengthen its seasoning and to keep it working great.
Note: These images show an older design of our Carbon Steel Pan.
When you first start using your carbon steel pan, you’ll need to use as much cooking fat or oil as you would in a normal pan. As the seasoning builds up through regular cooking, you can use less, and you’ll start to be able to enjoy its nonstick properties.
After you wash and dry your pan, go ahead and apply an extra layer of seasoning, too. Simply rub in a small amount of oil over the heat, then wipe up the excess, and allow it to cool.
Allowing time for your pan to properly preheat is another trick that will keep food from sticking to it. Simply set it over medium heat for a few minutes, until you can wave your hand a few inches above and feel the heat emanating. Then add oil or fat and proceed with your cooking!
| 1. | Clean with warm water and a non-metallic brush or scrubber. Do not use soap or run your pan through the dishwasher. You may have to re-season it. |
| 2. | Towel dry your pan thoroughly. |
| 3. | Toast your pan on the stove. When hot, rub, a few drops of oil into the interior. |
| 4. | Wipe away excess well, and store. |
These layers get baked into the metal of your pan to keep food from sticking, and protect your pan from moisture. As your pan’s seasoning develops over time, it’ll become darker and more nonstick — that’s good! These colored layers of fats are called a “patina.”
You won’t need to worry about seasoning your pan before you start cooking with it, since it's preseasoned. But for the pan to work its best, it’s important to manually season it from time to time, and especially as you first start using it.
The following instructions are for gas and electric cooktops. Induction cooktops are designed to automatically lower the heat output if smoking or burning is detected, which means that they don’t get hot enough to develop a proper base layer of seasoning. If you have an induction cooktop, we recommend following our instructions for seasoning your carbon steel pan in the oven.
You’ll need some paper towels, and cooking oil or seasoning wax. We recommend a neutral oil with a high smoke point, like soybean, corn, sunflower, vegetable, or canola oil. Do not use olive oil, butter, or bacon (which can contain sugars, and might burn), or flax seed oil (which can cause flaking) for the seasoning process.
Place your pan on a stovetop, and apply about ¼ teaspoon of wax, using a paper towel, or 4-5 drops of oil. You only need a very small amount!
Start rubbing it around with the paper towel to spread it evenly all over the bottom and sides of the pan. There shouldn’t be any visible wax or oil remaining. The pan should look dry—and not shiny, greasy, or wet.
Heat the pan on medium-high heat, and as it warms up, keep rubbing it with the paper towel. Once the pan starts smoking, lower heat to medium. Light smoking is better than heavy smoking. Start with medium-high heat, and raise it if needed.
You may begin to see patches of oil or wax lightly shimmering on the surface. Use the paper towel to continue to wipe it up. Keep the pan looking dry.
Allow your pan to gently smoke for a few moments. Then periodically move the pan over your heat source to build even browning over the base. You may see some dark residue on the paper towel, which is normal—that’s the excess seasoning buildup on the pan.
Once the smoking has subsided, remove the pan from the heat and wipe down once more to ensure that there’s no lingering oil on the surface. Allow it to cool.
Your seasoning may appear uneven or a little blotchy at first. That’s fine! It will change and gradually become darker and more evenly colored over time. Think of it as a “living” object.
A properly seasoned pan feels smooth to the touch. Stickiness or roughness are signs that you may have used too much oil or wax, and you’ll need to scrub your pan until it feels smooth, and then re-season it.
Whenever you apply seasoning, remember to continually wipe away the excess wax or oil until the pan appears dry. Too much oil or wax will result in sticky patches and uneven seasoning.
If the seasoning flakes or chips off while you’re cooking or cleaning, this is likely because your base seasoning is still a bit weak. Gently scrub off any loose flaking and continue to season it. It will stop happening as you continue cooking and it becomes stronger.
Since the pans are seasoned in the factory, they have an almost black color and somewhat rough texture. Over time (and the more you use it) the appearance will change to a classic looking carbon steel pan with a smooth and shiny finish.
• Discoloration. Dark black starting to fade.
• Splotchy areas where seasoned coating looks gone
• Continue to use and oil your pan per our instructions
• Pan will have more natural golden brown color, called patina
• Every patina is different. Some will be splotchy and different shades all over.
• Pan will have more of a smooth and shiny look
If you encounter one of these issues, do not worry! This pan is very resilient, and almost impossible to ruin. There’s an easy fix for any issues you may encounter.
No problem! Moisture is the enemy of this pan, but it is very resilient, and a little rust is solvable. You can use a little steel wool to buff out a rusty spot. Then season the pan again to rebuild its patina, and protect it from moisture.
Yep! That change in color is called the “patina,” and it’s a good thing! Your carbon steel pan will become darker with use.
This is normal, and not necessarily a problem. Even a perfect seasoning can appear uneven to the eye. As long as your pan feels smooth and uniform to the touch, it’s fine, and you’ll find that your pan’s seasoning will change visually with time. However, your pan should not feel sticky or rough to the touch.
You might have used a little too much oil or seasoning wax, but no worries! It’s an easy problem to solve. Just scrub your pan well under hot water to remove the excess seasoning. Then dry thoroughly and heat it until it’s almost smoking. Apply a few drops of oil, and rub it into the surface with a towel to repair the seasoning, and wipe away any excess.
Remember: carbon steel pans require very little oil. Your pan should have a matte sheen, and not appear slick or shiny.
Your patina could be coming off your pan for a few reasons. It may be that the seasoning became too rough or thick due to overuse of oil. It is also possible that extended cooking with high-acid foods have weakened your patina’s bond with the metal.
We recommend reseasoning the pan as normal. If the remaining patina appears rough or sticky, then give your pan a scrub first before starting reseasoning.
When you first start using your carbon steel pan, you’ll need to use as much cooking fat or oil as you would in a normal pan. As the seasoning builds up through regular cooking, you can use less, and you’ll start to be able to enjoy its nonstick properties.
After you wash and dry your pan, go ahead and apply an extra layer of seasoning, too. Simply rub in a small amount of oil over the heat, then wipe up the excess, and allow it to cool.
Allowing time for your pan to properly preheat is another trick that will keep food from sticking to it. Simply set it over medium heat for a few minutes, until you can wave your hand a few inches above and feel the heat emanating. Then add oil or fat and proceed with your cooking!
| 1. | Clean with warm water and a non-metallic brush or scrubber. Do not use soap or run your pan through the dishwasher. You may have to re-season it. |
| 2. | Towel dry your pan thoroughly. |
| 3. | Toast your pan on the stove. When hot, rub, a few drops of oil into the interior. |
| 4. | Wipe away excess well, and store. |
These layers get baked into the metal of your pan to keep food from sticking, and protect your pan from moisture. As your pan’s seasoning develops over time, it’ll become darker and more nonstick — that’s good! These colored layers of fats are called a “patina.”
You won’t need to worry about seasoning your pan before you start cooking with it, since it's preseasoned. But for the pan to work its best, it’s important to manually season it from time to time, and especially as you first start using it.
The following instructions are for gas and electric cooktops. Induction cooktops are designed to automatically lower the heat output if smoking or burning is detected, which means that they don’t get hot enough to develop a proper base layer of seasoning. If you have an induction cooktop, we recommend following our instructions for seasoning your carbon steel pan in the oven.
You’ll need some paper towels, and cooking oil or seasoning wax. We recommend a neutral oil with a high smoke point, like soybean, corn, sunflower, vegetable, or canola oil. Do not use olive oil, butter, or bacon (which can contain sugars, and might burn), or flax seed oil (which can cause flaking) for the seasoning process.
Place your pan on a stovetop, and apply about ¼ teaspoon of wax, using a paper towel, or 4-5 drops of oil. You only need a very small amount!
Start rubbing it around with the paper towel to spread it evenly all over the bottom and sides of the pan. There shouldn’t be any visible wax or oil remaining. The pan should look dry—and not shiny, greasy, or wet.
Heat the pan on medium-high heat, and as it warms up, keep rubbing it with the paper towel. Once the pan starts smoking, lower heat to medium. Light smoking is better than heavy smoking. Start with medium-high heat, and raise it if needed.
You may begin to see patches of oil or wax lightly shimmering on the surface. Use the paper towel to continue to wipe it up. Keep the pan looking dry.
Allow your pan to gently smoke for a few moments. Then periodically move the pan over your heat source to build even browning over the base. You may see some dark residue on the paper towel, which is normal—that’s the excess seasoning buildup on the pan.
Once the smoking has subsided, remove the pan from the heat and wipe down once more to ensure that there’s no lingering oil on the surface. Allow it to cool.
Your seasoning may appear uneven or a little blotchy at first. That’s fine! It will change and gradually become darker and more evenly colored over time. Think of it as a “living” object.
A properly seasoned pan feels smooth to the touch. Stickiness or roughness are signs that you may have used too much oil or wax, and you’ll need to scrub your pan until it feels smooth, and then re-season it.
Whenever you apply seasoning, remember to continually wipe away the excess wax or oil until the pan appears dry. Too much oil or wax will result in sticky patches and uneven seasoning.
If the seasoning flakes or chips off while you’re cooking or cleaning, this is likely because your base seasoning is still a bit weak. Gently scrub off any loose flaking and continue to season it. It will stop happening as you continue cooking and it becomes stronger.
Since the pans are seasoned in the factory, they have an almost graphite color and somewhat rough texture. Over time (and the more you use it) the appearance will change to a classic-looking carbon steel pan with a smooth and shiny finish.
• Discoloration. Graphite starting to fade.
• Splotchy areas where seasoned coating looks gone
• Continue to use and oil your pan per our instructions
• Pan will have more natural golden brown color, called patina
• Every patina is different. Some will be splotchy and different shades all over.
• Pan will have more of a smooth and shiny look
If you encounter one of these issues, do not worry! This pan is very resilient, and almost impossible to ruin. There’s an easy fix for any issues you may encounter.
No problem! Moisture is the enemy of this pan, but it is very resilient, and a little rust is solvable. You can use a little steel wool to buff out a rusty spot. Then season the pan again to rebuild its patina, and protect it from moisture.
Yep! That change in color is called the “patina,” and it’s a good thing! Your carbon steel pan will become darker with use.
This is normal, and not necessarily a problem. Even a perfect seasoning can appear uneven to the eye. As long as your pan feels smooth and uniform to the touch, it’s fine, and you’ll find that your pan’s seasoning will change visually with time. However, your pan should not feel sticky or rough to the touch.
You might have used a little too much oil or seasoning wax, but no worries! It’s an easy problem to solve. Just scrub your pan well under hot water to remove the excess seasoning. Then dry thoroughly and heat it until it’s almost smoking. Apply a few drops of oil, and rub it into the surface with a towel to repair the seasoning, and wipe away any excess.
Remember: carbon steel pans require very little oil. Your pan should have a matte sheen, and not appear slick or shiny.
Your patina could be coming off your pan for a few reasons. It may be that the seasoning became too rough or thick due to overuse of oil. It is also possible that extended cooking with high-acid foods have weakened your patina’s bond with the metal.
We recommend reseasoning the pan as normal. If the remaining patina appears rough or sticky, then give your pan a scrub first before starting reseasoning.
Congratulations on your new Misen pre-seasoned carbon steel pan! This versatile kitchen tool is designed to make your cooking experiences enjoyable, and with the right care, it will last you a lifetime. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to maintain its natural nonstick surface, seasoning, and overall performance.
Your pre-seasoned carbon steel pan already has a base layer of seasoning from the factory, but with regular use and proper maintenance, the pan will build up additional layers of seasoning to strengthen its nonstick properties. To accomplish this, it's crucial to cook with fat or oil, apply regular seasoning, and preheat the pan before adding food to prevent sticking.
Cleaning and storage involve keeping the pan dry and free from moisture while also touching up on the seasoning as needed. Wash the pan with warm water and a non-metallic brush, then towel-dry it, heat it on the stove, and apply a few drops of oil to the interior. Wipe away any excess oil and store it carefully.
Building a strong seasoning layer on your pre-seasoned carbon steel pan involves a process called stovetop seasoning. This requires a neutral oil or seasoning wax and some paper towels. You'll apply a thin layer of the oil or wax, rub it in until the pan appears dry, heat the pan and watch for smoke, continuously wipe away any excess oil or wax, move the pan around for even seasoning, and lastly, allow it to cool down.
Remember that every seasoned pan will look different, so focus on ensuring a smooth, non-sticky surface, and don't worry if the seasoning appears uneven at first. With time and usage, the pan will take on a more even, darker appearance and become more nonstick, offering you a perfect cooking companion for years to come.
Congratulations on your new Misen pre-seasoned carbon steel pan! This versatile kitchen tool is designed to make your cooking experiences enjoyable, and with the right care, it will last you a lifetime. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to maintain its natural nonstick surface, seasoning, and overall performance.
Your pre-seasoned carbon steel pan already has a base layer of seasoning from the factory, but with regular use and proper maintenance, the pan will build up additional layers of seasoning to strengthen its nonstick properties. To accomplish this, it's crucial to cook with fat or oil, apply regular seasoning, and preheat the pan before adding food to prevent sticking.
Cleaning and storage involve keeping the pan dry and free from moisture while also touching up on the seasoning as needed. Wash the pan with warm water and a non-metallic brush, then towel-dry it, heat it on the stove, and apply a few drops of oil to the interior. Wipe away any excess oil and store it carefully.
Building a strong seasoning layer on your pre-seasoned carbon steel pan involves a process called stovetop seasoning. This requires a neutral oil or seasoning wax and some paper towels. You'll apply a thin layer of the oil or wax, rub it in until the pan appears dry, heat the pan and watch for smoke, continuously wipe away any excess oil or wax, move the pan around for even seasoning, and lastly, allow it to cool down.
Remember that every seasoned pan will look different, so focus on ensuring a smooth, non-sticky surface, and don't worry if the seasoning appears uneven at first. With time and usage, the pan will take on a more even, darker appearance and become more nonstick, offering you a perfect cooking companion for years to come.
