# Seasoning Vollrath carbon steel pan gone wrong



## spencer tracy (Sep 16, 2011)

I purchased a Vollrath carbon steel pan and begin the seasoning process as prescribed by Vollrath:

1 Wash the fry pan in hot water with a small amount of liquid detergent and a
scrubber (such as a stainless steel sponge or pad). The exterior of the fry pan
can be scrubbed with the scrubber and an abrasive cleanser. Do not use the
abrasive cleanser on the inside of the fry pan.
2 Rinse the fry pan and dry thoroughly.
3 Place the fry pan on high heat.
4 Move the fry pan, turning it and tilting it up to the rim and back, until the metal
turns a bluish-yellow color.
5 Remove the fry pan from the stove element. Turn the heat down to mediumlow.
6 Add a thin film of oil (about 1½ teaspoons) over the entire inside surface of the
fry pan. There are several ways to do this. One is to use a paper towel to rub
the oil over the surface. You may want to use tongs to hold the paper towels.
Another way is to use a basting brush for barbecues or any other heat-proof
brush to brush on the oil.
7 Heat the fry pan on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.
8 Wipe off the oil with another paper towel. There will be black residue on the
towel.
9 Repeat steps 7 through 9 until no black residue

After washing it the first time, I noticed the pan was turning a light brown (rust like) after I removed it from the sink. I put it on high heat and heated up the pan. I removed the pan and wiped the inside with 1.5 teaspoons of vegetable oil and put it back on medium low heat for 10 mins. After the first time minutes I went to wipe and there was no black residue. There was a little bit of brown residue. I reapplied the oil and did the process again on low heat.

My question is how badly did I screw this up and how can I fix it? There is black/brown layer (uneven buildup in some areas) on the bottom with dark brown spots on the sides.

Here's what the pan looks like:


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## brasschef (Jun 10, 2012)

the sides of my carbon steel wok look about the same - it's not a failure, just not quite there yet. Just start using it a bit (nothing too sticky just yet), especially at high heats, and a nice jet black shine will start to develop 

Edit: the buildup is kind of an issue though. a bit too much oil. Try to scrub it and maybe do one last coat of oil. I've heard oiling an oiled rag with a bit of salt get good results with a bit less smoke.


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

Mine looked like that but looked way better after a year or so after using it to fry bacon EVERY morning along with a tiny bit of peanut oil.


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