Carbon steel pans develop their legendary nonstick properties through proper seasoning, a process that transforms your cookware into a better tool with every use. At Santa Barbara Forge, we pre-season our pans with coconut oil so they are ready to cook immediately, but understanding how to maintain and build on that seasoning will unlock your pan's full potential.

Watch: Seasoning at the Forge

✦

Understanding Carbon Steel Seasoning

Seasoning creates a natural, protective coating through polymerization: heating oil beyond its smoke point until it bonds with the metal surface. Each layer adds protection that prevents rust, reduces sticking, and improves with time and use.

Carbon steel offers distinct advantages over cast iron. It is lighter, heats more quickly, and responds better to temperature changes, making it ideal for searing, stir-frying, and professional-style cooking.

Getting Started with Your Pre-Seasoned Pan

Your Santa Barbara Forge pan arrives ready to cook, but the first few uses are the foundation of a strong seasoning:

• Use generous amounts of oil during your first cooking sessions
• Cook dry or high-fat foods first. Hold off on acidic ingredients like tomatoes or vinegar until the seasoning is well established
• Expect some initial sticking. This is normal and improves with every use

Our Seasoning Method

When you want to build seasoning faster, this is the method we use at the forge. All it takes is a stovetop, oil, and a few minutes.

What You Need

• A high smoke point oil (grapeseed, avocado, or plain vegetable oil)
• A paper towel or bar rag
• Heat-resistant gloves or a dry towel for the handle

The Process

1. Heat the pan on the stove over medium-high until it is good and hot
2. Apply a thin layer of oil to the surface with a paper towel or bar rag. The pan should look nearly dry, not greasy
3. Keep heating until the oil smokes and the surface darkens
4. Let the pan cool completely. Repeat if you want to build additional layers

A blotchy, uneven look is normal at first. The color evens out and deepens with regular cooking.

Daily Care and Cleaning

Food stuck to the surface? No problem. Your seasoning is still building. Run the pan under hot water and scrub with a bristle brush. That is all most cleanups need.

• Wipe clean with a paper towel after cooking when you can
• Avoid soap and heavy abrasives like chainmail until your seasoning is thick and well established
• Dry the pan fully and apply a light coat of oil before storing it

For stubborn residue, add a little water and simmer briefly, then lift the debris with a wooden spatula. For rust spots, scrub them out with steel wool, dry completely, and re-season the affected area using the method above.

Troubleshooting

Food sticking: Use a little more oil and keep cooking. Seasoning improves with time, not tricks.

Blotchy appearance: Normal for young seasoning. It evens out with continued use.

Rust: Steel wool, dry thoroughly, re-season. The pan comes back every time.

✦

A Pan That Gets Better Every Time You Cook

Seasoning is not maintenance. It is the pan becoming yours. Every sear and every stir-fry adds another layer that no factory coating can match, on a pan forged by hand to be passed down the generations.

Shop Hand-Forged Pans

Pre-seasoned and ready to cook. Handmade by a small team in Santa Barbara.