Carbon steel - also known as plate iron, iron, carbon steel and carbon steel - is a fantastic material for frying pans.
For a period, carbon steel pans were forgotten in favor of modern non-stick pans, but today more and more people are opening their eyes to the material when choosing a new frying pan - iron pans are simply fantastic and build their own natural non-stick coating free of chemicals.
So what is carbon steel?
Carbon steel combines the best properties of cast iron and stainless steel. It is almost half the weight compared to cast iron - and has the same fantastic heat properties, which means the pan stores heat, can fry at high temperatures and has excellent heat control. At the same time, you can build natural non-stick by giving the pan a good seasoning - and carbon steel frying pans only get better over time, the more you use them.
Higher frying temperatures mean that you can give your meat or vegetables a perfect sear - and if you take care of the pan, it will last a lifetime.
Carbon steel / plate iron / iron pans (a loved item with many names) consists of 99% iron and 1% carbon.
When you receive your carbon steel pan it is silver-colored, but as soon as you do the first "seasoning" - i.e. treat the pan and season it with oil - the pan will become darker.
What color should carbon steel be?
The more often you cook and the better seasoning you have built up, the better your pan becomes. This is expressed in the color - it becomes darker. Over time, your carbon steel pan goes from silver-coloured towards dark brown to black or very dark grey. This is a good thing - it indicates that the pan has built up a good polymerised oil layer, which is the pan's natural non-stick layer.
The pan can change colour along the way - and that's perfectly fine. It depends a lot on what type of food you prepare, how you have treated the pan, and how long you have had it. That's the beauty of carbon steel, each pan is unique.
Read our guide to seasoning carbon steel
Is carbon steel safe for cooking?
In recent years, harmful substances have been found several times in modern frying pans with synthetic coatings. Carbon steel pans consist only of iron and 1% carbon - apart from the oil you use to season the pan. Therefore, you get a more natural product here, which is completely safe to cook with. In fact, many believe that carbon steel is one of the healthiest things you can cook with - and can contribute positively to ensuring that you get enough iron in your diet.
