Steel frying pans

Many pans dream of being like it, but few succeed. The steel pan is often found in the hands of professional chefs due to its excellent thermal properties, similar to aluminium pans, making it ideal for cooking at high temperatures. You’ll find, for instance, wok pans made of steel in many Asian kitchens because they are perfect for stir-frying, but also for grilling, frying, and sautéing.

It is important not to confuse steel pans with stainless steel pans. As the name suggests, one of the differences between steel and stainless steel is that the former can oxidize if not given a minimum of attention and care.

Nevertheless, steel pans impress with how quickly they heat up and cool down, their efficient heat conductivity, and their natural non-stick coating, which improves over time.

The steel pan becomes more efficient over time

It may sound surprising, but wear is actually good for a steel pan because, over time, it develops a layer of fat that acts just like a non-stick coating. The only condition is to season the carbon steel pan just like a cast iron pan, meaning you need to apply a thin layer of oil on the cooking surface and heat it briefly at medium temperature. Repeated seasoning also changes the pan's colour, making it darker, which is a sign that food will stick less and less.

Steel pans don’t have many weaknesses, but you should know that they don’t mix well with acidic foods (such as tomatoes or vinegar). These can damage the natural non-stick layer you’ve built up through repeated cooking and seasoning.