The DO’s and DON’Ts: How to Clean Carbon Steel Cookware

How to protect your seasoning, prevent rust, and keep your pan in tip-top shape.

You’ve just cooked something incredible in your Strata Carbon Clad™ pan. It’s crispy, golden, and perfectly seared. Now what? There’s plenty of hot tips, techniques, and even some pretty unconventional methods when it comes to carbon steel. While there isn’t exactly a “right” way to clean your pan, there are a few rules we recommend following.

Cleaning carbon steel might seem intimidating at first, but it’s simple once you know the basics. Here are some key Do’s and Don’ts for cleaning your carbon steel pan.

DO: Hand wash your pan

DON’T: Put carbon steel in the dishwasher

You should always hand wash carbon steel pans to prevent rust. Dishwashers run for long cycles and expose your pan to excessive moisture. Even if your pan is well-seasoned, we don’t ever recommend it. Trust us: your pan doesn’t want to soak in water for that long!

A quick hand wash with warm water, a gentle sponge, and thorough drying is all it takes to keep your pan performing beautifully. Since seasoning can sometimes look like food, a good way to tell if your pan is clean is to run your fingers across the surface. Seasoning might have some texture, but it’s relatively smooth and hard compared to actual food.

DO: Use soap (if you want)

DON’T: Get tricked by cast iron myths  

One of the biggest misconceptions among home cooks is that you can’t use soap on carbon steel or cast iron pans. This is an outdated myth because many soaps were previously made with an ingredient called lye, a harsh chemical that could strip your seasoning. Modern dish soaps, however, no longer contain lye and are gentle enough to use on seasoned cookware. 

That said, some organic soaps may contain vinegar or other acidic ingredients that can affect your seasoning, so just be sure to check the ingredients before using. 

DO: Use hot water

DON’T: Give your pan thermal shock

Cleaning your pan with hot water and a gentle sponge works great to loosen stuck-on food. It also helps to clean while the pan is still warm (not hot). Avoid submerging a hot pan in cold water! Serious rapid temperature changes can shock the metal and potentially warp your pan. Deglazing* should always be done while the pan is at a lower temp, with just a small amount of warm water. 

DO: Boil water for stubborn, stuck-on food

DON’T: Leave your pan to soak or over scrub

When food is really stuck to your pan, or if it’s cooled with bits still clinging on, a super easy way to clean it is to add a bit of water and bring it to a boil right in the pan. The added heat and moisture will help loosen stuck-on food, making it easy to scrape off with a spatula. You still want to avoid soaking your pan for prolonged periods of time, though, since that can put your pan at a serious risk for rust.

If your pan is newly seasoned, the boiling method can also help you preserve the seasoning since it’s fairly gentle compared to a strong scrubbing. Those early seasoning layers can be delicate and have a tendency to come off when scrubbing with an abrasive. But once your pan is well seasoned, scrubbing with an abrasive like a scrubber sponge or chainmail shouldn’t cause trouble.

DO: Dry your pan immediately

DON’T: Let it air-dry

Leaving just a little water on the pan is the fastest way to invite rust. You should always wipe it dry with a clean towel after washing. For a freshly seasoned pan, it’s especially helpful to give it a quick 30-60 second pass over low or medium-low heat on the stove. It’s not a hard requirement, but the extra step helps evaporate lingering moisture to make sure your pan is fully dry. 

DO: Store your pan with a light coat of oil

DON’T: Store in a wet or humid place 

Before storing your carbon steel pan, it’s a good idea to wipe on a light coat of oil to help prevent rust. You can usually skip this step if your pan is well-seasoned and used regularly, but if you live in a humid climate or tend to leave your cookware unused for several days, oiling the surface can add extra protection against rust.

DO (optional): Maintenance seasonings

DON’T: Stress too much if you lose seasoning

Don’t worry if your seasoning looks a little blotchy or uneven after cooking and cleaning. That’s normal, especially with a newly seasoned pan! Seasoning is ever-evolving, and it will even out the more you cook. It’s like we always say: just keep cooking!

If you want to build your seasoning a little faster, you can do a maintenance seasoning on the stove after cleaning and drying your pan: 

Wipe a small amount of high-smoke-point oil (like grapeseed, canola or avocado) on the inside of your pan. Using a dry paper towel, wipe off any excess oil, then put the pan on low to medium-low (do not put it on high) on your stove. Leave it to heat for about 5-10 minutes depending on the size of your pan– You should notice that the seasoning has darkened a bit and the oil has dried. Sometimes oil will bead and leave little dots on the seasoning. This is ok as long as the oil has fully hardened. 

Pro tip: You can get a more even finish by giving your pan an extra wipe after a minute or two on the stove, before the oil hardens.

TLDR;

Strata Carbon Clad™ pans are meant to be well used and cleaning is an important step to effective seasoning. You can use soap, just avoid soaking, dishwashers or scrubbing too hard when seasoning is new. Rinse with warm water, dry completely, and finish with a thin layer of oil. That’s it! Easy, fast, and seasoning-safe.

P.S. Got questions? Email us anytime at info@stratacookware.com. We’re always happy to help with care tips, cooking advice, or anything in between.

*Deglazing is a technique used to loosen and dissolve browned bits of food, sometimes known as fond, from the bottom of the pan. It’s often the first step while making a sauce, but we’re just considering it another way to help clean the pan here.