Is Carbon Steel And Its Cookware Safe?

Need to know if the carbon steel is safe or not for your kitchen? Here are all the details you must know before getting the carbon steel cookware set.

Carbon steel cookware is a kitchen-self secret item for any and every professional chef. We have been asking this same question for a long time, so we have started in-depth research and finally, we have got to know that it is completely safe for cooking healthy and delicious food items. Also, carbon steel cookware is environmentally friendly. But why? Why are we so sure about that? Yes, we are going to discuss this topic in the article below.

Carbon Steel- What Is It?

Carbon steel is a type of steel that contains carbon with an amount of 0.05 up to 2.1 percent by weight. Carbon steel is considered the alluring option for harmless, eco-friendly cookware material. It is light in weight, you can call it the second sister of cast iron. The difference is cast iron contains less iron than carbon steel. You may think that what’s the big deal when working with carbon steel rather than cast iron set. There are a lot of differences between both of these cookware materials. Here we are covering some of the basic differences between cast iron and carbon steel.

Details Of Carbon Steel

Carbon steel consists of sloped sides that’s why you can easily use carbon steel for flipping your delicate pancakes or sauteing the veggies. Compared to carbon steel, cast iron cookware has a vertical place. That’s why it is suitable for preparing pan pizzas, frittatas, tortillas, and these kinds of food items. Both carbon steel and cast iron pans are convenient to use for grill, campfire, and broiler. 

Carbon steel is also quite thin and its surface is smooth too. So some foodies and cooks use it for its aesthetic presence of view. Besides having a few benefits, carbon steel has one downside. It is not that suitable for cooking acidic foods for a long time. This feature is quite the same as cast iron cookware.

Carbon steel includes an unfinished look that is completely opposite to the cookware made of ceramic, glass, etc. For your kind information, we should tell you that carbon steel is made from raw steel, that’s why carbon steel is durable, lasts longer, and sometimes tends to rust.

Difference Between Seasoning Carbon Steel And Seasoning Cast Iron

If you want to see the difference between carbon steel, and cast iron, you will definitely go for carbon steel. Here’s why.

Both cast iron and carbon steel need seasoning. But carbon steel is less porous. This feature helps to season it quickly. Though the seasoning should be done in a regular interval for carbon steel, it is quite versatile in use. 

Carbon steel is quite affordable than cast iron, ceramic, anodized aluminum, and other materials used for making cookware. Though it is cheaper, it lasts longer which leads to making it eco-friendly. But that doesn’t mean you will go for the cheapest one. Before making a purchase always keep your eyes open for the best one in an affordable range.

Pros And Cons Of Carbon Steel- Details You Must Know

We have already discussed some of the benefits of carbon steel previously. But in particular, we didn’t mention all the pros and cons of carbon steel. In this section, we will mention all the pros and cons that go with carbon steel. 

Pros of carbon steel

• Durable along with long-lasting
• Quick heat conductivity
• Natural surface for a nonstick pan
• Healthier cooking
• Bear with high heat and temperature
• Economic
• Light in the ground of weight

Cons of carbon steel

• Frequent seasoning needed
• Dishwasher is not allowed
• Reactive to acidic food

Here we have mentioned a few points as pros and cons of carbon steel. Here are the details.

Pros of carbon steel:

• Durable along with long-lasting

Carbon steel is damage proof and durable, which means you can use a carbon steel nonstick pan for a long time without any issues. This carbon steel cookware is also unbreakable if you can maintain it with proper care. But you need really proper care. Otherwise, with frequent usage, it will bend sometimes but won’t break.

• Quick heat conductivity

Carbon steel cookware sets come to terms with quick heat absorption compared to other materials like cast iron, ceramic, porcelain, et cetera. It can adapt to the quick temperature changes that mean when you are cooking your favorite dish or baking your favorite piece of cake, control of cooking and baking at your palm. 

• Natural surface for a nonstick pan

If you are doing proper seasoning at a proper time duration, you can get to see that the surface of the carbon steel pan or cookware is blessed with a naturally nonstick surface. This also helps in cooking with ease. Also, you can cook and fry a lot of items without any limitations. Isn’t it a fun fact! But when carbon steel is going to give you this benefit, what will you give it as a return? Nothing serious. You just need to season it frequently to keep its premium quality.

• Healthier cooking

Who doesn’t want to have healthy food nowadays! Everyone’s biggest concern is to have healthy food. If you use a proper seasoned carbon steel cookware set, you can experience the natural nonstick surface while cooking or baking. You can use less oil for frying or making any dishes. Since, these types of carbon steel pans, baking sheets, and other cookware sets are free from any toxic material, you can use them without any hesitation. 

• Bear with high heat and temperature

Carbon steel is one of the best and safe cookware which can stand at a high temperature of 500 degrees. It also does not emit any toxic fumes at high temperatures, so you can cook and bake your favorite dish at high flame too. Interesting! Right?

• Economic

Carbon steel cookware is long-lasting, durable, and unbreakable. But relatively its price is low and affordable by major people. Besides, it doesn’t add any extra cost like any other cookware materials.

• Light in the ground of weight

You can easily handle this carbon steel cookware as it is quite light in weight. Without any effort, you can flip your pancakes while cooking, and turn your pan for any other purpose. Your wrist will not have any pain from this. This facility makes it fit for each one.

Cons of carbon steel

• Frequent seasoning needed

If you can’t maintain carbon steel properly it will be affected with rust. That’s why you have to do proper seasoning time-to-time with oil, and other seasoning processes. Just after purchasing your favorite carbon steel cookware, make sure you are doing the season as a first step. 

• The dishwasher is not allowed

Don’t even go for a dishwasher for your carbon steel cookware. Hot water with the dishwasher will spill off the nonstick coating on it. Now you may ask us how to clean? Yes, you just need a piece of soft sponge and water at room temperature. Just rub the surface with the soft sponge. 

• Reactive to acidic food

The last and the biggest drawback of carbon steel is the reactivity to acidic foods. Acid can break down the nonstick surface. So you must avoid strong acidic foods like vinegar, tomatoes, wine, lemon juice, etc. on the surface of carbon steel.

Conclusion

In the end, we can say that it is absolutely safe to prepare food. You can use nonstick carbon steel cookware for unlocking various dishes on your own. Also, it is easy to maneuver on your cooktop. So, we hope there are no more questions about the safety factor of using nonstick carbon steel cookware set for your modern kitchen. Be your own chef with this extremely valuable cookware.

Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)

1. Why do all the chefs love to cook with carbon steel?

Lighter weight and absorbing heat quickly- these two are the main factors for chefs to use carbon steel to prepare their magic on food.

2. Can I use carbon steel for deep frying?

The answer is yes. You can use carbon steel for deep-frying, baking, pan-frying, and other cooking methods too.

3. What cookware should I use for frying a chicken?

Try to have a carbon steel skillet for frying a chicken uniformly. 

4. Mention some of the benefits that come with carbon steel.

Carbon steel cookware sets are durable, environment-friendly, long-lasting, and easy to flip.

5. Suggest some of the best brands for carbon steel cookware sets.

Here are some of the best brands that you can go for making a purchase.

• Lodge Seasoned Steel Skillet at Amazon
• Matfer Bourgeat Black Steel Round Fry Pan at Amazon
• BK Cookware 12-Inch Black Carbon Steel Skillet
• De Buyer Mineral “B” Fry Pan
• Smithey Carbon Steel Round Roaster
• Marquette Castings 10.75-Inch Carbon Steel Skillet
•  Garcima Paella Pan
• Misen Carbon Steel 10-inch skillet