Picked up a tip from a line cook at a diner in Chicago

Was grabbing breakfast at this old school place on Halsted and overheard one of the cooks telling a new guy to cool his pans down with a wet towel between orders instead of running them under water. Said it keeps the seasoning on carbon steel way longer and stops warping. Tried it in my kitchen last night with my favorite skillet and it actually works. Anyone else do this or got a better method for quick cool downs?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan_webb21d ago

Oh man, people get really into their pan rituals don't they? I mean sure, it's a cool trick and I'm glad it works for you but is carbon steel really that delicate? I've got an old cast iron I've been beating on for years, I run it under cold water when I'm done and it's flat as a pancake still. Maybe I'm just lucky or maybe some people worry too much about their cookware. Unless you're a pro line cook doing 200 covers a night I don't see how a few seconds of water is gonna wreck your pan.

danielwhite21d ago

Ha, you know I actually used to be in the same boat as you. I had this old cast iron skillet I'd thrifted and I treated it like a tank, cold water and all, never had a problem. But then I got a carbon steel wok for stir fry and warped the thing the first week by running it under the tap while it was still hot. It's not about the water itself, it's the sudden temp change that makes the metal twist. So yeah, I eat my words now and let my carbon steel cool down on its own before washing it.