DARTO pans

[adey73]

Yeah.  More than 10 times and then baked.

[btbyrd]

Scrub with kosher salt, wash thoroughly, reseason.

[chefmd]

Could not resist buying 27 cm pan just before free shipping ended.

[rotuts]

Ive succumbed and gotten the DARTO # 27.   I had to call them to give them my MC number, as Im very allergic to PayPal.

 

they were very nice.  I spoke with Nicolas and sent him the eG threads on the DARTO pans. he has enjoyed them.

 

I( decided the # 27 , with the flat bottom and heavy steel will suit me as a sort of Wok !

 

( what ever excuse one needs , eh ? )

[TicTac]

adey -

 

It could perhaps be the light, but your pan looks like shiny stainless steel (or some shiny steel!).

 

From what I have gathered thus far, a seasoned carbon steel pan should be brown-->black'ish

 

Just an observation!

[quiet1]

Gave my new pan a test run this morning - still not totally seasoned (I only did 4 coats and am using the stove and not heating it too much, so I expect to require patience) but even so my eggs released quite happily once they had enough cooking time. Didn't even really need to be washed, just wiped out. I'm seriously pondering getting a larger one too.

[btbyrd]

2 hours ago, TicTac said:

adey -

 

It could perhaps be the light...

 

It's the light.

[adey73]

The salt worked a treat, thanks.

 

am still not getting the eggs rolling around the pans like the Cooks Illustrated video.

 

more oil when cooking or another round polymerising the pans?

[rotuts]

@adey73  

 

I think its impossible to have two many ( thin ) layers.

 

here is the # 27 , just arrived in the afternoon :

 

 

and

 

 

this is before clean up and initial oil / polymerzsation.

 

its said to get up to 50 later in the day , w periods of no rain.  I hope to start laying down a few layers of flax oil outside on the

 

gas Weber !

 

photo's to follow.   it looks like the 27 might just fit and work well on the Burton induction box.

 

my 27 weights in at 2099  gms.

 

[chefmd]

I decided to season my Darto pan with bacon and other animal fat, proponents of flax seed oil be damned.  I doubt that my grandmother had designer oil in her pantry.  She probably did not have Darto pan either but whatever.  Applied two coats of bacon fat this morning.  Fried small piece of duck skin tonight, got a few cracklings.  Pan is now as smooth as glass.  Kitchen smelled good in process.

 

 

[quiet1]

My 27 arrived today. Wow that thing has heft. Going to season it tomorrow, or at least make a start.

[rustwood]

10 hours ago, chefmd said:

I decided to season my Darto pan with bacon and other animal fat, proponents of flax seed oil be damned.  I doubt that my grandmother had designer oil in her pantry.

 

I have been having similar thoughts.  19th century frontierspeople probably didn't fret over not having cold pressed flax seed oil.  Their pans were likely more exposed to the elements and much more difficult to replace (not to mention relatively expensive).  With that said, I subsequently found some interesting and relevant bits in the blog post that seems to be the root source of much of the flax seed oil info:

 

" The lard that was traditionally used for seasoning 100 years ago was much higher in ALA than fat from pigs today, because back then pigs ate their natural diet. Today they are raised on industrial feedlots and forced to eat grain, making their fat low in omega-3s."

 

It concludes with:

 

" It’s possible to use a suboptimal oil for seasoning, like Crisco or bacon drippings, and still end up with a usable pan. Many (most) people do this. But the seasoning will be relatively soft, not as nonstick, and will tend to wear off. If you want the hardest, slickest seasoning possible, use the right oil: flaxseed oil. "

 

I used the soybean oil I had on hand, but at some point I intend to get some flax seed oil and do it right.

 

 

[Jon Savage]

I'm really happy with my 27 cm pan. Used it several times & it seems quite non stick already. My wife remarked it seems like Teflon.

 

I did nothing special upon receipt; just gave it a good scrub & seasoned with rice bran oil.

[kayb]

Dammit. I guess I am going to have to buy one of these things.

 

[gfweb]

@kayb only negative is the weight. Slick (or slicker) than teflon and indestructible. A big pan will be a two-hander. An omelet-sized pan, easy with one hand. I use it more than all the fancy multi-layer stuff I have.

[quiet1]

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

@kayb only negative is the weight. Slick (or slicker) than teflon and indestructible. A big pan will be a two-hander. An omelet-sized pan, easy with one hand. I use it more than all the fancy multi-layer stuff I have.

 

I want one in the shape of the paella pan but between the 27 and the size of the larger paella pan, actually, to replace my most frequently used 'sauté' pan. (I like the two handles because I find the long one unwieldy when I want to put something in the oven and the pan is large/heavy, and I don't toss larger pans anyway due to the weight, so the long handle serves no use.)

 

I am already thinking of moving some pans out of the kitchen, though. We have a couple of non-stick frying pans hanging around for eggs and similar, and assuming I can train my housemates in the proper care of the pans, I think everyone is going to prefer the Darto pans anyway.

[btbyrd]

Christmas came late. Since Darto skillets don't go above the 27cm model, I put a Matfer Bourgeat 12 5/8" carbon steel pan on my wishlist. It weighs in at 2461g compared to the No. 27's 2120g. Should be right at home. It's supposed to rain over the next couple days, but when the sun comes out I'll head outside and put some layers of walnut oil down to get it nice and seasoned. I don't keep flax oil on hand for any reason, but walnut is another "drying" oil that's prone to oxidation and should be a good alternative to flax for the initial round of seasoning. But I try not to overthink my seasoning oil choice. I digress.

 

EDIT/Update: After years of using cast iron and carbon steel, it's clear that flax oil isn't a great choice for seasoning pans. It produces a brittle, flakey seasoning that isn't durable. I just use whatever cooking oil I have on hand and it works fine. I also didn't care for the Matfer pan and got rid of it, replacing it with a 12" All Clad D7 to have a pan that is both very thick and also non-reactive.

 

 

Edited January 14, 2021 by btbyrd (log)

[Norm Matthews]

I  had not heard of Darto until now.  Last year I thought about getting a forged iron skillet from one place but when I went there, my computer warned me that it was infected with a virus.  A little later I found some nice ones from a forge in Seattle but they were sold out before I got around to getting one and they are still not available there a year later.  In November I saw one from Aus-Ion and was about to order one when my son sternly told me not to buy anything for myself at Christmas time so I put it and an Instant Pot on my Christmas wish list and he got both for me.  Here is the skillet after I have seasoned it.  It is a little under 10 1/2 inches. It's formed in one piece. Nothing riveted or welded.  The handle is vented to keep the handle cool

Edited January 12, 2017 by Norm Matthews (log)

[Jon Savage]

It rocks actually my go-to pan.

[TicTac]

btbyrd -

 

That's the beaut I got as well.  Wasn't pleased with my first attempt at seasoning (I do not like the salt/oil/potato method, nor the oven method) so I did further research and stumbled upon a stove top method -

 

Heat briefly, remove, apply thin layer of flax - wipe off, put back on high heat till oil smokes, wait a few seconds, let cool completely - repeat 8-15 times.

 

A laborious process but thus far I am far more pleased with the result.  Would love to see pics of your MB after seasoning.

 

 

[scubadoo97]

I was just doing a round of stove top seasoning today.  It was my first method then did an oven round but I felt they still had a long way to go as my No27 still had a bluish tint in areas.   6-8 rounds on the stove top today.   Warm, thin coat of flax, heat up to around 600f for a few minutes, never saw much if any smoke, let cool and repeat.   Blacking up nicely 

 

i may continue with a few more rounds tomorrow 

[btbyrd]

This is after roughly 10 rounds of walnut oil and pastured lard. Mostly on the stovetop, but a few rounds in the oven to get the handle, bottom, and sides.

 

[btbyrd]

On 1/11/2017 at 9:40 AM, Norm Matthews said:

In November I saw one from Aus-Ion and was about to order one when my son sternly told me not to buy anything for myself at Christmas time so I put it and an Instant Pot on my Christmas wish list and he got both for me.  Here is the skillet after I have seasoned it.  It is a little under 10 1/2 inches. It's formed in one piece. Nothing riveted or welded.  The handle is vented to keep the handle cool

 

 

Congrats on the Aus-Ion! Those were on my radar when I was doing my carbon steel shopping, and I almost picked one up from JB Prince but didn't pull the trigger due to the high price. I love the design though; I wish the Dartos had the forked handle near the base to diffuse the heat coming to the handle a bit. It's not really an issue on the larger pans, which have longer handles, but the handles on the smaller pans can heat up considerably over high heat. I usually grab them with a towel anyway, so it's not really a big deal.

[quiet1]

For some reason my 27 isn't seasoning as well as the smaller one, even though I'm using the same method. Annoying.

[Norm Matthews]

When the pan my son ordered came, they sent three. The packer must have grabbed three instead of one by mistake. He gave the other two to other people. I wish they made an 11 or 12-inch one.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Norm Matthews (log)