Author Topic: The seasoning was poorly done on my Detroit Style Pizza Co. pan (Read 868 times)

redox · « **on:** February 25, 2013, 10:05:45 AM »

When I received it in the mail I was anxious to try a Detroit style pizza and deliberately overlooked the obvious problems. At least some of the coats of oil had been applied too thickly. There were a number of sticky spots, areas where I could feel the "thickness" of the coating.
Even though I knew better, I applied a couple of coats myself. But, of course, if the base coats aren't done properly, successive coats have nothing substantial to adhere to.
My pizzas turned out great but I had to pick off little black specks before eating.
I used an easy way to get rid of the existing coating, something I've done with cast iron. I put it through a two hour oven cleaning cycle. Actually, cast iron I do a bit longer but this steel is thin and it figured it wouldn't take as long. At least now I know that these pans can take a couple hours at 900 °F. This morning the pan was ugly and mottled but inside and out was smooth and uncoated. I washed with soap & water and put it back in a 300 °F oven to quickly dry it.
I applied a thin coat of flaxseed oil and then wiped thoroughly with paper towels and popped it in the oven at 500 °F. Another 5 coats and it'll be much better than before.
I just thought I'd post this in case anyone else got their pizza pans in the same condition.
I'll post an update on how well this goes.

UPDATE: The Detroit Style Pizza Co. has solved their seasoning problems.

Jackie Tran · « **Reply #1 on:** February 25, 2013, 01:02:12 PM »

Thank you for posting this. I too just received my 2 detroit style pans and the coating is uneven. The instructions say to take a putty or dough knife to it to scrap out any crumbs. Well I did that and scratched one of the pans. Some of the coating came up as chips. I then baked a pie in the oil pan and more of the coating chipped off after I removed the pie. There are also a few spots on the outside of the pan that the coating has flaked off after just one bake.

I think I will also run them through the cleaning cycle and then reason with flax oil.

Chau

redox · « **Reply #2 on:** February 25, 2013, 01:09:47 PM »

The really important thing is to use a really thin coating of oil. I think that's why our pans are sucky. Applying a thick coat of oil does NOT speed up the process. Here's the link to the blog where I found the process that I've used on my cast iron and am using at this moment to season my Detroit style pan.
http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/
I hope it helps you. If you follow her steps carefully it'll work great.
One more thought: just in case there might've been some underlying problem with the pan's surface, I washed it with soap & water (horrors!) and popped it quickly into a 300 °F oven to dry the pan. Then I started the seasoning process

Jackie Tran · « **Reply #3 on:** February 25, 2013, 01:22:31 PM »

I had just read her material last night. Thanks for posting that for our members. So the old seasoning just baked off during the cleaning cycle?

apizza · « **Reply #4 on:** February 25, 2013, 02:40:30 PM »

Quote from: Jackie Tran on February 25, 2013, 01:22:31 PM

I had just read her material last night. Thanks for posting that for our members. So the old seasoning just baked off during the cleaning cycle?

And on that note should I do this on a day I can open the windows? How smoky was it?
Marty

redox · « **Reply #5 on:** February 25, 2013, 02:55:17 PM »

Part of the process is thinly applying the oil and then using paper towels to wipe off as much of it as you can. So that you're left with just that sheer film that you'd have to use soap & water to remove. I've got an above the range microwave and the built-in exhaust fan has no trouble venting all the odor. If I forget to turn it on then there is some smell but no visible smoke. The link I posted above has the process.

redox · « **Reply #6 on:** February 25, 2013, 03:00:01 PM »

Quote from: Jackie Tran on February 25, 2013, 01:22:31 PM

I had just read her material last night. Thanks for posting that for our members. So the old seasoning just baked off during the cleaning cycle?

Yep, 900 °F turned it to ash. I wiped it out, washed with soap & water, dried it in the oven and started re-seasoning. The 3rd coat is in the oven now.
Btw, I sent an email to Shawn Randazzo where I bought the pan informing him that he maybe should take a look at their process because the oil is being applied too thick.

apizza · « **Reply #7 on:** February 25, 2013, 03:05:16 PM »

redox, I wasn't clear. My question about smoke was during the cleaning process of a poorly seasoned pan.
Marty

redox · « **Reply #8 on:** February 25, 2013, 03:18:30 PM »

Quote from: apizza on February 25, 2013, 03:05:16 PM

redox, I wasn't clear. My question about smoke was during the cleaning process of a poorly seasoned pan.
Marty

Ah, I see. I put the pan in for a two hour cleaning cycle and went to bed last night. Left the exhaust fan on all night. Didn't smell smoke but I was sleeping. And the kitchen is at the other end of the house. No smoke odor when we woke up, however.

redox · « **Reply #9 on:** February 26, 2013, 11:41:55 AM »

The crappy seasoning has been removed and replaced with 6 coats of flaxseed oil. I think I'll try a Victory Pig pizza tonight to test the new seasoning. No reply yet from the owner of Detroit Style Pizza Co. regarding my email about their seasoning problems. But I wasn't expecting a next day reply.

Jackie Tran · « **Reply #10 on:** February 26, 2013, 11:47:59 AM »

can you post a picture of your newly seasoned pan? I did my first bake a few nights ago and the dough stuck to the bottom even with oiling the pan. But I proofed in the pan and the dough must have taken up the oil. I didn't heavily oil the pan b/c I was following their included directions.

redox · « **Reply #11 on:** February 26, 2013, 12:44:27 PM »

Quote from: Jackie Tran on February 26, 2013, 11:47:59 AM

can you post a picture of your newly seasoned pan? I did my first bake a few nights ago and the dough stuck to the bottom even with oiling the pan. But I proofed in the pan and the dough must have taken up the oil. I didn't heavily oil the pan b/c I was following their included directions.

Something else that seems to help with sticking is Pam for Grilling, it's a higher temperature oil made for grilling. I've been spraying my pans with that in addition to using oil in the pan.
When I ran the pan through an oven cleaning, I only did it for 2 hours, normally, I'd do it for 3 or 3 1/2 hours depending how dirty the oven was. But I wasn't sure how well the thin, cheap steel would hold up. I didn't want warping. So some of the coating that the manufacturer applies to help prevent rusting remained on the pan. But the pan felt smooth as silk so I went ahead with the seasoning. It does give the pan a mottled look, though. One alteration I made from the original procedure was to heat the pan to 500 °F for an hour but to only let it cool down for 1 hour instead of two hours. These thin pans don't hold the heat like cast iron so I didn't see how the extra hour would provide much benefit. I guess I'll see if I was right or not as I use the pan. But it did cut 6 hours off the process.
It looks great w/o flash but the flash reveals the underlying discoloration. However, as I said, the pan's surface is smooth and slick as could be. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding...er... pizza.
I'll let you know later if it was easy or not to get it out of the pan.

Jackie Tran · « **Reply #12 on:** February 26, 2013, 01:11:50 PM »

Thank you Redox. I'll be reseasoning my pans soon.

zaafreak · « **Reply #13 on:** February 26, 2013, 01:28:24 PM »

I had the same problem with my DPC pan. After the first pizza stuck terribly, I re-seasoned the pan with several light coats of peanut oil at 500 degrees. Problem solved.

Serpentelli · « **Reply #14 on:** February 26, 2013, 01:32:25 PM »

Chau (and Others)

Not to be a heretic, but the sheer pleasure of lifting the entire DS pizza cleanly out of the pan --- nay I say watching the pie FLOAT out of the pan --- can be EASILY achieved by using any old Non-Stick baking pan like the ones I bought at TJ Maxx for $3.99 and $5.99 (squares and rectangles).

This is true even for DS newbies like myself!

Having said that, after my 4th or 5th pie in my multiply-seasoned Detroit Steel Pan, they come right out as well....

I use the "champagne" colored one. I think it imparts a lighter texture on the dough than the silver one. (Kidding. That's all they had

)

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-AMB-139CP-Classic-Nonstick-Bakeware/dp/B0000ULZYA
John K

Jackie Tran · « **Reply #15 on:** February 26, 2013, 01:37:23 PM »

John K. Wish I knew about these before I spent nearly $50 for 2 pans plus shipping.

Serpentelli · « **Reply #16 on:** February 26, 2013, 01:50:19 PM »

Quote from: Jackie Tran on February 26, 2013, 01:37:23 PM

John K. Wish I knew about these before I spent nearly $50 for 2 pans plus shipping.

Dough!

redox · « **Reply #17 on:** February 26, 2013, 02:04:10 PM »

Well, there are the health concerns with using non-stick cookware/bakeware. Don't keep your canary in the kitchen while using your non-stick bakeware.

I'm honestly not so concerned with that as I hate the fact that no matter how well my expensive non-stick pots and pans work, out of the box, they'll eventually start sticking and the coating will start flaking and peeling like an extra on ''The Walking Dead''. If the seasoning is damaged on these steel pans, it's easy to re-do.
You're baking near the temperature limit of non-stick coating and that may have some effect, too. And, of course, the cheaper the pans the less likely they'll have a high quality non-stick coating. It's not all DuPont Teflon, there are a lot of cheaper non-stick products out there that won't wear well.

Serpentelli · « **Reply #18 on:** February 26, 2013, 03:00:03 PM »

Quote from: redox on February 26, 2013, 02:04:10 PM

Well, there are the health concerns with using non-stick cookware/bakeware. Don't keep your canary in the kitchen while using your non-stick bakeware.
I'm honestly not so concerned with that as I hate the fact that no matter how well my expensive non-stick pots and pans work, out of the box, they'll eventually start sticking and the coating will start flaking and peeling like an extra on ''The Walking Dead''. If the seasoning is damaged on these steel pans, it's easy to re-do.
You're baking near the temperature limit of non-stick coating and that may have some effect, too. And, of course, the cheaper the pans the less likely they'll have a high quality non-stick coating. It's not all DuPont Teflon, there are a lot of cheaper non-stick products out there that won't wear well.

I am harboring no grand illusions whatsoever re: my $3.99 pans! But MY GOODNESS they do really let the pizza come out with my pinkie finger!!. Actually, I noticed that the dough pulled away from the sides at the very end of the bake, which may in fact be an undesirable attribute of this cooking surface, given the fact that the signature caramelized cheese crust depends upon contact with the pan to achieve that browning! (I think).

And if you are asking whether I'd rather eat a chip of polymerized flax seed oil or a chip of Teflon, I'd have to politely say that my answer would depend on what type of salsa you were serving it with!

John K

redox · « **Reply #19 on:** February 26, 2013, 03:12:56 PM »

Quote from: Serpentelli on February 26, 2013, 03:00:03 PM

I am harboring no grand illusions whatsoever re: my $3.99 pans! But MY GOODNESS they do really let the pizza come out with my pinkie finger!!. Actually, I noticed that the dough pulled away from the sides at the very end of the bake, which may in fact be an undesirable attribute of this cooking surface, given the fact that the signature caramelized cheese crust depends upon contact with the pan to achieve that browning! (I think).

And if you are asking whether I'd rather eat a chip of polymerized flax seed oil or a chip of Teflon, I'd have to politely say that my answer would depend on what type of salsa you were serving it with!

John K

Mmmmmm...salsa!