Stovetop Seasoning - build your own superior non-stick surface (optional)

Some additional quick stovetop seasoning can help to fast track your superior non stick surface; especially great for cooks who prefer to use little fats/oils. The beauty of seasoned iron is that it's forever renewable. Stovetop seasoning can also be great for maintenance at any time through your pan's life, when  it needs a touch-up.

1. Heat pan slowly, gradually increasing the temperature to get your pan hot (AUS-ION is highly conductive so you won't need a high stovetop heat). Drop-in a teaspoon of rice bran oil or your choice of cooking/fat oil with a high smoke point, and wipe the inside surfaces with a paper towel (use tongs for safety).

2. Continuously wipe the oil around the pan until the pan starts to smoke. Once smoking, continue to wipe for 20 seconds. The oil should be a very thin polish - no pools or lumps.

3. Remove from heat and cool for at least 1 minute.

4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 for 10-15 minutes, over two or more sessions, until the base is black, slick and oil repellent, or until you are satisfied with the pan’s non-stick performance.

5. Start cooking! Cook with plenty of fats/oils to begin with and lower your heat. You'll soon find your cooking groove on your new forever pan! 

What to expect in reality: 

A well-seasoned pan will often patchy in reality. Seasoning will change overtime, and will continue to get better the more you cook. Looks aren’t important - our pans are built for performance!

Important:

• While seasoning, ensure you have good ventilation! Use your extractor fans and open the windows to avoid breathing in smoke and setting off the smoke detectors.
• Avoid overheating your iron pan on the stovetop while empty, and allow it to cool adequately between seasoning layers.
• While stovetop seasoning and cooking, it is important that the burner is well matched to the pan size. Iron naturally expands when heated and although our pans are designed with the correct amount of concave to compensate, large pans on small, high-powered burners where the heat is concentrated to the centre of the pan, may cause uneven movement which can lead to warping or deformation of the base. Warping can only be caused by misuse and is not covered under our warranty.
• Induction cooktops can put out high, almost instantaneous, heat. Just as you should never put a hot pan under cold water, you should not expose a cold pan to intense, instantaneous stovetop heat (ovens are fine as the pan heats uniformly). We recommend warming on a lower temperature before turning up the heat, and never using anything higher than a medium setting with induction for iron cookware which is very conductive. 
• Oven burn risk: Take care when handling any hot metal pan, especially when taken from the oven, and use oven mitts to protect your hands and trivets to protect surfaces. After removing from an oven we recommend leaving the heat sock, mitt or towel over the handle to remind yourself the handle may still be hot.
• Stove burn risk: our longer skillet handles are designed to resist heat transfer up the handle, and this works so successfully that hand heat protection is normally not required. This of course does not apply to ovens, or when the handle exposed to direct heat from underneath (such as over a campfire/coals or burner). The effective 'cool handle' effect does not work for other pan models with short handles, such as the AUSfonte cast iron BIGskillet and DEEPan, or the AUS-ION 30cm duel-handled wok, although their handle designs are better than most short loop handles.
• Thermal shock: warping and cracking: Beware that iron pans can be warped and cast iron has been known to crack (although we’ve never seen it in AUSfonte) due to thermal shock from heating too quickly on electric or induction cooktops set on max. Warm your pan slowly on a lower heat before increasing to higher heats. This is particularly important with induction - please read 'Induction warping' below. Thermal shock from cooling too quickly: never expose a hot pan to cold water. Thermal shock can crack cast iron or warp steel pans, no matter how thick and tough. Let your pan cool a little before washing. Like other situations of 'abuse', warped or cracked pans from thermal shock or overheating on induction are not covered under our warranty.
• Lid security: Please note that our style of the lid does not seal, so please be careful. When moving the pan, hold both sets of handles to secure the lid and prevent it from sliding. This is particularly important when removing hot from the oven. We recommend removing the lid first and setting it aside, before removing the base. 
• Oil stains: Keep in mind if your pan is oily on the base it may stain porous surfaces.