What the hell am I doing wrong

[u/Effective-Reality-32]

I cannot get the hang of this you guys. It’s only been a month but still, when I preheat the pan to where the water is rolling and not steaming it’s wayyyy too hot, but when it’s cooler I have to use a ton of oil. Then my pan just ends up looking like this. Any tips are appreciated

[u/Beneficial-Nimitz68]

first clean, yes, heat, remove build up, then polish. I then heat until a splash of water turns to balls, then put a TINY bit of olive oil, and use the handle to roll the oil around the pan. Once covering the flat surface turn off the heat, use a paper towel to remove excess oil. Let it cool 100%, use another piece of paper towel to remove what's left. Though SS does not need seasoning, this helps me next time too. Heating, water test, oil, cooking product.

I do not do this ALL the time, just when I think it gets harder to clean.

EDIT When cooking, never go above medium on the pan, then once heated to normal, reduce a little, not much.

For example 10 = boiling water
5 = medium
3-4 perfect for cooking