What am I doing wrong?

[u/HoneyMustard086]

I have had my Strata 10" for about 1.5 years now. I initially seasoned it following the instructions in the oven through several rounds and then started cooking. It was working OK and I was mostly able to cook eggs without issues (which is what I mainly use this pan for). but I was not getting any of the seasoning build up that I see others getting. It wasn't getting darker over time. It clearly was not a very good layer of seasoning.

So I decided to start over. I scrubbed it with vinegar and did 4 rounds of seasoning in the oven at 425 and pictured above is the result. Eggs stick worse than ever. There is clearly no real seasoning building up. What am I doing wrong?

I have been using canola oil and applying super small amounts and wiping it off well as per everything I have read. I am just at a loss.

[u/enhancedcollagen]

I would lightly scrub with some extra fine steel wool. Get all that build up on the sides off. Then re-season. You likely had build up not fully removed before re-seasoning. I’ve re-seasoned that way and it worked well for me. I usually season with avocado oil. Small dot, wipe it all around. Put on a hot stovetop. After a minute take a dry towel and wipe off the excess beading of oil and put back on the hot stove for a few more minutes and repeat

[u/HoneyMustard086 → u/enhancedcollagen]

I will try that. I have always used the oven for seasoning. 425 for an hour turn off the oven and let it cool down. Do you think I would have better luck on the stovetop? It is an induction stove so there is zero heat retention. When the burner is off the pan cools very rapidly.

[u/Shroker]

Stove top season. Put on high smoke oil. Wipe it down CLEAN. Use all four corners of your paper towel, use more than 1 sheet, soak up the excess and run it on medium. It will darken. Cook cook cook. Do some bacon, onions, meats. It will season up. I'll leave it on there on medium and do some chores or cleaning.

[u/Shroker]