Carbon Steel Cookware Start up - GOSO Cookware.

[Bbrreenntt]

Hey Folks!

I posted on here a few months ago looking for people's feedback on the cookware they used. At that point I was in the market research stage of starting a business to create professional quality & compact carbon steel cookware specifically designed for adventure travel. I'm happy to say that I'm slowly but surely moving forward down this road. I've received production samples from a manufacturing partner in the USA for the carbon steel pans we'd like to create, and I am working with a prototyping facility where I live in British Columbia to produce our unique handle. This summer I have been going to lots of different Overland and Adventure van events talking to people about how they use their cookware and seeing what works for people and what is just excess. Hello to anyone I've met along this journey so far!!

I really believe that the product we're developing is going to be a useful product that will help people create great meals while they are enjoying their time outdoors. With that, I've realized that what I'm most passionate about, and what the mission of our business is, is getting people outdoors and enjoying great meals with each other. Through this we will build deeper connections with the natural world and each other, and in turn make life a little more satisfying.

I wanted to say thanks to anyone that has commented, gave me your opinions, or business advice. I will likely keep posting here about this, but if you're interested in joining in on the journey of my business development, you can find me on Instagram @goso.cookware or at our website www.gosocookware.com. If you're REALLY keen to help, it would mean the world to me if you could complete this short survey about cookware that I've put together.

My business is called GOSO Cookware. GOSO stands for Get Outside, Stay Outside, as that's what we want people to do.

THANK YOU!

 

[Ozarker]

Best of luck with your venture, but doesn't carbon cause cancer?

 

[workerdrone]

Carbon steel's great - I use it at home or on the road, almost exclusively. Along with enameled cast iron at home.

Good luck with your business venture!

 

[Bbrreenntt]

Best of luck with your venture, but doesn't carbon cause cancer?

Hey There,

I'm not a medical professional or an oncologist, but I don't believe that carbon causes cancer. Carbon steel pans are made of about 99% Iron and about 1% carbon, both which are basic elements that make up the building blocks of life. Many people believe that Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon coatings) are a cause of cancer, but our pans will not have teflon coatings.

Actually, the amazing thing about carbon steel as a cookware is that you can create a non-stick coating on the surface of the pan by heating cooking oil to the point where it polymerizes on the surface of the steel. You season and care for carbon steel just like you would cast iron, but it is much more lightweight. Hope that helps!

 

[Bbrreenntt]

Carbon steel's great - I use it at home or on the road, almost exclusively. Along with enameled cast iron at home.

Good luck with your business venture!

Thanks!

 

[smbisig]

Subscribed. Looking forward to what you add to the market.

 

[jchasse]

I've tried using carbon steel knives as part of my camp kitchen, but keeping them from rusting was a pain in the neck. So I reverted back to stainless. What's your advice for keeping your cookware rust-free?

 

[workerdrone]

Carbon steel knives aren't seasoned. For me, never had any issues with rust on my steel or cast iron pans - I rinse or scrub them out while they're still hot, no soap, then the residual heat dries them quickly. I'll usually wipe them when dry with a napkin or paper towel with a little bit of oil/butter/bacon grease on it to keep them protected.

Basically no soap and don't let them stay wet for any extended period. They're a lifetime purchase that gets better with use. Treat 'em just like cast iron. If they did get rusty or lost their seasoning due to abuse, just clean and re-season them

 

[Ragman]

I am glad to see you moving forward with the project and am excited to see what you come up with!

Regarding carbon knives they are not seasoned in the same way that cookware is but over time they develop a patina that makes each blade utterly unique. BUT you do have to care for them, particularly at first much more diligently than stainless meaning clean and dry immediately and coat lightly with oil (I use PAM or olive oil generally) and never store them in damp places. Over time the patina will assist in keeping rust off them. All that said I use stainless for camping as well and keep my carbon knives for home cooking.

 

[Ragman]

Best of luck with your venture, but doesn't carbon cause cancer?

That is a new one to me. We use carbon steel frequently and I have never heard this.

 

[Ozarker]

That is a new one to me. We use carbon steel frequently and I have never heard this.

Ah, clarification,

• Carbon tetrachloride, according to the US Report on carcinogens by the AMA.

 

[NevadaLover]

Ah, clarification,

• Carbon tetrachloride, according to the US Report on carcinogens by the AMA.

Carbon tet has absolutely nothing to do with carbon steel cookware!

It has been used for many things such as dry cleaning and fire fighting but has not been used for cookware, having carbon in the names of both products does not mean they have any commonality.

Education is very important so here's some light reading to help you.

Carbon steel cookware: https://yourcookware.us/is-carbon-steel-cookware-safe/

Carbon tetrachloride: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Carbon-Tetrachloride

 

[Bbrreenntt]

Hey Folks! I thought I would post a quick update here for anyone that interested.

Over the last few months, I've been working diligently on moving this business from idea into a launchable product.

I'm partnering with a major kitchenware supplier in Wisconsin to produce the bodies of our pans. This is awesome because we are going to be making Carbon steel pans that have the shape of a more traditional stainless frying pan vs a French-style carbon steel. They are going to be either 14ga or 12ga American made carbon steel. I'm pretty stoked that we are going to be able to bring camp cookware to market that will be manufactured in North America! The pan bodies will look something like this minus the handle and in 8" and 10" diameters.

For our removable handle system, I'm working with a local engineer/product designer to help create a unique handle that functions supremely and is completely removeable. So far, we have come up with a decent 3D printed design that proves our concept nicely. The design is rad because it is super simple, with only one pivot point, a ton of gripping strength on the pan, and will likely be made of forged or cast aluminum. Once we have some production samples back from the manufacturer, we will be able to make refinements on the function and look of the handle. The goal is to have something that when attached to the pan looks and works like a high-end piece of cookware, but when needed, the handle can be easily removed.

Outside of pure product design, I've also been working on laying a solid business foundation and preparing for a business launch on a crowdfunding campaign come Spring/Summer 2024. Ideally, I will time the launch of my products with being able to attend bunch of Overland Expo's and Adventure van/moto rallies to show people samples and promote the product. Because carbon steel cookware is not common place or familiar (see post above!), I think that I will need to demonstrate to people why Carbon steel is so great as an outdoor cookware product. I've been documented the design process of my product through my instagram profile @goso.cookware, which is really fun and cool to see people interacting with the idea.

I wanted to post this here because I've loved reading other blogs/forum posts of other outdoor businesses developing, and it will be a cool place to look back and see where I've come from.

BUT MORE SO, I'm much more interested in sharing this whole process with people. I love camping, I love being outdoors, I love adventures and I love meeting new people. I really want to share this love with people, and want to see and hear what people's suggestions are with this whole process and product development.

Thanks! Brent - GOSO Cookware. Get Outside, Stay Outside!