I thought I’d post a follow-up. I ended up buying the pre-seasoned OXO carbon steel pan recommended by the NYT Wirecutter product review team. And at first when I made egg dishes a few times it was amazingly non-stick right out of the box. Eggs and omelets slid around easily, I was happy!
Then, since one of the benefits of carbon steel is you are supposed to be able to sear I made pork chops, searing one side and then letting it finish in the oven. I had plenty of clarified butter in the pan (flavorful, easy to make at home, but that’s another post) To my dismay the seasoning seemed to have lifted away in a few places when the chops were done.
Since many carbon steel pans are sold unseasoned there are many websites with guidance on seasoning, so I tried that with very thin layers of oil. No luck. The upshot is that the pan is no longer non-stick for eggs. Online I’ve found a few videos and people seem to be able to cook eggs easily in carbon steel pans but they usually mention paying close attention to pan heat, often using an infrared thermometer to get it right. I don’t want to go to that much trouble, and maybe I just don’t have enough cooking skill.
So, disappointed, I’ve returned the pan to Amazon.