Also this might be off topic for this community as this is a carbon steel pan (Merten & Storck).
Personally, I’d just keep cooking with it. I wish someone had told me that when I was getting started with carbon steel. In my experience, keeping the seasoning visually even across the pan is much harder on carbon steel than cast iron. I was restarting constantly because it would look splotchy, but eventually gave up on that. As long as it performs fine and there’s no rust, there’s nothing to worry about. Eventually it’ll all even out.
This sentiment is worth spreading. Cast iron pans were around long before anyone knew what a polymer was. You can get a -good- seasoning coat from just regular use. Active seasoning can give you a -better- one, but pans have lasted decades and generations on just the seasoning gained from cooking.
I’d melt it down and recast it.
Usually with cast iron if I damage the seasoning at all this is my workflow.
Is that actually cast iron? Never seen a pan like that called so.
