Interesting. Another word usage difference in the English language. I thought I knew most of them now after spending so much time in the UK and Australia. Where I’m from it’s a skillet or some might say frying pan, but that would be much less common and a frying pan is slightly different than a skillet.
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@Val I haven’t read through this whole thread (so may repeat others comments) but my suggestion would be to remove any kitchen items that are precious to you or need special care. Unless you are doing a personal handover and can show/explain anything important.
DO NOT rely on the sitter remembering everything in the welcome guide. Hopefully they do read it but if sent in advance, extra details like this may well get forgotten. There are always so many details of a sit to take note of when in a new home.
You could also leave notes on the cupboards where items are about their care. But why risk it? Just put them away. As long as there are enough basics for the sitter to use.
I would not say anything to the sitter. They are probably already mortified that this happened and they can’t do anything now…unless you want them to replace the item? But personally I would let it go and just be more specific next time.
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@Val I just now read your response to @Becca with all the complicated detail about cleaning your ‘skillets’! It would be all too much special care for me!! 
I’d much rather you put all the fancy stuff away and provide me a couple of ‘normal’ frying pans! Can’t go too far wrong there! 
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But are these things really that fancy? It is what people used since the Iron Age, until enamel and stainless steel and teflon were invented. And before dishwashers and dishwashing liquid were invented.
Yes, iron pans got rusty back then. It probably added a bit of iron to their diet.
#paleorecipes
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Definately common usage in the US.
What “other people”? I live in the US, but I’m from ireland, so I understand both skillet and pan. In the US, a skillet and a pan are different things
.
Policing the terms that people use for items is futile. Instead of expecting everybody to speak like I do, I like looking up new terms and expanding my vocabulary.
To the OP - you’ve had a lot of good suggestions here. Another one is to actually put a sticker on the pan / skillet itself if you don’t want to hide it.
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Yes, it’s carbon steel. I love it – it’s as light weight as stainless, but it develops seasoning like cast iron. I really like carbon steel for knives, too. I can keep a wicked sharp edge on them at home quickly and easily. They stain badly, and they can’t go through the dishwasher or be soaked. I do use soap on them, though, as the patina isn’t a seasoning.
lol…I just went over to check on the knives. Multiple were put away wet and have rusted. Which is no biggie, next time I have them professionally sharpened they’ll fix that. But yeah…she didn’t read the welcome guide. Which I both sent digitally and left a hard copy on the kitchen table.
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- They are called “skillets” in the US. It’s not some unusual word.
2 You are making an assumption here that isn’t anything the OP said regarding the "emotional relationship. But beyond that, here is the thing, especially for short term/vacation sits people can’t and don’t want to be bothered putting everything they care about in their home away. It’s not practical and depending on house, it might not even be possible. Part of housesitting means being careful with other people’s stuff. That’s a responsibility on the sitter, not the host. This isnt airbnb where the apartments are only used as rentals. This is people’s homes where their stuff is generally left out and available for the sitter’s use. The homeowner is allowing the sitter to use the stuff, but just asking that they care for them as instructed.
The point here wasn’t that the pan was used or the homeowner’s relationship to it. It was the sitter hadnt read the what to put or not put in the dishwasher instruction which is pretty important part of the “home” stuff in the Welcome Guide to read AND the sitter hadn’t told the homeowner what happened, AND the sitter had tried to cover it up.
- The OP asked about whether or not to give the sitter feedback not what to do about the pan. There was no suggestion she was asking the sitter to buy her one.
As a homeowner, I’d want to know if a sitter broke something. And its probably better to tell the homeowner rather than fret. I had a sitter contact me in a panic because she left out a shoji screen she was using for work and the cat used it as a scratching post. I let her know the scratches were already there. It wasn’t a problem and next time just put it away after use. She was feeling stressed about it and it wasn’t even an issue. As a sitter, I’ve broken a thing or two. I’ve never tried to cover it up, and it’s never cost me a review. I’ve also never made assumptions about the “relationship” the homeowner had to thing that I broke. That’s not the relevant part here.
Sitting and hosting are two roles on the site. Both parties need to show mutual repsect, transparency, and kindness towards each other.
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I had to google it, too but I’m not a native speaker and may have already used my quota of free language lessons. I love learning new words and I love diversity, even in language.
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Interesting. I didn’t realize the word skillet was American English.
I don’t have an emotional relationship. I just spent years achieving the seasoning, which with care will last for generations, unlike a typical nonstick frying pan. Getting a new one is the exact same as starting over with this one, except I have to pay for it first, but thanks for the advice.
And yes, I probably will put these pans and the knives somewhere out of the way – maybe let knowledgeable cooks know they’re available, but clearly marked as needing special cleaning for those who both aren’t knowledgeable and haven’t bothered to read the welcome guide.
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Even if it were unusual, I think every poster has the right to choose the words they use and to ask questions and share experiences without being scolded.
That said, I am not a native speaker of English and really appreciate being corrected when I make a mistake.
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I broke a wineglass once that was part of a set, and I felt terrible, and I texted the HO to offer to buy a new one – even a new set, if I couldn’t find the exact glass – and she told me she actually hated those glasses because they were so easy to break. 
Honestly if the sitter had texted to say “OMG I didn’t realize this pan couldn’t go into the dishwasher…I’m so sorry” I probably would have just thought, “Oh, my bad” for assuming people know what a carbon steel pan even is.
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I never hide these things either. But it was mentioned as a reason for a three star review that I had crashed a chair. (This was a rickety garden chair that they offered me on arrival…)
Oh, that’s a great idea! A sticker saying “See cleaning instructions in welcome guide” would be less obtrusive for sitters and less work for me. Ooooh…magnets! I bet I could have little magnets printed up! Easy on, easy off! Anything with a magnet can’t go in the dishwasher, can’t be soaked, and has to be dried thoroughly by hand.
I doubt I’d reach out if I just found something damaged, but I’d be really annoyed that the sitter tried to cover it up and obviously hadn’t read the WG. Still… what do you say, and is it worth the stress?
I also have carbon steel knives and vintage cast iron pans and I’m the first to admit I am emotionally attached to them! One sitter scrubbed my vintage Wagner 10" CI skillet til it shined. I cried. It’s been 9 months and the seasoning is just finally where I want it. I didn’t mention it to her as I’m sure she thought she was helping, but maybe I should have. Instead I’ve changed how I leave things for sitters.
I like to leave tools people will use and enjoy but won’t stress them out, so before the sit I ask if they love to cook, and are they familiar with cast iron. If no to either question, I put them away. I always leave nice nonstick pans that are easy to care for or replace, and I put care instructions with the pans. Even if it’s OTT I feel it pays to just communicate as much as possible from the start. I hope you let us know what you decide to do.
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Ouch! Oooh, yeah…lol, I’m wondering how many sitters who’ve posted on here about the disgustingly filthy pan they had to clean before they felt safe using it are now wondering if they might have been cleaning off years of careful seasoning, not neglected grunge?
Well, I’ve just ordered magnets (the flexible business-card-size kind you get from small businesses to put on your fridge) that say
REQUIRES SPECIAL CLEANING
Please see ‘cleaning instructions’ section of Welcome Guide before using.
And then I’ll highlight that section in pink and leave it open to that page.
I can just store them full-time with those magnets on, take them off when I use them myself. The knives are less of a worry, as a professional sharpening can fix almost anything.
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Wow! After all that, you could and should take some stars off if this happened again. Make sure you check before writing your review.
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