Black Steel Pans

[rmwall02]

We’re using some of the Matfer Bourgeat black steel pans for protein work at the restaurant I’m working at. We keep them burned out and I recently dipped them in a solution of oxalic acid that seemed to work ok.

How are you guys cleaning and seasoning black steels?

 

[Jovidah]

Most people here refer to them as carbon steel (though I don't think one term is necessarily better than the other); there's already whole threads discussing it.

For me cleaning... I usually just keep it simple with hot water, but sometimes soap; in practise if they're seasoned well they can handle some soap just fine.

For seasoning, in the past I used to really go out of my way to season them a lot when I got a new one but honestly it's rather wasteful. Basically just get a starter laying going and then just cook with it. If you insist on seasoning, stovetop and oven both work fine (and I never had the issues running the de Buyer handles at 275c), and a lot of fats work well. That being said, flaxseed oil IMO sucks (flakes off after a while), and rice oil wasn't working that well for me either (probably because of the high smoke point) - it just wouldn't really form a proper layer.

 

[MarcelNL]

not sure where the oxalic acid comes in? I try to avoid acididity to maintain the seasoning.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

not sure where the oxalic acid comes in? I try to avoid acididity to maintain the seasoning.

I suspect it's to strip gunk built up over time and then rebuilding the seasoning. Oxalic acid is found in Bar Keeper's Friend.

 

[MarcelNL]

aha, that explains it!
thanks

 

[gentiscid]

We’re using some of the Matfer Bourgeat black steel pans for protein work at the restaurant I’m working at. How are you guys cleaning and seasoning black steels?

Just like any other pan! Dish soap, warm/hot water, non scratch scrub pad. Scrub well, rinse well, paper towel dry, oil spray (pam spray) wipe inside with paper towel. Hang it!

 

[Bensbites]

I season my pans with canola oil and cooling pancakes, it's the best way I have found so far. To clean, dish soap and elbow grease.

 

[Dan-]

I like to use the rendered caul fat of a calf born en veil on the slopes of Mauna Kea during a full moon. To clean, I use sea salt harvested from North Sentinel island, mixed with ground coral from Eniwetok Atoll, and applied using a mitt sewn from megalodon skin.

 

[Migraine]

I like to use the rendered caul fat of a calf born en veil on the slopes of Mauna Kea during a full moon. To clean, I use sea salt harvested from North Sentinel island, mixed with ground coral from Eniwetok Atoll, and applied using a mitt sewn from megalodon skin.

Imagine doing it on a normal full moon and not a blood moon. Eniwetok Atoll coral? Do you even care?

 

[PostLimón]

You can easily go down the rabbit hole of the perfect seasoning and building layers upon layers. There was a gentleman on reddit whose goal was to build 100 layers of seasoning, achieving a near mirror polish on the pan. Admittedly, he knew that the seasoning would likely not survive the first time he cooked with it, but there was a long backstory to why he was doing it.

There is no need to over complicate things. As you cook, the seasoning will build. Every once in a while some of the seasoning will flake off but as you cook it will rebuild the seasoning. I wash mine with soap. Instead of drying, I usually fire it over medium/high for a minute or so to make sure there is no water left on the pan. If I am storing the pan for an extended period of time I may oil it to give it a layer of protection but generally I don't worry about it too much. You can always chase the perfect seasoning and the satisfaction of an egg sliding across the surface like glass, but ultimately pans are tools. And in my opinion a pan that shows wear from daily use is beautiful too.

 

[MarcelNL]

IMO it's not even a seasoning, but making use of the crud that builds up from use...so more use is better

 

[Nemo]

I scrub with a stiff bristled brush (natural bristle or coir) in hot water to remove excess oil and crud. There is usually a thin remaining layer of oil or grease. I then dry on the stove. If there is a thin remaining layer of oil, I burn this off as a new layer of seasoning. If not, I'll leave it at that unless there is an obvious breach in the seasoning. In which case I apply a thin smear of oil with a paper towel and burn it off, repeating once or twice. A polyunsaturated oil forms polymers most easily. I used to have rice bran oil for this purpose but nowadays I just use canola (which is a third mono, two thirds poly) or whatever is in the pantry.

On a side note, this propensity for polyunsaturated fats to easily polymerise is due to the reactiveness of their multiple reactive carbon-carrbon double bonds. The same reactive bonds that easily form trans fats when heated too hot. This is the reason that I don't stir fry or roast with polyunsaturated fats.

 

[MarcelNL]

On a side note, this propensity for polyunsaturated fans to easily polymerise is due to the reactiveness of their multiple reactive carbon-carrbon double bonds. The same reactive bonds that easily form trans fats when heated too hot. This is the reason that I don't stir fry or roast with polyunsaturated fats.

makes sense, never thought about it in that way....what DO you use for stir frying?

 

[Jovidah]

I tend to use rice bran oil; was recommended by several experts as not polymerising as much, especially at higher temperatures, and my experiences line up with this; even when leaving pans dirty or after prolonged use you simply don't get any sticky residue build-up, unlike with many of the other seed oils. It also has a really high smoke point.
Peanut oil always worked well for me as well; main reason I moved on is really just that the peanut oil has gone up significantly in price.

The lack of polymerisation is also why I found rice oil to really suck for seasoning pans.

 

[Dan-]

Peanut oil…from peanuts gathered by lemurs on Reunion Island

 

[MarcelNL]

Peanut oil…from peanuts gathered by lemurs on Reunion Island

excuse me, EVERYONE knows that you need to get the peanuts from squirrel poop to press the oil?

it was not the polymerization that caught my attention but the formation of trans-fats...

 

[mengwong]

Is camellia oil ok for seasoning?

 

[blokey]

I use petrol

 

[Nemo]

makes sense, never thought about it in that way....what DO you use for stir frying?

Coconut oil (mostly short chain SFA) if it will suit the dish (works OK for most stir fies IME). Otherwise macadamia oil (almost entirely monounsaturated) which is quite neutral tasting.

 

[phoosty]

The lack of polymerisation is also why I found rice oil to really suck for seasoning pans.

This is an interesting point. So a high in poly-unsaturated fat oil (like grapeseed) would be better/ideal? Or more of a balanced mono/poly oil like peanut oil?
I had never considered this characteristic of oils when doing an initial seasoning, only that the oil had a suitably high smoke point. I use mainly sunflower for neutral/high heat applications, but this is low in polyunsaturated fat.

 

[TB_London]

Use and abuse will get a good patina. The joy of carbon pans are how bullet proof they are.

Oh no you used a metal spatula in my pan!
Oh please be careful to only use a medium-low heat!

Or just chuck pan on an actual fire and cook a steak with a load of smoked tallow and enjoy cooking again

 

[MarcelNL]

Coconut oil (mostly short chain SFA) if it will suit the dish (works OK for most stir fies IME). Otherwise macadamia oil (almost entirely monounsaturated) which is quite neutral tasting.

Macadamia oil? So far I only found it for cosmetic purposes, priced as if a pharmacist is selling it on prescription (at around 100euro/liter, found one at around 40e/l).

 

[Dan-]

Indian stores usually have a bunch of sunflower oil though. And other delicious foods.

 

[Jovidah]

This is an interesting point. So a high in poly-unsaturated fat oil (like grapeseed) would be better/ideal? Or more of a balanced mono/poly oil like peanut oil?
I had never considered this characteristic of oils when doing an initial seasoning, only that the oil had a suitably high smoke point. I use mainly sunflower for neutral/high heat applications, but this is low in polyunsaturated fat.

I never considered it either until I noticed that the rice bran oil just.... really wasn't getting me the seasoning result I was getting from the oils I had been using before.

Sunflower oil is a bit tricky since there's plenty of different kinds with drastically different fat profiles.
I'm honestly not an expert on the subject; just listened to some experts and did some experimentation.

The rice bran is nice for cooking, deep frying, or stuff you just leave around for a while exactly because it doesn't polymerise and is really stable even when heated. But I guess that's a downside for seasoning since polymerisation is exactly what you're looking for.

Never had any major issues before that apart from flaxseed oil which was flaking like crazy. I think most oils will work fairly well for seasoning, with just a few exceptions on the extreme ends.
Just for the sake of convenience I started seasoning with grapeseed simply because it's 'the other neutral oil' I happen to have because I use it on my cutting boards.

 

[Nemo]

Macadamia oil? So far I only found it for cosmetic purposes, priced as if a pharmacist is selling it on prescription (at around 100euro/liter, found one at around 40e/l).

Macadamias are indigenous to Aus, so I guess it's not surprising that it's more available here. I usually pay circa 8-10 bucks (maybe 5-6 Eu?) For 500 ml. Avocado oil would also work but to me, it has a bit of a distinctive flavour.

 

[M1k3]

When the pan is hot, put some salt and oil in it. Scrub vigorously. Dump it out somewhere appropriate. Wipe out excess. Oil again.

This will maintain them for quite awhile and allow you do it in the middle of service.

 

[blokey]

This may goes against conventional wisdom or even scientific evidence, but it’s pretty common for Chinese families to use animal fat to season a new wok, usually lard.