Some tips & comments: 1) The color change seen is the result of tempering the metal, which in addition to driving off any lingering moisture and mineral oil from the microscopic pores, reduces its hardness and makes it less brittle and less likely to crack during heavy use and rapid swings in temperature. 2) FIRST OIL: first off, this process generates a lot of smoke, so for those who lack an exhaust hood venting to the outside, id recommend doing it outdoors over s cajun cooker, or even a weber of hot charcoal ... you basically toast on the coating like a metal marshmellow. Second, the best oil for this initial coating is flax, with peanut oil a close second. It has the advantage of high omega fatty acids, which polymerize the best, but the chief drawback is it smells awful when it smokes, which is added incentive for proper ventilation or doing it outside. 3) Protecting the patina as it slowly develops with use: AVOID long simmering of acidic sauces and broths, as well as using it for steaming - both tend to eat away your patina, so use separate pots for such things, and only use the patina pan for stirfry.
@@Gluesticky21 You neglect to mention WHY you feel that way. I disagree, and ill explain why ... As mentioned earlier: As long as the flax oil is FOOD grade (ex: do NOT subst "boiled linseed oil", which has toxic chemicals added for treating/curing wood), and as long as you dont mind the pungent smell and have ample exhaust fan capacity, flax oil is actually the best performing choice for the initial seasoning of cast iron & carbon steel cookware. If you dont have ample exhaust capacity, do it outside, or failing that tip your local chinese takeout place (when its slow) to season it for you. As for WHY - its because flax oil is highest in the omega fatty acids most relevant to patina formation ... those fatty acids initially polymerize into a laquer like finish that increasingly carbonizes over time with repeated use and wok hei (ie, progresses from amber to mahogany colored to black). Most of the big name cast iron companies use FLAX OIL for this very reason. Regular vegetable oils work fine, and smell a lot less during the initial burn in, but patina takes more time and effort and layers to get the same result. I use regular oil for stirfry and maintenance, but for the initial burn in of a new untreated pan, flax is still my first choice - and i dont mind going outdoors so it doesnt stink up the house. Dont take my word for it - look up the omega fatty acid profile of flax vs other veg oils, and click on your favorite cast iron cookware website to see if they mention what they use ... chances are high it will be flax oil.
@@RovingPunsterI have. Look up omega 3 vs omega 6 and how they function as seasoning. The flaxseed oil has been debunked. It's ok if you haven't come across it though. Hope you do some research and see for yourself. Have a great day! =)
the oil either polymerized over the wax coating or blended with it, I'm not sure the exact chemistry of what would happen. Either way, the seasoning and coating would likely flake off when cooked at high heat and end up in your food. I think the best best is to start over: boil water for 5-10 minutes and scrub it thoroughly with dish soap to ensure the waxy protective coating is gone and you're left with just the carbon steel. then proceed as shown in the video.
it shouldn't be. tacky or sticky likely means too much oil was used while seasoning and it didn't fully polymerize (the heat joins the oil molecules together to form the coating). only a super thin layer is needed to form the coating, and it should be done multiple times to get the best overall protective coating, aka seasoning.
The part I missed was using a dry paper towl to remove all excess oil from the wok after applying the first coat (it will have seeped into the pores of the carbon steel after removing anyway)
🔎 Find more tips on purchasing, maintenance and usage in my Complete Guide To the Wok: redhousespice.com/wok/
U will ruin it no seasoning
Nice video help full
Some tips & comments:
1) The color change seen is the result of tempering the metal, which in addition to driving off any lingering moisture and mineral oil from the microscopic pores, reduces its hardness and makes it less brittle and less likely to crack during heavy use and rapid swings in temperature.
2) FIRST OIL: first off, this process generates a lot of smoke, so for those who lack an exhaust hood venting to the outside, id recommend doing it outdoors over s cajun cooker, or even a weber of hot charcoal ... you basically toast on the coating like a metal marshmellow. Second, the best oil for this initial coating is flax, with peanut oil a close second. It has the advantage of high omega fatty acids, which polymerize the best, but the chief drawback is it smells awful when it smokes, which is added incentive for proper ventilation or doing it outside.
3) Protecting the patina as it slowly develops with use: AVOID long simmering of acidic sauces and broths, as well as using it for steaming - both tend to eat away your patina, so use separate pots for such things, and only use the patina pan for stirfry.
Flaxseed is bad for seasoning. Don't use flaxseed!
@@Gluesticky21 You neglect to mention WHY you feel that way. I disagree, and ill explain why ...
As mentioned earlier: As long as the flax oil is FOOD grade (ex: do NOT subst "boiled linseed oil", which has toxic chemicals added for treating/curing wood), and as long as you dont mind the pungent smell and have ample exhaust fan capacity, flax oil is actually the best performing choice for the initial seasoning of cast iron & carbon steel cookware. If you dont have ample exhaust capacity, do it outside, or failing that tip your local chinese takeout place (when its slow) to season it for you. As for WHY - its because flax oil is highest in the omega fatty acids most relevant to patina formation ... those fatty acids initially polymerize into a laquer like finish that increasingly carbonizes over time with repeated use and wok hei (ie, progresses from amber to mahogany colored to black). Most of the big name cast iron companies use FLAX OIL for this very reason. Regular vegetable oils work fine, and smell a lot less during the initial burn in, but patina takes more time and effort and layers to get the same result. I use regular oil for stirfry and maintenance, but for the initial burn in of a new untreated pan, flax is still my first choice - and i dont mind going outdoors so it doesnt stink up the house.
Dont take my word for it - look up the omega fatty acid profile of flax vs other veg oils, and click on your favorite cast iron cookware website to see if they mention what they use ... chances are high it will be flax oil.
@@RovingPunsterI have. Look up omega 3 vs omega 6 and how they function as seasoning. The flaxseed oil has been debunked. It's ok if you haven't come across it though. Hope you do some research and see for yourself. Have a great day! =)
Seriously asking, what if one did all this but didn't remove the protective coating first...
the oil either polymerized over the wax coating or blended with it, I'm not sure the exact chemistry of what would happen. Either way, the seasoning and coating would likely flake off when cooked at high heat and end up in your food. I think the best best is to start over: boil water for 5-10 minutes and scrub it thoroughly with dish soap to ensure the waxy protective coating is gone and you're left with just the carbon steel. then proceed as shown in the video.
Hi, do I need to season a new non stick carbon steel wok? Thank you.
Yes, you do.
Is a properly seasoned wok tacky or sticky?
If things don’t stick to it it’s properly seasoned
it shouldn't be. tacky or sticky likely means too much oil was used while seasoning and it didn't fully polymerize (the heat joins the oil molecules together to form the coating). only a super thin layer is needed to form the coating, and it should be done multiple times to get the best overall protective coating, aka seasoning.
The part I missed was using a dry paper towl to remove all excess oil from the wok after applying the first coat (it will have seeped into the pores of the carbon steel after removing anyway)