Check out my review of the Misen Carbon Steel Pan. Does it stack up to the big carbon steel players in the game? ua-cam.com/video/xjvvhy8m7tI/v-deo.html
Your voice is so soothing. I just received a new carbon steel wok for my birthday. I watched countless videos before I found you where people were putting on a show rather than informing. The steady tempo of your voice was calming and instructive giving the viewer a better grasp of what to do and how to fix mistakes. 谢谢
Tip for all the wok fans: If you have a gas burner then you can remove the diffuser plate on your burner to get a jet flame that focuses the heat on the center bottom of your wok where you want it!
You can also use table salt in the pan for some REALLY hard to clean, stuck food. Heat up salt in the pan and then brush it in. Not so abrasive that it'll reduce the seasoning much, but it'll definitely give it some good clean
Wow, almost 100% correct info on carbon steel (which also works for cast iron) in a, compact, short format. I like it. Just use even less oil or wipe the excess off more thoroughly before it turns into rubber when seasoning a new skillet. Your layers still are too thick so the oil pilymerizes only partially while the rest turns into sticky gunk. But aside from that, I really like your video. It condenses a lot of good information from other channels like Uncle Scott's Kitchen, Cowboy Kent Rollins or Cook Culture into a short time factor. Oh, and stop using those cheap induction ovens for carbon steel. Not only do they only have tiny coils (you can tell by the size of the hotspot forming in the center of the skillet) which limits the maximum bottom size of the skillet to that tiny size. They also have terrible power control with only one true power level (max power) and achieving the other with overly long cycles which result in the skillet constantly overheating and cooling down. The hot spot is what warped the skillet. The hot spot expands (that's what hot metal does) while the surrounding material is still cool and does not expand too. So there's only one direction to expand, up- or downwards, which results in a bulge. Using a bigger (coil) sized and well regulated induction burner is works fine. I have almost zero issues on my AEG / Electrolux induction stove top. Just preheat slowly and never use the boost / power / quick boil function and limit the skillet bottom size to the true size of the induction coils (not the maximum pot size markings, but the true size of the coil underneath). You can find out that size by boiling water or melting powdered sugar at max power in a thin aluminum skillet / pot. Where the bubbles form (or the sugar melts first), that's the true size of the coil.
Super useful information here, thank you! I had little experience with induction at the time of this video. Probably should have done a bit more research. But, i'm glad you enjoyed the video. It's an honor to be mentioned alongside channels such as the ones you mentioned :)
So I put a little too much oil and it turned gummy. Do I just clean it with the abrasive and barkeepers? Thank you! Great video. To the point and good information.
Good stuff. Don't know why folks unused to woks don't blue as part of their pan prep: perhaps because of the warping risk with a flat bottomed pan if brought up to bluing temp too quickly/unevenly (I appreciate it only happened here because of the unfamiliar heat source... and appreciate even more that you included the issue _and_ its remedy)
By the way, do you have any tips on adding spices to the pan? I was used to adding spices in powder form, like garlic, pepper, cumin, or curry while I'm frying food, like vegetables, or chicken. When I do this in my carbon steel pan, the spices tend to burn quickly and stick heavily to the pan. (My food (without the spices) was frying fine and not sticking before it)
Great video! Love that you told us about how to maintain the pans and not just how to season like all the other videos out there. Hope this video keeps getting you views forever 😊
If anyone is curious about why protein releases from the pan it’s from the Maillard effect. Something having to do with amino acids and reducing sugars. I failed chemistry but this I remembered. It’s actually pretty amazing how it works. Video is spot on about carbon steel!
That blue when you're seasoning the new pan is so pretty 😍This was such a thorough video and interesting to learn about the maintenance for carbon steel. your little workshop area and the pan holder station looks nice and industrial!
I know, isn't it?! The blueing is so beautiful. I love that process. Yeah, we decided to go with a restaurant kitchen theme for our kitchen/dining area so still putting finishing touches on that. We're happy with the functionality of it so far. Looking forward to any kitchen or dining related videos from your channel in the future!!!
Wonderful job pointing to the fact that sticking isn't all about seasoning steal. It's very much about understanding the food and control of the application of heat. I cook fried eggs in my stainless steel pans all the time and can have them slide. Conversely, SS is perfect when it's desirable to have meat stick to produce the fond for making wonderful reductions. The trick is the temperature and knowing that meat (courtesy of the Maillard reaction) will release itself at the appropriate time. Good chefs go deep in their knowledge of the natural sciences.
@@Chow-House Your egg demo rightly points to the idea that, without normalizing for the skill level of the user, any given product review has a propensity to be more about providing experiential data, , observation, and bias, than providing practical information. In heat sources and cooking vessels the options available - each introducing some unique combination of variables in terms of materials, design, and construction methods - seems infinite. In cooking though, there is one thing that remains constant: Success depends on optimally controlling heat delivery as a function of the food characteristics, and the desired result. In your egg example, the correct heat for the food depends on individual characteristics of the hob, the pan, and the oil used. You use the appearance of the oil to determine the correct pan temperature and timing for the egg. Here’s an example of someone who does it a bit differently, to cook an omelette on a stainless-steel pan. She deals with the pan first by using her understanding of the pan’s characteristics and the “Leidenfrost effect”. Then, she deals with her knowledge of the selected oil to fine tune getting to the ideal point for the egg. ua-cam.com/video/w3laDpr4kvw/v-deo.html I see it as just using a little savvy to reduce the potential for error by first dealing only with the pan temperature. Using the both the Leidenfrost and the Maillard principle - dealing with the pan heat first and knowing that meat will stick, then release by itself - she can use the same pan to sear a steak and serve with a nice au jus flavoured with beef bits that get stuck to the pan, then released using steam. ua-cam.com/video/W92aiL-4jK8/v-deo.html
oh yeahhhh, thanks for sharing! That's some good stuff. For some people learning the science about certain things helps a lot with how they understand what is happening during cooking.
Thanks a lot for this great video! I had a bad experience today, I have a hypothesis of what happened, and I'd love to have your opinion on it. I seared potatoes on a carbon steel pan, but one important difference with your situation is the pan was on a wood fire, and I had previously noticed that it can get really hot. What happened was that half of the pan kept sticking terribly, whereas I hadn't had any problems before. I added some oil while cooking, but it didn't improve. In the end I managed to finish cooking by placing all potatoes on the half of the pan that was fine. I noticed that on the "bad" half of the pan, all oil seemed to have vanished, the surface was not shiny like the other half. My hypothesis is the following. The fire was going too strong, heating the pan too much. The half that stuck was the half right over the flames, thus hotter. It got so hot that all oil smoked off, as if seasoning it. Thus the potatoes would stick because they just wouldn't be lying on oil, but directly on the seasoning. What do you think? Thanks again for this great video!
Thanks for watching! Yeah I think your hypothesis is likely correct. The dry half of the pan possibly had oil that smoked off and it caused the potatoes to stick because there wasn't any new oil in that area. I try to have a layer of shimmering oil before I put something in the pan.
@@Chow-House Thanks a lot for the reply! I did make sure that I had a good layer of warm enough oil before adding potatoes. I had actually watched your video before doing that. Yet it seems that the oil smoked off afterwards
I have two Matfer Bougeat pans, a 9 inch and a 11 inch. The 11" pan was a breeze to season and get nice and non-stick. The 9 inch pan was a pain to season for some reason. Seemed an egg would always sick no matter how much oil or butter I used. I even striped it down and started over. After more cooking, seasoning in the oven and stove top it is finally to the level I wanted. A non stick pan.
I have a slightly different method. We're pretty much doing the same, but i think that i've isolated what's really important here and what's not. I also heat the pan to a smoke point or until it's shimmering. In my experience you simply need to hit that point with the oil. Then you can let the pan cool down to any temperature you want. There's no requirement to stay at this high of a temperature. Food won't stick if at one point you've hit the smoke point. It doesn't really matter what you do after that. The pan should be almost non-stick. I also like to spread the oil with a kitchen towel, since i do not want any spots with no oil. Interestingly enough this also works with stainless steel pans. That's actually where i learned to cook eggs without sticking. If you can do it in a stainless steel pan then you can do it in a carbon steel pan without any problem (of course you don't have to season your stainless steel pan).
Good info. I am forced to use one on an electric stovetop, and I am still working out the details on how best to do that. I do have sticking issues, but I am sure that is more technique than anything else. I have the same issue occasionally with cast iron skillets.
you can also strip off old seasoning to the bare metal by boiling the pan in vinegar! I usually try to avoid products with unknown chemicals (e.g. barkeeper's friend) unless necessary. Thanks for sharing!
Barkeeper's friend contains oxal acid which has the same effect as vinegar. The polishing particles do the rest. As long as you rinse the skillet thoroughly with water afterwards, Barkeeper's friend is fine to get rid of old seasoning. Another method is using a lye bath. Other than acid based methods, it will not affect the metal at all which is why it's one of the preferred cleaning methods (the other method is electrolysis) of cast iron collectors.
"unknown chemicals" lol. it's completely known - it's oxalic acid, which is present within basically every leafy green or vegetable you've ever eaten. Vinegar is just acetic acid so it's pretty odd to treat one as a safe/natural product and shun the other.
I use non-stick sometimes if I plan to flip something a lot because they're much lighter. But other than that I think a well seasoned carbon steel pan can do anything a non-stick pan can do. But from what I've seen you should avoid cooking very acidic foods in carbon steel because it can strip off the seasoning for some reason.
Ayyyyye. Glad you liked it. I tried to condense most of the essential info into this video because I noticed a lot of people having issues with their carbon steel. Get ittttt. The Japanese oil thing is a neat little tool!
Very informative video! I have a circle of steel showing and it never tends to season up any tips for that? Everything else is seasoned nicely except the middle
Thanks for the awesome video! I just got my madein 12’ carbon steel pan. After receiving it I washed it once and seasoned it and threw it in the oven. After watching a couple of videos I noticed that it was washed a couple of times before seasoning it just to make sure all the oils from the manufacturer came off. My question is should I was it again just to make sure they came off? Also when recommending seasoning a few times is that before use only? Also should I re-season after every wash or only when you wash the pan with soap? Thank you!
Thanks! I'm glad you liked the video. Yeah, I'd wash again just to make sure that the manufacture oil is off because you want to season with your own oil. Some manufacturers even use wax instead of oil to protect their pants during storage/shipping and I'm not sure what madein uses but you definitely want to get that stuff off before seasoning. I like to season on a few layers of oil before cooking in it. After you wash your pan, with soap or not, just make sure its either dry or rub on a thin layer of oil on the cooking surface of the pan before you put the it away.
I just got my first carbon steel pan from ikea! Thanks so much for your guide. If I use my pan every day and cook all my food in tallow or oil, do you think I should really worry about seasoning it? How would you go about cleaning it after every use? Thanks so much!!!!
I've seen the ikea carbon steel pans. They look decent. I'd give it an initial seasoning but other than that you can cook in it every day following good technique that I've shown in this video. Sometimes if I plan to use it daily I'll just leave it on the stove if there's no food residue on it. Other than that I'll give it a light scrub with hot water and a little soap in the sink and then heat dry it on the stovetop.
Hey my friend, I seasoned my pan & cooked an awesome steak 🥩. Cleaning with just hot water & plain sponge was easy peasy. Now I have what looks like bare areas or sections. Do I just add wax or oil while pan is cold or do I warm the pan up first? Thanks
I usually warm up the pan first and let the water evaporate from the pan. Then i'll add rub on a thin layer of oil and store the pan. If you have any bare areas just continue to sear stuff at high heat in the pan and continue cooking with it. The bare areas should fill themselves out.
Would you be willing to do a video on searing meat? I've been a good bit of luck with vegetables and bread and all the non crucial items but when it comes to protein I've been hitting a wall. It typically takes the seasoning with it. I can scramble eggs but not fry one yet. It just seems like trying to get a sear on anything is an issue for me.
I can definitely look into it. I've seen the seasoning come off when food get stuck but can't quite explain why yet. I think one reason it happens is when trying to lift foods that haven't released themselves from the pan naturally. After I've seared steaks in my pans for the first time they become noticeably darker and seem more nonstick for some reason. You can check out this video where I seared a steak using carbon steel. ua-cam.com/video/gXcdmsuGIJ0/v-deo.html
@@Chow-House cool thanks I definitely appreciate it. my matfer is...okay and I'm getting along with it but I just would like to be able to use it for more than just odds and ends.
@@roberttaylor9259 My first carbon steel was a Matfer actually and its the pan I'm using in that steak video. I think the key for that nice sear is a smoking hot pan with some oil to start off and patting the meat dry so it doesn't just end up steaming itself. As for fried eggs gotta get that oil shimmering!
Tonight I had my first successful stir fry on my C/S wok after f*cking it up the first round so I'm just here for cleaning tips and to watch some C/S seasoning pron. 🤣 Mama should have told me to treat it like cast iron but hotter. Thanks for the vid!
You must be single because there is ZERO chance my wife will allow me to leave greasy paper towels laying around! Thanks for the video, very informative.
I notice, that contray to others, you don't wipe the pan after it finishes smoking, before you add another thin layer of oil - please explain, thanks (from a new subscriber).
I'll be honest with you. I do out out of convenience. But, it seems to work fine so far :) The layers of seasoning will build on top of each other regardless.
Yeah, I think detergents are a little too strong and might contain abrasives that will wear down the polymerized oil (seasoning). A little dish soap shouldn't effect the seasoning very much but it'll get rid of the rest of the grease/oil on the pan.
Right after cooking, as pan cools, do some light scraping with metal turner-spatula & wipe up with scraps with paper towel.. or after it cools use a bamboo brush with water in sink. Then season it. * mic drop
I think it's great. I use my made in carbon steel pan regularly. As long as you follow the steps in my video you should be good to go. But if you have any other questions about the use feel free to ask.
This is not a definitive guide to success with carbon steel but a general guide on how I've found success with my setup. As you can see, I use a gas stove. If anyone has tips, criticisms, or other insights please comment below so others can see and we can all be more successful cooking with carbon steel/cast iron.
Before I watch the whole video, & I probably should but I’ll forget what I wanted to ask. I had 2-questions: 1-Did you allow the egg to sit for 5 or 10 min before cooking? (2) I told my girlfriend I think some people take there grease after cooking bacon and put it into a jar or can and use it to grease the pan when they cook but I also think they strain the bits & pieces out but I really didn’t know so I’m asking if that’s what you meant in the beginning of your video when you cooked the egg. Did you reuse the fat or grease from bacon you previously cooked? Thanks!
No. I usually use eggs straight from the fridge within 1-3 minutes. And yes, I often will save bacon fat and strain out the solids and put it in a glass container or whatever to cook with. Don't want to waste it :)
@@Chow-House is there other meat like hamburger grease you can use again or is it basically just bacon? Personally I love Sirloin Burgers so there’s not much grease to save. Thanks for getting back to me. Have a great weekend
amzn.to/3da6a0d this is the one in the video. It's good for stabilizing round woks. There are little notches on the bottom that line up with the grates on the stove to keep it in place. I recommend it but make sure you find one that fits your stove top.
I am just starting with my new carbon steel pan , I think I seasoned it correctly and it's very dark brown now but my fried eggs do not release like in your Video , I have to help the process with a spatula unfortunately. I used a bit of Olive oil, pre heat the pan and then add the oil wait for it to get hot but I have not seen it smoking yet
Many want to gauge their pan using the egg test. Many won't tell you they have two different pans. One for browning meats and a separate pan mostly just for eggs. You can use 1 pan for both but after you have some brown meat stick a little, you will probably have to assist your next egg in sliding. You can find a small cheap CS pan that you can designate as your egg pan
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. The Made In and Misen pans are both 10 inches, there is one matfer bourgeat pan which is 11 7/8 inches and the carbon steel wok is 14" across.
Do I need to worry about the outside of the pan? I saw some other people putting oil on the bottom/outside on the first seasoning step, but then they never mention if you have to do that again.
I just got a matfer skillet recently and it’s already seasoned. Is it possible for me to heat the pan till it turns blue or do I have to scrub off the initial seasoning I’ve applied?
You have to have a "naked" pan for the blueing process to work so you have to scrub off the initial seasoning. But, if you're already happy with your skillet as it is I don't think the blueing process is all that necessary.
I love my wok! It's nice to toss things around in there. Not very expensive either. I think there should be a link down in the description to the wok. But, it's a round bottom. Gas is great :) it's what I'm used to cooking with for most of my life.
Wouldn't wiping with a paper towel leave paper lint ALL OVER your pan? That would be a big no no with my cast iron but are carbon steel pans just so much smoother they wouldn't catch any lint?
Yeah, they're pretty smooth so I haven't had any problems with them catching lint. If the paper towel is pretty oily you also won't have to press that hard to oil the carbon steel cooking surface.
I bought a carbon steel pan for the single purpose of cooking steaks. The other cook in the household treats cookware like it's made from puppies and baby birds, so searing a steak would be akin to lighting their firstborn on fire. In any case, I don't have problems with the steak itself noticably sticking, but I do end up with a growing layer of char/carbon that builds up in the center. Originally I had been told the Cast Iron Addage; "wipe with an oily towel, never wash." After a while I started just letting that gunk smoke off before adding oil and steak, but "dry heating" a pan like that seems...heretical. Should I be gently washing it after use instead?
Washing carbon steel pans is perfectly fine. Even a tough scrub with soap is ok. If you feel like the layers of carbon is getting uneven in spots then you can scrub it down. No harm in that. No dishwasher though. Carbon steel and cast iron can take a lot of beating and abuse!
I got the first carbon steel wok. Madein. I am doing something wrong ? I seasoned it twice in the oven. I have electric stovetop. I see very dried bottom and started to see some rusty ? Do I need to start over again ? For now I just cleaned it with hot water and keep cooking. But I saw the blue turning today after cooking. 🥲 help help
I think you're fine. Just do what you did. Clean with hot water and keep cooking. After you're done washing the pans you might want to dry it over the stove and apply a thin layer of oil to the cooking surface with a paper towel or something.
i'll get a pan hot with some oil, throw minced garlic in for some seconds before adding some cut up bok choy, toss that around a bit, add a bit of water and cover to cook the bok choy through to you desired tenderness. Then i'll stir in a mixture of water, cornstarch, sugar, oyster sauce (or chicken powder). Heat that uncovered over medium heat until the sauce thickens up to coat the bok choy. Make sure you stir up the sauce before adding to the pan because you want the cornstarch to be dissolved.
@@Chow-House I seasoned my misen pan 7 times exactly how misen instructed. Cooked a steak searing both sides on the pan and finishing in the oven. Just wiping clean didnt clean. simmering water and scraping with wood spatula got the big stuff off but still left a black and brown residue.finally resorted to soap and steel wool to no avail. Does the black and brown residue just not come off?
Yeah, the black and brown residue is the "seasoning" and it should stay on the pan. The black and brown stuff is oil that has polymerized onto the pan that gives the pan a "nonstick" coating.
Hi. I don't mean to be argumentative, but your advice about blueing is not really a good idea. For carbon steel to blue, it has to reach around 590 degrees f, which actually changes the crystallization structure of the steel (annealing) and tbh, there is no reason to ever get your carbon steel pan this hot. When you do, stresses induced in the manufacturing process (pressing, stamping, rolling or whatever) will cause the steel to try to relax and bend in the direction of those stress vectors. This is why your pan warped. I'm not sure how much of a non-stick benefit you would get from the oxidation from blueing anyway, but the real non-stick benefit is from polymerization of the oil. If you use a high temp oil like grape seed oil with a smoke point of around 420, the coating formed will give excellent not stick properties, and that should be all the hotter you ever need to get your pan. Other than that minor point, I have to say that I really enjoyed your video. Great stuff!
Thanks man. I'm still trying to learn new things everyday so I really appreciate the info. I do believe the main reason the pan warped is because I put the induction burner on max power starting with a cold pan and the heating area was focused more towards the center of the pan which warped it. I still like to do the bluing process because it just looks kind of cool and adds one layer or protection against rust. But, you're totally right that the polymerization of the oil is the most important aspect for non stick properties. Thank you for the insight and glad you enjoyed the video 😎
Check out my review of the Misen Carbon Steel Pan. Does it stack up to the big carbon steel players in the game? ua-cam.com/video/xjvvhy8m7tI/v-deo.html
Your voice is so soothing. I just received a new carbon steel wok for my birthday. I watched countless videos before I found you where people were putting on a show rather than informing. The steady tempo of your voice was calming and instructive giving the viewer a better grasp of what to do and how to fix mistakes. 谢谢
謝謝! I appreciate the kind words. Glad you found it informative and soothing :)
Tip for all the wok fans: If you have a gas burner then you can remove the diffuser plate on your burner to get a jet flame that focuses the heat on the center bottom of your wok where you want it!
the best seasoning video imo.
Thank you so much!
You can also use table salt in the pan for some REALLY hard to clean, stuck food. Heat up salt in the pan and then brush it in. Not so abrasive that it'll reduce the seasoning much, but it'll definitely give it some good clean
Great tip!
I use salt+oil to clean my pans, same as cast iron. i never got a decent seasoning until i started cleaning them this way.
I clean mine by adding hot water, brining to a simmer, and scrap with wooden spoon. Dump out water and dry pan. Always works wonders for me
That's a great way, too! Thanks for sharing.
I do that too.
Wow, almost 100% correct info on carbon steel (which also works for cast iron) in a, compact, short format. I like it.
Just use even less oil or wipe the excess off more thoroughly before it turns into rubber when seasoning a new skillet. Your layers still are too thick so the oil pilymerizes only partially while the rest turns into sticky gunk.
But aside from that, I really like your video. It condenses a lot of good information from other channels like Uncle Scott's Kitchen, Cowboy Kent Rollins or Cook Culture into a short time factor.
Oh, and stop using those cheap induction ovens for carbon steel. Not only do they only have tiny coils (you can tell by the size of the hotspot forming in the center of the skillet) which limits the maximum bottom size of the skillet to that tiny size. They also have terrible power control with only one true power level (max power) and achieving the other with overly long cycles which result in the skillet constantly overheating and cooling down. The hot spot is what warped the skillet. The hot spot expands (that's what hot metal does) while the surrounding material is still cool and does not expand too. So there's only one direction to expand, up- or downwards, which results in a bulge.
Using a bigger (coil) sized and well regulated induction burner is works fine. I have almost zero issues on my AEG / Electrolux induction stove top. Just preheat slowly and never use the boost / power / quick boil function and limit the skillet bottom size to the true size of the induction coils (not the maximum pot size markings, but the true size of the coil underneath). You can find out that size by boiling water or melting powdered sugar at max power in a thin aluminum skillet / pot. Where the bubbles form (or the sugar melts first), that's the true size of the coil.
Super useful information here, thank you! I had little experience with induction at the time of this video. Probably should have done a bit more research. But, i'm glad you enjoyed the video. It's an honor to be mentioned alongside channels such as the ones you mentioned :)
*So Says the expert with not 1 free king video!*
So I put a little too much oil and it turned gummy. Do I just clean it with the abrasive and barkeepers?
Thank you! Great video. To the point and good information.
Good stuff. Don't know why folks unused to woks don't blue as part of their pan prep: perhaps because of the warping risk with a flat bottomed pan if brought up to bluing temp too quickly/unevenly (I appreciate it only happened here because of the unfamiliar heat source... and appreciate even more that you included the issue _and_ its remedy)
Bravo, great content. One of the only carbon steel seasoning vids I watched thru the end. Cheers!
Thank you so much!
Nice and clear explanation on how the oil at temperature prevents the food from sticking.
By the way, do you have any tips on adding spices to the pan? I was used to adding spices in powder form, like garlic, pepper, cumin, or curry while I'm frying food, like vegetables, or chicken. When I do this in my carbon steel pan, the spices tend to burn quickly and stick heavily to the pan. (My food (without the spices) was frying fine and not sticking before it)
Great video! Love that you told us about how to maintain the pans and not just how to season like all the other videos out there. Hope this video keeps getting you views forever 😊
Thank you!
If anyone is curious about why protein releases from the pan it’s from the Maillard effect. Something having to do with amino acids and reducing sugars. I failed chemistry but this I remembered. It’s actually pretty amazing how it works. Video is spot on about carbon steel!
Thanks man! Very interesting about the maillard effect. I'll have to look into that.
This is quite interesting. I use cast iron but it's getting heavy for my old arms. Thinking now about buying one and see how I like it.
Awesome overview of carbon steel for newbies. There are soooo many videos out there but this is the most thorough I've seen. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
That blue when you're seasoning the new pan is so pretty 😍This was such a thorough video and interesting to learn about the maintenance for carbon steel. your little workshop area and the pan holder station looks nice and industrial!
I know, isn't it?! The blueing is so beautiful. I love that process. Yeah, we decided to go with a restaurant kitchen theme for our kitchen/dining area so still putting finishing touches on that. We're happy with the functionality of it so far. Looking forward to any kitchen or dining related videos from your channel in the future!!!
You are a kitchen genius!!! Thank you for these tips with the relaxing voice ! 😉
Lol thank you! Glad you liked it.
Wonderful job pointing to the fact that sticking isn't all about seasoning steal. It's very much about understanding the food and control of the application of heat. I cook fried eggs in my stainless steel pans all the time and can have them slide. Conversely, SS is perfect when it's desirable to have meat stick to produce the fond for making wonderful reductions. The trick is the temperature and knowing that meat (courtesy of the Maillard reaction) will release itself at the appropriate time. Good chefs go deep in their knowledge of the natural sciences.
Thank you! Great points about the stainless steel producing fond. Looks like you know your stuff. Thanks for watching :)
@@Chow-House Your egg demo rightly points to the idea that, without normalizing for the skill level of the user, any given product review has a propensity to be more about providing experiential data, , observation, and bias, than providing practical information.
In heat sources and cooking vessels the options available - each introducing some unique combination of variables in terms of materials, design, and construction methods - seems infinite. In cooking though, there is one thing that remains constant: Success depends on optimally controlling heat delivery as a function of the food characteristics, and the desired result.
In your egg example, the correct heat for the food depends on individual characteristics of the hob, the pan, and the oil used. You use the appearance of the oil to determine the correct pan temperature and timing for the egg. Here’s an example of someone who does it a bit differently, to cook an omelette on a stainless-steel pan. She deals with the pan first by using her understanding of the pan’s characteristics and the “Leidenfrost effect”. Then, she deals with her knowledge of the selected oil to fine tune getting to the ideal point for the egg.
ua-cam.com/video/w3laDpr4kvw/v-deo.html
I see it as just using a little savvy to reduce the potential for error by first dealing only with the pan temperature.
Using the both the Leidenfrost and the Maillard principle - dealing with the pan heat first and knowing that meat will stick, then release by itself - she can use the same pan to sear a steak and serve with a nice au jus flavoured with beef bits that get stuck to the pan, then released using steam.
ua-cam.com/video/W92aiL-4jK8/v-deo.html
oh yeahhhh, thanks for sharing! That's some good stuff. For some people learning the science about certain things helps a lot with how they understand what is happening during cooking.
I've ruined two carbon pans and have to strip them back to metal. just found you liked and subbed. thank you from Suffolk England .
Thank you!
Thanks a lot for this great video!
I had a bad experience today, I have a hypothesis of what happened, and I'd love to have your opinion on it.
I seared potatoes on a carbon steel pan, but one important difference with your situation is the pan was on a wood fire, and I had previously noticed that it can get really hot.
What happened was that half of the pan kept sticking terribly, whereas I hadn't had any problems before. I added some oil while cooking, but it didn't improve. In the end I managed to finish cooking by placing all potatoes on the half of the pan that was fine. I noticed that on the "bad" half of the pan, all oil seemed to have vanished, the surface was not shiny like the other half.
My hypothesis is the following. The fire was going too strong, heating the pan too much. The half that stuck was the half right over the flames, thus hotter. It got so hot that all oil smoked off, as if seasoning it. Thus the potatoes would stick because they just wouldn't be lying on oil, but directly on the seasoning.
What do you think?
Thanks again for this great video!
Thanks for watching! Yeah I think your hypothesis is likely correct. The dry half of the pan possibly had oil that smoked off and it caused the potatoes to stick because there wasn't any new oil in that area. I try to have a layer of shimmering oil before I put something in the pan.
@@Chow-House Thanks a lot for the reply! I did make sure that I had a good layer of warm enough oil before adding potatoes. I had actually watched your video before doing that. Yet it seems that the oil smoked off afterwards
I have two Matfer Bougeat pans, a 9 inch and a 11 inch. The 11" pan was a breeze to season and get nice and non-stick. The 9 inch pan was a pain to season for some reason. Seemed an egg would always sick no matter how much oil or butter I used. I even striped it down and started over. After more cooking, seasoning in the oven and stove top it is finally to the level I wanted. A non stick pan.
I feel you. I feel like only the passionate cooks can appreciate carbon steel pans. Once you get them working, though, it's all good. Can't give up.
Length of vid matching thumbnail. Nice touch!
I cant be the only one to notice!?
That actually wasn't intentional 😅
I have a slightly different method. We're pretty much doing the same, but i think that i've isolated what's really important here and what's not.
I also heat the pan to a smoke point or until it's shimmering. In my experience you simply need to hit that point with the oil. Then you can let the pan cool down to any temperature you want. There's no requirement to stay at this high of a temperature. Food won't stick if at one point you've hit the smoke point. It doesn't really matter what you do after that. The pan should be almost non-stick.
I also like to spread the oil with a kitchen towel, since i do not want any spots with no oil. Interestingly enough this also works with stainless steel pans. That's actually where i learned to cook eggs without sticking. If you can do it in a stainless steel pan then you can do it in a carbon steel pan without any problem (of course you don't have to season your stainless steel pan).
Love the information and your humor. Thanks!!
Thanks for watching! We appreciate the comment.
*So many people have unreasonable expectations, thinking they can cook everything with no fats, butter or oils in it.*
Randomly found your channel and love it. You deserve more subs!
Thanks man! I appreciate it.
Good info. I am forced to use one on an electric stovetop, and I am still working out the details on how best to do that. I do have sticking issues, but I am sure that is more technique than anything else. I have the same issue occasionally with cast iron skillets.
Best advice I can give you is make sure the oil is hot before adding food. The oil should be rippling, move around the pan easily.
Thank you for this informative video!
Thanks for watching. Glad you found the video informative 😊
you can also strip off old seasoning to the bare metal by boiling the pan in vinegar! I usually try to avoid products with unknown chemicals (e.g. barkeeper's friend) unless necessary. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing the tips and thank you for watching! :)
Barkeeper's friend contains oxal acid which has the same effect as vinegar. The polishing particles do the rest. As long as you rinse the skillet thoroughly with water afterwards, Barkeeper's friend is fine to get rid of old seasoning. Another method is using a lye bath. Other than acid based methods, it will not affect the metal at all which is why it's one of the preferred cleaning methods (the other method is electrolysis) of cast iron collectors.
"unknown chemicals" lol. it's completely known - it's oxalic acid, which is present within basically every leafy green or vegetable you've ever eaten. Vinegar is just acetic acid so it's pretty odd to treat one as a safe/natural product and shun the other.
I think I’m the only one that notice the one piece wano intro noise! Love it!
Megumi in legit, real world reviews of product makes my life better
haha, i'm glad you recognized Megumi. Thanks for the comment!
Where did you get the wok attachment for the burner? Thanks for the great video!
My range is made by whirlpool so I bought their wok ring accessory on Amazon. Thanks for watching!
I think it is time for me to re-season my carbon steel pan lol Thanks for the tips! Do you also like to use non-stick pan?
I use non-stick sometimes if I plan to flip something a lot because they're much lighter. But other than that I think a well seasoned carbon steel pan can do anything a non-stick pan can do. But from what I've seen you should avoid cooking very acidic foods in carbon steel because it can strip off the seasoning for some reason.
Great video dude. Smashed it
Thank you!
Love your work! Thank you.
😎 thank you for the support!
Holy super informative carbon steel bomb of knowledge! I'm so jealous of the japanese oiling tool you had 😮
Ayyyyye. Glad you liked it. I tried to condense most of the essential info into this video because I noticed a lot of people having issues with their carbon steel.
Get ittttt. The Japanese oil thing is a neat little tool!
@@Chow-House where can I get that little Japanese brush. didn't see it listed.
@@redvanillamama6892 it's a takoyaki brush here: amzn.to/2Z2eOa9
Very informative video! I have a circle of steel showing and it never tends to season up any tips for that? Everything else is seasoned nicely except the middle
First thought is that your burner is not heating your pan evenly. What type of stove are you using?
@@Chow-House I have a gas stove. I’ve been cooking with it for about a 2 months and it’s just the middle part that doesn’t season :/
I had to smash the like button after the dominant hand arm strength comment
You know how it is 😎
Thanks for the awesome video! I just got my madein 12’ carbon steel pan. After receiving it I washed it once and seasoned it and threw it in the oven. After watching a couple of videos I noticed that it was washed a couple of times before seasoning it just to make sure all the oils from the manufacturer came off. My question is should I was it again just to make sure they came off? Also when recommending seasoning a few times is that before use only? Also should I re-season after every wash or only when you wash the pan with soap? Thank you!
Thanks! I'm glad you liked the video. Yeah, I'd wash again just to make sure that the manufacture oil is off because you want to season with your own oil. Some manufacturers even use wax instead of oil to protect their pants during storage/shipping and I'm not sure what madein uses but you definitely want to get that stuff off before seasoning. I like to season on a few layers of oil before cooking in it. After you wash your pan, with soap or not, just make sure its either dry or rub on a thin layer of oil on the cooking surface of the pan before you put the it away.
@@Chow-House awesome thank you! 🙏🏽
@@ekse415 no problem
Megumi is so cute!
She is!
Great video. You’ve got my subscription!
Thank you, I appreciate it and very glad you liked the video!
I just got my first carbon steel pan from ikea! Thanks so much for your guide. If I use my pan every day and cook all my food in tallow or oil, do you think I should really worry about seasoning it? How would you go about cleaning it after every use? Thanks so much!!!!
I've seen the ikea carbon steel pans. They look decent. I'd give it an initial seasoning but other than that you can cook in it every day following good technique that I've shown in this video.
Sometimes if I plan to use it daily I'll just leave it on the stove if there's no food residue on it. Other than that I'll give it a light scrub with hot water and a little soap in the sink and then heat dry it on the stovetop.
Hey my friend,
I seasoned my pan & cooked an awesome steak 🥩.
Cleaning with just hot water & plain sponge was easy peasy.
Now I have what looks like bare areas or sections. Do I just add wax or oil while pan is cold or do I warm the pan up first?
Thanks
I usually warm up the pan first and let the water evaporate from the pan. Then i'll add rub on a thin layer of oil and store the pan. If you have any bare areas just continue to sear stuff at high heat in the pan and continue cooking with it. The bare areas should fill themselves out.
Brilliant!👌🤣🤍
What brand of
Wok is that ? Looks dope
Nvm , saw the description.
Would you be willing to do a video on searing meat? I've been a good bit of luck with vegetables and bread and all the non crucial items but when it comes to protein I've been hitting a wall. It typically takes the seasoning with it. I can scramble eggs but not fry one yet. It just seems like trying to get a sear on anything is an issue for me.
I can definitely look into it. I've seen the seasoning come off when food get stuck but can't quite explain why yet. I think one reason it happens is when trying to lift foods that haven't released themselves from the pan naturally. After I've seared steaks in my pans for the first time they become noticeably darker and seem more nonstick for some reason. You can check out this video where I seared a steak using carbon steel. ua-cam.com/video/gXcdmsuGIJ0/v-deo.html
@@Chow-House cool thanks I definitely appreciate it. my matfer is...okay and I'm getting along with it but I just would like to be able to use it for more than just odds and ends.
@@roberttaylor9259 My first carbon steel was a Matfer actually and its the pan I'm using in that steak video. I think the key for that nice sear is a smoking hot pan with some oil to start off and patting the meat dry so it doesn't just end up steaming itself. As for fried eggs gotta get that oil shimmering!
@@Chow-House I'll give try it and report back!
@@roberttaylor9259 Don''t forget the butter basting. The browned milk solids takes the steak to another level!
Good film, thx
Tonight I had my first successful stir fry on my C/S wok after f*cking it up the first round so I'm just here for cleaning tips and to watch some C/S seasoning pron. 🤣 Mama should have told me to treat it like cast iron but hotter. Thanks for the vid!
Carbon steel woks are my favorite! Glad you liked the video!
You must be single because there is ZERO chance my wife will allow me to leave greasy paper towels laying around! Thanks for the video, very informative.
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching :)
TAKE OFF YOUR BURNER CAP FOR A JET ENGINE BURNER!?!?! YOURE A GENIUS
😘
I notice, that contray to others, you don't wipe the pan after it finishes smoking, before you add another thin layer of oil - please explain, thanks (from a new subscriber).
I'll be honest with you. I do out out of convenience. But, it seems to work fine so far :) The layers of seasoning will build on top of each other regardless.
Hi and thanks for the tips. When you say it's OK to clean with soap, do you mean soap as in NOT detergent?
Yeah, I think detergents are a little too strong and might contain abrasives that will wear down the polymerized oil (seasoning). A little dish soap shouldn't effect the seasoning very much but it'll get rid of the rest of the grease/oil on the pan.
Right after cooking, as pan cools, do some light scraping with metal turner-spatula & wipe up with scraps with paper towel.. or after it cools use a bamboo brush with water in sink. Then season it.
* mic drop
I noticed you were cleaning made in carbon steel pan. I just ordered wok and am very scared for maintenance. How is the pan ? Please let me know.
I think it's great. I use my made in carbon steel pan regularly. As long as you follow the steps in my video you should be good to go. But if you have any other questions about the use feel free to ask.
This is not a definitive guide to success with carbon steel but a general guide on how I've found success with my setup. As you can see, I use a gas stove. If anyone has tips, criticisms, or other insights please comment below so others can see and we can all be more successful cooking with carbon steel/cast iron.
I want your kitchen!
Before I watch the whole video, & I probably should but I’ll forget what I wanted to ask. I had 2-questions: 1-Did you allow the egg to sit for 5 or 10 min before cooking?
(2) I told my girlfriend I think some people take there grease after cooking bacon and put it into a jar or can and use it to grease the pan when they cook but I also think they strain the bits & pieces out but I really didn’t know so I’m asking if that’s what you meant in the beginning of your video when you cooked the egg. Did you reuse the fat or grease from bacon you previously cooked? Thanks!
No. I usually use eggs straight from the fridge within 1-3 minutes. And yes, I often will save bacon fat and strain out the solids and put it in a glass container or whatever to cook with. Don't want to waste it :)
@@Chow-House is there other meat like hamburger grease you can use again or is it basically just bacon?
Personally I love Sirloin Burgers so there’s not much grease to save.
Thanks for getting back to me. Have a great weekend
@@MrScrappydue yeah, why not. Beef fat, aka beef tallow can also be used as oil for cooking. Sirloin burgers sounds nice!
Lol funny and informative! 🤙
Thank you!
Great video. Way too many overcomplicate cooking with CS. Oil is your friend and cook with it often.
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words. Definitely, oil is your friend :)
Where can I get the wok ring you use? Do you like it?
amzn.to/3da6a0d this is the one in the video. It's good for stabilizing round woks. There are little notches on the bottom that line up with the grates on the stove to keep it in place. I recommend it but make sure you find one that fits your stove top.
I am just starting with my new carbon steel pan , I think I seasoned it correctly and it's very dark brown now but my fried eggs do not release like in your Video , I have to help the process with a spatula unfortunately. I used a bit of Olive oil, pre heat the pan and then add the oil wait for it to get hot but I have not seen it smoking yet
Sometimes I have to help the process with a spatula too. Eggs will only release like that maybe half the time if I preheated things perfectly.
@@Chow-House thank you , with butter this morning was easy , no spatula
Awesome!
Many want to gauge their pan using the egg test. Many won't tell you they have two different pans. One for browning meats and a separate pan mostly just for eggs. You can use 1 pan for both but after you have some brown meat stick a little, you will probably have to assist your next egg in sliding. You can find a small cheap CS pan that you can designate as your egg pan
It’s a nice video and pans but what size are they?
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. The Made In and Misen pans are both 10 inches, there is one matfer bourgeat pan which is 11 7/8 inches and the carbon steel wok is 14" across.
Hi, which turner/spatula are you using? Where can I get it?
I use these two the most.
amzn.to/4fj2zY4
amzn.to/3YGJ06G
@@Chow-House Thank You! I like the steel one. I am going to get it.
What brand wok was that? Currently looking into getting a cs wok and don't know any good brand
amzn.to/2SIziBe this is a round bottom wok that I use. Light weight so it's easy to flip stuff, round bottom for gas stoves.
Do I need to worry about the outside of the pan? I saw some other people putting oil on the bottom/outside on the first seasoning step, but then they never mention if you have to do that again.
I don't worry about the outside of the pan but it'll help prevent rusting if you decide to do it.
@@Chow-House Thanks!
How are you liking the Misen CS pan so far?
I like it a lot! It performs and seasons just as well as my Matfer and Made In pans. Thanks for watching :)
I just got a matfer skillet recently and it’s already seasoned. Is it possible for me to heat the pan till it turns blue or do I have to scrub off the initial seasoning I’ve applied?
You have to have a "naked" pan for the blueing process to work so you have to scrub off the initial seasoning. But, if you're already happy with your skillet as it is I don't think the blueing process is all that necessary.
We season only inner part of the pan or both sides of the pan?
Just the inner part
Do you need to oil the bottom of the c/s wok when seasoning
No
Ye I need to own a wok like yours....also a gas stove as the electric stove is truly a pain to deal with
I love my wok! It's nice to toss things around in there. Not very expensive either. I think there should be a link down in the description to the wok. But, it's a round bottom.
Gas is great :) it's what I'm used to cooking with for most of my life.
@@Chow-House curious are u Asian? Cuz u must be xd
I'm chinese/Burmese American. Are you Asian? Lol
Wouldn't wiping with a paper towel leave paper lint ALL OVER your pan? That would be a big no no with my cast iron but are carbon steel pans just so much smoother they wouldn't catch any lint?
Yeah, they're pretty smooth so I haven't had any problems with them catching lint. If the paper towel is pretty oily you also won't have to press that hard to oil the carbon steel cooking surface.
I bought a carbon steel pan for the single purpose of cooking steaks. The other cook in the household treats cookware like it's made from puppies and baby birds, so searing a steak would be akin to lighting their firstborn on fire.
In any case, I don't have problems with the steak itself noticably sticking, but I do end up with a growing layer of char/carbon that builds up in the center. Originally I had been told the Cast Iron Addage; "wipe with an oily towel, never wash." After a while I started just letting that gunk smoke off before adding oil and steak, but "dry heating" a pan like that seems...heretical. Should I be gently washing it after use instead?
Washing carbon steel pans is perfectly fine. Even a tough scrub with soap is ok. If you feel like the layers of carbon is getting uneven in spots then you can scrub it down. No harm in that. No dishwasher though. Carbon steel and cast iron can take a lot of beating and abuse!
I got the first carbon steel wok. Madein. I am doing something wrong ? I seasoned it twice in the oven. I have electric stovetop. I see very dried bottom and started to see some rusty ? Do I need to start over again ? For now I just cleaned it with hot water and keep cooking. But I saw the blue turning today after cooking. 🥲 help help
I think you're fine. Just do what you did. Clean with hot water and keep cooking. After you're done washing the pans you might want to dry it over the stove and apply a thin layer of oil to the cooking surface with a paper towel or something.
Wats the noodle dish you made with the bok choy
Carbonara with bacon, eggs, Parmigiano regiano cheese, and some Italian pasta I had laying around.
@@Chow-House looks delicious! 👌🏻
Thank you! Someday I might film a late night, drunchies, pasta session.
What type of oil do you use to season?
Canola oil
@@Chow-House thank you
I came for advice on carbon steel but left needing a recipe for that bok choy at 4:06. Hook it up!
i'll get a pan hot with some oil, throw minced garlic in for some seconds before adding some cut up bok choy, toss that around a bit, add a bit of water and cover to cook the bok choy through to you desired tenderness. Then i'll stir in a mixture of water, cornstarch, sugar, oyster sauce (or chicken powder). Heat that uncovered over medium heat until the sauce thickens up to coat the bok choy. Make sure you stir up the sauce before adding to the pan because you want the cornstarch to be dissolved.
No issues... I have 9 carbon steels & 1 cast iron.
I recently bought one and for some reason I can't get the black residue off after seasoning
Not sure what black residue you're talking about. Is the black residue the polymerized oil?
@@Chow-House its after I clean it or season it
Interesting. Have you tried cooking with it yet? How did it go?
@@Chow-House so I just made a stir fry in it but I first fried an egg to see how it'll go and it went well!
Awesome! So great to hear.
Is carbon steel good for health
I think it is healthier than using nonstick pans and healthy in general, yes.
I am so frustrated with my misen carbon steel. It is not only non stick but I cant get it clean using all the techniques
Wut
@@Chow-House I seasoned my misen pan 7 times exactly how misen instructed. Cooked a steak searing both sides on the pan and finishing in the oven. Just wiping clean didnt clean. simmering water and scraping with wood spatula got the big stuff off but still left a black and brown residue.finally resorted to soap and steel wool to no avail. Does the black and brown residue just not come off?
Yeah, the black and brown residue is the "seasoning" and it should stay on the pan. The black and brown stuff is oil that has polymerized onto the pan that gives the pan a "nonstick" coating.
Lol half my life beating stuff 😂
you remind me of the " you suck at cooking " guy lol ( really funny cooking chan )
Thanks! I like watching that channel too! Trying to be useful but light-hearted at the same time.
Someone please tell me the name of the background music
andrew langdon - follow me
@@Chow-House thank you
Gotchu
I'm trying to flip the egg like that
Hi. I don't mean to be argumentative, but your advice about blueing is not really a good idea. For carbon steel to blue, it has to reach around 590 degrees f, which actually changes the crystallization structure of the steel (annealing) and tbh, there is no reason to ever get your carbon steel pan this hot. When you do, stresses induced in the manufacturing process (pressing, stamping, rolling or whatever) will cause the steel to try to relax and bend in the direction of those stress vectors. This is why your pan warped. I'm not sure how much of a non-stick benefit you would get from the oxidation from blueing anyway, but the real non-stick benefit is from polymerization of the oil. If you use a high temp oil like grape seed oil with a smoke point of around 420, the coating formed will give excellent not stick properties, and that should be all the hotter you ever need to get your pan.
Other than that minor point, I have to say that I really enjoyed your video. Great stuff!
Thanks man. I'm still trying to learn new things everyday so I really appreciate the info. I do believe the main reason the pan warped is because I put the induction burner on max power starting with a cold pan and the heating area was focused more towards the center of the pan which warped it.
I still like to do the bluing process because it just looks kind of cool and adds one layer or protection against rust. But, you're totally right that the polymerization of the oil is the most important aspect for non stick properties.
Thank you for the insight and glad you enjoyed the video 😎
Just the content here was worthy of a Like, but that "forearm strength" bit cinched it.
haha thanks, man!
The food needs to be room temp before hitting the pan. Cold food + oil = sticking.
I'm not so sure about that because I usually try eggs straight from the fridge and it works out fine.
Hot water + chain mail scrubby and light scrubbing action. Typically removes everything but the worst stuff.
Great tip! Chain mail is very useful for carbon steel cleaning.
Hahahahaha.... Forearm strength.
ROTFLMAO
On the serious side... good data, so thanks for the info.
Thanks mang. Glad you liked it.
The, uh, “record” music took me out. 😭 Great video though.
Just thought I'd fill the silence. Thank you for the feedback.
No metal on metal. Dish soap not needed on carbon steel.
0:11
Great video, thanks. Please remove the colorist/anti-black comment at the end.
Thank you. I'll be more mindful in future videos.