Peeling on a Takumi or Pure Titanium Pan? Two Different Layers, Both Normal
Last updated: 18 February 2026
If a layer is coming off your Takumi or pure titanium pan and bare metal is showing underneath, the pan is fine. But the two pans are shedding two different things, and what to do about it is different for each — this article covers both.
Our specialist, Kai, wrote this guide. In this guide:
- Takumi — black flakes over grey steel: the seasoning, and how to put it back.
- Pure titanium — the factory film wearing off: by design, nothing to do.
- Why nitrided pans do neither — and which brands those are.
Takumi: Black Flakes over Grey Steel
Takumi is bare iron done the traditional way, with no surface treatment — what releases food is seasoning: cooking oil bonded to the steel by heat, built up layer by layer. "Pre-seasoned and heat-treated" on the box means the factory has already applied the first rounds of it, which is why a five-minute oil warm-up is all a new pan needs.
Seasoning sits as a dark layer over bright grey steel. Burn something on, scrub it off hard, and part of the seasoning comes away too: black flakes in the sink, grey metal showing through. Nothing has failed — seasoning is oil, and oil goes back on:
- Wash the pan and dry it with a cloth.
- Put it back on the stove over low heat for a minute or two until every trace of moisture has gone — bone dry, not towel dry.
- Wipe a thin film of oil over the whole interior with paper towel — thin enough that it looks barely wet. Excess oil turns sticky rather than hard.
- Heat until the oil just begins to smoke, then take it off and let it cool.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 two or three times if the bare patch is large.
Then cook something fatty in it — anything fried does more for the surface than another seasoning cycle.
Do this the same day. With no nitriding, bare steel on a Takumi can show rust within hours on a humid day — do not leave a stripped pan in the rack overnight. If orange spots have already appeared, scrub them off with a scourer first, then run the steps from the top; rust dealt with promptly leaves no lasting mark.
Pure Titanium: The Factory Film Wearing Off
A Hasemoto pure titanium pan is shedding something different. The whole pan — inside and outside — leaves the factory under a thin, food-grade silicone resin film, applied to protect the metal in transit and help with first use.
That film is temporary by design. As you cook, it discolours, turns patchy and lifts away — fastest on the cooking surface, so the inside and outside can look quite different for a while. What shows through is the silver-grey of the bare 99.9% titanium: the pan you actually bought. Titanium does not rust, so there is nothing to protect and nothing to reapply.
What to do: nothing. Keep cooking, and do not scrub the film off to hurry it along — it wears away on its own. Once it has gone, cooking with oil gradually builds a light seasoning on the titanium in the ordinary way, and the pan settles into its working finish.
The reason this surprises titanium owners more often is heat: titanium responds to the burner very quickly, so a setting that behaves on a familiar frypan runs hot here and food catches while you are learning the pan. More catching means more scrubbing, and more of the film coming away at once. It settles once you adjust the heat down.
Why Nitrided Pans Do Neither
On a nitrided carbon steel pan, none of this comes up. Nitriding changes the surface of the steel itself and leaves it dark — there is no bright metal underneath to expose and no contrast to see, and the treated surface resists rust on its own. Every other carbon steel brand we carry is nitrided: River Light, Yoshikawa, Pearl Life, Tanabe Kanagu, Wahei Freiz and Tsubame Sanjo. If you own one of those, this article is not about your pan. Our carbon steel comparison guide covers nitriding in full.
None of this is a fault in the Takumi or the titanium. Buyers choose these two pans knowing the trade: bare metal, maintained by hand, that will outlast any coated pan — in exchange for a surface that shows its working life. If you own either, expect the surface to change.
- Carbon steel care guide — seasoning, cleaning and restoring a neglected pan.
- Pure titanium user guide — heat control and care for titanium.
- Carbon steel brands compared — nitrided and non-nitrided, side by side.
About the Author
Kai, the author of this article, is our product specialist at My Cookware®. For any questions, email hello@mycookware.com.au or use the chat box on this page.
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