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Celebrating 10 Years of Exceptional Quality in Japanese Cookware & Tableware
Celebrating 10 Years of Exceptional Quality in Japanese Cookware & Tableware
Is peeling normal for a carbon steel wok?

What do 'pre-seasoned' and 'heat-treated' mean?

Black residue peeling off from my carbon steel wok. Is it normal?

Is peeling normal for carbon steel or pure titanium cookware? Peeling may occur if a wok is burnt and scratched, which can remove the pre-seasoned, heat-treated protective oil layer. We will explain further below.

  • For carbon steel cookware, if the oil layer peels off, just season it again with oil.
  • For pure titanium cookware, just keep cooking with oil.

The layer has peeled off, is that normal?

In the first place, no one will coat carbon steel or pure titanium cookware with a non-stick coating. The cost will go up, but the product will not last longer. It also increases costs unnecessarily.

You can access the Reddit forum using the link here. The images and video can give you an idea of how this metal cookware performs in the kitchen.

When you see the oil seasoning coming off, know that it is completely normal. The cookware will return to its dark colour if you keep seasoning it and cooking with it. In short, a protective oil layer comes off; then you season it, you cook food, and the layer will come back. It is as simple as that.

We see this question more commonly in pure titanium cookware. I think it is because pure titanium conducts heat very quickly, and users tend to burn the food more often at the beginning when they still need time to adjust to it.

Black residue peeling off from my carbon steel wok. Is it normal?

What is pre-seasoned and heat-treated?

Your carbon steel and pure titanium cookware is pre-seasoned and heat-treated. What is this?

On the forum, a user mentioned he seasoned the pan with many layers. The Japanese carbon steel and pure titanium cookware does not require you to apply that many layers—basically a season, heat, season, heat process for up to 10 times. We only need to heat oil (1/3 capacity) on low heat for 5 minutes only. This is because your cookware is pre-seasoned and heat-treated.

In short, the manufacturer puts a layer of cooking oil, and then heats the wok to absorb the oil. That is the reason why we can use the cookware straight away after simply 5-minute oil seasoning.

If we burn the cookware, we scrub it hard. This layer will come off. If this comes off, just season it or keep cooking with oil. The colour and layer will come back again.

Most carbon steel and pure titanium cookware will have a layer of resin or silicone to prevent the product from rusting when new. Just wash it thoroughly before use.

About the Author

Authored by our specialist, Kai, who wrote a few popular articles about carbon steel cookware.

See our carbon steel and pure titanium cookware collection.

 

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Freiz Enzo Carbon Steel Series

Freiz Enzo Carbon Steel Induction Wok - 28cm
This stylish designer carbon steel wok is made in Japan.

Compared to other Japanese brands of woks and frypans, the Enzo wok has a sharp angle and a modern design. There is a hammered style to the wok.

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