HOW TO: Season your Black Carbon Steel Pan with Chef Naomi Pomeroy

Remembering Chef Namoi Pomeroy:

Chef Naomi's uncompromising technique, vision, and incredible generosity in good times and bad made her an inspiration to the American restaurant industry, and us here at Matfer Bourgeat USA. We are heartbroken at the news of her passing at the age of 49.

Chef Naomi Pomeroy, of Ripe Cooperative in Portland, Oregon, is a big fan of cooking in black steel.
Here, she'll show you how to get your first coat of seasoning on your Matfer pan, with some pro tips for keeping it slick and nonstick for years to come.

00:00 Meet Chef Naomi
00:35 Seasoning with Potato Skins
01:04 Your First Few Uses
01:25 Maintenance Tips and Tricks
01:47 "It's All About Perseverance"

[adamhutton]

R.I.P Naomi. You were one of a kind and will be sorely missed in our community.

[tejaberberich]

MORELS!!! Can't wait to cook some morels in my pan. :-)

[TheRockMorton]

My new 12-5/8 Matfer pan is awesome. No warp. Reading the comments gave me the good idea to review the Matfer pan FAQ. Going to try Libman 100% copper scrubber to remove the coating. Will bon appetit after the scrub and seasoning!

[HKnSLK]

Seasoning in the oven works well too! Give it a head start with two rounds .. oven at like 350F to heat the pan, rub a thin layer of seed oil all over, let it heat fully, then wipe it all off [with a paper towel], bake at 450 for an hour, and give it an hour to cool. After the second round, frying hamburgers seems to really darken the pan as well, and to clean off stuck on bits, carefully deglaze it (not at full temp) with close to boiling water, dump the water, and light scrub with oil & salt. Wipe the salt away and you're left with a thin protective coat of oil.

[roberttaylor]

okay, I do not know what vegetable based coating you guys put on it but it's not just a quick easy scrub with dawn. I understand some people get those type of pans but a lot of us get a thick resiny coating that is tenuous. Scrubbing did nothing, boiling water in the pan did nothing. It took oven cleaner soaking the pan for an hour for it to fully come off. It seems like 30% of people who buy the pans get this type of gel'd on coating. Now I'm not really complaining but I do think it important if someone is looking for resources about this they see this comment.

[hooksrub]

Is using a cast iron chain mail scrubber advisable to clean/scrub after its been seasoned???

[blaqfish]

Can this be done on a electric stove top? This is the stove that came with my apartment and every video I watch all have gas or induction. I saved up for this pan and I have not done a first seasoning because everyone content is not using a old stove like I have. The inside is storage that's why I haven't tried the oven method. Thank you for sharing information on this

[Alien]

wow, I was surprised to see the black pan with what looks like a caking on of something and an uneven surface. Is it supposed to really look like that? Thank you

[davidh.]

Hi Naomi-Very helpful on the seasoning process. Thank you. But nothing said about how to clean and maintain it after each time the pan is used. I have read some suggesting rinsing (no soap) and completely wiping out the pan, then heating it enough to make sure all of the moisture has evaporated, and then applying a very light protective coating of oil before putting the pan away. What do you think of that approach?

I have also read that every couple of weeks or so, after use and cleaning, it is good to apply a light layer of oil, then heat to smoking point and let it smoke for a minute or two, as a "maintenance seasoning." Not sure if after doing that it is necessary to apply another light protective layer of oil before putting the pan away?

Finally, any suggestions on the outside of the pan and the handle?

Would appreciate your thoughts on these pan maintenance suggestions? Would also appreciate any comments from other YouTubers about their experiences.

[genevieveboucher]

why is my new pan flat when cool and feels warped when hot?... i heated it very slowly when seasoning

[gerardvincent]

what ingredients do you avoid cooking in your carbon steel pan?

[costantineyoussif]

Do handles get hot ? I have a gas stove

[pauldarling]

yeah, gotta add on I don't see why you guys don't just use beeswax. I have another matfer pan coming and I am dreading stripping it down. Otherwise they are my favorite carbon steel pans.

[bobandmarywilliams]

I, like Robert, have a pan with a substantial protective coating. I followed the instructions with the use of hot water, mild detergent and bristle brush to remove it without success. What is the next step the company recommends to remove this coating. I did not see a clear answer to Robert Taylor's question.

[adamhutton]

The coating is like a layer of plastic and takes a MINIMUM of 15 minutes of hard scrubbing and could take 1/2 an hour. One guy uses LYE to remove it. In this lady's video above, the coating is still in place when she is trying to season. She is actually cooking on the plastic coating. How do I know? I own eight Matfer pans of all sizes so actually have more experience with them than she does. If you get this pan (and I strongly recommend you do) prepare to be in for a difficult slog in removing the coating. It's no joke.

[megasav]

Today I received a 11 inch Matfer carbon steel pan. Took it out of the box and thought what a nice pan. I set the pan on my granite counter top and barely touched the handle and it spun around three whole revolutions. It’s a spinner, warped. Contacted Amazon, sending it back. I took out my 12 inch Matfer, which has a lot of use, put in on counter top, touched the handle and it didn’t spin but very little not even a full revolution. I did some research and found that a lot of Matfers do arrive to the customers warped. Very disappointed.

[eda]

I dont understhand the whole potato skin thing. Seems like an old wives tale thing. I just coated the thing with a very thin layer of veg. Oil and put it in a 500 degree oven for 30mins. Then did that 2 more times and started cooki g with it.

[randmayfield]

Non cooks have a hard time understanding the love relationship between a well seasoned carbon steel pan and the person that cooks with it.

Edit: Asian

[baturro]

I'm a bit frustrated about the advice I hear about using soap to clean CS pans. Half say don't, other say do.

[kimberly]

How in the world would that pan ever last at a restaurant with not being stolen? I would sleep with it beneath my pillow