5 ms·

Learning to "proof" steel is something worth spending time on. I was taught by a Chinese room-mate at college who showed me how to prepare a wok. - 1. Heat th

Learning to "proof" steel is something worth spending time on. I was taught by a Chinese room-mate at college who showed me how to prepare a wok. - 1. Heat the thing up as HIGH as it will go, till parts of the base glow red if you can. Gas is better than electric heat. - 2. splash a little vegetable oil in and swill it around to cover all the surface. It may ignite, ignore the short lived flames, but brush it around with a paper towel so that the carbonised film covers the surface with a black layer. - 3. Add some fine salt. Use the paper towel to rub it around until a shiny and slightly bluish and rainbow colour carbon later coats the surface. This will be as good as any teflon for a few cookings.

Robotbeat 4y ago
Heating edible oils to very high heats does tend to produce harmful chemicals as well. EDIT: For example: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4029104/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4029104/
- buildbot 4y ago
  Right, but unlike fluorinated compounds those toxins can be broken down by your body and flushed out (I could be wrong?). For example, alcohol is pretty toxic to us.
- lr4444lr 4y ago
  Aren't they polymerized into the metal, though? I don't think they come off that easily, barring steel wool or something extremely abrasive.
  - sa1 4y ago
    I don't think chemicals in Teflon come off any easier, but they still do.
    - nfhshy68 4y ago
      Reckons main issue is that it degassed the chemicals into the air. With most range hoods just recirculating the air you're basically getting a face full of it every time you cook.
      - sa1 4y ago
        Isn't it the same issue with oils and high heat during cooking and seasoning?
    - lr4444lr 4y ago
      Doesn't Teflon degrade due to the high Temps? I really don't know that much about it, but it's just the opposite with cast iron seasoning: heat hardens.
      - sa1 4y ago
        We were talking about scrubbing. For heating, lots of carcinogenic compounds are released during the process of seasoning, and I don't see why the same wouldn't continue to happen at high heats afterwards(happy to be corrected). Hardening and releasing dangerous compounds aren't mutually exclusive.
fencepost 4y ago
I believe the seasoning instructions for Matfer carbon steel pans involve cooking a mixture of potato peels and salt with a bit of oil until crispy (while moving constantly), which seems to do a pretty nice job of starting the seasoning on those.

Robotbeat 4y ago

Heating edible oils to very high heats does tend to produce harmful chemicals as well. EDIT: For example: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4029104/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4029104/

buildbot 4y ago
Right, but unlike fluorinated compounds those toxins can be broken down by your body and flushed out (I could be wrong?). For example, alcohol is pretty toxic to us.
lr4444lr 4y ago
Aren't they polymerized into the metal, though? I don't think they come off that easily, barring steel wool or something extremely abrasive.
- sa1 4y ago
  I don't think chemicals in Teflon come off any easier, but they still do.
  - nfhshy68 4y ago
    Reckons main issue is that it degassed the chemicals into the air. With most range hoods just recirculating the air you're basically getting a face full of it every time you cook.
    - sa1 4y ago
      Isn't it the same issue with oils and high heat during cooking and seasoning?
  - lr4444lr 4y ago
    Doesn't Teflon degrade due to the high Temps? I really don't know that much about it, but it's just the opposite with cast iron seasoning: heat hardens.
    - sa1 4y ago
      We were talking about scrubbing. For heating, lots of carcinogenic compounds are released during the process of seasoning, and I don't see why the same wouldn't continue to happen at high heats afterwards(happy to be corrected). Hardening and releasing dangerous compounds aren't mutually exclusive.

fencepost 4y ago

I believe the seasoning instructions for Matfer carbon steel pans involve cooking a mixture of potato peels and salt with a bit of oil until crispy (while moving constantly), which seems to do a pretty nice job of starting the seasoning on those.