How to season a Japanese carbon steel wok

How do you season a carbon steel wok for the first time?

Clean any factory coating off the bare pan, heat it until the steel turns blue grey, then wipe on a thin layer of oil and repeat that cycle a few times before the first real cook.

A traditional carbon steel wok ships with a light rust proofing oil, and the usual first step is to scrub that off with hot soapy water so the bare metal shows through. From there the pan goes on high heat with nothing in it until the surface changes colour. While it is still warm, wipe a very thin film of oil over it and let it cool. Wikipedia's entry on seasoning cookware says burning off the coating this way is common for a wok, and that some Chinese cookware is seasoned at about 450 degrees Celsius, a method it calls more akin to bluing because the change happens in the iron itself rather than in the oil. Repeating the heat and thin oil step two or three times builds an even, dark surface before the first real cook.

Our own carbon steel woks arrive further along this road already. The Kakumei Treated-Iron Beijing Wok ($219.00 to $239.00) is hammered carbon steel from the Tsubame-Sanjo region that the listing says needs no factory coating burned off, just a five-minute oil seasoning before its first cook. The Kirameki Pure Iron Double Fiber Line Stir-fry Wok ($169.95 to $299.95) is high-purity iron that arrives pre-seasoned with a nitrogen treatment that resists rust and will not peel, blister or crack. The Yoshikawa Cook-Pal Ren Beijing Wok ($199.95 to $229.95) is steel with a high-temperature oxide layer baked in at the factory, and Yoshikawa's own listing says there is no anti-rust coating to scrub off, only an oil seasoning before first use. If your wok is one of these three, skip the burn-off and bluing steps above and go straight to the oil seasoning the listing describes. If it is a bare, unseasoned carbon steel wok bought elsewhere, the burn-off and bluing steps above are the ones to follow.

How do you look after it day to day?

Wipe a carbon steel pan dry as soon as you have washed it, then warm it briefly on the stove so no water sits on the bare surface.

Store it dry and give it the thinnest film of oil before it goes back in the cupboard, since a wet or bare pan is how rust starts on carbon steel. Heat the empty pan first and add oil once it is hot, rather than pouring oil into a cold pan. The Kirameki Japanese Frying Pan ($59.95 to $79.95) is plain iron, and the listing asks for a gentle wash with a soft sponge and mild detergent rather than a hard scrub. The Yoshikawa Cook-Pal Flat Frying Pan and Cook-Pal Deep Frying Pan (both $170.00 to $200.00) share the Cook-Pal Ren routine: wash with warm water and a scrub sponge, wipe dry and store dry; keep them out of the dishwasher.

Which kind of pan is it?

Start with the material rather than the word pan. The Yoshikawa Cook-Pal Ren Beijing Wok, Cook-Pal Flat Frying Pan and Cook-Pal Deep Frying Pan are treated iron products in our range. Yoshikawa's own Cook-Pal Ren page says its high-temperature treatment forms an oxide layer in the iron and that the surface has no transparent anti-rust coating. That is why the usual burn-off routine for a newly coated iron pan does not belong here.

Nakao's hammered aluminium frying pan is a different object again. Nakao's own use guide says aluminium darkens when it meets water and air, and that the darkening is harmless. Our range also contains anodised aluminium, stainless steel, cast iron and other cookware, so do not carry one pan's routine across the whole shelf. If the maker's instructions are not available for a particular model, stop at the care information supplied with that model.

What do you do before first use?

For Cook-Pal Ren, do not burn off a coating. Yoshikawa says there is no transparent anti-rust coating to remove and that the pan can be used without that burn-off. The maker describes oil entering the pores of the treated oxide layer as the cooking surface develops, so start with cooking oil rather than a high-heat coating-burning session.

For a bare Nakao aluminium pan, use Nakao's preparation instead. Put rice-rinse water, preferably concentrated, and plenty of vegetable leaves into the pan with water, then bring it to one boil. Nakao says this preparation helps prevent the aluminium from turning dark. It is a separate routine from Cook-Pal Ren's treated iron.

How do you heat it and add oil?

Cook-Pal Ren is designed to use the properties of iron at high heat. Yoshikawa says the oxide layer has many small pores and that oil enters them, which makes food less likely to stick. Keep oil part of the cooking routine rather than something you try to burn into a coating before the first cook. Yoshikawa also says the treated surface does not peel like a resin coating when a metal spatula or brush is used.

Nakao's bare aluminium needs its own temperature and utensil judgement. Nakao's care guide explains the material's cleaning and storage rules, and the maker's frying-pan page lists its hammered aluminium series under its gas-only models, so treat the hammered pan as a gas pan.

How do you wash, dry and store it?

After cooking with Cook-Pal Ren, Yoshikawa says to use hot water to wash away dirt and then wipe the water drops off with a dry cloth. Dry it fully before storage. This treated iron is more rust resistant than ordinary iron, but Yoshikawa still tells you to wipe the water off after use.

For bare Nakao aluminium, wash with detergent, dry it thoroughly and store it dry. Nakao also says aluminium is weak against acidic and alkaline substances, so avoid those substances when you clean or cook with it. This means no soda ash or other alkaline cleaner on the hammered aluminium pan. Do not leave food in the pan for more than one day, since Nakao says that can cause corrosion.

Our own listings for the three Cook-Pal Ren pans say not to put them in the dishwasher, so hand wash them; neither maker page gives a dishwasher rule for the hammered aluminium pan, so follow the card supplied with that model. Use the maker's published instructions for your exact model rather than guessing from the material name.

What do rust and darkening mean?

A Cook-Pal Ren surface has no transparent coating to strip. Yoshikawa describes a high-temperature oxide layer that is formed in and on the iron, with oil entering its pores and the body being less prone to rust. If water remains after washing, follow the maker's instruction and wipe the pan dry.

Darkening on bare Nakao aluminium is different from rust. Nakao says water and air can make aluminium turn blackish, that this is harmless, and that the darkened layer is the material's protective response. For heavy darkening or dirt, Nakao says to use a small amount of abrasive cleanser with a little water and work it with the hard side of a nylon sponge or a steel scrubber. Use as fine a scrubber as possible to limit scratches. Once the darkening is removed, repeat the rice-rinse-water and vegetable-leaf preparation before cooking again.

If a pan is cast iron or another material in our range, keep its care separate from these two routines. The neighbouring cast iron teaware care guide covers its own category and is not repeated here.

How does this connect to the rest of the kitchen?

The woks and frying pans shelf groups the cookware by use, while the Yoshikawa shelf gathers that maker's range. For the other prep tools that share the bench, see our Japanese kitchen tools guide. If your piece is cast iron teaware rather than a cooking pan, use the cast iron teaware care guide instead.

Quick answers

These are the questions people ask us most often about looking after Japanese pans, answered briefly.

Do I burn off a Yoshikawa Cook-Pal Ren pan before using it? No. Yoshikawa says Cook-Pal Ren has no transparent anti-rust coating to remove, so the usual coating burn-off does not apply.

How do I prepare a bare Nakao aluminium pan? Boil rice-rinse water with plenty of vegetable leaves in the pan once before first use. Nakao says this helps prevent the aluminium from turning dark.

Why has my Nakao aluminium pan darkened? Water and air can make aluminium turn blackish. Nakao says the change is harmless and comes from a protective layer; heavy darkening can be polished back, followed by the first-use preparation again.

How do I wash and dry a Cook-Pal Ren pan? Wash dirt away with hot water, wipe off the water drops with a dry cloth and store it dry, following Yoshikawa's own care direction.

Can I use this routine for every Japanese pan? No. Cook-Pal Ren treated iron and Nakao bare aluminium have different instructions, and cast iron or another model needs its own maker guidance.

Can you confirm gas or induction compatibility for these pans? The Cook-Pal Ren pans are listed for gas, electric and induction on our own product pages. Nakao lists its hammered aluminium frying pans as gas only, so keep the hammered pan off induction.

How do you season a carbon steel wok for the first time? Clean any factory coating off the bare pan, heat it until the steel turns blue grey, then wipe on a thin layer of oil and repeat that cycle a few times before the first real cook.

Do our own carbon steel woks need the burn-off and bluing steps? No. The Kakumei Treated-Iron Beijing Wok and the Yoshikawa Cook-Pal Ren Beijing Wok both carry a factory heat treatment already, so the listing asks for an oil seasoning rather than a burn-off. The Kirameki wok arrives pre-seasoned with a nitrogen treatment for the same reason.