Removing the coating from a Matfer Bourgeat carbon steel pan

Matfer Bourgeat pans are brilliant but they leave the factory with a waxy or plastic coating on them to prevent corrosion. This is all well and good but this is a bit of a chore to remove. I have done this previously with hot soapy water and a metal scrubber and it took forever. This time, I decided to try pre-soaking for an hour in caustic soda (lye for the Americans) and it really did a good job to soften the coating and made removal much easier.
If you found this useful, I would appreciate it if you could hit that like button and please leave a comment. Thank you.
If you are interested in the pans, have a look on eBay for Turk frying pans, they are the German manufacturer of Matfer pans and they are pretty inexpensive - this is where I bought my latest ones from www.ebay.co.uk...
If you want the best reference KZbin channel for carbon steel pans, check out Uncle Scott's Kitchen / @unclescottskitchen

[@johnweimer3249]

“It does seem a bit unreasonable to put this level of protection on a pan”. Lol Truer words never spoken about the layer on this pan. I wish you showed a couple very close-ups of before and after.

[@GeeWhizRS]

You’ll just have to trust me. It’s like trying to shift varnish!

[@JW-dc8hk]

Great video man. Good insights. Glad I’m not alone in thinking that the manufactures put way too much seal on the pan. People won’t understand how stubborn it can be unless they buy a carbon steel pan as opposed to cast iron, much less seal if any of cast iron imo. Cheers 👍💯

[@maggierice5974]

I think I've cracked it ... poured the remaining half cupful of crystals into the half full of water wok, placed it in a washing up bowl rotating it every half hour or so so that the entire inner is exposed to the caustic (2 hours). A few minutes firm scrubbing with hot soapy water and an ever so subtle friction starts to be felt. Have yet to season but confident laquer is dissolved. Thanks Gee Whiz

[@ghidfg]

I burnt off the coating of my carbon steel pan on a gas burner. Its definately not wax, it's some sort of plastic. Pan went from silver to brown to black before going silver and eventually blue.

[@TheMsdos25]

Matfer's website describes it as "vegetable oil based". Still not sure exactly what the composition is.

[@koettfaers]

I just bought a Ken Hom pan and actually had no idea that it had a lacquer on it... I cooked some food in it for lunches at work next week. Is this stuff toxic if you dont remove it? I guess its to prevent oxidation, but Ive read it could be some plastic, and people having hard time getting rid of it. Seems like there is better ways of doing this, and safer. I actually ate one of my lunch boxes today that I made for work. To be safe I might just throw all the food away... Dont know if that pan is safe to Cook with anymore...

[@GeeWhizRS]

There’s no way they’d put anything nasty or toxic as a temporary pan coating. I’d be more concerned if you’d bought a Teflon pan. 😉

[@koettfaers]

@@GeeWhizRS you think my food is safe to eat? I will have to try to get rid of the coating and try seasoning it... I knew seasoning was a thing with cast Iron, but seasoning in Steel pans AND removing a tough as hell coating. I really had no idea.. Ty for fast response

[@GeeWhizRS]

@@koettfaers if the food tastes okay I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s probably just beeswax. 👍

[@foxybuddy]

Now I understand how hard to start up with a carbon steel cookware, cast iron pan might be easier I suppose

[@GeeWhizRS]

I'd go for carbon steel rather than cast iron. I have both and rarely use the cast iron. 👍

[@g.h.7661]

Anything less scary than lye I can use instead? Or is that the only thing that is effective?

[@GeeWhizRS]

That’s all I tried. Lye isn’t that bad so long as you take a few basic precautions. Gloves, glasses/goggles and ventilation. If you’ve ever tried shifting that coating with a metal scrubber alone you will appreciate how effective Lye (caustic soda) is. 👍

[@irenel1119]

Do you have some before and after photos that clearly show what we're looking for? This coating is mad! Seems like it'd be easier for everyone if they actually just seasoned it at the factory.

[@GeeWhizRS]

The coating is not easy to show on video Irene. It's like a hard thin transparent coating with a slight yellow colour to it. When you start removing it the steel beneath will show up brighter and you will notice the coating coming away quite easily. It's really very easy to remove if you pre-soak it this way rather than trying to scrub it with just hot water. Don't let it put you off though, these are awesome pans and you only need to do it once and the pan will last a lifetime if you look after it.

[@irenel1119]

@@GeeWhizRS Thanks so much! I will try your method, it seems to be the only logical approach. Cheers!

[@theneighborguy]

Has anyone tried the Sur LA Table Mauviel seasoning removal by using oven at 300F to melt the wax?

[@comodice905]

Can you leave it on

[@GeeWhizRS]

No. Have a look at this video for what happens if you leave the coating on. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYKZhJ6VibCko6c

[@berniem.6965]

Or you simply follow the instructions of the manufacturer, A. Turk GmbH Germany (Matfer just resells them). Turk states to soak the skillet in hot water and washing powder / detergent (for clothes). I'd recommend to soak the skillet for at least 30 minutes, the coating will then change in color (making it easier to see) and soften up. You can then remove it with steel wool or any other abrasive and some elbow grease.

[@GeeWhizRS]

Yep. I tried that with my first pan and it took ages and was hard work. Doing it with caustic soda (Lye) it’s much easier. Which is why I made the video. You’re welcome.

[@HrWisch]

@@GeeWhizRS Washing detergent (for clothes, not dish soap!) will do pretty much the same to the coating. It softens up and can be scrubbed off like you do with the steel wool in the video. All it takes is at least 30min of soaking. While there is nothing wrong with lye (if you have it available), it costs more and you don't want to get it on your skin or into your eyes. Washing detergent in comparison is cheaper and safe to use.

[@Kemolz1]

You're joking right? I've had my pan for multiple months and am still not successful getting the wax off following instructions. Do you just cook food in the wax because I do not believe you to save a life.

[@HrWisch]

@@Kemolz1 You don't wanna digest that stuff, it's not beeswax. If it's already burnt in, simply use coarse steel wool or a wire brush drill and finish it with >120 grit sand paper to get rid of the plastic. Then reseason.

[@friendofthedevil]

@@Kemolz1 Yeah I've had mine sitting around for years because I could never figure out how to get the wax off! Matfer website says to wash and scrub off, implying its an easy thing. I'm pretty sure I then contacted them and they said to just burn off the coating (its veg oil based) but that hasn't worked either! Maybe it gets harder to remove with time? Anyhow, at least I feel validated by the comments here haha I'll try @HrWisch's advice though...