Are Carbon Steel Pans Really The Best? | Gear Heads

NOTE: Like you, we are dismayed to hear that Matfer Bourgeat carbon-steel cookware has been recalled in France. We are in the process of collecting information from Matfer, the FDA and US Consumer Product Safety Commission, and heavy metals experts. Matfer Bourgeat insists that the recall was issued in error. While we agree that the explanations that they have provided so far have not been satisfactory, we would also like to see whether they do resolve the issue with the regulatory body that issued the recall. Perhaps there is a more reasonable explanation for the testing results. In the meantime, we will be conducting tests on both old and new Matfer Bourgeat cookware to assess toxicity. Although we won't be able to get answers overnight, rest assured that we are committed to getting to the bottom of this issue.

What if one pan could do everything the best traditional stainless-steel, cast-iron, and nonstick pans can do—and, in some cases, even do it a little better? Hannah and Lisa test carbon-steel skillets to find the very best.

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[cbfire]

Me who already has three pieces of carbon steel cookware and is fully converted:
“Ah yes, I must learn about why carbon steel is the best again”

[karlhouseknecht]

A good vet could bring that burger back to life

[junekwon]

I use all cookware - carbon steel, cast iron, stainless steel, and nonstick. They are different and have their uses. For cooking firm fish or steak, I use either carbon steel or cast iron. If I need to brown meat and make a sauce out of it with lemon or vinegar, I use stainless steel. For something starchy and to burn easily, I use nonstick. I need them all!

[Philobiblion]

I switched from cast iron (except for a few things like cornbread) to carbon steel about five years ago. I have Matfer Bourgeat, Mauviel 1830, Rösle forged and De Buyer. They're all similar performance-wise, but I like the De Buyer best. I originally went through some kind of elaborate ritual seasoning but found that thorough cleaning, followed by heating the pan to smoke point with a very thin coating of oil (put in some oil, then wipe it with a paper towel until there is just the thinnest possible coat) works fine for initial seasoning. Detergent never touches the pans and I never scour them. If, through inattention, I do get something stuck on the pan, I soak it until whatever is on there releases. You can heat the pan with water in it to speed the process. You an also sprinkle some salt in the pan and scour it with a paper towel, using the salt as an abrasive. Every once in a while I take a paper towel and wipe a bit of oil around the pan- not enough to really be noticeable.

[purleybaker]

I have been using a carbon steel pan for years that looks like your choice. I seasoned it and have maintained it since exactly the way you suggest here, using minimal oil to season and re-season and hot water and occasionally some mild detergent to clean. The pan works so well that it has a full time spot on the cook top.

[Iknowonlywhatimtaught]

I have been cooking for 60 years. The only pans i use are cast iron, enamal cast iron and cold handle pans. I have a 75 year old gas bakers oven that was given to me when my grand mother passed away in 1963. I have had to have the burner insides replaced one time. Now i clean the burner ever few months. It still like new. Take care of you kitch tools and there will always be happiness in your home.😊

[CraigHollabaugh]

I've had 3 Misen pans for a couple years and love them. Great point on the internal rivots and handle angle. Had I known, I would have found one without the internal rivots. Thanks for the video.

[sntxrrr]

I would recommend seasoning a carbon steel pan in the oven for the first time. That way you get a nice protective layer on the entire pan, the sides and the bottom on the inside and outside. Just rub a good oil all over the pan and then use a clean paper towel to rub it clean again. It will still leave a very thin and even layer of oil. Put it in the oven and set it for about an hour at about 10 degrees above the smoke point of the oil. Let the pan both warm up and cool down with the oven, take it out when it is room temperature again. You can do this as many times as you like.

[XayideMLP]

I have two small 8 inch carbon steel crepe pans. I love them! My hubby and I each man a pan on separate burners and make a quick batch of crepes side by side. They're a gorgeous dark smooth surface.

[drd]

I’m a fan of the potato, oil and salt seasoning. I used it on my De Buyer Mineral B skillet and it seasoned the pan tremendously.

[Jabrwock]

I would love to see a comparison of CS between different stovetop types. Gas, electric, electric "rapid boil" (where it goes super high temp by cycles on and off), and induction.

[jtbird]

Thanks for a great video even for those of us already married to a carbon steel pan-- the clarity of instruction and honest personal experience is very supportive. I will likely revisit this video for reminders. I do not cook for a crowd so I use the 10 inch Matfer and can handle it just a little bit better than the full size. I do have to keep this in mind when using an ATK recipe, since they are always prepared in the bigger one. And I must say that my pan looks blotched and occasionally black but -- as long as it performs well -- I maintain it as shown in the video and we live happily ever after, blotches and all.

[semillerimages]

I bought a Matfer Bourgeat pan from your recommendation years ago and I LOVE mine!!! I love it so much I bought two more for friends and they loved them too! Price has definitely gone up in the last few years though - I think I paid about $35 for mine!

[ranger]

I've got several of them. Boy are they great for cooking a rib eye. They just get better and better the more I use them. These are heirloom cooking pans!

[poppacapnurass]

I'm getting one :)
Thanks for the vid.
I used to cook professionally many decades ago and now realize, they were not aluminum pans, but cast iron and were great on high heat grills for all sorts of things and we love our CS wok at home!

[randmayfield]

Just bought two Matfer Bourgeat and love them both. They were harder to season than I thought they would be but once seasoned they get the job done. My seasoning criteria is if I can super-easy an egg then without sticking then all is good. I was amazed and a bit surprised at how heavy they are but that's what makes them so thermally efficient. Having the slightly shorter welded handles makes for easier cleaning and oven work.

[MitchDussault]

I got the lodge carbon steel. Half the price and I love it for everything that a cast iron does (minus dutch oven stuff) and it's much lighter. The lodges handle is angled only slightly and the actual cooking surface is pretty large compared to the low, sloping walls. The only thing I don't care for are the interior rivets.

[blandrooker]

Yep. loved using them as a professional, but used primarily for saute and oven finishing meats, fish and poultry. Workhorse of the kitchen. Never needed fancy expensive ones, inexpensive ones from the restaurant supply works just as good with zero pretension.

[dbkfrogkaty]

I'm in full agreement with your choice of the Matfer-Bougeat skillet. I have two of them and they are excellent. However I also have three de Buyer carbon steel pans. Their omelette pan and and two crepe pans. The omelette pan is superb for making French omelettes, rolling it easily onto the plate. The crepe pans are 9 1/2" and 12". There use depends on the size of the crepe or number of pancakes. One other carbon steel brand I have is from a new company. Cast-A-Way Carbon. I have their 10" skillet. It is shaped like a cast iron pan is is made from a single piece of carbon steel. It even has pour spouts! It comes pre-seasoned so just wash and cook with it. Great pan.

[JoeStuffzAlt]

I love 10" pans the most because it's easy to have two of them on a burner, but for me, a small pan is always handy. You definitely should have a 12" in the pantry. 8" pans are nice, and it's almost a sign to me when someone owns a few small pans that they might be next-level, especially if it's an expensive pan like an All Clad.

I have cast iron pan, a Stargazer. I'm in the process of reseasoning it. I bake it in the oven with peanut oil for 1.5 hours twice. That brings it back to that brown color it came with. After that, mostly use more oil in the pan before cooking, and oil it after clean-up. It's a little hard for that pan to take seasoning, and it's easy to lose the seasoning, but that old version of the Stargazer pans is one of the smoothest cast iron pans ever made. It absolutely destroys the antique pan I bought a while ago... mostly because the antique pan has a dent. I didn't know that you had to do all sorts of checks on antique pans to make sure they are good.

I have a carbon steel double burner gridle, and it's handy. I can make a batch of pancakes really fast with it, and it stays on the stove. I eventually want the one that I can put a pan on top of the gridle, but those are expensive. After cooking, and I splash a little water on it to create steam, and that releases almost all burnt-on food. It's actually recommended by the manufacturer, so you might not be able to do this on a carbon steel skillet. Before and after cooking, I do a light layer of oil

Stainless steel is my favorite for acidic foods and when I want to deglaze. You can oil a stainless steel pan to be nonstick, but it's very easy to have oil scorch in it. The advantage I found with cast iron is that oil residue is wanted.