The Best Carbon Steel Skillets for Most Home Cooks
updated Jul 19, 2021
Despite being hugely popular among professional chefs and European home cooks, carbon steel skillets have yet to take off in America. But we honestly feel like they should. What exactly is carbon steel? It’s an alloy made of mostly iron and less than two percent carbon. (That’s slightly less than cast iron.) It was developed alongside steel, stainless steel, and aluminum in the 18th and 19th centuries. Carbon steel can be rolled, stamped, and forged into shape and is most commonly compared to cast iron. Carbon steel is less brittle than cast iron; it’s also lighter, has a smoother surface, and is quicker to heat.
Related : What’s the Difference Between Cast Iron and Carbon Steel?
Carbon steel is commonly used for woks ( our favorite wok is a carbon steel one) and we’re now seeing it used more and more in knives . A good carbon steel skillet, though, can be used for baking, broiling, searing, sautéing, stir-frying, frying, campfire cooking — basically everything (except cooking dishes with acidic ingredients, as that can strip some of the seasoning).
Related : The Best Way to Season a Carbon Steel Skillet Is … with Potato Skins
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of carbon steel skillets. Then, we’ll look at five of the best carbon steel skillets out there and see what the pros (and satisfied shoppers!) have to say about each one.
Pros of Carbon Steel Skillets
- Carbon steel is known for being incredibly durable.
- Carbon steel skillets heat up more quickly than cast iron skillets and sear just as well.
- Most carbon steel pans are relatively inexpensive, although you can certainly find expensive options out there.
- When properly seasoned, a carbon steel skillet is nonstick.
- Carbon steel is lightweight; a carbon steel skillet will be nearly half as light as, say, a cast iron skillet that’s the same size.
- Carbon steel can be used on induction cooktops.
- After a cooking session, it’s easy to clean with hot water and a scrub brush.
Cons of Carbon Steel Skillets
- Although it’s quick to heat up, carbon steel doesn’t hold heat as well as cast iron.
- Like with cast iron, carbon steel cookware will rust if it’s not properly seasoned.
- While there are lots of pre-seasoned cast iron skillets on the market, carbon steel skillets don’t come pre-seasoned. Instead, they usually come with a layer of wax (or oil) to prevent them from rusting. Before you can use the pan, you have to scrub off the protective coating and season it yourself.
1. Matfer Bourgeat Black Steel Round Frying Pan
The Best 12-Inch Carbon Steel Skillet, According to Cook’s Illustrated
The folks at Cook’s Illustrated made eggs, steaks, and tarte Tatins in eight different carbon steel skillets during a recent update to their guide. Ultimately, they decided to stand by their original favorite . Testers noted the pan’s thick, solid construction, the fact that there are no handle rivets (which can often trap food), the ergonomically angled handle, and the way the sides flared out to allow for easy access while still containing splashes. They also loved the price, how easy it was to season and clean, and the pan’s maneuverability.
Buy Now2. de Buyer Mineral B 10.2-Inch Frying Pan
The Best Carbon Steel Skillet, According to Serious Eats
Our friends over at Serious Eats don’t have an official list of the best carbon steel skillets (although they do have a great explainer ), but they did include this option in a gift guide for beginner cooks . If you’re not familiar, de Buyer is a French brand that’s extremely well-regarded and known especially for its carbon steel pieces .
3. Blanc Creatives 9-Inch Carbon Steel Skillet, $200
The Best Carbon Steel Skillet, According to Andrew Zimmern and Sam Sifton
Andrew Zimmern and Sam Sifton of the New York Times have gone on record to profess their love for this hand-forged pan . Note: This product is currently available for pre-order. Blanc Creatives has lots of other carbon steel cookware available, too, a lot of which is also available for pre-order!
4. Lodge 12-Inch Carbon Steel Skillet
A Bestselling Carbon Steel Skillet on Amazon
One of the bestselling carbon steel skillets on Amazon, right now, comes from Lodge (the other is the Matfer Bourgeat one we mentioned above), the company that makes arguably the best cast iron skillets. It has over 4,000 five-star reviews and satisfied shoppers point out the unbeatable price, how well it heats up and sears, and the fact that it comes pre-seasoned (which, again, is rare for a carbon steel skillet).
5. Made In 10-Inch Blue Carbon Steel Frying Pan
The Best Carbon Steel Skillet, According to Kitchn
A lot of Kitchn editors love this skillet from direct-to-consumer company Made In . It doesn’t come pre-seasoned like the Lodge pan, but it does come with the brand’s proprietary pan wax . Simply take the pan out of the box, wash it, roast it with the wax for an hour, let it cool completely, and the pan will be ready to go. (Use the rest of the wax for regular upkeep!) We love the shape of the pan (the high sides help contain messes during stovetop frying sessions and make it easy to flip veggies), how it gets more and more nonstick the more you use it, and that it browns food faster than cast iron can. Honestly, we were shocked by the price, too. While it’s not the cheapest carbon steel skillet out there, it’s incredibly high-quality from a top new cookware brand , which gets the thumbs up from loads of celebrity and top chefs.
Do you have a carbon steel skillet you love? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Lisa Freedman
Lifestyle Director
Lisa Freedman is the Lifestyle Director at The Kitchn. She has never met a cheese or a washi tape she didn't like. She lives in New York state with her husband and their pup, Millie.
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