Carbon steel pans are a kitchen workhorse, perfect for frying and more. Here’s a list of my top recommendations and everything you need to know before buying one!
I love cooking with carbon steel pans. They strike a good balance between cast iron and stainless steel, being lighter, nonstick, and offering excellent heat retention. While the best carbon steel pans often require seasoning and careful maintenance, I believe it’s a small price to pay for their incredible performance!
With dozens of models from countless manufacturers, finding the best carbon steel pans for your kitchen can be challenging. To create my list, I started with my own experience and included my own top pick from De Buyer. From there, I scoured the internet for the highest-rated carbon steel pans based on reviews from both regular consumers and food professionals.
Ahead, you can check out my recommendations for the best carbon steel pans up for grabs right now!
My Top Picks:
- What’s in My Kitchen: De Buyer MINERAL B Carbon Steel 10.25” Fry Pan – $90 at Amazon
- Best Professional Carbon Steel Pan: Vollrath Carbon Steel 12 1/2″ Fry Pan – $49.66 at Amazon
- Best Black Carbon Steel Pan: Matfer Bourgeat Black Steel Round 11 7/8″ Frying Pan – $84.70 at Walmart
- Best Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Pan: Made In Blue Carbon 12” Steel Frying Pan – $129 at Amazon
Reviews of The Best Carbon Steel Pans
1. What’s in My Kitchen: De Buyer MINERAL B Carbon Steel 10.25” Fry Pan
If you’re invited to my home for a meal, this is the pan you’ll likely see me using. It’s the right size for many of the dishes I make, with enough capacity to cook for all but very large dinner parties. It heats up quickly, distributes heat evenly, and then retains that heat for a solid period of time.
While it comes unseasoned, it’s straightforward to complete the seasoning process as long as you follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Once seasoned, it holds up well and improves over time, provided you avoid cooking acidic sauces (like tomatoes or citrus) for extended periods and don’t wash the pan with harsh soaps.
Overall, this De Buyer pan is highly recommended—its carbon steel construction is thick enough to distribute heat without making the pan too heavy to cook with. Please note, however, that if you’re cooking with this pan for an extended period, the handle can get a bit hot. I often use a silicone handle sleeve like this one to prevent burns.
The Specs:
- Diameter: 10.25”
- Oven-Safe?: Up to 400°F for 10 minutes
- Weight: 4.5lbs
What I Like:
- Conducts and retains heat well
- Simple to season
- Durable
- Good size
What I Don’t Like:
- Relatively expensive
- Fairly heavy
What Others Are Saying:
This pan has a 4.5-star rating from more than 14,120 Amazon shoppers. America’s Test Kitchen also included it in their roundup of the best carbon steel pans.
Buy the de Buyer MINERAL B Carbon Steel 10.25” Fry Pan:
2. Best Professional Carbon Steel Pan: Vollrath Carbon Steel 12 1/2″ Fry Pan
In a restaurant kitchen, efficiency is key. It’s easy to see why many professional cooks favor this pan from the commercial kitchen tool manufacturer Vollrath. Its thin carbon steel heats up quickly while still distributing heat evenly, allowing sizzling steaks to finish cooking in mere minutes.
At just over 3 pounds, it’s relatively lightweight, making it easier to cook with for extended periods. That said, this pan can quickly burn food if not handled with skill, so it might not be the best choice for newcomers to carbon steel pans. However, if you have experience with carbon steel and value cooking speed and low weight, this could be the pan for you.
The Specs:
- Diameter: 12.5”
- Oven-Safe?: Yes
- Weight: 3.2lbs
What I Like:
- Affordable
- Transfers heat and cooks food rapidly
- Lightweight
What I Don’t Like:
- Some reviewers noted hot spots
- It can burn foods quickly if not used carefully
- Can warp with extensive use
What Others Are Saying:
Serious Eats and America’s Test Kitchen both included it in their lists of the best carbon steel pans.
Buy the Vollrath Carbon Steel 12 ½” Fry Pan:
3. Best Black Carbon Steel Pan: Matfer Bourgeat Black Steel 11 ⅞” Round Frying Pan
In the world of carbon steel, you may have seen pans marketed as ‘black steel’ or ‘black carbon.’ There is no universally agreed-upon meaning for these terms, but they typically refer to the black coating that develops on a well-seasoned pan as oils and other compounds polymerize under high heat in the presence of oxygen. This creates a natural non-stick layer over the original gray steel of the pan.
In any case, they’ve really hit it out of the park with this line of ‘black carbon’-branded pans, like this frying pan. It’s made from sturdy, thick carbon steel that distributes and maintains even heat and features an ergonomic handle and sloped sides. Better yet, a recent redesign has added a slightly concave bottom, which should help counter any warping at high temperatures.
The Specs:
- Diameter: 11⅞”
- Oven-Safe?: Yes
- Weight: 4lbs
What I Like:
- Distributes heat evenly and holds heat
- Ergonomic handle
- Sloped sides make it easy to access food as it cooks
- Concave bottom to help prevent warping with high heat
What I Don’t Like:
- Other options may be a bit sturdier
- Requires salt and potato peels to season
What Others Are Saying:
Amazon buyers gave it 4.4 out of 5 stars with more than 7,640 reviews. America’s Test Kitchen also featured it in their roundup of the best carbon steel pans.
Buy the Matfer Bourgeat Black Steel 11 ⅞” Round Frying Pan:
4. Best Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Pan: Made In Blue Carbon Steel 12” Frying Pan
While one of the most attractive aspects of a good carbon steel pan is its natural nonstick properties, most still require seasoning. If you’re intimidated by that process, this pre-seasoned pan from Made In may be a good choice. The fundamentals of this pan are strong: it distributes heat quickly due to its thin (2mm) bottom, has high sides, and comes ready to use right out of the box.
The Specs:
- Diameter: 12”
- Oven-Safe?: Yes, up to 1200°F
- Weight: 4.31lbs
What I Like:
- Comes pre-seasoned
- Heats quickly due to fairly thin bottom
- High sides means it can hold and cook a lot of food
What I Don’t Like:
- Thin steel bottom doesn’t distribute heat as evenly as other top picks
What Others Are Saying:
It currently has a 4-star rating on Amazon from more than 860 buyers.
Buy the Made In Blue Carbon Steel 12” Frying Pan:
Other Carbon Steel Pans to Consider
Lodge CRS10 Carbon Steel Skillet, Pre-Seasoned, 10-inch
Lodge is without a doubt one of the most respected names when it comes to cast iron pans but it seems like they haven’t quite cracked carbon steel pans just yet. Amazon users like this affordable pan well enough, giving it a 4.3-star rating, but Serious Eats noted that, despite it supposedly being pre-seasoned, food still sticks to this pan out of the box. America’s Test Kitchen even found that it was one of the few pans they tested that actually became less seasoned through the course of their testing. The Lodge CRS10 Carbon Steel Skillet is available at Amazon for $39.90.
Tramontina 10-inch Carbon Steel Fry Pan
At first glance, this carbon steel skillet from Brazilian company Tamontina is a pretty good bargain. However, with minimal Amazon reviews, it’s hard to put too much weight on its rating. When Serious Eats reviewed the pan, they found it had awkwardly shaped sides that were difficult to get a spatula into, causing them to tear a crepe during testing. The Tramontina 10 in Carbon Steel Fry Pan is available at Amazon for $26.95.
BK Pre-Seasoned Black Steel Carbon 10″ Frying Pan Skillet
This 10-inch frying pan is decently durable, and the seasoning from the factory is effective. However, the steel may be a bit too thin, ultimately cooking foods too fast or even burning them. The BK Black Steel Carbon Steel Frying Pan Skillet is available at $41.99 at Amazon.
KitchenAid Nitro Carbon Steel 10-Inch Skillet
As a major name in higher-end consumer kitchen tools, I wanted to see what KitchenAid has to offer when it comes to carbon steel. This pan seems to distribute heat evenly thanks to the design, but it is heavier. It seems like a decent pan, but I would recommend others over this one, especially because of the higher price tag. The KitchenAid Nitro Carbon Steel 10-Inch Skillet is available at $89.99 at Amazon.
Why You Can Trust Me
After learning about the negative effects of using non-stick pans, I have been cooking many of my dishes primarily with carbon steel pans. This list is based on my own experiences as a home cook and Japanese food educator, as well as considerations from my interactions with my international and diverse group of readers.
Everything to Know Before Buying a Carbon Steel Pan
What to Consider Before Buying a Carbon Steel Pan
There are a few things to consider before buying a carbon steel pan:
Characteristics: Think about what you value most in a pan, whether it’s a nonstick surface, quick and even heat distribution, weight, or a combination of these factors.
Size: For a moderately sized family of four, like mine, a pan with a diameter of about 10 inches is usually sufficient for daily use. If you often cook for larger groups, you might want to consider pans that are 12 inches or more in diameter.
Seasoning: Many of the best carbon steel pans require regular seasoning, but some options come pre-seasoned (including this pick from Made In). If you prefer to avoid the maintenance of seasoning a pan yourself, you may want to choose one that arrives already seasoned.
How Do You Season a Carbon Steel Pan?
One important note about carbon steel pans is that most do not come from the factory with a pre-applied seasoned coating. Don’t worry, though—it’s easy to apply a natural protective and non-stick coating to your new carbon steel pan. Here’s how to do it:
- Remove any protective coating that it is shipped with (most often beeswax or high-viscosity vegetable oil) with a sponge and hot water.
- Dry the pan thoroughly with a towel, then apply a thin layer (about 1mm) of a high smoke point vegetable oil (canola or sunflower) to the bottom of the pan.
- Heat the pan over high heat on your stovetop until the oil starts smoking, which should take between 5 and 8 minutes.
- Let the pan and oil cool, then pour off and discard the cooled oil.
- Wipe the cool pan down with a paper towel.
You now have a natural coating for your carbon steel pan, which will help protect it from rust and prevent food from sticking to it!
*Read: How To Season A Carbon Steel Pan: Step By Step Guide
FAQs
Whether carbon steel pans are “better” than stainless steel pans really depends on your preferences and how you intend to use your pans. Stainless steel pans are certainly easier to care for since they rust easily, regardless of how you clean and store them. They also tend to be a bit lighter than carbon steel pans.
Carbon steel pans, while heavier, tend to do a better job at distributing and maintaining heat, and they develop a more effective natural non-stick coating after seasoning. For the kind of high-temperature cooking I often do, I prefer carbon steel pans since they distribute heat better and stick less than their stainless counterparts. However, if you value simple pan care and don’t regularly cook over high heat, a stainless steel pan may better meet your needs.
When you clean your carbon steel pan, assuming that you do not want to have to regularly re-season it, DO NOT use soap. Instead, clean it with only a sponge or towel and warm water. This should remove any remaining food particles from your pan without taking along your hard-earned seasoning layer as well. After washing, wipe down your pan with a thin layer of high smoke point vegetable oil before storing to prevent rust.
es! When properly cared for, carbon steel cookware is completely safe. After all, the cookware itself typically contains just two nontoxic elements—iron (about 99% by weight) and carbon (about 1% by weight).
The Best Skillet Recipes
Once you’ve purchased your very own carbon steel pan, you have an ideal tool for cooking all sorts of dishes. One of my personal favorites is this super comforting and filling izakaya-style steak garlic rice, which benefits in a big way from the excellent heat-conducting properties of carbon steel. But it doesn’t end there! Try out your new pan using any of the following recipes:
- Gyoza (Japanese Potstickers)
- Teriyaki Salmon and Chicken Teriyaki
- Negiyaki (Japanese Scallion Pancake)
Prices were accurate at time of publication.
I have two questions: first, how well do any of these pans work with induction stovetops? second, what would you recommend for dishes that are acidic and cook for a while, such as a tomato sauce?
Thanks!
Hello, Paul. Thank you for reading Nami’s post.
These pans perform well on induction stovetops. 🤗
Nami suggests using stainless steel frying pans such as All-Clad or enamel-coated braisers like this one for acidic foods.
https://amzn.to/3Tj1erD
We hope this helps!