Sometimes in this In the wild, you stumble down a rabbit hole that ends up becoming more like a vast abyss. This is the state of interest and appreciation for the world of carbon steel pans. One might think that this humble node of the art of cooking might be overlooked in favor of heritage-based cast iron, utilitarian nonstick, or… Trending hybrid pistol Pan techniques. You may be wrong. Carbon steel is neither a runner nor a runner-up.
There’s such a ferocious, rabid fan base for this style of cookware that it shocks even me, writing about mineral water influencers. Who’s busy? com.subreddit To an underground world of obsessed home cooks, professional chefs and artisanal carbon steel craftsmen who sell their wares by raffle ticket, the devotion and appreciation for carbon steel runs deep. It’s a bustling American subculture of foodways that has been largely uninvestigated by the wider press, and I can only hope I’ve scratched the surface to do it justice with this guide (after scratching the surface, of course, I’d recommend re-seasoning the pan with… Grapeseed oil over high heat).
What is carbon steel? It’s a kind of average pan (made of an iron-carbon alloy) that splits the difference, more or less, between the easy usability of stainless steel and the long-lasting sturdiness of cast iron. With proper care and use, carbon steel pans move easily between different cooking styles, allowing you to fry eggs and Sear steak, all using the same pan. There’s a slight learning curve to using these pans, which YouTube and forums (like the Reddit hub above) are your friends. But they’re also tanks, they stand up to use and wear, and they can be reseasoned over and over again to get the most out of your cooking experience.
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What Kind of Carbon Steel Frying Pan Should You Buy?
Carbon steel skillet makers run the gamut in size and style, from small artisanal operations to widely recognized heritage brands to Instagram-savvy startups (it’s like looking into America’s skillet-shaped mirror). Price, of course, plays a major role in choosing, and as I tested and cooked with the pans over the course of a few months, I was surprised and impressed by how well some pans cooked at the lower end of the cost spectrum.
Take it from me, and the carbon steel nerds online, when I say that your first carbon steel pan won’t be your last carbon steel pan. Since these cookware vary widely in size, depth, and best intended purpose, it’s difficult to stop at just one. A flat skillet works great for some cooking styles; For other styles, a large, deep skillet or even a wok is what you’re really looking for. My advice is to start with one of the starter pans in this guide, and then — when you’re fully #CarbonPilled — consider investing in a small production pan inherited from an indie maker. If properly treated and loved, a carbon steel skillet can become a family heirloom, the kind of thing you’ll pass down to your children and proudly display in your home.
I baked and cooked with these pans over the course of three months, putting different models and methods through their paces and coming up with the above recommendations. Each pan in the guide was given a number of cooking staples—a fried egg, a sautéed onion—and as I got to know the pans better, I started thinking about them in relation to specific dishes and applications, and poaching chicken in the pan. For example, a Smithy Forge deep fryer, or using a lodgepole as a way to fry bacon.
Multiple pans were tested for each product category, focusing on pans under $55 as well as “deep” pans and flat pans.
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