Best Carbon Steel Pan (2024), Tested and Reviewed

If you’re not yet cooking with carbon steel, you’re missing out. And if you’re already in the know, and you’re ready to upgrade to the best carbon-steel pan, you’ve come to the right place. We tested 16 popular and top-rated brands to find the best options for searing, roasting, sautéing, and moving seamlessly from stovetop to oven—whether you want to spend $40 or $300.

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You’ll see a lot of different pan materials flying around kitchen supply stores—non-stick, ceramic non-stick, copper-core. Well, carbon steel is pretty much what would happen if a stainless-steel pan and cast-iron skillet had a baby—a beautiful, perfect baby that got the best qualities from each parent.

Similar to cast iron, carbon steel is an iron-carbon alloy and requires a little extra care and routine seasoning. But if treated properly, it takes on a slick, almost nonstick surface. Carbon steel cookware also works on any heat source, including induction, and it’s often a fraction of the price of comparable stainless steel skillets. If properly cared for, high-quality carbon-steel pans are trusty kitchen workhorses with incredible versatility; they can tackle almost any job in your day-to-day cooking and even release a fried egg as well as the best nonstick skillet. Like cast iron and stainless steel, they can also go straight from the stovetop to the oven.

Professional chefs, particularly in Europe, have reached for carbon-steel cookware for decades, yet they don’t occupy the same place in the imagination of the American home cook as materials like cast iron and nonstick. But given their utility and value, they should. In fact, our top pick from German cookware brand Merten & Storck costs about half of what our favorite stainless steel pan does and a third of our top cast iron skillet (and yet we still managed to select an even less expensive carbon steel pan as a budget pick on top of that).

Carbon steel versus cast iron

Carbon steel pans are amazingly versatile and can tackle any job your cast-iron pan can—it even does some things a little better. Here’s a quick rundown of the differences.

Cooking surface

The polished surface of a carbon-steel pan is smoother and less brittle than the surface of most cast-iron cookware, which results in a more uniform sear using high heat on proteins like bone-in pork chops or thick slices of tofu. Like cast iron, as the seasoning on a carbon-steel skillet develops, it builds up a natural nonstick coating that makes cooking delicate pieces of fish, fried eggs, frittatas or even a French omelet possible. Also like cast iron, carbon steel doesn’t do great with acidic foods like tomatoes or sauces made with wine until the seasoning is well established. The acidity can strip the coating down to the shiny silver metal, but never fear if this happens to you. All you have to do is reseason. These pans are basically indestructible.

Shape

While cast iron pans have straighter sides that are great for shallow frying, carbon steel’s sloped slides make it a better sauté pan or a stand-in for a wok when stir-frying vegetables.

Heat conduction

Like cast iron, carbon steel works on both gas and induction cooktops, as well as in your oven and on the grate of your grill, even under incredibly high temperatures. But because carbon steel is much thinner than cast iron, it’s much more responsive to changes in temperature. And though both are nearly indestructible, you risk warping the thinner carbon-steel metal if you heat it or cool it too quickly, so it's important to always warm it slowly and never, ever run a hot carbon-steel pan under cold water.

Weight

If you struggle to hoist the cast-iron skillet in and out of the oven, you’ll appreciate that carbon steel is much lighter and easier to maneuver. Our average 10-inch carbon-steel skillet weighed around 3.5 pounds, whereas the average cast-iron skillet of the same size is closer to 5 pounds. Because of the lighter weight, most 10-inch carbon steel pans don’t have or need a helper handle like cast iron, though some 12-inch carbon steel pans do..

The best carbon-steel pan: Merten & Storck Carbon Steel 10" Skillet with Stainless-Steel Handle

Merten & Storck Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Pro Induction 10", Stainless Steel Handle, Black

Carbon steel performs best when it’s well-seasoned, and many contenders here required some oil, heat, and time before we were able to start cooking (i.e. they came unseasoned). Not so with this pan. Made with the know-how of German steel manufacturers, it was ready to go after a quick (soap-free) wash, and the very first time we used it, a fried egg slid right off with the ease of teflon. The sides are moderately sloped, allowing for plenty of cooking space, and chicken thighs cooked evenly and browned beautifully. Merten & Storck released a version of this pan with a stainless steel handle in 2022 (the handle on the earlier model is made of carbon steel), and definitely it’s worth the extra few dollars; the stainless steel feels nice in the hand, and it stays cool even after a long spell on a hot burner (generally not true of pans with carbon-steel handles). This pan also happened to be one of the lightest pans in the bunch, which requires a little mindset adjustment if you’re used to weight as an indicator of quality. However, it’s nice to only need one hand to hoist a whole roast chicken in or out of the oven, and you’ll want to cook many of them with this pan.

What we didn’t love about the Merten & Storck Carbon-Steel Pan

Other than the fact that it’s not quite as aesthetically pleasing as our splurge pick (below), there’s honestly nothing we didn’t like about this pan.

The best budget carbon-steel pan: Oxo Obsidian Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Pan

OXO Obsidian Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel, 10" with Removable Silicone Handle Holder

We’re big fans of so many Oxo products and their pre-seasoned carbon steel pan is no exception. As with the Merten & Storck pan, it didn’t require any extra seasoning out of the box and a fried egg retained its lovely crispy bottom–there was no need to dig at it with a spatula when it was done. The removable silicone handle sleeve is a thoughtful touch; we maneuvered the pan around a hot stovetop without a second thought. The pan responded well to heat and cooked evenly. And at the time of publication, it was $20 less than our top pick, making it an absolute bargain.

What we didn’t love about the Oxo Obsidian Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Pan

The coating on this pan was ever-so-slightly stickier than the Merten & Storck pan and it has slightly less cooking surface area, too. Considering the great price though, neither is a dealbreaker.

The best affordable unseasoned carbon steel pan: Sardel Carbon Steel Skillet

Sardel 10-Inch Carbon Steel Skillet

Unseasoned skillets take a little bit of nurturing, but the payoff can be grand. Seasoning your own pans allows you to have more control over the process (not all manufacturers season their carbon cookware the same way). This was certainly the case with the Italian-made Sardel pan. Out of the box, its waxy coating was relatively easy to remove with mild dish soap, hot water and a non-scratch sponge. First-time seasoning was straightforward, and the skillet darkened beautifully after just a few uses. Chicken thighs browned perfectly and easily released from the pan, and fried eggs were crispy once they set. Compared to other unseasoned pans we tested, it was relatively lightweight yet sturdy. The textured handle is both attractive and ergonomic, as its concave shape allows for a better grip.

What we didn’t love about the Sardel Carbon Steel Skillet

While the handle has great functionality, it does get rather hot. (It wasn’t as hot as others we tested.) Also, seasoning and caring for the pan might be a downside for some.

A worthwhile splurge: Smithey Carbon Steel Farmhouse Skillet

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Smithey Carbon Steel Farmhouse Skillet 12-inch

If you’re looking for a carbon-steel skillet that is both high performing and good looking displayed on your stove top—or hanging on your pot rail—then we suggest this gorgeous hand-forged pan from Smithey. In fact, were it not for the price, this might have been our top pick overall. Made in limited quantities in Charleston, South Carolina, this skillet is inspired by the design of traditional fire tools and it arrives beautifully seasoned. And while we did get good results right out of the box, as is expected with this kind of cookware, the nonstick surface definitely improved after a few uses. The round handle is easy to grip and isn’t so long it feels unwieldy. Also, presumably because this is a bigger skillet that only comes in a 12-inch size, it has an additional helper handle that makes it easy to move from the stovetop or oven to the dining table. We especially liked the low, sloped sides and the expansive cooking surface. If you’re an experienced cook, then this skillet is worth the splurge—it’s an instant family heirloom (Psst! That’s even more true if you go for the custom engraving).

What we didn’t love about the Smithey carbon-steel Farmhouse Skillet

The obvious downside to this pan is the price tag, but these skillets are clearly made to endure generations of cooking (so if it’s in your budget, we say it’s worth the investment).

How we tested

While deciding which carbon-steel pans to test, we looked for popular and highly-rated options that are readily available online or in stores in the U.S. We also chose pans as close to 10 inches as possible (except for the Smithey, that only came as a 12-inch skillet, and the Mauviel and Vollrath, which were 11 inches), since that’s the size used in most home kitchens. Then we tested how seven skillets responded to frying eggs and browning skin-on chicken thighs in a tablespoon of oil, plus how quickly they could bring room temperature water to a boil.

What we looked for

Seasoning

Seasoned carbon steel is happy carbon steel. And while there is a lot to be said about the convenience of a pre-seasoned skillet, overall, the pans that required seasoning out of the box performed better in the initial tests and developed a dark brown patina without much effort.

Shape

We paid serious attention to the shape because the slope of a pan’s sides significantly affects the amount of functional cooking surface area. Some of the 10-inch skillets with higher, sloped sides only had about seven inches of actual cooking space—and a smaller cooking surface can lead to overcrowding and will affect the quality of the sear you can get on your food.

Heat distribution and retention

In our testing there were two kinds of carbon-steel pans: thin, single-layer pans and pans of a more heavy-duty variety. While both types heated quickly and responded well to changes in temperature, the thinner pans got too hot in the allotted time and scorched the chicken thighs in our testing. The thicker pans dispersed heat more evenly, giving a more even color on the chicken.

Ergonomics

While testing each pan, we paid close attention to how it felt in the hand. Does the handle have any texture or grip? How long is the handle? Is it angled for someone tall or short? Does the skillet feel light, trim and well-balanced when you maneuver it? Is it difficult to lift and move from burner to burner? We found that our favorite pans had a slightly shorter, thinner handle with a small divot to help with grip.

Ease of cleaning

Just like cast iron, carbon steel should not be cleaned with soap or put in your dishwasher. If your pan is well-seasoned, you should be able to get it clean with some warm or hot water and the abrasive side of a gentle sponge. You can also try the Ringer, which Epi editors have used on cast iron for some time, or a natural fiber pot brush. We cleaned each pan after each test and gauged how easily they wiped clean and if they lost any of their seasoning after use.

Other carbon-steel pans we tested

Misen Carbon Steel 10-inch pan

Misen’s 10-inch pan was our top pick the first time we tested carbon-steel pans. The direct-to-consumer brand—which makes knives, dutch ovens, nonstick cookware sets, and some of our favorite sauce pans and baking sheets—began selling carbon-steel pans in late 2020 after raising nearly $2 million through Kickstarter to fund the project and we were very impressed. The gently sloped sides came up just high enough to avoid too much splatter, but not high enough to trap any moisture. The pan was on the heavier side of the 10-inch pans we tested, but it was nicely balanced and easy to maneuver. The long handle wasn’t too large and felt good in the hand, thanks to a removable silicone sleeve. After time on the stove, it was still cool enough to touch, but Misen also includes a grippy silicone cover just in case (remove it if you’re moving the skillet to a hot oven). Misen’s skillet is thicker than some of the other pans we tested—similar to a pricier stainless-steel pan. This gave a nice, even golden brown color on chicken skin yet was still responsive to changes in heat. After several uses and a more developed seasoning, this pan could give a traditional nonstick pan a run for its money; a fried egg easily skittered across the smooth surface. After the pan disappeared from the market for a couple years, it’s returned, which means we can recommend it again, though we still prefer the Merten & Storck if you push us.

Misen Carbon Steel 10-Inch Pan

Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Fry Pan

Matfer-Bourgeat is a French company with a 200-year pedigree, and if their black carbon-steel frying pan looks like something you’d seen hanging in a commercial kitchen, that’s because it is. Professional chefs love this no-nonsense skillet. And if you like a pan with heft and a certain je ne sais quoi, this is a great choice. It’s one of the heaviest pans we tested, at 3 pounds 14 ounces, and it retained heat well, which you’d expect in a weightier pan. But it also responded quickly to changes in temperature. The seasoning process the company instructs you to perform is laborious, requiring a half hour of stirring a witch’s brew of potato peels, oil, and salt, but the resulting finish was slick–not quite as good as our top two choices, but nearly. Its thorough seasoning and the fact that its steel handle is welded to the base, not attached by rivets, made it easy to clean, and the low sides make it easy to slip food onto a plate—just like a seasoned French chef would.

Matfer Bourgeat Black Steel Round Frying Pan

KitchenAid Nitro

KitchenAid’s Nitro gets its name from the nitrated carbon steel used in its construction. Infusing carbon steel with nitrogen makes it 22% harder than standard carbon steel, and capable of being used at temperatures as high as 750 degrees. So if you have an outdoor pizza oven, you can use this with it. The nitrogen also seals the surface against water penetration, making it impossible for this pan to rust. While KitchenAid says you can get cooking the moment you pull this pan out of the box, it does recommend seasoning first so the Nitro can “reach its full performance potential.” We tested both the 10-inch and 12-inch models, seasoning the former, and leaving the latter alone.

Like cast iron, the extra-durable surface can stand up to metal utensils and progressively becomes more non-stick with every use, but with half the weight. That’s not to say the KitchenAid Nitro is a lightweight pan; most people will likely need two hands to manage the 12-inch model; the 10-inch is more manageable, but will give weaker wrists a workout, even with the ergonomically-designed handle. The sides are moderately sloped, with the larger pan having 10-inches of cooking area, and the smaller 8-inches.