We Tested 15 Carbon Steel Pans to Find Ones That Could Sear as Well as Cast Iron

If you haven't considered buying a carbon steel skillet, now is the time: Carbon steel is like a cousin to cast iron and is well worth a place in your kitchen (you'll find them aplenty in the professional culinary world).

Made of a mixture of carbon and iron, these pans are similar to cast iron but are thinner, lighter, and more responsive to changes in temperature. Like cast iron, most carbon steel skillets have to be seasoned before they can fully realize their natural nonstick capabilities (though some are sold as pre-seasoned, and it's worth noting that, either way, carbon steel—like cast iron—will never be Teflon-level nonstick). Carbon steel pans can also be used on gas, electric, induction cooktops, or even an open fire if that’s your thing. Another major draw of carbon steel skillets is their durability. These pans can withstand super-high temperatures for hours and transfer seamlessly from stovetop to oven. The only thing carbon steel pans can’t do is handle acidic sauces for long periods, as this will eat away at their seasoning (same as cast iron).

While we go more into the differences between carbon steel and cast iron pans here, the main takeaway is that carbon steel pans have sloped, flared sides, which makes them better suited to sautéing. ("If you want to launch something skyward, you need to send it off a sloping ramp, not crash it into a wall," editorial director Daniel Gritzer explains here.) On the other hand, cast iron has straight, vertical sides, making it ideal for shallow-frying and baking things like cornbread and pan pizza. To find the best carbon steel pans, we tested 15 popular skillets at various price points.

The Winners, at a Glance

The Best Carbon Steel Pan

Mauviel M'Steel Black Carbon Natural Nonstick Frying Pan With Iron Handle

$120 $109 at Amazon $100 at Wayfair View on Mauviel-usa.com

This well-loved pan has aced multiple rounds of testing thanks to its wide cooking surface and comfortable, rounded handle. When properly seasoned, eggs glided around its surface without sticking, and our crepes came out picture-perfect. 

Another Great Carbon Steel Pan

Misen Pre-Seasoned 10 Inch Carbon Steel Pan

$99 at Amazon View on Misen.com

This pan’s seasoning made it impressively nonstick right out of the box, and our eggs, chicken, and crepes all flipped like a charm. It heated quickly and evenly, and the silicone handle cover kept our hands cool. 

The Best Budget Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Pan

Merten & Storck Pre-Seasoned 10-inch Carbon Steel Frying Pan

$50 at Amazon View on Walmart $73 at Target

The Merten & Storck pan had a flawless, pre-seasoned coating and was light enough to lift and toss foods with one hand. It’s super affordable, too, making it an approachable pick for carbon steel newbies.

Another Great Budget Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Pan

OXO Obsidian 10 Inch Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Frying Pan

$60 at Amazon $60 at Home Depot $51 at Wayfair

This lightweight pan was incredibly easy to maneuver with its ergonomic, silicone-sleeved handle. What’s more, its seasoned surface rivaled that of “true” nonstick pans. 

The Best Budget Traditional Carbon Steel Pan

Vollrath 12.5 Inch French Style Carbon Steel Fry Pan

$53 at Amazon View on Webstaurant Store

Vollrath is known for making restaurant-quality cookware, and this pan brought those chef-y vibes to our kitchen. It was the most affordable of the unseasoned pans we tested and will still last you a lifetime (given the proper care, of course).

The Tests

• Seasoning (Pre-Test): Before we began testing, we seasoned the skillets that came unseasoned. This involved heating the pans over high heat and applying oil. As the oil becomes hot, it undergoes a process known as polymerization, which creates a nonstick “seasoning” or coating. Read more about how to season a carbon steel pan here.
• Over-Easy Egg Test: After completely seasoning all of the unseasoned pans, we heated each pan for one minute and added an even layer of neutral cooking oil. Then, we cracked two large eggs into each pan. After two minutes, we flipped the eggs and let them cook for another 10 seconds. 
• Crepe Test: To examine heat distribution, we made a few batches of our classic crepes. We heated each pan for two minutes, then added a bit of neutral oil and wiped out the excess with a paper towel. We then added 1/4 cup of batter to the center and immediately swirled the pan to try to get the batter as thin as possible and cover as much surface area as we could. Once the top began to look dry, we flipped the crepe with a spatula and observed if it was cooked evenly and if it stuck to the pan. 
• Seared Chicken Test (Winners-Only): We coated each pan in a thin, even layer of cooking oil and seared a single, six-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut in half horizontally). We heated the pan for exactly two minutes before adding the chicken and cooking each breast for four minutes per side. We evaluated the chicken to determine how evenly it cooked and browned, and if it stuck.
• Sautéed Broccoli Test (Winners-Only): We heated each winning pan over medium heat for two minutes, then added two tablespoons of cooking oil and cooked two cups of broccoli florets to determine how easy (or difficult) it was to stir with a wooden spoon, as well as to flip the broccoli by shaking the pan.
• Onion Tarte Tatin Test (Winners-Only): To truly determine how nonstick the surface could become, we tested each pan with an onion tarte tatin. Once the pastry was done, we flipped it out to evaluate the end result.
• Usability and Cleanup Tests: During each test, we considered how comfortable the pan was to grip and move, if we were able to easily maneuver a spatula into the pan, and how easy the pan was to clean.

What We Learned

The Pros and Cons of Carbon Steel

The pros of carbon steel include responsiveness to temperature changes, a lightweight and easy-to-handle design, a seasoning that improves with use, and durability—not unlike a well-seasoned carbon steel wok. A good carbon steel skillet is one of those long-lasting kitchen tools that will remain useful for years.

The main downside to carbon steel skillets is the initial process of seasoning, which can seem overwhelming and time-consuming (although, really, it's not hard!). If a little rust appears on your carbon steel skillet, don’t panic! Simply buff away the rust with a dry sponge and repeat the seasoning process. The rust will disappear like magic.

Thorough Seasoning Took Time

Even after completely seasoning each of the unseasoned pans, most of them weren't able to cook over-easy eggs without sticking. This isn’t exactly unexpected, and seasoning will continue to build up over time. The first couple of things you cook in the pan should ideally be something fatty (i.e. pan-frying, searing steaks). Every time you cook with fat, you'll add seasoning. This is true for cast iron, too.

After we finished testing, we tried cooking more over-easy eggs in our winning pans and were pleased to see much better results in the form of perfectly cooked eggs with no sticking.

Lighter Was Better

We preferred pans on the lighter side, which allowed them to heat up faster. They were also easier to move in and out of the oven and swirl crepe batter around.

A lightweight pan is also the secret of the bit of culinary magic, where one uses a flick of the wrist to send vegetables careening up the edge of the pan and back onto themselves. If the pan is too heavy, it becomes impossible to sauté with one hand. Some pans were so heavy that they required two hands to lift, which would make tasks like sautéing vegetables and swirling batter pretty tough. In general, we found that pans under three pounds and three ounces were the easiest to lift, even when full of food.

Pre-Seasoned Pans Were a Welcome Convenience

A pre-seasoned carbon steel skillet has a layer of seasoning applied by the manufacturer. Almost all of the pre-seasoned pans produced perfect over-easy eggs and delightfully thin crepes that were released without issue (with the exception of the Made In, which probably needed more seasoning despite its “pre-seasoned” claim). 

When it came to making the crepes, some of the pre-seasoned pans were almost too nonstick—you need a certain amount of batter to stick to the center so you can swirl the excess batter to the edges of the pan. But while this was a flaw for some pans in crepe testing, we don’t think it’s a dealbreaker overall.

So, while we ultimately still prefer building seasoning up ourselves (as the long-term durability of manufacturers' coatings is unknown), we do think a pre-seasoned carbon steel skillet, like the OXO, is a worthwhile convenience for those intimidated by seasoning the cookware.

Medium Length Handles with Rounded Edges Were Preferable

Most carbon steel pans have very similar handles—often an angled, one-inch-wide bar of steel, which you can grip with a kitchen towel or oven mitt when maneuvering the pan. We preferred handles with rounded edges over ones with sharp right angles in terms of comfort. The length can vary, but a good middle ground is between seven and nine inches long. Too short and your hand ends up too close to the flame, but too long and it becomes awkward to handle. 

Should You Buy a Carbon Steel or Cast Iron Pan?

Can we say both? Both options are durable, have fantastic heat retention, and, with proper seasoning, can be virtually nonstick. The differences are few, but cast iron is heavier. While we have lightweight picks in our cast iron skillet review, the lightest from Lancaster is still a pound heavier than the Mauviel carbon steel pan. As such, carbon steel pans make it easy to toss your food like a chef.

Carbon steel is also a bit more nonstick than most cast iron pans. As Daniel wrote in this piece, "It's stamped or spun from sheets of metal, not cast like cast iron, which gives it a smooth surface similar to vintage cast iron. This also means that a perfectly seasoned carbon steel pan will have better nonstick properties than a perfectly seasoned modern cast iron pan." So, in the end, if you want a lighter pan that's a bit more nonstick once seasoned, a carbon steel pan's got your back. That said, having one of each isn't a bad idea.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Carbon Steel Pan

First, choose whether you want pre-seasoned or unseasoned carbon steel. The differences between unseasoned carbon steel and pre-seasoned carbon steel are vast. Pre-seasoned pans should be completely nonstick right out of the box, easily releasing sticky eggs and delicate fish. Unseasoned carbon steel skillets are equal once properly seasoned, and we found little difference between cheap pans and more expensive models.

In either style, a lighter weight is better. It heats up faster and is easier to lift. We preferred pans that were less than three pounds and three ounces. We also liked pans with wide, sloping edges that were at least two inches high. Any shorter, and vegetables went flying when we tried to stir or sauté. 

Our Favorite Carbon Steel Pans

The Best Carbon Steel Pan

Mauviel M'Steel Black Carbon Natural Nonstick Frying Pan With Iron Handle

$120 $109 at Amazon $100 at Wayfair View on Mauviel-usa.com

What we liked: The Mauviel pan has been our favorite carbon steel skillet since we first tested it in 2023. Once properly seasoned, it cooked crepes and eggs without sticking. Its handle stayed relatively cool compared to similarly designed models, and its cooking surface was big enough to cook for two to three people at a time. 

What we didn’t like: It was on the heavy side, and the long handle felt a tad awkward when swirling or flipping food in the pan. We noted some sticking during the tarte tatin test, which we suspected was due to the acidity of the onion filling. Eggs stuck at first, too, but that issue went away after we built up the seasoning. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Cooking surface diameter: 8.5 inches
• Pre-seasoned: No
• Oven-safe: Yes
• Max oven-safe temperature: 680ºF
• Care: Hand-wash
• Induction compatible: Yes
• Warranty: Lifetime
  

The Best Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Pan

Misen Pre-Seasoned 10 Inch Carbon Steel Pan

$99 at Amazon View on Misen.com

What we liked: Everything—fried eggs, seared chicken, broccoli, and even crepes—slid readily out of this lightweight carbon steel pan. Plus, it came pre-seasoned, so it was ready to cook with right away. Though 10 inches, it had the largest cooking surface of any of our winners (including the 12-inch Vollrath), making it a fantastic option for those without the space to store larger skillets. Though the pan was a little weighty, the silicone-sleeved handle kept it grippy and comfortable to move around with one hand. 

What we didn’t like: There were some stubborn bits stuck to the bottom of the pan after we seared chicken, but scrubbing it with coarse salt removed the fond without much effort. Since the silicone cover was only rated to 350°F, we had to remove it before placing the tarte tatin in the oven. The handle wasn’t quite as comfortable without it.

Key Specs

• Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Cooking surface diameter: 10.8 inches
• Pre-seasoned: Yes
• Oven-safe: Yes
• Max oven-safe temperature: 500ºF for the pan; 350°F for the handle cover
• Care: Hand-wash
• Induction compatible: Yes
• Warranty: Lifetime

The Best Budget Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Pan

Merten & Storck Pre-Seasoned 10-inch Carbon Steel Frying Pan

$50 at Amazon View on Walmart $73 at Target

What we liked: Like our other pre-seasoned winners, this pan was nonstick straight from the box. Its weight felt well-balanced and was easy to manuever one-handed. Compared to the sloped edges of most other carbon steel pans we tested, this one had straighter sides that resembled those of cast iron skillets. It was a good choice for camping and cooks who want a pan that can bake and simmer as well as it can sear and saute. The best part? This model was under $50 at the time of writing.

What we didn’t like: The pan’s flat handle was a bit uncomfortable to hold and got warm during cooking. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 3 pounds
• Cooking surface diameter: 8 inches
• Pre-seasoned: Yes
• Oven-safe: Yes
• Max oven-safe temperature: 660°F
• Care: Hand-wash
• Induction compatible: Yes
• Warranty: Lifetime
  

Another Great Budget Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Pan

OXO Obsidian 10 Inch Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Frying Pan

$60 at Amazon $60 at Home Depot $51 at Wayfair

What we liked: This OXO model was easily the most nonstick pan we’ve ever used (and yes, that includes ceramic- and Teflon-coated pans). At just over two-and-a-half pounds, it was also one of the lightest models we evaluated. It heated evenly and had an ergonomic, removable silicone cover that kept the handle cool.

What we didn’t like: Since it was lighter, it sometimes spun if bumped on glass stovetop burners. Other than that, we struggled to find anything to dislike about this pan. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Cooking surface diameter: 8 inches
• Pre-seasoned: Yes
• Oven-safe: Yes
• Max oven-safe temperature: 660ºF
• Care: Hand-wash
• Induction compatible: Yes
• Warranty: Lifetime
  

The Best Budget Traditional Carbon Steel Pan

Vollrath 12.5 Inch French Style Carbon Steel Fry Pan

$53 at Amazon View on Webstaurant Store

What we liked: This is a no-frills, super lightweight pan designed for busy restaurant kitchens. It has high, sloped sides that are optimal for tossing ingredients in the pan. Its surface heated quickly and produced beautifully seared chicken, lacy crepes, and flaky tarte tatin.

What we didn’t like: We liked having a kitchen towel nearby to grab the metal handle, as it tended to get warm while we were cooking. Because it had such broad sides, the bottom cooking surface was relatively limited compared to similarly-sized pans. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Cooking surface diameter: 7.6 inches
• Pre-seasoned: No
• Oven-safe: Yes
• Max oven-safe temperature: 600ºF
• Care: Hand-wash
• Induction compatible: Yes
• Warranty: Warranty does not cover non-commercial foodservice use.
  

The Competition

• Tramontina 10 in Carbon Steel Fry Pan: This pan was tricky to get a spatula into, causing us to tear our crepe during flipping.
• Smithey Carbon Steel Farmhouse Skillet: We just could not justify the cost of this skillet, which could neither cook an even crepe nor over-easy eggs without sticking.
• Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Fry Pan: We had high hopes for this pan, but its weight (almost four pounds) made it unwieldy. Though its cooking surface was quite nonstick, it was on the small side and better suited for one- to two-person households.
• Made In Blue Carbon Steel Frying Pan: This pan had high sides that made flipping crepes awkward. Eggs also stuck to the bottom and left marks in the seasoning. Despite coming pre-seasoned, the manufacturer suggests only cooking high-fat foods for the first couple of uses, so this one may have just needed more time to break in.
• Lodge Carbon Steel Skillet, Pre-Seasoned: The crepe was pale and unevenly cooked, and it tore when we tried to wiggle a spatula underneath.
• De Buyer Mineral B Pro Carbon Steel Fry Pan: This pricey French pan was too heavy for me to lift with one hand comfortably and needed more seasoning time to get a perfectly nonstick surface that could turn out the onion tarte tatin. 
• Viking Culinary Blue Carbon Steel Nonstick 10” Fry Pan: The pan claims to be pre-seasoned, though the manufacturer requests some seasoning before use anyway. We noticed uneven wear of the patina after just a few uses. It’s more expensive than similarly performing pre-seasoned pans.
• Sardel Carbon Steel Skillet: This was one of the only pans where the crepe stuck, despite being seasoned exactly the same as all the others. We also found the handle to be extremely uncomfortable—one of the edges was very sharp. This pan isn’t available anymore.
• BelleVie Heavy-duty Carbon Steel Frying Pans Series: The BelleVie was heavy for its small size, and the handle was hard to hold. It’s also not available anymore.
• BK Cookware Steel Carbon Steel Fry Pan: This pan performed almost as well as the winners, but the surface was so nonstick that the crepe batter slid all around instead of sticking in the center, resulting in an uneven crepe. The model we tested is no longer for sale. 

FAQs

What can you cook in a carbon steel pan?

A carbon steel skillet can be used for everything from sautéed vegetables to seared meat to baked items like cornbread or fruit crumble. They can shallow-fry, cook fish, and roast a whole chicken, too. The only thing you shouldn’t cook in one is long-simmered, acidic sauces, which can eat away at the seasoning.

How do you clean a carbon steel skillet?

Once the seasoning has built up, cleaning a carbon steel skillet can be as easy as wiping it with a paper towel. A little residual fat or oil in the pan is good and will provide a barrier from rust. If more cleanup is needed, some hot water and a scrub brush should do fine, just make sure to thoroughly dry and oil the pan after to avoid rust. (Tip: After cleaning, place the pan on a burner to evaporate any leftover water, then rub the surface with a little oil.)

Why does carbon steel change color?

As you use and season carbon steel, it will change color. This is normal! It's called patina (what we mentioned above) and helps to prevent the skillet from rusting and created a nonstick-like surface.

Why We're the Experts

• Taylor Murray has been working in food and food media for over 10 years, including in award-winning restaurants. She has tested numerous items for Serious Eats, like tagines and deep-dish pizza pans.
• Ashlee Redger is a writer for Serious Eats. She’s reviewed hundreds of cooking products, including portable induction burners and grill pans.
• For this review, Taylor tested 15 carbon steel skillets. She used them to cook eggs, crepes, chicken, onion tarte tatin, and more. She also evaluated how easy they were to handle and season.
• We recently re-tested our top-performing pans, as well as a few new contenders from Misen, De Buyer, and Viking. After putting them through their paces, Ashlee added the Misen and Merten & Storck to our favorites.