3 Best Carbon Steel Pans of 2024, According to Testing

• Blanc Creatives 9-Inch Pro Skillet: The elegant arc of the handle and the shape of the pan made it easy to shake and toss ingredients. And this pan got high scores in our egg tests: It develops a smooth surface that releases food nicely. It has a small cooking area and was somewhat heavy for its size, but the real sticking point is the price: It's expensive at over $200.
• OXO Obsidian Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Skillet: This pan comes preseasoned, and we found it lightweight and easy to maneuver when making a pan sauce. It comes with a silicone sleeve for the handle that provides a more secure grip too, which we found necessary because the handle does get hot. One caveat: If the handle cover is not removed before washing, water can get trapped in the sleeve and lead to rust.
• De Buyer Mineral B Carbon Steel Fry Pan: This skillet earned high scores in our browning tests, delivering a nice sear on steak. We found that the pan's sloped sides made it easy to shake when making a pan sauce, even though the skillet was one of the heavier in our tests. We did note that the pan is recommended for oven use only up to 400˚F and for 10 minutes or less.
• Viking Culinary Blue Steel 10-Inch Fry Pan: One of the winners of our Kitchen Gear Awards, this sleek, preseasoned pan performed like a nonstick skillet from day one. It delivered excellent browning in our steak test. Our caveat is that the cooking surface can feel a little cramped for some foods because the sloped sides create a smaller cooking area.
• Vollrath Carbon Steel Fry Pan: We tested the 12.5-inch pan, but you could opt for the 11-inch or 9.375-inch model. It's a lightweight and affordable pan. We like the rivetless, welded handle, which makes the pan easy to season and clean. It responds well to heat, but there was also a fair amount of smoking — and we also noted some sticking when cooking the steak.

To test carbon steel skillets, our analysts started by folloing the manufacturer's instructions regarding seasoning: We seasoned the pans that required seasoning but skipped the ones that were pre-seasoned.

We then assessed each pan's heat distribution by coating it with shortening and flour and heating it until brown. The pattern was compared to a standardized chart that helped us score how evenly the pan heated.

We also cooked 18 steaks and made a pan sauce for each using more than nine pounds of mushrooms total. Searing steak allowed us to assess how the pan performs at high heat and the pan sauce helped us understand heat retention and maneuverability since we tossed the mushrooms and poured out the contents.

To test the pan's nonstick properties, we cooked more than 90 eggs (at least five in each pan) with no grease.

Finally, we assessed how easily the pans cleaned up after each tests.

✔️ Preseasoning: This is an important consideration if you're new to seasoning cookware. Preseasoned pans usually have a minor glaze to rinse off before cooking, but they're otherwise ready to go. They can feel like nonstick cookware for the first cook, and then they simply require maintenance of the seasoning (read: you will have to season a preseasoned carbon steel skillet over the course of its life). If it's not preseasoned, you'll likely need to scrub off a protective beeswax coating and then season the pan with layers of oil (see below). It's not a difficult process, but it does require time.

✔️ Weight: There are many lightweight carbon steel skillets on the market now, but our pros stress that it's still an important consideration. Some can be quite heavy, which can limit the pan's versatility. If you're shopping online and can't feel and lift the pan, check the weight in the product specifications. We like pans that are about three pounds or fewer.

✔️ Shape and cooking area: The shape of the pan will affect the cooking. A gentle slope to the sides makes it easier to shake and toss foods, and it keeps the pan open so that liquids will reduce easily. But sloped sides can eat into the flat cooking surface at the bottom of the pan. We've noted when pan on this list had a cooking surface that felt smaller, but you'll have to factor in your personal preference and the kinds of foods you cook most.

✔️ Handle: Comfort with the handle is another factor that comes down to personal preference. Our experts liked a variety of handles in our tests. Those with a divot in the handle helped with finger placement for comfort. Those with a slight arc or angle helped create balance, which can help improve control. Look for a loop built into the handle if you prefer to hang your pans for storage.

✔️ Rivets: Generally speaking, the handles of carbon steel skillets are riveted to the pan, and this creates bumps at the attachment points on the inside of the cooking area. It's less common, but flush or flatter rivets make it easier to clean the pan, as debris is less likely to get stuck. Flush rivents also make it easier to season it, as you can access the surface more evenly.

Some carbon steel pans are sold preseasoned, meaning you can cook with them right away. Others will need to be seasoned before they're ready for use.

Seasoning is the process of using oil to build up a natural patina that functions as a nonstick coating. Here's what to do:

1. Wash and dry the pan. Many unseasoned carbon steel skillets come sealed in a beeswax coating that prevents the pan from rusting in transit. Use hot water, a gentle dish soap and a sponge or gentle dishcloth to wash the pan until the waxy coating is removed. Dry the pan thoroughly.
2. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for seasoning. But most will be similar to this: Add a small amount of cooking oil, like vegetable or canola, to the pan. Use a paper towel or dishtowel to spread the oil across the bottom and up the sides of the pan until it is barely shiny and mostly absorbed.
3. Place the pan over the heat level recommended by the manufacturer and heat until the oil just begins to smoke. Remove the pan from the heat and, using tongs to protect your hand, use a clean paper towel or dishtowel to wipe any oil around the pan so that it's no longer visible. Let the pan cool completely.
4. Repeat step three as many times as the manufacturer indicates, often two to four more times. Let the pan cool completely. The pan is now ready to use, though you will need to repeat this process over the life of the pan as needed. Cooking fatty food is a great way to season the pan as you use it. Note that the pan may look splotchy or streaky and will become darker as the season process progresses. This is normal. Even blue steel pans will become black over time.

Carbon steel pans are great for searing foods like steak, pork chops and chicken thighs, because they're good at high-heat cooking. But you'll want to start the pan over medium-low or medium heat and then gradually crank it up, because it helps distribute the heat evenly and prevent warping.

Carbon steel is also a good choice for more delicate foods like eggs, pancakes and even fish, thanks to its smooth surface and ability to become more seasoned and naturally nonstick over time.

Because most carbon steel pans are oven safe, they're also good for searing and then roasting foods (like pork or beef tenderloin), roasting potatoes and other veggies, and baking cornbread or biscuits.

Like cast iron, carbon steel isn't the best choice for simmering acidic sauces like marinara, because it might strip away some of the natural seasoning.

Sarah Gregory Wharton, deputy editor of testing and research, helped craft the methodology for testing carbon steel pans and led the testing for this story. She has been using carbon steel pans at home — seared scallops are a fave — for years now.

She is a graduate of the International Culinary Center (now the Institute of Culinary Education) and has been cooking professionally since 2017. She has written about nonstick cookware and the best saucepans for the Good Housekeeping Institute.