Matfer Bourgeat 062005 Frying pan, Steel, Gray

Product Information

It was slightly heavier than other models for its size but was easily maneuvered thanks to its shorter handle. I’m just an amateur home cook, but I’ve read a lot about seasoning carbon steel—and I have a carbon steel wok that’s maintained seasoning fairly well, plus several cast iron pans that are seasoned well—so I’d like to think I have a basic knowledge of how to season a pan. Considering the best of their kind can last a lifetime, the Matfer Bourgeat pan is a worthy investment for any home cook looking to add carbon steel cookware to their home kitchen. Out of the 11 carbon steel skillets I tested, Matfer Bourgeat gave the most impressive performance overall.

This is why I like the idea with the mini legs in Ilsa, but at the same time it makes it less stable. It’s also possible for most people to lift the pans that are 30 cm (12 inches) and under, one handed and toss foods around. Be sure to save the sticker glued onto the pan as that contains the manufacturer's instructions for seasoning.The heat up time isn’t even so much affected, I can preheat on a bit higher setting than I would normally. Handling and keeping them on the diffusers is a bit awkward though, but I keep doing it pretty often for the evenness benefit, especially if I am pan frying fish for example on the 28 cm. For this assignment I spoke to some professional cooks who regularly use carbon steel pans, and whose experience with the pans ranges from recipe development and testing to restaurant line cooking. After a second seasoning, the entire base of the pan got a black hue that instantly made the pan look well-loved and full of character. Meanwhile, its sloped sides and relatively short handle make it a great choice for sautéing and flipping; it also performed well when transferred to the oven from the stove, and when used purely as a baking vessel.

Finally, on my new induction cooktop, I can now make passable pancakes on my cast irons without the adapters though, so that’s the end of me using them. Considering carbon steel (just like cast iron) gets better with age and use, I believe this pan would make a worthy investment for any home kitchen.

As part of our testing process, we routinely revisit past product recommendations to ensure they’re still accurate and to see how they compare to similar products.

discard Contents, then briefly reheat frying pan with a little oil, remove from heat and wipe with paper towel. Again, these are utilitarian working pans, and are meant to be covered in a patina anyway, so not at all an issue. The 9 1/2" (6 1/2" cooking surface) is a little small, except for a single burger, sandwich, or two egg omelette. That’s the great thing about carbon steel pans, no matter how you treat them they can always be fixed. They get about as hot as the floors of empty pans, especially thick disk pans without conductive sidewalls.They have all the benefits of cast iron —they’re cheap, can be used on any heat source, are great at searing, perfectly nonstick when properly seasoned — except they don’t retain heat quite as well. Long time, but I have an Ilsa 21 cm, which is about 3 mm total thick and has tiny legs to keep it slightly off the cooking surface, reducing the risk of overheating the appliance. Also, there is nothing harmful or poisonous being released if the seasoning deteriorates from acidic foods, you’ll just loose the non-stick and have to season the pan again. Then I have a thicker and larger Kinghoff 6 mm, 23,5cm, this one enables me to use my 28 cm Skeppshult frypan with the pancakes. What’s more, compared to other highly rated and comparably sized carbon steel pans, the Matfer Bourgeat is highly affordable—and performs just as well, if not better, than options that cost twice as much.