Merten & Storck Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel 8” Frying Pan Skillet, Use on Induction, Stove and Grill, Durable, Even-Heating, for Searing, Grilling, Oven Use, and Campfire, Indoor/Outdoor

This review is of the 10 inch frying pan pros: It really comes with all the promises that they make. It is pre-seasoned, really. It is just as good as nonstick as long as you use oil, not butter only, to cook anything. It is lighter than cast iron by a good bit. It is heirloom quality. You could dent this pan or even fold it in half and still heat it back up, bang it back into shape re-season it and it will still work. If the rivets got damaged you could grind them off and re-rivet the handle and it would work just fine. The very first try out of the box I cleaned it up and I heated it up to very hot to burn off any contaminants that might have been on it and then I proceeded to fry not one but 6 eggs with less coconut oil and butter than I use in my normal Teflon pens (I combine the two because butter keeps the oil from beating up and spreading evenly across the pan surface). Not only did the eggs not stick, I mean I didn't even have to use a spatula for any small stuck areas, it simply slid around in the pan like a brand new ceramic. Not only did it perform perfectly but it also flipped all six eggs, perfectly. Because of the taller sides and steeper angle of the sides I didn't think it would work but again to my amazement it worked perfectly. Can't really say enough positive about my experience so far. These cons are not really cons in context. But to provide a good context you need to know that carbon steel is substantially heavier than stainless steel or aluminum but on the plus side much lighter than cast iron even "lighter built" cast iron. The handle is a very heavy duty steel handle (and here's the only thing I can say that's negative about the pan is that the handle is not really that comfortable to hold, but I knew what the shape was going in and that's on me) and probably didn't need to be that heavy duty, but it is and it does get hot is if its under heat for quite a while or at high heat. I'm going to make some slide on wooden covers but that's because I can. The pan heats up way faster than our cast iron stuff and does hold its heat for quite a while. The texture is very smooth compared to cast iron and I'm very happy with it. If you're looking for a way to buy once and own forever. Looking for a way to get away from repurchasing ceramic and eating ceramic and Teflon when they break down then I can't recommend anything better than this pan for its shape and consistent durable construction, this company For availability and price. I'm not excited about having to re-season and pay attention to that process. But everything has a pain, pick your pain. I'm no longer interested in wondering if I'm eating Teflon or having to repurchase 30 to 40 dollar pans every couple of years or as soon as my children or others who use the pans cause a scrape.

1 year update: I happen to stumble across this listing again and it seems like the reviews are very polarized so I want to do an update and share a tip for people having sticking issues. Firstly, this is still my daily driver in the kitchen. In regards to this pan specifically, I think it's a perfectly good carbon steel and reasonably priced. That said, I have struggled with the non-stick performance and was nearly ready to give up on it before stumbling upon a "hack". So like I said originally the factory seasoning works quite well. However, that started to fade after a few weeks or so. After awhile I got annoyed and tried to apply new layers of seasoning. This is my first carbon anything pan so these attempts had varying success (seems like the best was leaving it in the oven for a good 20-30 mins and leaving it in there to slowly cool). Regardless, even if it worked great for a few days or couple weeks, it always faded again. Seemed like the "gets better with time" didn't apply to carbon steel or I was doing something wrong. I started calling it the "all stick pan" and at one point was trying to apply a seasoning layer every week or two. I bought a flexible metal spatula and this was a big upgrade. Much more effective at releasing stuck on food. Annoying that it's necessary but hey it works right? However, I noticed that simply running that spatula over the pan to remove food bits made the pan more non-stick the next time I used it. This was my first clue that I wasn't cleaning aggressively enough. Now I have a friend who loves his cast iron and he's anti-soap. He does what I'm now calling a "hot water deglaze". As soon as you're done cooking and the pan is still piping hot, throw a splash of hot water in so that it boils very vigorously. I'd only very seldom done this bc the instructions say let it cool slowly (presumably to prevent warping). However, one night I deglazed while making a pan sauce. I'd made the "mistake" of not using my stainless for that. The pan was being pretty sticky at that point. But the next morning I made eggs and boom! Super non-stick as if I'd just seasoned it. So it seems like the issue is thin layers of baked on food residue that don't come off with normal scrubbing. I've noticed some foods are more problematic than others (eg meats, and I think mushrooms). The hot water deglaze removes the remaining grime layer. Now whenever the pan starts getting a little sticky I just do a hot water deglaze after cooking and it's been great. Some of my excess seasoning layers have flaked off and it's forming a nice patina (black area) underneath. Hopefully this tip helps for some of the people struggling with sticking issues. To address warping: I did have an issue with that and I ended up pounding it out with a rubber mallet (while hot). It sits flat and stable now but does have a high spot in the middle and the oil pools around the edges as others have shown. Don't really want to pound it the other way so idk what to do about that. I just try to tilt the pan a bit to spread the oils before tossing food in. Doing the hot water deglaze hasn't caused any warping. Since I pounded it out it's been stable. Original review: Was shopping around for a cast iron and discovered carbon steel. Never heard of of it before, nor owned a cast iron, but I like the idea of it being lighter weight and heating up faster for daily use. I like the idea of a smooth surface too. Note that probably a lot of my comments pertain more to carbon steel in general than this specific pan. Pros: pre-seasoning is great. The pan is very nonstick right out of the box, on par with typical nonstick pans. It's very light and responds quickly to changes in heat. The instructions say you don't need to oil it regularly but I'm doing it anyway. But I like knowing that if that step gets skipped on occasion it's no big deal. It has a smoother surface and requires less oil than cast iron. Also, the handle doesn't get hot under normal usage which is nice. Cons: I think the biggest con here is that the pan is actually too thin. Great for lightness and responding to heat, but it warps very easy. Won't matter much on a gas stove but I have a glass top and that means poor contact, hot spots, and being annoyingly unstable (always wants to spin). You have to try to heat the pan slowly to avoid warping. And of course lack of thermal mass isn't as good for searing meat (cast iron is better for that). It's actually thinner and lighter than my stainless pan (has layers of copper and such). Also, the first time I used it I was using metal tongs and I ended up getting a nick in the bottom of the pan. Hasn't adversely affected anything but it seems like I'll have to stick to silicone cookware or flexible metal. Overall great pan and is now my go to.

UPDATE 12/20/2024: I loved the 10" skillet so much, I bought the 12". They are my goto skillets, without a doubt. I use them daily, many times more than once per day. These are the only pans that I use to make eggs. So, my Merten and Storck fry pans have been used dozens and dozens of times. I've ordered an induction range which will arrive day after tomorrow. These pans will work great on the induction cooktop. I'll update with info on how they do with induction and how I have to adapt. I was making tuna patties tonight in the 12" pan. To this day, both pans are non-stick, and I mean so darn slippery that it takes a spatula plus another implement on the other side to flip anything. Even fried eggs just slide around. The pans are almost too slippery. I detailed how to season the pans to keep them nonstick in my original review. I've learned that after reheating and rubbing oil on them a few times that it becomes unnecessary. They'll stop soaking up the oil. When you see this, then simply wash them under hot water (when they've cooled down) and dry. I rarely use dish detergent. I have a BLUE 3M scrubber that I use. I only use the BLUE, because it's non-scratch. If I think the pan needs more, I'll put a very small amount of Dawn on the scrubbing pad, wet it in hot water, wash, rinse, and dry. That's all there is to it. I've had no issues with rust. My pans hang on the wall. You can see where oil has polymerized in a couple of places on the cooking surface. This is correct and what it's supposed to do. Don't scrub it off! It's a part of the seasoning. There are 2 things I never do: 1. I never soak the pans. 2. I never run cool or tepid water into a hot pan to clean it. I always cool them down. Original review: I've read reviews where people think these pans are coated with a nonstick material; they aren't. I've also read that you should treat them like cast iron; you DON'T. Here's the right information. First, the pans may have a bluish hue. It's not from an applied finish. When you heat carbon steel, you get blue heat marks. Certain metals will so this when heated. You see it more readily in silver colored pans and it's natural. These pans are extremely preseasoned. I fried eggs over easy this morning, and they slipped around the pan so much, I had a hard time turning them! This is how you want these pans to perform. I have a carbon steel wok (that was Not pre-seasoned) and I've never had one thing stick in it. Unlike cast iron, you should wash your COLD carbon steel pan, using dish soap, rinsing well. Never ever put a hot pan in cool water; it'll warp. After washing and drying, sit your skillet back on the stove. Turn it on to medium-low. Heat the pan. When the pan is hot, use a paper towel to apply cooking oil. You can use olive oil. I think a higher temp oil is better, like corn or vegetable oil. Don't let the pan overheat. Just rub the oil around. You'll see it disappear into the pan. When the pan isn't taking anymore, turn off the burner. After the pan cools, simply wipe off any excess oil and put it away. That's all there is to it. Don't put in the dishwasher. Just hand wash with dish soap, dry it, heat on a burner and apply oil. It'll stay extremely slick. BTW, if you buy a pan that isn't seasoned, it'll come with a coating of shellac on it to protect against rust. You have to heat it on high heat and burn the shellac off, scrubbing the soot. When you're done, the pan looks like these pans, black with a bluish hue. The 10" skillet is a nice weight without being too heavy. The metal handle doesn't get hot when cooking on the stove. These are very nice pans!

I purchased two. They are my first experience with carbon steel and there is something of a learning curve. The searing qualities are great. They are extremely responsive to heat, so they get hot fast, and because these have carbon instead of stainless steel handles as pictured, it's in your best interest to get silicone covers. The preseasoning works really well, and I have few concerns about maintaining the nonstick properties. My main complaint (besides the handles) is that the surface got scratched up from using a fish spatula. This shouldn't be a problem because of the effects of reasoning over time, but it was unexpected.

This pan works great! I'm seeing so many negative reviews from people who obviously haven't even looked at the instructions that came with the pan. Follow the instructions, or even better watch some vids on how to cook on carbon steel and you're good to go. This pan after a few uses is more non stick than teflon by far. I've not had 1 issue with rust, just put it back on the hot burner for a minute to dry after washing. Yes, the seasoning will show some scratches if you use metal utensils, but it's normal. It's normal for the factory seasoning to gradually be replaced with cooking patina that's also non stick. It's normal for some seasoning to be eroded away when cooking meats too. Always preheat the pan so there's that steam barrier between the pan and your food, and nothing will stick. It's light, heats up quick, and also cools down quick so you can wash it without waiting long. You always want to let it cool a bit so you don't warp it with cold water when it's hot. Then just wipe a thin layer of canola oil on it after washing (I just use one of those chain mail scrubbers) and before drying it on the burner and you've replenished the seasoning and ready for next time. Am overall really happy with replacing my "ceramic" cookware with these. Bought this one just to try out carbon steel and I am a believer!

This is a great pan - it cooks evenly and cleans up easily. I took special care to season it the first few times, and now it only needs seasoning about once/month. The handle gets really hot, so we use a silicone sleeve over it. It's developing a nice patina and we've never had any trouble with foods sticking. I use a scrub brush with no soap, just hot water, and then dry it immediately.

Recently got this pan and have been cooking in it for a few weeks. This is hands down my new favorite pan. If you’ve ever cooked on a flat top / blackstone type grill then you’ll feel right at home. I follow the same principles on this pan that I do on my Blackstone. Use the same utensils too. Except for the initial “smoking” that I do on my blackstone…you don’t need to do that with this pan. You do need to use some type of oil / butter when cooking. Don’t need a ton, but if you don’t use anything then food will stick. That’s just the reality of achieving non-stick without all the chemicals. This pan conducts heat VERY well, even on my old, simple glass top electric stove. So you only need a low heat for a lot of foods otherwise you’ll burn it. Take the time to learn the pan and you’ll not have a problem. Cleanup is easy too. Slight scrape (when necessary), tiny bit of mild dish soap and warm water, dry, then light coat of oil and you’re done! It’s super easy. This is my first carbon steel frying pan and I’m hooked. I’ll be replacing all my non-stick pans with this now. This pan isn’t TOO heavy, though it definitely weighs more than your average non-stick…not as much as a cast iron skillet though. Handle is A- for comfortability…I might look to see if there are some kind of silicone covers I can get. Pan is also oven friendly so it’s good for just about everything. The only thing you’ll want to avoid is tomato-based foods due to the acidity (use stainless steel for that). This pan feels like it’s built to survive a bombing. Rock solid. So yeah, if you’re looking for a legit, quality, relatively easy to learn alternative to the chemical-based non-stick pans (don’t waste your time on the crap ceramic junk out there) then I would definitely recommend these Merten & Stork pans. After reading about them online for months, I’m 110% convinced. Carbon Steel frying pans for the win!

I have a bunch of carbon steel and cast iron pans so I thought I’d compare this to a similar sized pan, my 10 inch Lodge carbon steel pan. Here are some comparative stats: L is Lodge and MS is Merten Storck Weight: L 3 lbs 2 oz vs MS 2 lbs 10 oz (The MS is a much thinner gauge material and is noticeably lighter) Total diameter: L 10 “ vs. MS 10 3/8 “ diameter Cooking diameter: L: 7 3/8” vs MS 8 1/4” Cooking surface in square inches: L 85 vs. MS 107 (+25% more surface area) Heigh: L: 1 1/2 inch versus MS: 1 3/4 inch height L is flared and MS has more straight walls Both handles are 9 inches long I wanted to see how fast they heated up on full blast on my Viking stove. I used an infrared thermometer in the center of the pan. I measured the Lodge first and then I waited until the burner and grate were totally cooled down before I measured the MS. One minute L: 265 MS:245 Two minutes: L: 392 MS: 369 Three minutes L: 479 MS 449 They both heat up fairly quickly but Lodge was slightly higher but not enough to make a huge difference. Cooking performance Because the MS is larger you can cook larger chops, steaks, fish, etc. I have found that the MS is more smooth than the Lodge and almost approaches the smoothness of my Matfer 12 inch. But surprisingly I still get certain foods that stick a little to the MS such as scrambled eggs and fish where I don’t have this problem with Lodge or Matfer. Overall it is a useful pan, it fits somewhere between the 10 inch lodge and the 12 inch Matfer when I cook things that are too big for the 10 inch lodge and don’t want to deal the the much larger 12 inch Matfer. My 10 inch Wagner cast iron though is way better for searing than the MS but the MS is lighter and easier to deal with so I may use it on pork chops, burgers, and some veggies. I use the MS the least though because the Lodge has better cooking performance, better searing, less stick and I still have an 10 inch Lodge cast iron for ultimate searing. This pan is easy to clean if you use a chain mail scrubber. I use the one with the silicone sponge/support on all of my cast iron and carbon steel pans. Pictures 1. side by side with Lodge 2. After I scrubbed and cleaned. 3. After first seasoning 4. Putting oil on the pan after first seasoning. 5. 5 months later The first picture is side by side with the 10 inch Lodge carbon steel pan. Second is cleaned pan, third is first seasoning. As you can see whatever MS uses to season the pan is doesn’t even allow oil to stick (4rth picture). At this point foods won’t stick much either, but it does wear off as you use it more often and the patina builds up. Hopefully over time this will be more like my Matfer but we’ll see. The last picture is 5 months after using it occasionally. I also got this pan for $29.99 when they first came out. It's now up to $60. At that price I don't know if I would buy it. But at $30 it's an easy choice.