Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Frying Pan, 17 7/8"

This is not my third Matfer pan, and for good reason. This pan is flawless, simple, elegant in that austere French way, and—when properly seasoned—easily outperforms my other pans, which includes a 5-ply stainless, and a disappointing Hexclad). It's heavy for its size, but I welcome the trade-off for having more consistent heat distribution and retention. Their product support is impressive: a robust Q&A, and you can subscribe to get technical tips and product information. They clearly want you to appreciate how to use the pan correctly and get the most out of it. I'm not a huge fan of the potato skin/salt/oil method of seasoning, preferring to barely coat the pan with oil and bake in 500dF oven for an hour, then repeat when cooled. Is this pan better than other cabin steel pans you'll see out there? Look at the quality of the weld on the handle, the thickness of the pan body, and the absence of any rivets on the business side of the pan. Hard to beat.

Read about carbon steel pans in Cook's Illustrated. Sounded like something to try. Got this pan (should have gotten smaller, and will) to test it out. Yep, it is heavy. Not as heavy as the same size cast iron, but a lot more than the non-stick Cook's Essentials Anodized Aluminum. First it needs to be seasoned, and not like you would a cast iron pan. The directions that come with it are iffy, almost badly translated French. So, I will add here the directions from Cook's Illustrated and hope they weren't copyrighted. First though, the pan and using it. Very nice, cooks great. Really is non stick after seasoning and clean up is a swipe. Going to have to get used to that. Seared the steaks perfectly and finished the cream sauce without at hitch. Yep, gotta get you some. INITIAL SEASONING: First you'll need to remove the new pan's wax or grease coating (used to protect the metal from rusting in transit). Use very hot water, dish soap, and vigorous scrubbing with a bristle brush. Dry the pan and then put in on low heat to finish drying. Add 1/3 cup oil, 2/3 cup salt, and peels from two potatoes (these help to pull any remaining wax or grease from the pan surface). Cook over medium heat, occasionally moving the peels around the pan and up the sides to the rim, for 8 to 10 minutes. (The pan will turn brown) Discard the contents, allow the pan to cool, and wipe with paper towels. You are ready to cook. (If you experience sticking, repeat once. This method will work on any carbon-steel skillet.) MAINTENANCE: Avoid soap and abrasive scrubbing. Simply wipe or rinse the pan clean, dry it thoroughly on a warm burner, and rub it with a light coat of oil. If you accidentally scrub off some of the patina, wipe the pan with a thin coat of oil and place it over high heat for about 10 minutes until the pan darkens ( it will smoke; turn on an exhaust fan). BLOTCHY IS OK: As soon as you season and start cooking in a carbon-steel pan, it changes from shiny silver to brown and blotchy. The blotches are a sign that the pan is building up a slippery patina, which will help it become increasingly nonstick. The blotches and nonstick capability may initially wax and wan, but with use, the pan's cooking surface will gradually darken and become more uniform in color.

The pan itself is fantastic. Took seasoning like a champion, and is more nonstick than my tramontina teflon skillet. no joke. but before i continue to sing it's praises... and i will... let's mention the one down side. this is a heavy skillet. no two ways around it, it is lighter than cast iron in the same size, but if you're moving from cast iron to carbon steel because you can't lift your cast iron anymore, it may serve to keep looking at aluminum or teflon. this pan is a bulldog, great little pan, always faithful, but he's got shoulders and a head that will absolutely scare your neighbors. now, the praises... i started my pan with a rigorous hot water and detergent scrub, all over, and paper towel dried, then whilst the pan was drying on a warm stove, i cranked my oven up to 500F. once the pan was dry, i gave him a full body massage in flax oil. the entire length of the handle, the inside and outside of the pan, all of it. flipped upside down and inserted in the oven, and gave him one hour in the heat. i pulled the pan, set him aside for a bit too cool, then rubbed him down again in flax oil with an oily rag i keep for my cast iron. once he was shiny all over like a golden god, back into the furnace. after the second hour at 500F, the heat went off and the pan sat until the next morning when i seasoned as per the instructions, using oil, salt, and potato skins. the pan was, at this point, a deep auburn all over, and the potato skins fried right up. but instead of taking those to black, i just fried them until the skins were crispy and brown, then removed the salt, oil, and skins from the pan. i wiped out of the pan, and it was slick and easy, nothing stuck at all. i then sauteed one whole onion in butter. having two peeled potatoes left, i had chunked those and soaked them in lemon water to keep them from graying, so faced with a dilemma, I answered by using a fork to separate the skins from the salt, then placed some of the oiled salt back in the pan, with the sauteed onions, topped it with the chunked russets, and added pepper, then slid the whole pan into a 375 degree oven for an hour. once the potatoes were done, i sprinkled the crispy skins over the steamy soft potatoes, and preserved the salt to be used yet again. (of note, i was using a large grain himalayan pink salt, as i was out of kosher salt). the next morning, the 3rd day this pan was in my house, i fried three eggs in it, just to see where we were at. i got that "egg on an air hockey table" effect that you see on TV, and finished the three perfect sunny side up eggs with the last of the crispy potato skins from the previous day. the pan hasn't left my stovetop yet. if you can get past the weight, these pans are flat out incredible. cut the teflon cord! one final note... i love the pan, and i got it just under 50 bucks on amazon, but after some research, i've seen them as low as 30 bucks from some restaurant supply stores. do your research kids, just because it's a value at 50 doesn't mean you should have to pay that if you don't have to! price shop!

I love cooking and was looking for pans I can safely use on my gas stove top, put in the oven and use on my 100 year old Rayburn wood stove! I am weeding out all plastics, Teflon and non-stick surfaces, and noticed lots of very good reviews for the Matfer steel pans. I started with a small pan, followed all the starter seasoning instructions and cleaning after every use very carefully and so glad I did. I was so very happy with this pan I bought another. When I can afford a third I will add to my collection. Nothing sticks! The cooking results are excellent. I'm very happy! Tip, I purchased heat proof slip on silicon handles, cause they get hot and the pans are heavy. Follow the cleaning instructions every single use. No detergents, dry thoroughly and oil lightly when dry. I use rice bran oil. My pans are nearly black now, which is how they are supposed to be after correct use and cleaning/storing.

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Seasoned it on the stove (following the video guide by Serious Eats) and it turned beautifully dark in just a day! Food did not stick, except when I used soy sauce the first time. It’s my first time using carbon steel and I have high hopes and good experiences so far. It’s on the heavy side but more manageable than cast iron. The bottom surface is very small though, much less space than a 10 inch Lodge skillet.

Its a Joy to cook in, once it is seasoned, its the best non stick pan. Best for stake lovers. I personally try to cook as much possible in this. Wok will be a nice addition to our kitchen. Its going to last a life time. Absolutely worth the investment.

This is my third matfer bourgeat cookware and as expected is of high quality. Highly recommended! Have provided photographs of before and after seasoning …