In our tested review of popular carbon steel skillets, we named the Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Fry Pan the best overall pick. Ahead, learn more about this traditional workhorse pan and why we love it so much.

After testing 11 of the best carbon steel pans—both traditional and preseasoned—I was most impressed by the Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Fry Pan, which earned the highest marks overall. While the pan requires a slightly tedious seasoning process right out of the box (potato skins are involved), the task is ultimately straightforward, leaving the pan with a beautifully smooth, dark coating that’s ready for cooking. Once seasoned, the pan yielded crispy-edged fried eggs, delicate French omelets that released with ease, evenly seared chicken thighs and moist, golden-brown cornbread. And because practically nothing stuck to the surface, it was a snap to clean.

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. 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. Below are the pan’s standout features.

Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Fry Pan Features

A Durable, High-Quality Pan From A Trusted Cookware Brand

A legacy French kitchen brand, Matfer Bourgeat has been outfitting restaurants, culinary schools, luxury hotels and catering services with their cookware—which includes copper, stainless steel, nonstick, cast iron and ceramic—for over two centuries. In other words, you can trust the quality of the brand’s carbon steel. Made from a single pressed piece of 3mm-thick black carbon steel, the Matfer Bourgeat pan is an excellent conductor and retainer of heat, meaning it sears protein evenly but not too quickly, which is helpful for home cooks who may not want to cook quite as hot and fast as a restaurant line cook. 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.

What’s more, the pan is currently getting an upgrade to improve upon its design and make it even more durable. (While I experienced no such issue using the current version of the pan on an induction cooktop, some users reported that theirs warped when heated too quickly over induction plates.) Though the reformulation hasn’t been advertised, Christian Letourneau, head of community at Matfer Bourgeat USA, confirmed that the brand has indeed made “a few small tweaks to this particular product in response to chef feedback, as well as the pan’s growing popularity among in-the-know home kitchens in the U.S.” Production on new models started in 2022, and the brand is currently rolling out these changes. Once the reformulated pan is widely available (in all sizes), I plan to test it out.

Perfect For Searing Chicken And Making Delicate Omelets Alike

Thanks to its ability to conduct heat quickly (but not too quickly) and retain it, this pan is a kitchen workhorse. After just one round of seasoning, I seared a skin-on chicken thigh on the stove and finished it in the oven, and it came out with beautifully even color. I then tested the pan’s nonstick capabilities by frying eggs, which didn’t stick one bit—they slid right out of the pan without the need for any additional utensils. To challenge the pan even further, I made two dishes that home cooks typically prepare with nonstick pans: French omelets and crêpes. (Traditionally, restaurants have used carbon steel pans for these dishes.) Matfer Bourgeat’s pan cooked both brilliantly. The omelets slid out with ease; the crêpe batter held onto the pan as I swirled it around, then released once the batter was cooked through. Whether your goal is to fry a quick egg, sear protein for dinner or make an elegant brunch, this pan is adept at all of the above.

An Excellent Price For Exceptional Quality

As is the case with cast-iron cookware, you don’t need to pay a pretty penny to get a high-quality carbon steel pan that’s built to last. The 10.25-inch Matfer Bourgeat pan (which was a midrange option in testing) typically costs less than $85, and it outperformed all of its high-end competitors. 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. The 10.25-inch version—the one I tested, which is ideal for households of two—is currently available on Amazon for $86. The pan is also available in eight other sizes, up to 17.75 inches.

How Does Matfer Bourgeat Compare To Other Carbon Steel Pans?

Out of the 11 carbon steel skillets I tested, Matfer Bourgeat gave the most impressive performance overall. Though the brand’s recommended seasoning process was a bit tedious, I appreciated how specific it was—and most importantly, it was successful. (If you’re interested in more about what seasoning involves, check out my extensive guide to carbon steel cookware care and maintenance.) The pan took a bit longer to heat up and held onto heat longer than other models: This allowed for a slower, more home cook–friendly timing for searing protein (some of the better heat conductors scorched chicken thighs very quickly). And as long as you take care to remove food from the pan after removing it from the heat, your food should come out perfectly cooked every time. It was slightly heavier than other models for its size but was easily maneuvered thanks to its shorter handle. And price-wise, this pan was in the middle of the pack.

How I Tested The Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Fry Pan

Upon receiving the Matfer Bourgeat pan, I started by seasoning it according to the brand’s specific directions, taking note of the ease of the process. To test the pan’s heat conductivity and retention, I filled the pan with half an inch of water and timed how long it took the water to come to a boil (212 degrees) over medium-high heat; then, I turned off the heat to time how long it took for the water to come to room temperature (75 degrees).

I then moved on to cooking. To start, I seared a bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh in the pan to see how quickly and evenly the pan could brown the protein—a direct result of heat conductivity and retention. (The chicken fat in this test also helped to fortify the pan’s seasoning.) Then, I finished the chicken in the oven to see how the pan transitioned from stove to oven. To challenge the pan’s nonstick abilities—and to observe how its weight felt in my hand—I fried an egg to see if I could shake the egg free and flip it without utensils. To finish up, I tested the pan as a pure baking vessel by making cornbread, then pushed the pan’s nonstick surface even further by making French rolled omelets and crêpes.

My Expertise

I’ve used a lot of skillets over my near-decade of working in food media as a writer, recipe developer, recipe tester, food stylist and culinary producer for Food52, Bon Appétit and Epicurious, Taste, the Strategist and NYT Cooking, among others. As I’ve moved around in the industry, I’ve found that there’s often a discrepancy in skillets that are marketed to—and therefore preferred by—home cooks versus those who cook for a living. Many home cooks I spoke with while performing this testing weren’t aware of the existence of carbon steel skillets.

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. I spoke with Ali Slagle, author of the cookbook I Dream of Dinner (So You Don’t Have To); Andrea Nguyen, who has worked across restaurant kitchens and food media publications, and who has authored seven cookbooks; and Hailee Catalano, who has millions of TikTok and Instagram followers, a professional culinary degree and years of restaurant line-cook training.