This is a beautiful pan. It's one of my, probably my most reached-for pan.
Our buying, seasoning, and maintenance guide for every chef's secret weapon, the carbon steel skillet.
Articles · Comparison
Carbon Steel vs Cast Iron: What People Who Cook on Both Say
Nobody in these 84 sources faults carbon steel for its weight, while ten people fault cast iron skillets for theirs.
About Carbon Steel Pans and Cast Iron Skillets.
We have not used any of these ourselves. We read 84 sources and structured what 50 people said. Of the 30 quotes below, 12 are complaints. Every one of them links to the person who said it and the second they said it.
Based on 50 people, 84 sources and 284 recorded claims.
The answer
Carbon steel and cast iron are not rivals to Hannah Crowley of America's Test Kitchen, Tom's Kitchen, Quality Collapse and Prudent Reviews, who each speak well of both. Where they part, carbon steel is the lighter pan and the quicker to heat: Nancy Rich calls it "Lighter, quicker, and every bit as honest", and no one quoted faults it on either. Prudent Reviews makes the searing case for cast iron. What these 84 sources cannot settle is how long carbon steel lasts, since nobody quoted has timed one.
The 9 quotes behind this, from 5 people · 1 objecting
In terms of cooking, there's very little these pans can't do.
Cites even heating, heat conduction, heat retention, searing and crust, versatility
Its superpower is that it can retain and conduct plenty of heat for deep browning of food.
like regular cast iron, these pans have excellent heat retention, so they'll sear, fry and braise well maintaining the heat you want without undesirable temperature dips as food is added or flipped
Though all of these are gonna sear a great steak.
A thick heavy pan has the mass and density to hold more heat than a thinner pan does, and once preheated will cook more evenly than a thinner and lighter pan
you want to develop a good deep seasoning and that translates to almost a black surface and once you've achieved that you got the only skillet you're ever going to need
Cites maintenance, rust resistance, seasoning durability, versatility
they're sort of hybrid skillets they kind of take all the best properties from a cast iron skillet and a stainless steel skillet and combine it into this perfect skillet
biggest cons of carbon steel there really isn't any that's the beauty of carbon steel
honestly for me carbon steel skillets are my favorite skillets to use so i don't see very many cons to be honest
if i want to be practical if it was the end of the world and i can only have one skillet and it had to be something i can just set it and forget it yeah it would be a stainless steel skillet because it doesn't rust it does everything all the other skillets can do
um but it's not the end of the world so if i can only have one skill it would be a carbon steel skillet
the cast iron skillet is probably the oldest skillet out there and most likely your grandparents have a really good cast iron skillet stored away somewhere in their basement or attic
Cites durability
and finally cast iron skillets are almost indestructible it's a tool that you're gonna cherish and pass down to your kids and grandkids
they will definitely outlive you and it's something that you're going to pass down to your kids and grandkids for sure just like a cast iron skillet
european families will often find their grandparents carbon steel skillets stashed away somewhere in the attic
Professional chefs do not use nonstick pans in restaurant kitchens. They use carbon steel. It is lighter than cast iron, but just as durable.
Cites durability, weight
We have seen cast iron skillets from 1920 that are still being used daily.
Cites durability
We have seen carbon steel pans from the 1950s that are still in professional kitchens today.
Its ability to hold temperature so stable is why cast iron is the ultimate cookware for searing.
Cites heat retention, searing and crust, surface finish, versatility
Stainless steel is the ultimate all-purpose cookware. You can use it to sear meat and fish, saute vegetables, boil pasta, simmer sauces, and much more.
Stainless steel is also the best type of cookware for pan sauces. Since it's uncoated, cooking meat in a stainless steel pan creates fond, which is the brown stuck-on bits of concentrated meat flavor at the bottom of the pan.
The bottom line is that carbon steel does live up to the hype but it’s not without flaws.
It's what the cooks reached for over cast iron. Lighter, quicker, and every bit as honest.
Cites heat control, heating speed, non-stick surface
Lighter than cast iron, heats up fast and answers the flame the second you turn it.
It heats up much faster than cast iron and cools faster, too. So, preheating is quick.
Carbon steel comes up to heat fast. That speed and that control are exactly why the working kitchens love it.
Carbon steel responds the instant you turn the burner up or down.
A well-kept carbon steel pan, properly heated with a little fat, will let a fried egg slide around loose as anything. No sticking, no tearing, slicker than a non-stick, and with none of the flaking.
What the evidence agrees on
- Hannah Crowley, speaking on America's Test Kitchen, says carbon steel is probably the pan she reaches for most and says there is little a cast iron skillet cannot cook, and Prudent Reviews, a reviewer who tests pans head to head, praises cast iron for searing and says carbon steel lives up to its hype, though not without flaws.
- Durability does not separate the two: David Chang, speaking on GQ, calls cast iron skillets indestructible, and Quality Collapse relays that carbon steel is just as durable.
- Nobody quoted faults carbon steel on heat control: Lisa McManus, a cookware tester on America's Test Kitchen, says it sears like cast iron and is "much easier to handle".
The 7 quotes behind this, from 5 people · 1 objecting
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 12:04.
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 0:30.
Cites even heating, heat conduction, heat retention, searing and crust, versatility
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 3:38.
Cites heat retention, searing and crust, surface finish, versatility
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 10:03.
I do feel that every kitchen needs a cast iron skillet they're all cheap and they're all indestructible
Cites durability, price
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 6:01.
Cites durability, weight
Retains a lot of the properties that we love in cast iron, this ability to retain heat and really put a nice sear on food, but it's much easier to handle.
Cites ergonomics, heat control, safety, ease of cleaning, even heating, heat retention, non-stick surface
Other secret of this pan is its ability to become naturally non-stick. So the smooth grain of this takes to seasoning a little faster than cast iron and it becomes very rapidly non-stick when you season it. And you can cook in it with just a little bit of fat, and food will just come right out. So if you're really…
Stainless steel or, in particular, a fully clad pan where there are layers of stainless steel, aluminum, and stainless steel is really known for its ability to make even, uniform heat. The aluminum transmits heat very quickly, stainless steel much more slowly. The stainless retains it so it spreads, and you get this…
In the carbon steel, I think we got the sort of Goldilocks moment. You get this really beautiful golden brown crust that is deeply brown, and nice, and crusty. Inside is nice and pink. And you really get this nice contrast between the brown crust and the cooked interior that is nice and juicy. So I thought it was a…
When we were done, there was almost nothing in the pan. It was just, I wipe it out, rinse it out, and we're good to go.
Where do people disagree about carbon steel pans and cast iron skillets?
- Tom's Kitchen, who sands his own cast iron pans smooth, calls a 12-inch cast iron skillet pretty heavy, and Yair, speaking on Yair's Time Capsule, says his wife cannot lift one easily. Five of the 43 people who talked about cast iron skillets speak for its heft, and nobody in these 84 sources faults carbon steel for weight.
- J. Kenji López-Alt, who co-designed the Our Place Titanium Pro pan and has a financial partnership with Our Place, says carbon steel "heats up faster, cools down faster" than cast iron, and Nancy Rich finds cast iron slow to heat, while one person defends cast iron on heating speed and no one quoted faults carbon steel on it.
- Zoe Carter, who owns cast iron and keeps pet parrots, finds flipping an egg on it extremely difficult, while Valerie Li Stack, of America's Test Kitchen, says a cared-for skillet's "surface becomes naturally non-stick".
- Papa Mau, speaking on PapaMau, came away from dumplings thinking carbon steel more nonstick than cast iron, while THE FOOD-DEE tells cooks leaving Teflon not to expect carbon steel to be super nonstick.
- Acid counts against both classes: Hannah Crowley warns that simmered tomatoes strip seasoning from traditional cast iron, and Autodidactically Yours keeps tomatoes and vinegar out of carbon steel.
The 10 quotes behind this, from 10 people · 9 objecting
cast iron skillets are pretty heavy especially when you're getting a 12-inch skillet
Cites weight (against)
even this 10 inch skillet is still pretty heavy that's probably one of the biggest things that i don't like about cast iron skillets is you do tend to get fatigued
they're much lighter than a cast iron skillet but they're heavy and they develop an amazing nonstick coating
i think for cast iron skillets she doesn't like picking up any of the big skillets and she tends to stay with the smaller skillets because they're really heavy
And it's very heavy also, so my wife won't be able to use it because she won't be able to lift the pan easily from place to place.
Cites weight (against)
And carbon steel does that really well. And compared to cast iron, it heats up faster, cools down faster, and it's also much lighter.
Cites heating speed (against)
Cast iron is slow to heat and slow to change.
Cites even heating (against), heat control (against), heating speed (against)
A carbon steel pan much bigger than your burner will have a hot center and cool edges and your food cooks uneven.
the most difficult thing to cook on l cruset or any cast iron for that matter is over easy eggs or over medium eggs anytime you need to cook an egg and then flip it over to the other side it is extremely difficult
Cites non-stick surface (against)
And with plenty of views in the right care, their surface becomes naturally non-stick.
Cites non-stick surface, seasoning durability
As Hannah said, an important feature of cast iron skillets is its natural non-stick ability.
Repeated exposure to smoking hot oil continues to build on this coating, making it more slippery and durable. That's why even though most skillets these days come with a factory seasoning, the surface will become even more non-stick with repeated use.
dumplings made me think carbon steel was more nonstick than cast iron simply
Cites surface finish, non-stick surface
everyone assumes that carbon steel or cast iron pan is super nonstick it's just not the facts are you if you're coming from teflon to a carbon steel pan you're going to want to make sure you give it a good seasoning and set your expectations it's not going to be super nonstick
Cites non-stick surface (against)
Acidic foods like tomatoes can strip the seasoning from traditional cast iron if simmered for too long in the pan.
Cites acid resistance (against)
now this is obvious for anyone who's done any research on using a carbon steel pan you obviously do not want to put tomatoes or vinegar in the pan right
Cites acid resistance (against), seasoning durability (against)
another weird one raw spinach i did some research on it afterwards and apparently there is a acidic element in spin it raw spinach that strips the seasoning from the pan when you cook it in there
How long will carbon steel pans last compared with cast iron skillets?
Cast iron holds the only lifespans anyone quoted gives in numbers, and both are a person's own pan. Dennis Powell, founder of a cast iron cookware manufacturing company, said in 2018 that he cooked in his grandmother's pan for 35 years. Christopher Scott, who has carpal tunnel, had owned his cast iron pan for 108 months when he spoke in 2024.
Every other figure is a word. David Chang said in 2017 that a cast iron skillet looked after properly lasts generations, and Kent Rollins, of Cowboy Kent Rollins, said in 2023 that each skillet lasts a lifetime. Both spoke about cast iron in general, not about a pan they had timed.
Carbon steel has one figure, and it is also a word: THE FOOD-DEE said in 2022 that the pans will outlast your generation and your children's. Nobody quoted has timed a carbon steel pan, so the gap between the two classes is in the evidence, and nobody has shown it is in the metal.
The 5 quotes behind this, from 5 people
I cooked in my grandmother's pan for 35 years until one day up on the Choptank at our at our house there we'd finish breakfast and I was walking out and did the yard scraped something out of the pan into the compost pile I dropped the pan that tumbled down the stairs and I could hear it going ding-ding-ding clunk and…
Owned 35 years, no longer, stopped because the pan cracked after being dropped down the stairs
there's three ply there's five ply there's seven ply Alloys that are stainless steel with titanium to make them stronger and last longer and look better for a longer time period
Cites appearance, durability
Owned 9 years
but this pan has been a Workhorse I think this is a 14inch I've had this pan for 9 years I don't even know the brand of this one but I I think I bought this one in HomeGoods or something like that a long long time ago
this is something for sure that if you take care of will last Generations upon Generations
Cites durability
always told you that cast iron is an investment it's going to outlast everything else you got each one of these Skillets if you take care of it will last you a lifetime and you can pass down from generation to generation to generation
Cites durability
these pans are built to last they will last your generation your kids generations you can pass them down to your great grandchildren and they'll still be around and still working great as long as you take care of them these things are meant to take a beating from my years of cooking we use cast iron pans and carbon…
Cites coating durability, durability, repairability
if you do for some reason scratch the coating off your pan and leave a big gouge in it don't worry it's not the end of the world all you need to do a little secret here all you need to do is cook with it that's it as you cook with it the oils are going to polymerize back to the pan and rebuild up that scratch piece…
your pan is rusted that's it it's over pans ruined throw it out get a new one no all you need to do is give it a good cleaning scrub all that rust off heat it up re-season your pan and continue cooking with it that's it hand recovered
How will carbon steel pans and cast iron skillets hold up over time?
Only two of the 50 people quoted say how long they have owned a pan, and both own cast iron. Dennis Powell's grandmother's pan did not wear out: it cracked when he dropped it down the stairs. Christopher Scott, 108 months into his, still says there is really nothing better than cast iron for a thick dark crust on a steak.
Carbon steel's record over time is watched rather than owned. Nancy Rich says she watched others keep carbon steel pans "black and slick and perfect for decades", and THE FOOD-DEE describes carbon steel and cast iron pans tossed, slammed and used with metal tongs in a working kitchen. Neither gives a pan of their own or a number of years.
The 4 quotes behind this, from 4 people
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 0:04.
Owned 35 years, no longer, stopped because the pan cracked after being dropped down the stairs
if you do a lot of steaks and you love a really thick Dark Crust on your steaks with a medium Center like I do there's really nothing better than cast iron
Cites heat retention, searing and crust
but a five ply will do that also
I watched them keep those pans black and slick and perfect for decades.
Cites durability, maintenance, seasoning durability
oil and heat, and it lasts forever. My diner cooks wouldn't have touched a coated pan.
Scrub it down to bare metal with a good scour and season it fresh. It's near indestructible.
Skip the oil and it rusts. Do it and it lasts forever.
A carbon steel pan kept right doesn't wear out. It improves year after year, decade after decade, blacker and slicker all the while.
My diner cooked on the same pans for as long as I worked there and longer.
They truly do not wear out.
gimmick, no shine, just plain metal that gets better the harder you use it and the longer you keep it.
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 3:01.
What the evidence suggests
- Choose carbon steel if a heavy pan is hard for you to lift: Lisa McManus finds it far easier to handle than cast iron, and Yair says his wife cannot easily lift a cast iron pan.
- Choose carbon steel if you want a pan that answers quickly when you change the heat: Nancy Rich calls cast iron slow to heat and slow to change, and J. Kenji López-Alt, who has a financial partnership with Our Place, says carbon steel heats and cools faster.
- Choose cast iron if you sear steaks often: Prudent Reviews credits its steady hold on temperature for searing, and Christopher Scott says nothing beats it for a thick dark crust.
- Choose neither if you will not dry and oil a pan after washing: Hannah Crowley says cast iron needs that to keep rust off, and THE FOOD-DEE says soaking will rust carbon steel.
The 8 quotes behind this, from 8 people · 5 objecting
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 0:30.
Cites ergonomics, heat control, safety, ease of cleaning, even heating, heat retention, non-stick surface
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 3:05.
Cites heating speed (against)
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 14:35.
Cites even heating (against), heat control (against), heating speed (against)
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 3:38.
Cites heat retention, searing and crust, surface finish, versatility
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 5:01.
Cites heat retention, searing and crust
You want to wash and dry these pan thoroughly and lightly oil them each time after use to prevent rust and build up that non-stick surface.
Cites maintenance (against), rust resistance (against)
You also never wanna leave these pans soaking in the sink, so if you're that type of cook, maybe cast iron isn't for you.
it is very important you don't soak your carbon steel pans to remove stuck on food they may be well coated but water will get to the metal and rush your pans if you leave it there so don't do that
Cites coating durability (against), rust resistance (against)
don't use a scouring pad when cleaning your carbon steel it will take off the seasoning if you scrub too hard
What the evidence doesn’t tell us
None of the 50 people quoted states owning a pan longer than 420 months, Dennis Powell's 35 years with his grandmother's cast iron. Nobody quoted says how long they have owned carbon steel.
None of the 50 people quoted gives a measured weight for either class, so the widest split between them rests on how pans feel in people's hands.
The firmest carbon steel verdict, that restaurant chefs cook on it and find it as durable as cast iron, is relayed by Quality Collapse rather than drawn from a kitchen of its own.
Prudent Reviews, a single reviewer, holds 42 of the 284 claims in these 84 sources.
The 2 quotes behind this, from 2 people
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 0:04.
Owned 35 years, no longer, stopped because the pan cracked after being dropped down the stairs
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 6:01.
Cites durability, weight
Who says so
Authority here is scoped to the subject, never to how large someone’s audience is. Where we hold no domain expertise for a person, the page says so rather than implying one.
Hannah Crowley
Executive editor for ATK Reviews and co-host of America's Test Kitchen's Gear Heads series on YouTube.
Nancy Rich
THE FOOD-DEE
Welcome to The Food-DEE where I teach you how to be a better home cook. Subscribe now for: New Recipes Tips and Tricks Keeping your gear in top shape And so much more! Watch now and enjoy.
Christopher Scott
I’m Chris Maas (aka Christopher Scott) and I help businesses punch above their weight with marketing that actually connects. After growing this as a food channel (Beergr), I realized what I really love is showing business owners how to stand out, tell better stories, and get results from their content and that has been my day job for the last 15 years. That’s what this channel is all about now. If you run a small business, work in marketing, video production or content creation or just want to get smarter about strategy, branding, and content creation...hit subscribe. Every week, I share real-world insights, tools, and ideas you can put to use immediately. Let’s cut through the noise and build something that matters.
David Chang
Prudent Reviews
Our mission at Prudent Reviews is to help you find the best products for your home. We take the stress out of shopping by testing, analyzing, and comparing the top products. Our reviews, comparisons, and product guides are in-depth, carefully researched, and completely unbiased. Since launching, we've helped millions of people across the globe find the best products and improve their lives at home. If you have questions or want to partner with Prudent Reviews, email Andrew@PrudentReviews.com. As an Amazon Associate Prudent Reviews earns from qualifying purchases.
Quality Collapse
Quality Collapse exposes why modern appliances, RVs, and home systems fail early — from factory shortcuts and weak parts to repair traps, builder-grade design, and “replace-not-fix” economics. We break down what changed, why service got worse, and what still lasts.
Autodidactically Yours
I'm curious. Whenever I encounter something, I like to know what it is and how it works. It doesn't matter if it is a machine, culinary process, social organization, or work of art. I'm fascinated by just about everything. Once I understand something, I like to share my excitement about it with others. I've gotten pretty good at that by working as an educator for ten years. I recently moved away from that profession, so this channel is my new outlet where I will share my adventures on becoming an amateur expert in cooking, technology, and other topics. This channel is operated by Jake Nabasny, PhD. You can find my free cookbook and other texts at my personal website: https://jake.nabasny.com/
Dennis Powell
Kent Rollins
Love outdoor cooking? Want to learn more about Dutch oven cooking, cast iron or grilling? Then you've saddled up to the right place. I've been cooking outdoors over live fire for over 34 years as a chuck wagon and cowboy cook. We have a new series on the Outdoor Channel "The Cst Iron Cowboy" You may have also seen me on Chopped Grill Masters, Chopped Redemption or Beat Bobby Flay. Stick around and be sure to subscribe for tips, tricks and recipes. Keep the fire hot and the wood dry... Kent
Lisa McManus
Executive editor for ATK Reviews and co-host of America's Test Kitchen's Gear Heads series on YouTube.
Papa Mau
Cooking with Healthy and Durable Cookware: Cast Iron, Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel, etc I’m PapaMau, a dad with roots in Argentina, living in Australia for the past 15 years. I’m here to inspire families to choose healthier, long-lasting, and undeniably cooler cookware that's making a massive comeback. Specializing in cast iron and carbon steel, I create How-To and Tutorial videos to help you care for your cookware, master cooking techniques, and replace Teflon with sustainable, durable alternatives. I share cooking tips, tools, and recipes to help home cooks impress family and friends—whether in the kitchen or around the fire pit. Together, let’s cook better, eat healthier, and make the world a better place, one meal at a time. Join me on this journey to make cooking an adventure and forge unforgettable memories with cookware that’s built to last! 🔥
Valerie Li Stack
Yair
Learn to cook simply and efficiently when you don't have hours to spend in the kitchen.
Zoe Carter
Welcome to my world of luxury and health! Hi, I'm Zoe. I have always been fond of the finer things in life and have been on a wild journey to get to a place where I can enjoy them. I’m all about up-leveling life in ALL areas. I also went through a 100 pound weight loss journey, during which I became very passionate about health and fitness. This channel is a blend of my love for luxury and my love for having a healthy lifestyle. I hope to spread inspiration through my videos and show that you truly can create whatever life you desire, no matter your current circumstance. We all deserve to feel luxurious and healthy. ❤️ I can’t wait to share all my fitness and luxe tips with you! Instagram: @zoecarterluxe @finejewelrychronicles
What this piece cites evidence about
Every product, brand and category named in a claim behind this article, not only the ones with a section of their own above. Where we hold a full page for one, it is linked; the rest are named as text because the evidence has not cleared that bar yet.
Category
Sources
Short quotes and deep links only. We publish no transcripts, and every quote above opens the original at the second it was spoken.
- Are Carbon Steel Pans Really The Best? | Gear Heads
- Black Carbon Steel Pan in JUST 6 MONTHS (3 EASY STEPS)
- Carbon Steel Pans EXPLAINED (What They Don’t Tell You)
- Cast Iron Vs Carbon Steel Vs Stainless Steel | Which Skillet Should You Buy?
- Cast Iron vs Enameled Cast Iron: Which is Better? | Gear Heads
- Dennis Powell and his Cast Iron Pans: A Manufacturer Comes to the AAM Craft Show
- Don't Buy a Cast Iron Skillet Without Watching This! Which Cast Iron Brand is Right for You?
- Don’t Make this Mistake! Follow These Rules for Carbon Steel Cookware & Cast iron
- I Make Spam Fried Rice in my New Wok
- I Switched to Stainless Steel Pans 3 Years Ago. No Regrets
- If I Started Over, I'd Only Buy These Pots & Pans
- Le Creuset One Year Review! | How to clean, learning curves, is it worth it?
- Momofuku's David Chang Reveals What You Need in Your Kitchen | GQ
- Stainless Steel vs. Cast Iron Cookware: 7 Key Differences & When to Use Each
- STOP Ruining Your Carbon Steel Pan — What 35 Years in a Diner Taught Me
- The Only 5 Cookware Brands That Still Last (The "Buy It For Life" List)
- The Uncomfortable Truth Behind Lodge Cast Iron Pans
How this page was made
The prose above was written by a model from a fact sheet assembled out of the evidence, then checked line by line: every quote verbatim against the evidence table, every name against a claim, every number against the sheet. Prose that fails is not published. It is derived data, not testimony. The testimony is the quotes.
Verified 2026-09-24