Matfer Bourgeat 062005 Frying pan, Steel, Gray

Product Information

Editor’s Note (September 2023): Our review of the Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Fry Pan was originally published in 2022.

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. 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. The only thing you have to be mindful of when cooking with carbon steel over induction heat is that the pans—any brand, not just this one—can warp when heated too quickly.I pan-fried fish and then added some asparagus to the same pan, to let the fish cook through on low heat and cook the asparagus at the same time. I highly recommend having the mise en place ready before setting this pan to heat up because in my testing, the pan was ready in no time. I would not leave either one–empty–on an active hob for extended periods; they both need to move heat away from the glass and sink it into food.

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.It makes tossing foods a bit harder than with other carbon steel pans, and if you’re not careful you might just end up tossing the food all over your kitchen instead of back into the pan. I have one from VonChef, and it does diffuse heat, but it’s intended to convert the hob to work with non-magnetic cookware. They offer a complete range of professional catering equipment and utensils in a variety of metals, shapes and sizes. 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. It seems the older Matfers would have had a rather straight bottom then and it was a bit warp prone.

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. In debates about the perfect all-purpose pan, cast iron gets a lot of the love, but carbon steel is at least as good, if not better. Featuring curved interior walls to promote movement and ease of serving, the 10” chef skillet has a larger surface than our popular 8”, encouraging you to cook bigger omelets, sauté more veggies, or sear an extra steak.While the handle is longer than cast-iron pans, it was advantageous to have as the handle does get very hot near the base. Be aware that because the handle is made from cast iron and welded I place it can get very hot quite fast. I eventually decided to go for the Matfer Bourgeat pans based on the many good reviews I have read and the fact that they had a great range of sizes (and equally important the depth of their pans was just right, not too deep and not too shallow).

While they won’t replace your other beloved pots and pans, carbon steel pans are a great stand-in for cast iron and are much more durable than nonstick cookware.The 9 1/2" (6 1/2" cooking surface) is a little small, except for a single burger, sandwich, or two egg omelette. I would STRONGLY recommend you look at the chart the gentleman kindly posted in the reviews that shows outside diameter vs. And like any other good quality carbon steel pan, the Matfer becomes non-stick after a good seasoning and a couple of uses.