Best Carbon Steel Pan: Mauviel, OXO, Lodge, Made In

Lodge makes its carbon steel skillets in the United States from heavy 12 gauge steel with riveted steel handles. The pan comes pre-seasoned with vegetable oil and works on any cooktop, including induction, and on a grill or campfire. A silicone handle holder is included, which matters, because the steel handle gets hot.

The 10 inch size is the one for eggs, a couple of chops or a skillet of potatoes for two. It is a low-risk way to find out whether you like cooking on carbon steel before spending more.

Temper expectations about the factory seasoning. America's Test Kitchen found that on Lodge's 12 inch carbon steel pan it wore away during early cooking, so food stuck. Plan to season it again yourself before relying on it for eggs.

The catch. The factory seasoning is thin; expect to build your own before it is truly slick.

Merten & Storck's 12 inch pan is pre-seasoned and ships with a protective silicone coating, so the instruction is simply to wash it and start cooking. It is oven safe to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, works on every cooktop including induction, and is rated safe for metal utensils. The handle is triple riveted.

Twelve inches is the useful size for a household of four: room for a whole chicken spatchcocked, a pan of fried rice or four steaks in rotation. It is lighter than a 12 inch cast iron skillet, which is most of the reason to own one.

Skip it if you want a pan that is slick from day one. Like any carbon steel, it gets better with use, and it must be hand washed.

The catch. Little published about where or how thick it is made; buy it on price and convenience.

Mauviel has made cookware in Villedieu-les-Poêles, Normandy, since 1830, and M'Steel is its black steel line: extra thick carbon steel with a riveted iron handle. The pan ships coated in beeswax to keep it from rusting, which you wash off with very hot water before seasoning it yourself. It works on every cooktop, including induction.

America's Test Kitchen names it the best carbon steel skillet for most home cooks. Its testers found it quickly became reliably slick and released food perfectly, and judged it sturdy enough to last a lifetime. They also found it slightly heavier than ideal, at about 5 pounds.

Skip it if you want to cook tonight without a seasoning session, or if lifting 5 pounds by one steel handle is a strain. Mauviel's own instructions say to preheat slowly and cook at about 60 percent of the burner's power.

The catch. Arrives unseasoned and heavy for carbon steel; it asks for an afternoon before its first egg.

Made In's carbon steel pans are made in Sweden from blue carbon steel and arrive seasoned. The set pairs a 10 inch pan for eggs and small jobs with a 12 inch pan for searing. Made In rates them to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, which means the oven, the grill and an open fire are all fair game, and they work on induction.

The price is for two pans, so each works out to about $100, less than a single Mauviel. For a cook who already knows carbon steel suits them, owning both sizes means the right pan is always free.

Know one reservation. America's Test Kitchen found the surface of Made In's pre-seasoned pan pebbly and textured, and it did not release food as easily as its winner. It improves with seasoning, but it is not the slickest pan here on day one.

The catch. The textured factory seasoning releases less easily at first than a smooth, home-seasoned pan.