The Rise of Carbon Steel in Home Kitchens
Carbon steel has recently become a buzzword thanks to its versatility in the kitchen and its ease of use, and Made In has been one of the leaders behind this trend. Our carbon steel cookware has been consistently recommended by chefs and reviewers alike, with many saying that Made In has one of the best carbon steel frying pans of 2025.
Carbon steel takes the best of cast iron and stainless steel and brings them together to form a pan full of possibilities. Forget about those clunky, heavy cast iron skillets that are so cumbersome that you only take them out once a year. Made In’s carbon steel is lighter and easier to maneuver on the stove, and it heats up faster as well, making it a tool you can use for everything from date night steaks to a fried potato side dish for the kids. Whether you’re cooking fish, meat, or vegetables, these pans sear beautifully and are naturally non stick after an initial seasoning process—though Made In’s preseasoned carbon steel pans give you a head start on the seasoning process. When you consider all that, it’s no wonder that we’ve been receiving so many great reviews!Pre-seasoned with a mixture of shea nut oil and coconut oil, we’ve taken care of the first two seasonings (the hardest ones) so you can experience the difference carbon steel makes on day one.
Why Carbon Steel Pans Are Different (and What Reviewers Look for)
If you are familiar with popular cooking trends, you will have heard a lot of talk about carbon steel vs. cast iron. While they do share many similarities, carbon steel differs from cast iron in many ways. Some of the biggest differences between them are weight, heat conduction capability, seasoning ability, and versatility. Reviewers focus on these four characteristics when testing carbon steel products because they are some of the things that concern users the most, whether they are chefs at Michelin Star restaurants or home cooks with a passion for good food. Let’s take an in-depth look at each of these characteristics and why they are important.
Weight
One of the biggest ways that carbon steel differs from cast iron is its weight. Carbon steel weighs almost half of what cast iron weighs, even though they are both made from the same materials: carbon and iron. The key difference, though, is that carbon steel pans have a higher percentage of iron in comparison to carbon. Made In’s carbon steel frying pans are made of 99% iron and 1% carbon and weigh around 3 pounds, while cast iron pans have 2-3.5% carbon and around 97-98% iron and weigh more than twice that. Those percentages may make it seem like a small difference, but it serves to make carbon steel lightweight and durable while cast iron is thicker, heavier, and more brittle.
Heat conduction
Both carbon steel and cast iron are compatible with many types of heat sources, with both being able to move from stove to oven with ease. However, carbon steel’s thinner design makes it more heat reactive and capable of conducting heat more quickly, making it perfect for things like frying and searing. It heats up faster, but it also releases that heat faster than cast iron, making for a quicker cooldown that enables you to switch from things like high-heat searing to low-heat butter melting without burning anything.
Seasoning ability
Cast iron pans are beloved for their natural non stick surface, but that surface usually doesn’t come slicked-up out of the box. You have to season the pan to create a patina, which is essentially a layer of oil that has been baked onto the pan. The same is true for carbon steel, which becomes even more non stick the more often you use it and the more oils build up on the pan from the fats in the food you cook. This natural coating contains no chemicals or substances that could flake off or leak out into your food, making it a great non stick alternative for those worried about food safety. Made In’s Seasoned Carbon Steel Frying Pan actually comes with the first two rounds of seasoning already baked in, so you can get right to cooking.
Versatility
Like cast iron, carbon steel can move from stove to oven or vice versa, but carbon steel’s lightweight material makes it easier to heft in the process. These versatile frying pans are usable on any surface: oven, stovetop, grill, you name it. They are conduction compatible, oven safe up to 1200F, and can be used to cook anything from steaks to vegetables to stir-frys once they have been seasoned. The only real limitation for carbon steel (and cast iron) is that very acidic ingredients like lemon, tomatoes, or wine could potentially strip off the seasoning of the pan and make your food stick.
Made In’s Carbon Steel Pan in the Press: A Roundup of Awards & Mentions
Made In is one of the best carbon steel frying pans on the market – and we’re not just saying that because we’re biased. Made In’s Carbon Steel Pan has been featured in dozens of publications and has won multiple awards like the ones below.
Best Carbon Steel Pan Awards
Go-to cooking websites and publications like Forbes, Reviewed.com, Gear Patrol, Mashed, Saveur, and the Spruce Eats consistently rank Made In’s Carbon Steel Frying Pan among the best overall carbon steel frying pans due to its durability, balance, and chef-approved performance. Rebecca Firsker of Forbes particularly enjoys the high sides and the curved, stainless steel handle that makes for great balance and heat control. “I appreciated that the handle didn’t get too hot for my bare hands,“ she writes before awarding it the title of Best Carbon Steel Pan For Sautéing.
The Spruce Eats makes their enthusiasm clear from their review title: “Every Kitchen Needs the Omni-Functional Made In Blue Carbon Steel Frying Pan.” After testing several of Made In’s Carbon Steel Frying Pans for that review, Jason Horn writes that he just had to buy one for himself. “It's not so much a multitasker as an omni-tasker,” he writes, citing the pan’s function as a wok, sauté pan, sauce pan, and even a baking pan. Will Price of Gear Patrol agrees, saying that its lightweight, “less aggressive” build and shorter handle makes it great not just for tossing and stir-frying, but also for finishing dishes in the oven, making it one of the site’s 5 Great Carbon Steel Skillets for Every Budget.
Chef-Approved and an Editor Favorite
Taste of Home caught wind of the Made In Carbon Steel Frying Pan when it went viral on TikTok. People all over the US were raving about Made In’s pans, so they got their editors and expert chefs to investigate to see if the pan was a good buy or just hype. The verdict? Not only is the pan great for cooking, but it is also healthier because it is free of PFAS and other chemicals so that “the only thing going into food is delicious flavor.”
Product Reviews & Deep Dives
While awards and recommendations are terrific, product reviews and deep dives by hands-on users may be the best way to vet a product. Made In has received its fair share of both, with reviewers like Ian Burke of The Kitchn really putting Made In’s Carbon Steel Frying Pan to the test. After much in-depth cooking, Burke, for one, found the pan so lightweight and versatile that he gave up his long-loved and well-used cast iron pan for it. He praises it for its ability to heat up quickly and evenly, which helps with cutting down on splatter, reducing sauces quickly, and getting “crispy edges on pancakes, crusts on steaks, and even blackened shrimp in seconds.”
A reviewer from ManTripping loved the pan’s “perfectly flat cooking surface” and pre-seasoned surface, but he also cited its versatility as one of its main selling points. “During testing,” he writes, “it handled everything from searing pork chops to creating silky alfredo sauce for pasta.” PureWow named Made In’s Carbon Steel Frying Pan the Best Pan for Cooking Fish Overall in 2023 as well, citing its high walls as a gamechanger for making dishes like fried catfish without the usual mess.
Specialty Mentions & Comparisons
Made In’s carbon steel line is touted by numerous publications for its ability to shine across a wide range of cooking styles and dietary preferences. Veg News, for instance, names Made In’s Carbon Steel Frying Pan the Best Premium Carbon Steel Pan due to its sleek look, its ability to withstand heat up to 1200F, and its ease of use and cleaning. The Strategist by NY Mag, on the other hand, named it the Best Carbon Steel Pan for Searing Meat, noting that its textured surface makes it perfect for searing because it “lightly grips the protein as it chars, ensuring that nothing disturbs the browning taking place in the pan.” They also mention that it is great for use as a wok, making things like stir frys quick and enjoyable to cook.
Chowhound awards Made In the prize for Best Carbon Steel Pan due to its ability to heat up fast so you can knock out dinner in no time. They also liked the fact that it can take the heat so well that it can move from stove to oven without worrying about overheating. CNET’s cooking expert David Watsky also mentions that the 10-inch version of the Made In Carbon Steel Frying Pan is large enough to cook in while still being light enough to lift. He adds: “I find myself reaching for this pan for just about anything that needs an intense sear: steaks, burgers or skin-on chicken.”
Common Themes Across Reviews
There are dozens of great reviews of Made In’s Carbon Steel Frying Pans out there, and all give different reasons for their high ratings. There are some aspects of the pan, though, that come up time after time, such as:
- Performance - Made In’s Carbon Steel heats up fast for reliable searing and quick cooking. It also holds its seasoning well, getting more non stick the more you use it.
- Versatility - Made In’s Carbon Steel Frying Pan takes all the positive points about cast iron and stainless steel and puts them into a lightweight cast iron alternative that can be used on induction stoves, on the grill, or in the oven.
- Design and Usability - Multiple reviewers rave about our frying pan’s curved, comfortable handle, its balanced weight, and its sleek, sophisticated look.
- Value - Made In gives customers a reasonably affordable professional-grade frying pan: premium quality without the inflated luxury price.
What This Means for Shoppers
If you are reading this, you may have gotten here from an internet search for “best carbon steel frying pan.” Made In shows up repeatedly for this search for a reason: our carbon steel frying pans are worth the hype. They are durable, lightweight, versatile, and are ideal for serious home cooks, grillers, and anyone upgrading from non stick or cast iron pans.
Choosing the Right Size Carbon Steel Frying Pan
Made In has three different sizes of frying pans for customers to choose from, each of which offers the same natural non stick capability, durability, and maneuverability. How do you choose the right size for you? Well, you could skip the choosing step and buy a three-piece set with the 8-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch carbon steel frying pans all included, or you could consider these factors:
- Serving size - If you are cooking for one person (or one dish at a time) the 8-inch size works well for most dishes. If you are cooking for two (or just not exaggerating on the serving size for four), the 10-inch is a good all-around cooking pan, while the 12-inch is best for big family meals and cooking for company.
- Cooktop size - Is your stove on the smaller size? Then the 8-inch is probably best for you. Larger pans take up a lot more space on the cooktop, so keep your kitchen specs in mind when choosing your pan.
- Storage Space - This one is a bit obvious: if you have a small amount of storage space, a smaller pan is the best option. If you have a bigger space, choose a bigger pan. Go with what fits best (literally) for your family/home.
- Preferred dishes - The dishes you make most often are a big indicator of what size pan you should buy. For people who love cooking fish and eggs often, smaller pans cook them best. For steaks or other larger pieces of meat that take up more space, bigger is better.
How to Season and Maintain Carbon Steel
While carbon steel pans are a great addition to your kitchen, they require a bit more upkeep than something like stainless steel. Here’s a look at some of the most common questions about carbon steel maintenance.
What is carbon steel seasoning?
Seasoning is the process in which carbon steel becomes non stick. It involves polymerization, which is heating a neutral oil like grapeseed oil in the pan until it becomes a solid layer and seeps into the pores of the metal. The resulting layer, or patina, makes the pan resistant to both sticking and oxidation.
How do I season my carbon steel pan?
All carbon steel pans need to be seasoned before their first use, and even Made In’s preseasoned pans may need to be reseasoned every now and then. This seasoning process can be done either in the oven or on the stove. For the former, you must first scrub the pan to remove any coating or dust and let it dry completely. Then, place the pan on the stove over a low flame as you add a few drops of seasoning oil or seasoning wax. Rub the oil into the pan evenly, then transfer the pan to the oven, where you should place it upside down over a foil-lined pan and let it cook for an hour. If you prefer to do the entire process on the stove, add the oil and place the pan over a high flame until it begins to smoke. When the smoke dies down, the oil will be cooked into the pan. For more detailed instructions, check out Made In’s Carbon Steel Care Guide.
How do I clean my carbon steel pan?
Just like with cast iron, soap should be avoided when cleaning carbon steel. The best cleaning method depends on how messy your pan is. If your pan is well-seasoned, you should be able to simply wipe the pan out with a kitchen towel or paper towel after cooking. For more stubborn messes, add two tablespoons of coarse salt and an equal amount of a neutral-flavored oil to the pan. Using a paper towel, scrub the mixture around the surface of the pan to loosen up any stuck bits. Then, dump the remaining oil, salt, and debris into the sink and give it one more wipe.
If that doesn’t work, you can also boil some water in the pan or gently scrub your pan with steel wool (which is a last resort, since after that you will need to reseason the pan). For a more in-depth look at the process, check out Made In’s Carbon Steel Care Guide.
A Pan Worth the Hype
Made In’s Carbon Steel Frying Pans have become a favorite not just among chefs, but also among home cooks with a passion for quality cookware. Thanks to all their great reviews and viral mentions on social media sites like TikTok, these pans have become a media darling. Reviewers consistently praise our pan’s comfortable handle, lightweight build, versatility, and more, which make it a reliable pan to cook in every day.
Are you ready to check out these pans for yourself? Shop Made In’s full line of Carbon Steel products now.
