I’m less drawn to cooking because I like food and more because I like weird gadgets. Does my favorite cast iron skillet really cook a steak better than my mom’s ugly non-stick skillet? Well, yes, but mostly because I know exactly how long it takes to heat up, exactly how long to get a steak to the perfect doneness, and exactly how to keep it clean.
So when it came time to try a carbon steel pan – especially the DeBuyer Mineral B Pro – the centuries-old French kitchenware company really had its work cut out for it. So what did I think of it? Spoilers: While I won’t be throwing away my cast iron anytime soon, I made breakfast with this casserole just before writing this.
Carbon Steel vs Cast Iron
Let’s get rid of the obvious comparison: a carbon steel skillet works very similarly to a cast iron skillet, requiring virtually identical care and preparation. I season my DeBuyer first with avocado oil, the same oil I used to season my cast iron, and wash it with warm soap, water, and the same salt scrub and to the mail I use on my font. It even takes on a similar dull black color as the metal becomes “seasoned” and therefore naturally non-stick.
In fact, there are only two main differences I can say: my carbon steel heats up faster (and therefore cools faster), and it’s significantly lighter.
Although the difference in weight is purely advantageous – carbon steel is stronger than brittle iron and can therefore be used to make thinner cookware – the heat retention is a double-edged sword. While the rapid heat-up makes carbon steel excellent (and convenient) for searing meat or cooking eggs, cast iron’s higher heat retention means more heat is also given off during cooking, making it makes it best for roasting or pan frying. And if you like flipping pancakes, the lighter weight of carbon steel makes it much less likely you’ll splatter that batter all the way up your walls.
Are DeBuyer pans of high quality?
I didn’t have to spend a lot of time with my DeBuyer to figure out that this is well-designed cookware. The cast iron handle is securely bolted to the pan itself with no noticeable jiggling, and smartly designed with a built-in gap around the logo to prevent the handle from getting hot while you cook with it.
According to Sylvie Giret, general manager of DeBuyer in North America, this innovation — and others like it — came directly from consumers.
“We keep adding to it, improving it, based on feedback and requests from our customers,” Giret said. “Americans love being able to put their pan in the oven, so we added the stainless steel handle, but one complaint we’ve heard is that the handle got too hot. This design is one of the innovations of our R&D.
Cooking a Steak in a DeBuyer Carbon Steel Skillet
Look, I’m normally a healthy guy, but you’re not going to get a good idea of a skillet’s capabilities just by frying Brussels sprouts (shut up, you’re not) so I spent the last few days cooking eggs, bacon and steak. Each went well, but the steak tips definitely took the best shots, so let’s enjoy that first.
Raw, with just salt and pepper for seasoning.
Burning.
The exterior had the precise texture I always seek, and the interior was a flawless rare medium.
Josh Sargent for HearstTrue perfection (I am a very good cook).
While the general consensus is that cast iron is superior for searing, I have no complaints about anything I’ve cooked with this skillet. The exterior had the precise texture I always seek, and the interior was a flawless rare medium.
Cooking Eggs in a DeBuyer Carbon Steel Pan
Fried eggs are a bit of a glove for any skillet – a bad skillet will stick, leading to broken yolks and an ugly meal, while an effective nonstick will allow eggs to skate around inside your skillet like an X-Games athlete. on the new “Suicide Machines” track in 1998. This DeBuyer skillet was the last, and most impressive, it cooked well immediately after my first seasoning (my favorite cast took a few days to develop the necessary coating for cooking perfection). ‘egg) .
Who should cook with carbon steel?
Although I’m a fan of cast iron, a certain amount of it is purely down to habit. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t benefit from adding a carbon steel skillet to their repertoire – particularly if they lack upper body strength or suffer from common wrist injuries that make regular use of cast iron uncomfortable.
That said, this skillet costs four times the price of a Lodge Cast Iron Skillet, so it might be more of an investment than you want if you’re on a tight budget or keeping a kitchen minimalist.
That said, your dollar still goes a long way here, especially if you do a lot of cooking. The ergonomic handle is by far the most comfortable in my pantry, and its light weight makes quick meals and cleanup a breeze. It could be one of those situations where you just have to try it and then wonder if you can live without it.
