Blanc Creatives was once the new darling of cookware aficionados. In recent years, though, it’s lost its shine. Is that fair? Or is Blanc Creatives still a good choice for non-toxic, durable cookware?
Blanc Creatives
Blanc Creatives is a solid choice for carbon steel cookware, but their Heritage line is now only produced once a year.
What is Blanc Creatives?
Blanc Creatives makes its cookware, tools, and a handful of other goods in Virginia using carbon steel, copper, and wood. It pays a living wage, seems to look after its workers, and also appears to care about sustainability, to a degree.
When Blanc Creatives cookware was first founded, in 2012, all of its cookware was hand hammered and handmade in Virginia. These days, Blanc Creatives has expanded its lines a little and now employs skilled workers who use metal spinning machines to create its Pro line of cookware. This is a little faster to produce and a dash cheaper but is still very much an artisan produced cookware line.
This switch away from the Heritage collection to the spun collection has angered some folks who loved the original cookware.
The good news is that the Heritage collection hasn’t vanished entirely. Instead, Blanc Creatives makes a limited run once a year. You’ll need to get on the waitlist, though.
Blanc Creatives says its next Heritage Line run should be in late 2025 or January 2026. The company has a newsletter you can subscribe to for updates.
Note, too, that many of the Pro line pans are also intermittently unavailable. You may want to get on a waitlist for those too.
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The cookware
The Blanc Creatives pro cookware collection is also made from carbon steel, with handmade handles and spun metal bodies.
Just a few shapes and sizes are available, with lovely loop handles or long handle options. There’s a saucier, skillet, roaster, and optional lid. Typically, the pans are either 9 or 11 inches in diameter.
As with any carbon steel, the cook surface isn’t immediately non-stick. Instead, it needs careful seasoning and some basic maintenance. Carbon steel can lose its non-stickiness faster than cast iron, but it’s also lighter and responds a little faster to changes in temperature.
Blanc Creatives does not pre-season the carbon steel pans. Instead, the pans are tempered (which makes them look blue) and coated with coconut oil to protect them in transit. The best approach is to wash off the coconut oil and follow Blanc Creatives’ seasoning advice.
Toxicity and durability
Blanc Creatives cookware does not feature any toxic non-stick coatings or other problematic materials. Instead, the pans are made without PFAS of any kind and are hewn from a single sheet of steel.
The only added components are the handles, which Blanc Creatives typically makes by hand in solid steel, iron, or wood. Any wood components it finishes with food-safe linseed oil and beeswax.
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Unless you seriously mishandle a carbon steel pan, or let it sit in water and rust, the kinds of pans Blanc Creatives makes should last a lifetime. With regular use and sensible cleaning, these pans also acquire seasoning over time. That means they release food more easily and are much more fun to cook with.
Sustainability
Carbon steel is one of my favorite types of cookware. It’s light, responsive, works on all stovetops (including induction), and has a naturally non-stick surface with proper seasoning.
And, if the worst happens and your pan does suffer some sort of catastrophe, the metal is entirely recyclable and won’t damage the environment at disposal.
So, on a materials basis, Blanc Creatives gets a Leaf Score thumbs up.
Blanc Creatives also checks the boxes for using local materials and small batch manufacturing, which can translate to greater care over environmental impact. Because Blanc Creatives makes cookware to order, there’s very little potential wastage.
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However, De Buyer is well known for good environmental management, with ISO 14001 certifications and good materials choices in general.
Blanc Creatives vs. De Buyer
De Buyer is another leading cookware brand that specializes in carbon steel. Unlike Blanc Creatives, De Buyer makes its cookware in much larger quantities in France (mainly). If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind piece for your kitchen, Blanc Creatives is the better option.
Blanc Creatives also ticks the made-in-America box and has a more luxury feel. That said, De Buyer pans can be quite a bit more affordable, especially when on sale. There’s also a bigger range of pan sizes and shapes at De Buyer.
| Feature | Blanc Creatives | De Buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Core Material | Carbon steel (hand-finished in Virginia), some copper and wood | Carbon steel (machine made in France, centuries old) and stainless steel |
| Non-stick? | Naturally seasoned, builds over time | Naturally seasoned, builds over time |
| Pre-seasoned? | No, you’ll need to season at home | Not typically, though some pre-seasoned pans are available |
| PFAS? | No | No |
| Durability | Lifetime (with proper care) | Lifetime (with proper care) |
| Availability | Lines sell out fast and some are only available once a year | Generally available with quick shipping turnaround times |
| Manufacturing | Artisanal, small batch (to order), evolving | Large scale, heritage quality |
| Recycling/disposal | Fully recyclable with minimal waste | Fully recyclable with minimal waste |
The takeaway
Blanc Creatives is a good option for both hand-hammered and hand-crafted carbon steel or copper pans. The Heritage Collection is stunning, but hard to come by and expensive. The regular collection is also a tad pricey, but still beautiful, durable, non-toxic, and great to cook with. The only reason I’ve docked a leaf is because the pans are often out of stock, with a lengthy waitlist.
All in all, if you’re impatient for a pan right now, De Buyer is a good choice at a decent price, albeit not made in America. If you’re willing to spend a bit more and wait a couple of weeks for your cookware, Blanc Creatives’ pro collection offers the goods (though you may still need to wait if they’re out of stock).
Finally, if you’re very patient and have considerable cash to spare, contact Blanc Creatives to get yourself on the Heritage waitlist. Those hand-hammered pans can be beautiful heirloom pieces if you treat them right.