Here are my top picks for carbon steel pans that are fun to cook with, long-lasting, and sustainably made with non-toxic materials.
We’re big fans of cast iron cookware here at Leaf Score, but there’s a lot to love about cast iron’s lighter weight cousin.
Carbon steel has a similar cooking profile to cast iron, in that it cooks evenly, can withstand high heat, and holds heat well. Carbon steel responds a little faster than cast iron though, and pans tend to be made with sloping walls, instead of straight walls. This design, and the lighter weight, makes it easier to toss food. Cast iron still wins for making cornbread and for shallow frying though.
Not all carbon steel pans are up to snuff, however. Because carbon steel can be a bit fussier than cast iron, you really want to make sure you get a well-made pan that comes well seasoned or that you can season properly at home.
Things I won’t tolerate in cookware or bakeware:
- PFAS (forever chemicals)
- Clunky handles that hurt to hold
- Poor balance, so the pan doesn’t sit flat on the cooking surface.
The pans below are the best carbon steel pans around, in my opinion. These avoid the pitfalls of most cookware and offer all the advantages of carbon steel.
Even better, these pans end up costing you less in the long run because you can use them forever, with a bit of care. There’s no fly-by-night non-stick coating that will wear out. Instead, you can keep using and reseasoning your pan indefinitely.
My top picks
Alva Artist Carbon Steel Frying Pan
Highlights: Beautiful, pre-seasoned, lightweight carbon steel pan perfect for open flame cooking and all stovetops. Available in two sizes.
- Super sustainably made in the US
- Third-party tested (company is very transparent)
- Totally non-toxic; free of forever chemicals, lead, cadmium, etc.
- Lighter than cast iron but just as robust
- Pre-seasoned and ready to go out of the box
- Fantastic naturally non-stick surface that is durable
- Oven-safe up to
- Stunning handle design that stays cooler than expected
- Not dishwasher safe (but easy to clean by hand)
- Balance is a little off if you overheat.
I’ve been waiting to try out the Alva Artist Fry Pan since I first saw the company’s catalogue. This pan is stunning, and I was especially excited to give it a whirl on an open fire. Unlike Alva’s Forest fry pan, also made with carbon steel, the Artist has a metal handle, making it oven safe and suitable for use on open flames.
The Artist comes pre-seasoned with sunflower oil, meaning it is good to go right out of the box. Sure enough, with just a quick wipe and rinse, I got to cooking and the pan was delightfully non-stick.
I also love how balanced this pan is, at least at first. Unfortunately, after a few successful uses, the pan was left empty on medium heat for too long and warped as it cooled, causing it to rock on a flat electric cooktop. I thought the pan was done for, but it has leveled out again, for the most part, after several more (and more careful) uses.
We have used this pan for pancakes, delicate frying of soft tofu, stir fries, risottos, and more. I really like its slightly more rounded sides, which help keep food in when tossing, and its lightness. At just 2.9 pounds, the smaller artist is very versatile. Even the 11-inch pan I’m using weighs just 3.1 lbs. This makes it really easy to maneuver, and is a huge plus if you tend to struggle with cast iron.
As with all Alva pans, the Artist is made with quality, ethically sourced, eco-friendly, non-toxic materials, including some recycled materials. The company provides third-party testing to prove these pans are free from forever chemicals and toxic heavy metals.
My one gripe with this pan is that it did become unbalanced, at least temporarily, when left on the heat for too long. Cast iron is more resilient and forgiving in that regard. Part of the issue, of course, is that the carbon steel pan is very light, while the handle is long. Basic physics makes it vulnerable to wobbling or spinning. Fortunately, the pan seems to have mostly returned to its original shape after a few more rounds of heating and cooling.
The upside of the metal handle is that you can put the pan in the oven to finish off meals or keep things warm, as well as to apply more seasoning. Unlike pans with wooden handles, it’s also safe to use with open flames, so will be going camping with us in spring!
OXO Carbon Steel Obsidian Series
Highlights: Impressively affordable, well-balanced carbon steel pans in a range of sizes and styles.
- Incredibly affordable!
- Lightweight (just 2.6 lbs for the 10-inch!)
- Impressively non-stick out of the box
- Made with non-toxic materials
- Oven-safe to 660 F
- Ships fast!
- Company still uses a lot of plastic packaging
- Too lightweight? Easy to accidentally nudge on the stovetop
At just $69 for a 12-inch carbon steel pan, OXO provides serious bang for your buck. OXO also offers other carbon steel cookware items, including a:
- 10-inch pan
- 8-inch pan
- crepe pan
- roasting pan
- wok
- perforated fry pan to fit the 12-inch pan.
OXOS’s carbon steel pans are not only very affordable, they’re also very robust and fun to cook with. The pans come with a silicone sleeve for the handle, but you can remove this sleeve as needed.
This pan has earned a following in part because it is incredibly non-stick, more so even than Teflon pans. It’s also one of the lightest pans around, making it really easy to move around and cook with flair.
The downside of being so light is that the pan can spin or slide if nudged when on the stovetop. Watch out for that if your stovetop tends to get crowded!
Where most cookware companies offer just one or two carbon steel items, OXO has a good range of sizes and different types of pans. The perforated pan is a great option for anyone looking to shallow fry without using an aluminum basket, for instance.
I almost overlooked OXO when researching this piece, given that the company is perhaps best known for its range of plastic food storage containers and other cookware items made predominantly with plastic.
However, it seems that OXO is making a concerted effort to be more environmentally friendly.
In 2020, OXO began using the Higg Index to track its environmental impact and has committed to reducing emissions according to the Science Based Targets Initiative. Part of this journey includes incorporating more recycled materials into its products. OXO also says it is looking into ways to reduce overall plastic use, including single-use plastics in packaging.
I also noticed, with appreciation, that OXO discontinued its PFAS non-stick line in 2013. Thanks for ditching the PFAS, OXO! (Though its ceramic non-stick pans don’t seem to maintain the non-stick surface for long, so I’d avoid those.)
My biggest gripe
OXO has a reputation for ergonomic kitchen items and even features on our list of the best food storage containers. The trouble is, the company has not published any details on how its sustainability efforts are going.
Considering OXO began talking the talk in 2020, I would expect to see at least an interim sustainability report by now (2025). I’ve contacted OXO to see what’s going on and will report back if/when I get a response.
So, while I don’t think OXO is greenwashing exactly, it’s verging on virtue signaling.
I would love to see a sustainability report for 2025, to see how OXO is doing on its goals for 2030.
Made In Carbon Steel Collection
Highlights: Non-toxic carbon steel pans in three sizes. Great for tossing food, but not so great for crepes.
- Robustly made carbon steel fry pans in three sizes
- Metal stay-cool(ish) handles make it oven-safe to 1200 F
- Decent range of carbon steel cookware pieces
- Mid-range price (8-inch for under $100)
- Free of PFAS and heavy metals (third-party tested)
- Compatible with all stovetops and open flames
- Lifetime warranty
- The handle is quite tall, which can make oven-use tricky
- Sides are tall, making it tough to flip crepes
- Break-in period; the pre-seasoning isn’t as non-stick as Alva’s or OXO’s
Made In is one of our favorite cookware brands and its carbon steel collection is a solid choice, with some caveats.
The company offers three sizes of carbon steel fry pans, starting at less than $100. You can also buy the bundle for a discount. And there’s a wok too.
These pans are made in Sweden and France (meaning better quality control and environmental regulations), and are compatible with all stovetops.
The pans arrive with two coats of seasoning, using shea nut oil and coconut oil, and are naturally non-stick, to a degree. Made In advises cooking high-fat foods for the first few uses, to help amend the seasoning.
If you try to cook eggs, fish, tofu, or anything else delicate with just the basic seasoning, you’ll come unstuck, as it were. Unlike with Oxo or Alva, the Made In pre-seasoning isn’t actually non-stick.
If you’re willing to face this break-in period, though, Made In’s carbon steel is a good bet.
One other caveat is that because of the higher sides of these pans, you might find it tricky to flip crepes.
And finally, beware the tall handle on these pans. At 4.5 inches high, you might find they don’t fit in your oven shelves (or cupboards) as you’d like. The other pans on this list have much lower profile handles.
That said, the updated stainless steel handle does stay cooler than the previous iteration of this pan.
De Buyer Carbon Steel Frying Pan
Highlights: Five sizes of affordable carbon steel fry pans from a great company. Pans work on all cooktops, but you need to strip the pan and season it yourself.
- Five sizes of pan available
- Affordable (less than $100 for even the biggest pan!)
- Robust design – welded steel handles and annealed for rust resistance
- Best if you want to season your pan yourself
- Totally free of PFAS and toxic heavy metals
- Made in France and an heirloom piece in waiting
- De Buyer also offers the Mineral B Classic and Mineral B Pro carbon steel series
- Not non-stick out of the box – you’ll need to clean off the beeswax and season it yourself
- Sides are tall and not ideal for crepes
- With handle, the pans are 5.5-inches tall!
- The handle has fairly sharp edges and isn’t comfortable to hold for long
- Not vegan (company uses beeswax coating for protection in transit)
De Buyer’s Carbon Steel Fry Pan is a work of art, made by artisans in France at a factory that’s been running since 1830.
The company offers three ranges of carbon steel pans, including the Blue Carbon Steel series. This is the series I’d recommend for most home cooks because the Blue Carbon pans offer excellent performance at a good price point and are heat treated to better resist rust and corrosion.
The Blue Carbon pans arrive with a beeswax coating for protection. You’ll need to clean this off and then season the pan yourself. Over time, a properly seasoned carbon steel pan will look more black than gray.
The Blue Carbon pans are oven safe to 500 F and suitable for all stovetops. Like the Made In pans, these have a tall profile, with the handle standing at a whopping 5.5 inches. That might mean it doesn’t fit in your oven shelves and is harder to store.
These pans comprise 99% iron and 1% carbon and are much lighter than cast iron. The 10.25-inch pan weighs in at 3 lbs, which is similar to Alva’s Artist and Made In’s pan but heavier than OXO’s pan.
This pan benefits from a steel handle welded to the pan body, which makes it easier to clean and more robust compared to riveted pans. Overall, the pan is well balanced, though the long handle will either be a hindrance or a bonus depending on how you cook.
My biggest gripe
De Buyer’s pan handle feels a bit severe to me. Unlike Made In’s handle and Alva’s and OXO’s pans, there’s no rounding to the handle.
For a smaller pan, where the overall weight of the pan plus food is low, the sharper-edged handle likely won’t be an issue. For the bigger pans, I can see the handle starting to hurt.