Need help with choosing a carbon steel skillet for budding chef!

C

cheezz

Well-known member
My friend wants to buy her 14 yr old son a good quality everyday skillet that will serve him well for years to come. Any suggestions?

Thanks all 😊

 
Difference between Carbon Steel & Mineral B?

Charlie,

What is the difference between the Carbon Steel and the Mineral B skillets?

 
I don't think I can say. I do know I paid a bit more (not a lot) when I purchased 3 or so

years ago. Pretty sure ours are just plain carbon steel.
My carbon steel wok has cured SO well to a smooth black finish. My skillet has not and I have to watch for rust--and I probably don't pay enough attention to it.
But it might be a small warning for a gift for a 14 year old.

 
Lodge CAST iron is what you see a lot, and I saw the Lodge carbon steel pan that

says it is "pre-seasoned". I think the "pre-seasoning" on their cast iron is "bogus" and I wouldn't trust this either. Just my opinion.
I've seen my son's carbon steel pan at his house and it is nice and seasoned/blackish!!

 
In re-reading your post it says she wants and every day good quality skillet--did she

want the carbon steel? As I said earlier carbon steel really requires some care to get it to a good place. I wonder about a good stainless steel clad skillet (not aluminum core). Tramontina has good ones at reasonable prices and should be a long term use.
Just wondering. Or would he be looking for a cast iron. I always recommend going to a thrift shop and finding an old one, even in bad shape and restoring it. I think they are always better than what is made now because of the interior construction/polishing that was traditionally done as opposed to the grooves that occur in more recent pans.

Here is a nice looking carbon steel at a great price with good reviews.
https://smile.amazon.com/World-Cuisine-Heavy-Carbon-Frying/dp/B000RWGC12/ref=sr_1_67?ie=UTF8&qid=1543497293&sr=8-67&keywords=carbon%2Bsteel%2Bbaking%2Bpan&th=1

 
Thanks all! She ended up getting a De Buyer so he can learn how to season and care for it.

I've also sent her the link for the Paderno...thanks Charley smileys/smile.gif

 
I have tried several times to love the black cast iron skillets...really tried

I found them very hard to care for, too heavy and each time ended up selling them to folks who grabbed them up like they were a priceless object. Each time, I felt like a failure. A few years ago, I tested a pan for All Clad with the new LD technology (hope I have that right) and found it a perfect saute, browning pan. Not too heavy and if you use them with medium heat, and let them cool prior to placing water in them, they are a breeze to clean, require no seasoning, and do not stick.
I still love seeing them used on TV and listen to folks who swear by them, but I guess they are just not for me. Just last year, I, (again) sold three of them from Lodge, and the lady who bought them 15 minutes after I had posted on a neighborhood app called Next Door, knocked on my door, and was so thrilled to have been there first. sigh smileys/frown.gif

 
there are some newer ones that are lighter than Lodge but you pay a PREMIUM

 
I don't use mine all that often now. And mine are all very old. I NEVER have fried an

egg in one although mine are really smooth, but just no need IMO!! LOL If I want to really sear a piece of beef, I'll get it out.
New skillets like Lodge are not the same caliber as the old ones or the brands that are mucho expensive--interiors are ground smooth from the beginning.
I think you can do the things you describe in other pans as easily which you have found also! ;o) I use my carbon steel as much now.

 
By contrast I LOVE my cast iron skillets. They're the ones I reach for first and use at least 3

times a week. I like that they can be used to sear things stovetop then popped into the oven to finish and especially like using them for oven-roasting chickens.

 
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