Compare Carbon Steel Pans
de Buyer Blue Carbon Steel 11" Fry Pan scores higher on safety - here's why.
The most important dimensions, side by side.
The cooking surface is bare iron — no coating of any kind. The blue-black color is natural iron oxide from the manufacturing process, not paint or a chemical finish. Nothing to chip, flake, or off-gas onto your food.
The cooking surface is factory-seasoned with natural oils — a chemically safe approach that's standard for carbon steel. The specific oil type is listed generically as 'natural oils' without further detail.
PFAS and PTFE cannot be present in a pan with a confirmed bare iron-carbon surface — there is no synthetic polymer in the material composition. This isn't a brand marketing claim; it follows directly from the material science.
Confirmed PFAS-free via material derivation. A factory oil-seasoned carbon steel pan has no synthetic polymer coatings — the iron-carbon substrate is inherently free of PFAS and PTFE. R3 derives this automatically when the surface coating confirms bare steel with food-safe oil or wax.
De Buyer doesn't address acidic foods (tomatoes, citrus, wine) in their care guide, which is typical for carbon steel brands. A well-seasoned carbon steel pan handles moderate acidity fine, but prolonged simmering of acidic sauces is best avoided until the seasoning is well established.
Merten & Storck doesn't restrict acidic foods, which is normal for carbon steel. A well-seasoned pan handles moderate acidity without issue.
The 2mm pan body heats quickly and is noticeably lighter than the 3mm Mineral B models, which makes it easier to maneuver. The trade-off is slightly less even heat distribution at maximum burner output and a higher chance of warping if repeatedly exposed to extreme induction heat.
Not published by the manufacturer. Gauge thickness determines how well a carbon steel pan retains heat and resists warping — without this spec, performance cannot be independently verified.
The pan arrives coated in beeswax from handle to rim for rust protection during shipping — completely natural and food-safe, but you need to scrub it off with steel wool and hot water before your first seasoning. This takes about 10 minutes and is clearly documented in the care guide; skip it and your seasoning won't stick.
Ships pre-seasoned with natural oils — ready to cook right out of the box. No removal step needed. Seasoning builds and improves with use.
The handle is welded directly to the pan — no rivets, no seams, nowhere for water to collect and start rust. You can dry this pan completely by setting it on a warm burner for 30 seconds, which you cannot do as effectively with riveted handles. It also goes straight from stovetop to oven without any temperature restriction.
The triple-riveted steel handle is sturdy and confirmed by the listing. Carbon steel handles get hot — use a silicone sleeve for stovetop work. Rivet crevices should be kept dry to prevent rust.
Rated to 500°F, which covers everything from finishing a steak under the broiler to roasting vegetables. Most home ovens max out around 500°F anyway, so this is a practical ceiling that will not limit any standard cooking technique.
Not published by the manufacturer. The listing confirms oven-safe use but does not give a specific temperature ceiling.
Works on induction cooktops — carbon steel is naturally ferromagnetic, so compatibility comes with the material. De Buyer confirms it explicitly.
Works on all cooktop types including induction, gas, electric, and ceramic — confirmed explicitly in the product listing.
At $70 you are getting the same bare-carbon-steel safety profile and welded handle construction as the more expensive Mineral B models — the main trade-off is the thinner 2mm gauge rather than 3mm.
At $46.27, the Merten & Storck is priced similarly to Lodge ($39.90) but without Lodge's PFAS-free claim or disclosed gauge specification.
Everything you need to make the call - who each one is for, and who should skip it.
Go for it if you...
You want the strongest material safety credentials in the category at the most accessible price — bare carbon steel with a verified PFAS-free surface.
You prefer a welded handle over riveted: no moisture-trapping crevices at the handle join, and no rust risk at that seam.
You are new to carbon steel and want a lighter, more maneuverable pan without giving up material safety.
You cook on induction and want a confirmed-compatible pan at a lower price than the Mineral B lineup.
You want a confirmed PFAS-free carbon steel pan at a budget price point. The factory oil-seasoned surface is verified free of synthetic coatings.
You want a pre-seasoned, ready-to-cook pan at $46 with induction compatibility and broad cooktop support.
Gauge transparency isn't a priority — you cook on moderate heat where thickness matters less, or you've seen this pan perform well in real use.
The main thing to know
The beeswax full-pan shipping coat must be scrubbed off with steel wool before first seasoning — skip this step and your seasoning won't adhere. The 2mm gauge is also the thinnest in this category, so if you run induction at maximum heat for long searing sessions, the thicker Mineral B models will hold heat more evenly.
Merten & Storck does not publish gauge thickness, so heat distribution quality and warp resistance cannot be independently verified before purchase. PFAS-free status is confirmed — the factory oil-seasoned carbon steel surface has no synthetic coatings.
Skip this if you...
You sear large proteins on induction at maximum heat regularly and want the best heat retention — the 3mm Mineral B Element handles sustained high-heat better.
You want a ready-to-cook pan straight from the box — the beeswax full-pan coat requires a 10-minute steel wool removal step before first use.
Pan size matters for your batch cooking — the Blue is 11"; the Mineral B Pro at 12.5" gives meaningfully more cooking surface.
You want to benchmark heat distribution and warp resistance before buying — gauge thickness is not disclosed anywhere in the listing or brand materials.
You are choosing between budget carbon steel options based on performance specs — Lodge at $40 with a disclosed 2.8mm gauge offers better performance predictability.
You need oven temperature certification — the listing confirms oven-safe use but omits a specific temperature limit.
Neither of these quite what you're looking for?
I've reviewed all Carbon Steel Pans options at every price pointEvery Carbon Steel Pans in our database is scored using R3's deterministic scoring system - the same inputs always produce the same score. For this comparison, we evaluated de Buyer and Merten & Storck across 3 independent criteria: Safety (83%), Efficacy (6%), Usability (11%). No sponsored rankings. No paid placements.
Straight answers - no sponsored content, no filler.
I'd start with de Buyer de Buyer Blue Carbon Steel 11" Fry Pan - it scored 9.3/10 overall in our scoring system. Safety is our top-weighted scoring pillar, followed by efficacy, and usability. Check which pillar matters most to your family and compare those specific scores.
R3 uses a deterministic scoring system - the same inputs always produce the same score. We evaluate each Carbon Steel Pans across Safety, Efficacy, Usability using independently verified data. No sponsored rankings. No paid placements. Every score is fully reproducible.
Not necessarily. The overall score reflects our weighted rubric, but your priorities may differ. If you care most about safety, compare the safety scores directly. If budget drives your decision, the prices tell a clearer story. The "right" pick is the one that matches what matters most to your family.
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