Compare Frying Pan
Which scores higher on safety? R3 breaks it down.
The most important dimensions, side by side.
The cooking surface is bare carbon steel — iron and the polymerized oil you build up through seasoning. Nothing synthetic sits between your food and the pan, so there's nothing to chip, flake, or degrade over time.
The cooking surface is bare cast iron — machined and stone polished, with no synthetic coating between your food and the pan. You're cooking on iron and polymerized oil, so nothing can chip, flake, or degrade into a meal. It requires hand-washing and periodic re-seasoning, but there's no coating to wear out.
No third-party certifications are listed, but bare carbon steel doesn't need them the way nonstick pans do. The surface is iron and oil — no synthetic coating means no PFAS or heavy-metal testing required.
No third-party safety certifications are listed. That's not a concern here — bare cast iron has no synthetic coating, so there's no PFAS or nonstick chemistry that would need certifying. The surface is iron and oil, full stop.
De Buyer doesn't disclose the oil used in the factory pre-seasoning. If you're avoiding specific oils for allergy or dietary reasons, you'll want to strip and re-season the pan yourself before first use.
Field Company seasons with grapeseed oil, which has a high smoke point and polymerizes reliably into a solid release layer. It's a strong factory seasoning choice — functionally similar to flaxseed oil and better than lower-smoke-point alternatives.
Oven-safe to 400°F covers most stovetop-to-oven tasks — finishing a sear, baking a frittata, roasting vegetables. If your recipes regularly call for 500°F+, this pan won't get you there.
No oven-safe temperature is listed for this pan. That's a real gap — cast iron typically handles very high oven temps, but without a confirmed spec you can't plan recipes that require finishing or baking in the oven.
Works on induction without an adapter. The carbon steel base is fully magnetic and compatible with all induction cooktops.
This pan works on induction cooktops. Cast iron's ferromagnetic base is naturally induction-compatible, so no adapter or special setup is needed.
The usable cooking surface is 9 inches across, which fits one or two eggs or a single portion. Cooking for more than one person means batching, which takes time.
The cooking surface is 8.5 inches — enough for a single egg or one portion, but you'll need multiple batches for family meals. At $165, that size limits its everyday utility as your primary pan.
This pan needs hand-washing and re-seasoning when the surface looks dry or starts to stick — a few times a year under regular use. It's a low bar, but it's a real one if you're used to pans that need nothing.
Cast iron requires periodic re-seasoning when the surface looks dry or starts sticking. Every use means hand-washing, immediate drying, and occasionally rubbing in a thin layer of oil. If you're coming from nonstick, that's a real shift in routine.
The dishwasher will strip the seasoning and cause rust. Hand-wash only, dry immediately on the burner, and apply a thin oil coat before storing.
This pan can't go in the dishwasher. Dishwasher detergent strips the seasoning and can cause rust, so every use requires hand-washing and immediate drying.
De Buyer backs this pan with a lifetime warranty. Standard exclusions apply — commercial use, abuse, and improper care like dishwasher damage won't be covered, but normal home cooking use should be.
Field Company backs this pan with a lifetime warranty. Exclusions typically cover commercial use, accidents, and misuse — normal home cooking should be covered, but read the terms before assuming full protection.
The carbon steel handle conducts heat and gets hot on the stovetop. You'll need a handle grip or oven mitt any time this pan is on the burner for more than a couple of minutes.
The cast iron handle gets hot during stovetop use. You'll need an oven mitt or handle cover every time you cook — don't plan on grabbing it bare-handed mid-recipe.
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Everything you need to make the call — who each one is for, and who should skip it.
Go for it if you...
You cook on induction and want full compatibility — this pan works on every cooktop type including induction.
You want a cooking surface that builds natural nonstick properties over years of use, with no synthetic coating to degrade.
You already have a larger pan for family meals and want a dedicated skillet for eggs, searing a single steak, or single-portion cooking.
You're willing to invest time in seasoning in exchange for a pan that won't wear out.
You cook on induction and want a surface with no synthetic coating — cast iron is naturally PFAS-free and works on every heat source.
You want a pan that outlasts nonstick by decades — the seasoning builds up over time rather than wearing off.
You do most of your cooking on the stovetop at moderate heat and have the patience for a 10-minute preheat before searing.
The main thing to know
Carbon steel demands consistent upkeep — hand-wash only, dry immediately after every use, and re-season when the surface looks dull or starts to stick. If that routine slips, you'll deal with rust.
At $165, you're paying a premium for lightweight cast iron that still demands the same upkeep as a $30 skillet — no dishwasher, hand-dry after every wash, and re-season when the surface starts to look dull.
Skip this if you...
You want a dishwasher-safe pan — carbon steel rusts without hand-washing and immediate drying every single time.
You're cooking for a family and need a pan that handles large batches — the usable cooking area is more limited than the 12.5" diameter suggests.
You want lab-verified material safety — no independent testing certifies the beeswax factory seasoning or the steel composition.
You're comparing value at this price point — alternatives at $70 offer more cooking capacity or lower maintenance with similar durability.
You need to cook for a full family — the No. 10 cooking surface is smaller than it sounds and won't fit more than two portions comfortably.
You want quick, responsive heat — cast iron holds temperature well but reacts slowly, so high-heat stir-fries or fast temperature drops aren't this pan's strength.
You're weighing this against Lodge — Field Company's lighter casting is a real difference, but not a $130 difference for most cooks.
Neither of these quite what you're looking for?
I've reviewed all Frying Pan options at every price pointEvery Frying Pan in our database is scored using R3's V4.2 deterministic rubric — the same inputs always produce the same score. For this comparison, we evaluated de Buyer and Field Company across 3 independent criteria: Safety (50%), Efficacy (25%), Usability (25%). No sponsored rankings. No paid placements.
Straight answers — no sponsored content, no filler.
Both scored close to 6.9/10, so the better choice depends on your priorities. Safety carries 50% of our scoring weight, followed by performance (20%), usability (20%), and value (10%). Check which pillar matters most to your family and compare those specific scores.
We use our V4.2 deterministic rubric with four weighted pillars: Safety (50%), Efficacy (20%), Usability (20%), and Value (10%). Every score is reproducible - the same product data produces the same score. Each product is evaluated across multiple criteria within each pillar.
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 value scores and prices tell a clearer story. The "right" pick is the one that matches what matters most to your family.
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