Compare Carbon Steel Pans
Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Frying Pan 11 3/4" scores higher on safety - here's why.
The most important dimensions, side by side.
The cooking surface is bare carbon steel — no coatings of any kind. There's nothing to chip, scratch, or degrade over time, and zero risk of synthetic chemicals reaching 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.
Matfer explicitly claims this pan is PFAS-free, and bare carbon steel backs that claim up by material definition — there's no polymer substrate for PFAS to exist in. This is as clean as it gets for a cooking surface.
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.
This is an important limitation to know about before buying. In 2024, French food safety authorities tested Matfer pans and found elevated iron and trace metals leaching into food under acidic cooking conditions — at levels exceeding EU safety limits. Matfer issued guidance to avoid cooking acidic foods (tomatoes, citrus, wine, vinegar) in their pans. If you regularly make tomato sauces, wine braises, or citrus-based dishes, this pan is not the right choice for those recipes.
Merten & Storck doesn't restrict acidic foods, which is normal for carbon steel. A well-seasoned pan handles moderate acidity without issue.
Matfer does not publish the pan's thickness anywhere. This matters because thicker carbon steel holds heat more evenly and resists warping — especially important on induction cooktops. We can't evaluate cooking performance without this spec, and the lack of disclosure itself is a transparency concern. If Matfer disclosed gauge thickness, this score would likely rise significantly.
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 with a factory protective coating, but Matfer doesn't tell you what kind it is. That creates a problem at first use — different coatings require different removal methods (hot soapy water, steel wool, or just high heat). Using the wrong method can damage the cooking surface before you've even seasoned it. Check third-party guides for Matfer first-use prep before you start.
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 body with no rivets — a big deal for carbon steel care. Rivets create tiny gaps where water collects and rust starts. The welded design eliminates that entirely. The all-iron construction also means you can put this pan in any oven, including under the broiler, without worrying about a handle that can't take the heat.
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.
Matfer doesn't publish an official oven-safe temperature rating for this pan. Given the all-iron construction, it almost certainly handles any home oven temperature — but without a stated spec we can't confirm it. In practice, all-iron carbon steel is routinely used under the broiler without issue.
Not published by the manufacturer. The listing confirms oven-safe use but does not give a specific temperature ceiling.
Works on induction cooktops — confirmed by the brand. Carbon steel is magnetic by nature, so this is expected, but the explicit confirmation is reassuring.
Works on all cooktop types including induction, gas, electric, and ceramic — confirmed explicitly in the product listing.
At $113, this is a premium-priced carbon steel pan. You are paying for the professional French construction — bare iron, welded handle, no coatings. Comparable performance is available for less if the construction details aren't your priority.
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 bare carbon steel with no coatings of any kind and an explicit PFAS-free claim directly from the brand.
You are an experienced cook who already avoids acidic ingredients in your carbon steel and won't miss that cooking use case.
The welded iron handle — with no rivets to trap moisture and no oven temperature limit — is important to you.
You cook on induction and want a confirmed-compatible pan with professional French construction.
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
In 2024, French food safety regulators documented iron and trace-metal migration exceeding EU safety limits when Matfer pans were tested under acidic cooking conditions. Matfer issued guidance to avoid acidic foods — a real restriction that rules out tomato sauces, wine braises, and citrus dishes.
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 regularly cook tomato sauces, wine reductions, citrus glazes, or other acidic dishes — the 2024 iron-leaching guidance applies to this pan.
You want to know the pan's gauge thickness before buying — Matfer does not disclose this spec anywhere.
You want a carbon steel pan where first-use prep is clearly explained — the factory coating type is unspecified.
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 Matfer Bourgeat 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 Matfer Bourgeat Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Frying Pan 11 3/4" - it scored 8.3/10 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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