We bought this pan on a whim after a friend showed up at a dinner party with one and refused to shut up about it. Three years later, we own three of them.
What carbon steel actually is
Carbon steel is iron with about 1% carbon, which makes it harder than cast iron and significantly thinner. The result is a pan that heats faster, weighs less, and develops a non-stick seasoning the same way cast iron does – by polymerizing oil onto the surface. In practice it behaves like a hybrid of stainless and cast iron: the responsiveness of stainless with the seasoning of cast iron.
Setup
The factory wax has to come off before first use. Misen ships instructions; the short version is “boil water in it twice, scrub with steel wool, dry over heat.” Plan 30 minutes the first night.
After the wax is off, season it like a cast iron pan: thin coat of high-smoke-point oil, into the oven at 450°F for an hour, repeat three times. Or skip the formal seasoning and just cook eggs in butter every morning for a week. Either approach gets you there.
How it cooks
Brilliantly. Sear, sauté, fry, frittata, pan sauce – this pan does all of it. The only thing it doesn’t do is long acidic stews, because tomato or vinegar will strip the seasoning if it sits hot for too long. That’s a stainless or enameled cast iron job.
Where it falls short
The handle is welded steel and conducts heat like steel does. You learn to grab it with a towel by the second meal. We don’t consider this a flaw – a wooden or silicone handle would limit oven use – but if you’ve cooked exclusively with cool-handle pans, the adjustment is real.
Verdict
If you cook five nights a week and have one pan to spend $85 on, make it this one.
This review is independent. We bought the pans at full retail.