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There’s a specific kind of authority a pan earns when a test kitchen picks it twice and the manufacturer sells out for weeks. That’s the Matfer Bourgeat story: Cook’s Illustrated tested carbon steel skillets in 2015, crowned this French pan, and caused a full-on ordering stampede that emptied the 12-inch for weeks — then retested in 2018 and crowned it again. Ask a French chef what pan they’d take to a desert island and this is the answer. It costs around $54, it has one design detail its rivals can’t match, and it will absolutely humble you in week one. This Matfer Bourgeat carbon steel review covers the payoff, the strange potato-peel seasoning ritual, and who should buy something else.
Why Trust This Review
Independent research, no sponsorship — that’s the rule at Coco n Deals. For this article I went through The Kitchn’s hands-on seasoning test, Cook’s Illustrated’s two-time verdict, professional chef comparisons against De Buyer and Mauviel, and years of commercial-supplier customer reviews. Everything I’ve reviewed is in my reviews archive.
What Is the Matfer Bourgeat Frying Pan?
The Matfer Bourgeat frying pan (model 062005 in the 11-7/8” size) is French black carbon steel: nearly pure iron, pressed thin, built for restaurant service. Its defining feature — the one rivals genuinely don’t have — is a welded handle, meaning no rivets protrude into the cooking surface to trap grease or bacteria. The interior is completely smooth, which is why professional kitchens choose it. It arrives bare: shiny metal with only a skim of protective wax, no seasoning whatsoever, and Matfer’s official break-in is an oddity — sauté a mix of potato peels, salt, and oil for about 15 minutes, throw it out, repeat. Once seasoned, it behaves as genuine non-stick with no coating chemistry at all: no PFAS, no PTFE, nothing to flake. The 12-inch runs about $54 — remarkable for a pan this size that lasts a lifetime — with a $60–$120 range across sizes. Chef reviewers name the 11-inch the best overall carbon steel pan you can buy for the money.
What the Matfer Gets Right
- The welded handle is a real advantage: no interior rivets to trap grease or bacteria — a smooth, hygienic surface that riveted competitors structurally cannot offer.
- Two-time Cook’s Illustrated champion: crowned in 2015 (causing a weeks-long sellout) and again on retest in 2018 — the most durable endorsement in the category.
- Genuine non-stick once seasoned: a longtime cast-iron owner reports it functions as non-stick even more so than cast iron, and was surprised how well omelets came out.
- Sears like nothing coated can: owners specifically praise the crust — the thing Teflon physically cannot produce — while staying lighter than equivalent cast iron.
- The value is almost unfair: about $54 for a generously sized 12-inch pan that should last a lifetime with basic care — The Kitchn calls it good value outright.
The Matfer Lineup: What to Buy
1. Matfer Bourgeat 11” Black Carbon Steel Pan — the chef’s pick
Named best overall carbon steel pan by chef reviewers: superb for searing and sautéing, and the best performance you’ll get for the price. The right first Matfer, and the pan this review centers on.
Check current price → https://www.amazon.com/stores/MatferBourgeatUSA/page/BBF7590E-AC97-4FCD-BF09-9D6BEC46206C
2. Matfer Bourgeat 062005 (11-7/8”) — around $54
The Cook’s Illustrated champion and the size that caused the stampede — big enough to sear two steaks or roast a chicken. Generous surface area for the money.
Check current price → https://www.cooksdirect.com/matfer-black-carbon-steel-frying-pan-reviews
3. Matfer 9.5” — the eggs pan
Owners buy multiple sizes for a reason — the smaller pan becomes the dedicated omelet and single-portion workhorse once seasoning is established.
Check current price → https://www.amazon.com/stores/MatferBourgeatUSA/page/BBF7590E-AC97-4FCD-BF09-9D6BEC46206C
4. Mauviel M’Steel — the higher-sided alternative
Chef reviewers note the Matfer’s low angled sides help flipping but splash more — if you cook pastas or saucy dishes, Mauviel’s higher-sided pan gives the same performance for slightly more.
Compare → https://www.amazon.com/stores/MatferBourgeatUSA/page/BBF7590E-AC97-4FCD-BF09-9D6BEC46206C
What Real Owners Say
The commercial-supplier reviews are the most useful ones, because they come from people who actually cook: “Once the pans are seasoned according to the Matfer Bourgeat instructions, they are virtually non-stick,” writes an owner who bought three sizes — easy to clean, lighter than cast iron, stove-to-oven, excellent heat retention, and in his words, no potential health issues like coated pans, and should last a lifetime. Another, a frequent cast-iron user, was impressed at how much better it releases food than cast iron while producing a proper sear. The consistent theme: the seasoning instructions are not optional but they’re simple even for beginners, and the payoff is a pan you never replace.
The honest limits, from the same owners. Acidic foods are out — tomato sauce will strip young seasoning, exactly as with cast iron. The bare-metal arrival genuinely surprises people: The Kitchn’s tester notes it came without even the slightest hint of seasoning, and the potato-peel ritual is strange enough to intimidate first-timers. The low angled sides that make flipping easy also mean splashing on saucier dishes. And it’s heavier than stainless — carbon steel always is. Compared against the De Buyer Mineral B I reviewed in the first batch of this collection, the split is clean: De Buyer’s factory beeswax finish makes break-in faster and friendlier for beginners; Matfer runs cheaper, has the welded handle, and is the professional’s pick. Chef reviewers say it plainly — if this is your first carbon steel pan and you’re not sure which to get, buy the Matfer 11-inch. And if the whole seasoning contract sounds like too much, the coated route in my
Misen cookware review is the honest alternative.
The Social Media Story
Matfer’s fame is unusual in that it was built by test kitchens, not creators. The 2015 Cook’s Illustrated win produced a genuine ordering stampede — a magazine verdict emptying a manufacturer’s inventory for weeks is a level of authority no sponsored post approaches — and the 2018 retest cemented it. Since then, the anti-Teflon wave has handed carbon steel a second life online: Reddit seasoning-progress threads, egg-slide victory videos, and the “why are you still buying disposable non-stick” genre all funnel toward this pan. Its French restaurant pedigree does the rest; when professionals and test kitchens agree, the internet tends to follow.
My Verdict: Is the Matfer Worth It?
Yes — it’s the best value in this entire collection. This Matfer Bourgeat carbon steel review finds a pan that professional kitchens and test kitchens independently crowned, with a welded-handle design its rivals can’t match, genuine non-stick performance once seasoned, and a lifetime of service for around $54. The contract: do the potato-peel seasoning properly, keep tomato sauce away in year one, hand-wash and oil it, and accept a heavier pan than stainless. Buy the 11-inch first. If you’d rather ease in, De Buyer’s beeswax finish is the gentler door. Performance seasoned: 5/5. Value: 5/5. Beginner-friendliness: 3/5. Versatility (acidic foods): 2.5/5.
FAQs
How do you season a Matfer Bourgeat pan?
Matfer’s official method is genuinely unusual: sauté potato peels, salt, and oil together for about 15 minutes, discard, and repeat. It arrives completely bare — just wax-protected metal — so this step isn’t optional, but owners agree it’s simple even for first-timers.
Is the Matfer Bourgeat frying pan non-stick?
Once seasoned, genuinely — owners report it releases better than cast iron, with omelets sliding out. It’s earned non-stick from polymerized oil, not a coating, so nothing flakes and nothing wears out.
Matfer or De Buyer — which carbon steel pan?
Matfer has the welded handle (no interior rivets), runs cheaper, and is the professional and test-kitchen pick — chef reviewers say buy this one first. De Buyer’s beeswax factory finish makes seasoning faster, which suits nervous beginners.
Can you cook tomato sauce in carbon steel?
Not while the seasoning is young — acidic foods strip it, the same as with cast iron. Owners flag this as the pan’s one real limitation. Save the tomato sauce for a stainless or enameled pot.
