Matfer Bourgeat Black Steel Frying Pan, 9-1/2" dia.

Hard to season these pans and even harder to keep it seasoned. I tried all recommended methods. You have to spend hours, and numerous times to really achieve a black surface. Then it is good, but for couple of months. Then black patina starts to peel away. I assume heat control is important, but different receipes require different heat intensity. I definetely prefer cast iron over these. One more negative, food and oil gets stuck at handle point-not very higene.

Now positivesgood heat retention, it feels sturdy in hand.

I always wanted to try a carbon steel pan and chose this one. Initially I was disappointed due to its small size...with this 9.5" size for example, there may not be enough flat bottom to sear an average ribeye. I ended up ignoring it for 5 years and only recently rediscovered it since I started making Nicoise salads with seared tuna lately.

I couldn't go hot enough in my nonstick pan for a good sear on the tuna and didn't feel like dealing with cast iron for a single piece of fish. I remembered this pan and tried it...perfect. This size pan size is good for a single1.25" tuna steak. I get the pan really really hot and get a great sear everytime. 2 minutes per side is usually perfect for nice rare/med red center.

This pan is heavy and solid. It's also easy to clean due to the welded handle, trust me, YOU WANT THE WELDED HANDLE. You don't want to be cleaning around 3 rivets. I never bothered trying to season this pan like the other reviewer. I simply use a scotch pad on it afterwards and wash it with soapy water. I've also washed it in the dishwasher with no problems either...I just being sure to make sure it completely dry before puting it away.

I plan to buy the next size up for cooking larger cuts of meat. All in all though, this is a very nice pan for a quick sear on a smaller piece of meat.

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