Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Crêpe Pan, 7 7/8"

This was my first experience with carbon steel pans, and it's been splendid so far. I bought this small crepe pan specifically for making soft-yoked fried eggs. If eggs stick to the pan, then the soft yoke pops trying to free it. Not good. With this pan (properly seasoned, and just a thin slice of butter or a spritz of cooking spray), my eggs slide around the pan effortlessly, then slide right out onto a plate or piece of toast. Love it.Why carbon steel?Over the years, I've tried to move away from chemical non-stick coatings, like Teflon. First I tried a ceramic Cuisinart pan, but it only stayed "non-stick" for about a year. I then tried Ozeri Green Earth pans, and they actually lasted about four years. I was really pleased with them, but the honeycomb pattern on the bottom of the pans made it more difficult to clean and keep residue from building up. I also couldn't use them in the oven or at especially high temperatures (searing dry-aged ribeyes after sous vide cooking).I've considered cast iron in the past but was put off by the weight and intimidated by the whole seasoning concept. My limited experience with cast iron included all kinds of food sticking, but others were having success, so I decided to man-up and give it a better try. While researching cast iron, I came across comparisons to carbon steel, which seemed to have the benefits of cast iron but are lighter and more durable. Thanks to some convincing demonstrations on YouTube, I decided to give carbon steel a whirl, getting this small crepe pan, a 10-inch pan and a 12-inch pan.Why Matfer?The comparison video by America's Test Kitchen pointed me toward Matfer, and I don't have any regrets. I especially like that the welds for the handle are ground smooth with the rest of the interior of the pan -- much nicer when using a rubber spatula or cleaning the pan. The cost was also very nice, especially for this little crepe pan. It's worth every penny.What about Seasoning?I opted to try seasoning instructions I found on YouTube in lieu of the official Matfer instructions, and the result was superb. Here's what I did:1) Remove the factory wax coating. This took some determination and elbow grease using a scrubby sponge and hot soapy water, but intermittent heating on my gas stove sped up the process considerably.2) Apply a light coating of oil. Squirt a small amount of pure flax seed oil in the pan. Wipe down the entire pan, inside and out, with the oil using a paper towel. Get a fresh paper towel and wipe that oil off. Get a second fresh paper towel, and wipe it off again. It'll feel almost dry to the touch instead of oily. You don't need any more than that!3) Cure in the oven. Heat the oven to 25 degrees above the smoke point of the oil you used (for flax seed, I set it to 425 F), then place the pan upside down directly on a rack in the oven (no need for a drip tray or foil -- it won't drip). After one hour, turn off the heat, leaving the pan in the oven until cool.One round of seasoning produced a beautiful bronze finish. With just a smidge of butter, the first egg slipped and slid around the pan exactly how I had hoped. You can repeat the seasoning process to get a successively darker patina, but it's not necessary for proper function.Any complaints?There are two niggles with using this pan:1) Not much room between the pan rim and the handle. I like to cover the pan with an unvented glass lid when making soft-yoked fried eggs. The glass lids I have can't nestle onto the pan because the handle is in the way. I've been making due with the lid from one of our small Le Creuset pots, but I can't visually check for doneness without letting all that steam and heat escape.2) Acidic foods (like tomatoes) strip the seasoning off. There's nothing Matfer can do about this -- it's just the nature of the carbon steel beast. I just re-season the pan, and it's good to go.If you're new to carbon steel pans, I hope this review is helpful -- especially if you were intimidated by the seasoning and upkeep side of things. If you have the right knowledge and appropriate expectations, I think you'll be quite satisfied with Matfer carbon steel pans.

I was looking for a pan to replace my small non-stick skillet. This fits the bill. It becomes non-stick with correct preparation and is a great size for 2-3 eggs. Great heat distribution. It does require a bit of attention until the seasoning is well established and a non-stick surface is achieved.

It took seasoning easily, heats evenly and fast, and develops great sears on proteins. This pan was my first foray into carbon steel, and it's surpassed my cast iron in use. I love it.

This Matfer pan is perfect for quickly cooking up a single fried egg or something small. I like the shallow sides, which allow easier access for utensils to flip or turn food. I also like that the handle doesn't have large rivets that protrude into the cooking space, especially on this small of a pan. It is constructed well and performs as advertised, but you have to know what you're getting into with carbon steel. Season correctly and cook at the correct temperature with some fat on the pan and you're all good. Check out Uncle Scott's Kitchen on YouTube for excellent seasoning and cooking advice and you'll be set up for success.

Super slick. After seasoning I can put an egg on the hot pan, let it cook a little, and then tilt the pan. The egg slides without any prodding with a spatula.Not having rivets was a major contributing factor in me choosing the Matfer Bourgeat pan over other reputable brands like Vollrath, Mauviel, and DeBuyer. Otherwise, there's very little difference between these brands and it comes down more to personal preference for things like handle angle and length. I've never had a rivetless pan and the idea of it being just slightly easier to clean was a plus.If you're new to carbon steel and cast iron, you should know that you cannot cook acidic things in them. Mildly acidic for a short time, yes. Such as something with a lot of diced tomatoes. But if you think you're going to be simmering a tomato sauce or cooking something with a lot of lemon juice, you may find your seasoning degrades. Now, it's not a big deal to reseason the pan, but things like that are what stainless steel is for.My seasoning regime is simple. I use filtered flaxseed oil (on the label the only thing listed is flaxseed, filtered because it won't have seed husk bits in it), but grapeseed oil is my number 2 pick. If you can't find either of those, use canola. Everybody can find canola. The goal is to use an oil with the highest polyunsaturated fat content you can find. Each unsaturated position on the fat can crosslink to other fats, forming a protective network that prevents rust and gives the pan its nonstick properties. So poly- means multiple and mono- means one, so polyunsaturated content is what we want. More spots to crosslink. Why is flaxseed the best oil for this? Artists use linseed oil (the non-edible version of flaxseed oil) as their drying oil. Flaxseed oil is the only edible drying oil, and grapeseed oil is considered a semi-drying oil. This refers to the oil hardening after it sits exposed to air. Harder the better, when it comes to painting and pan seasoning. Drying oils > semi-drying > non-dryingFLAXSEED OIL WILL NOT BE WITH THE COOKING OILS. IT WILL BE WITH THE SUPPLEMENTS, LIKELY IN A REFRIGERATED DISPLAY. I say this because many a person seems to be looking for it in the cooking oil section. You can't actually cook with flaxseed oil because the smoke point is basically the temperature of water boiling. It's used as an omega 3 supplement.Here is a chart I made with the iodine values of various cooking oils. The iodine value indicates how much polyunsaturation is present (more the better) and a higher number corresponds to more polyunsaturation. Note that flaxseed oil is at the top, with grapeseed slightly behind. These values are approximate and will vary depending on the manufacturer of the oil. The easiest to find oil, canola, isn't too far from flaxseed and grapeseed and that's why I suggest it for those living in rural areas that don't have access to bigger grocery stores. Anything below an iodine value of 100 isn't good for pan seasoning. Note that the next step below canola oil is peanut, with a value of 84. Nut oils, with the exception of walnut, are high in mono-unsaturated fat. This can crosslink but because there's only one crosslinking position on the fat, it does a poor job.Flaxseed oil 136Grape seed oil 124Soybean oil 120Walnut oil 120Canola oil 110Peanut oil 84Olive oil 80Palm oil 44Palm kernel oil 16Coconut oil 71. Gently clean the new pan with some soap and hot water to get rid of the sealant they manufacturer puts on the pan to prevent rust before you get it. Use a brush or a gentle scrubber. The goal is to strip the coating, not a layer of the pan.2. Dry the pan in the oven, between 300-400F. It's not picky. Just needs to be completely dry.3. Take the pan out and let it cool.4. Repeat steps 1-3 to ensure all the coating is gone.5. Preheat the oven to 450F.6. Apply a THIN layer of your oil and spread over the entire pan, including the handle, with a paper towel. Thin, as in, do a quick wipe of the pan with a clean paper towel after oiling it. You really don't want anything more than the thinnest possible layer. A thick layer will result in bumps and also drip in your oven.7. Put the pan in the oven, upside down. Turn on your oven fan hood to high. This is going to produce a little smoke for the first 15 or so minutes. Not like a fire is burning, but there will be a little haze coming out of the oven vent. This may irritate your eyes/throat if you're sensitive and/or the oven fan hood isn't very good.8. Let the pan sit in the oven for 60-90 minutes. Remove and let cool. The pan should be turning black/brown. This is what you want.9. Do steps 6-8 at least once more, up to about 5 times.After you cook with this pan you, don't use soap or rough scrubbers to clean it. You'll degrade the nonstick layer. If you seasoned your pan well, a rinse with hot water and a wipe with a clean kitchen towel (or paper towel) should be all you'll need. Dry the pan, I like to use the oven. Extra protection if you rub the pan with any cooking oil, like canola, before storing. But if you built up multiple good layers of seasoning this isn't as necessary but is good practice. The most important thing is that it's completely dry.This applies to any carbon steel or cast iron pan.

This is a great pan! Heats up quickly and works great! The key is to follow the instructions for seasoning the pan. Don't skip this step.

Difficult to clean, not practical at all

Pan looks well made,but nowhere the name of the name of the manufacturer is mentioned,hence 3 star.

Petit modéle, un peu trop petit, mais vous n'étes pas responsable, j'aurais dû préter plus attention aux dimensions. Merci et bonne journée

If you are not accustomed to using cast iron, and do not like to take extra steps to care for them, this is not for you. However, if you are willing to go through the process of cleaning (search the web for cleaning new ones) and then working with it until it reaches its non-stick status (it takes 4-6 uses, caring for it properly and heating or burner and applying oil after every use), then it is an excellent product. It is truly non-stick (again, as long as proper care is taken), and one does not have to worry about any chemical by-products or loss of non-stick qualities over time.