Merten & Storck Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Induction 30cm Frying Pan Skillet, Oven Safe, Black

This is a carbon steel pan. Not anodized aluminium, not stainless steel, no non-stick chemical coating like teflon. It's carbon steel like the best, and cheapest, woks, and, as with all carbon steel, seasoning is not some trendy, optional, fashion thing, it's been a necessity since carbon steel first got used for woks in china 500+ years ago. They had the advantage of not having dishwashers and brillo pads so were less likely to destroy their pans this way. Instead they used water and bamboo brushes, both of which are available today, though for the most part a wipe with paper towel will do the trick. If you don't want to know about seasoning, then don't buy a carbon steel frying pan or wok. Buy a decent one that you will have to replace every few years. Treat this pan well and your grandchildren will fight over it, abuse it and you'll bin it in a month, if not sooner. And just to be clear, treating it like any other pan is abusing it. Don't, just don't, there are cheaper frying pans out there that last a lot longer than a month. They're not as good as a seasoned carbon steel wok, but they might be just what you need if you, or anyone else who will use this, is how can i put this delicately? ignorant of how to treat a carbon steel frying pan and unwilling to learn (and that doesn't even rhyme with ''duck bit', the phrase that first came to my mind).

Love it! I’ve replaced my non-stick frying pans. I’ve taken this pan camping, made a full English on the back of the tailgate and use it daily in the kitchen. Works great and heats evenly for omelettes, steaks and everything in between. It’s light, it’s easy to season and goes from hob to oven to table. Hard to beat for the price. Just make sure to only wash in hot water, don’t scrub the seasoning off and don’t put it in the dishwasher!

Bought this as a 2nd carbon steel skillet for use with eggs alone (frying, scrambling, omelette) as I already have a 24cm De Buyer for general use. The size and density is perfect for eggs as being a little thinner than my De Buyer it heats up faster and cools quicker (on my electric glass stove). The preseasoning was spot on and I was able to fry an egg with zero problems after only cleaning the protective layer off with hot soapy water. Price was fair and delivery was very speedy.

Firstly, I'm a great fan of cast iron pans (have several), but their only downside is weight. I love cooking Spanish Tortilla (that's with eggs not the flat things you buy in supermarkets), particularly Delia's recipe. The problem is that I like to finish off by putting the pan under the grill to ensure the top of the egg mixture is properly cooked, and then reverse the pan with a plate on top so that the tortilla drops on to it. Cast iron is simply too heavy (and gets extremely hot) to do that, so I decided to get a carbon steel pan which I'm informed works pretty much the same but without the weight. I did have an old pan that did the job well but it was looking a little jaded so my wife threw it out. And yes, it is a lot lighter, plus the handle is at least twice as long as that on any of my cast iron pans, which makes it a lot easier to handle. I did note that one reviewer stated that the handle doesn't get hot, but I didn't find that when using for any extended period. For example this is quite a small pan so cooking egg and bacon for four people took some time, by the end of which I was having to wrap a T towel around the handle. I've now used it several times and am finding it suitably non-stick, although I do use a little oil with it. It is now beginning to get that brownish look as shown on the manufacturers website (worth going to for information on care for your pan). As mentioned it is quite small (20cm) and I would have gone for a 22cm if possible, however that was my fault for not measuring the old pan first. So apparently a happy bunny, so why did I knock off a star? Well as you can see in the photos of the pan, it comes with a dark grey appearance (or coating). The website states that it should be washed with warm soapy water before first use, to remove the 'protective wax glaze', so I did. However on first use it looked as if some of the dark grey coating was flaking off, which I'm assuming is the pre-seasoning. If that's what it was, then I wouldn't have expected some of it to come off on first use, especially since it inevitably gets into the food you're cooking. I'm also assuming that it isn't the 'wax glaze' since washing didn't remove it. The care instructions make no mention of this happening. I've now used the pan several times and am happy with the results now. I've yet to try cooking Delia's tortilla but will fairly soon. If you buy, don't forget that the pan should be slowly heated up prior to cooking and allowed to cool naturally before putting away (i.e. don't pour cold water into it to soak). I don't wash it (I never have with cast iron either, the principle is that anything left on the pan will be burnt to death by the intense heat when you next heat it up) but wipe it down, spread a very small amount of oil on it, and heat it for a short time before putting away. Edit: it's now been in use for several months, and I have to say that the 'non-stick' didn't last long. Having used it a fair bit, I was finding fried eggs sticking badly to the pan, resulting in a messy yolk while trying to lever the egg off the pan. In the end I decided to scrub the pan to remove as much stuck on debris and existing coating as possible and re-season myself. I've now been through the process three times using sunflower oil (low smoke point) and performance has been improved although not entirely non-stick. I do find I'm using more oil than I expected for frying eggs. In other words I still find my cast iron pans more reliable.

Had this pan for 6 months now and I LOVE it. Pic taken this morning prior to cooking brekkie. Heats up quickly, cooks evenly and is a good solid pan but you HAVE to treat it correctly. Don't buy this pan if you don't want to maintain it because your food will stick if not seasoned correctly and regularly. After every use, I wipe down, dry and lightly season if necessary - it only takes minutes to do. If it needs a scrub just use rock salt and a paper towel and wipe off debris then lightly season. Excellent product at a great price.

Always love a good steel pan. Nice weight, and seasoned on arrival. Nicely non stick already. Just treat it right and it will last a lifetime.

Pretty thin metal which quickly warped (dished) on use. As a result, the centre of the pan is dry as any oil runs to the edges and food readily sticks to the bottom of the pan.. Disappointed. Wouldn’t recommend.

Having bought numerous non stick pans over the years I was fed up with chucking them out every six months or so. Bacon, egg, mushrooms on toast every morning I was getting through pans like nobody’s business. Having bought a carbon steel wok and had great results I went for a carbon steel frying pan. Have to say it takes a bit of getting used to. Much less heat than normal, but within a week or so it was completely non stick. Very pleased and can see no downside at the moment. Would recommend to try one if, like me, you like your fried breakfast and don’t want to keep buying pans.