Fry Pans

Cooks who find a 12-inch cast iron skillet too heavy to lift with one hand often move to carbon steel. This 12.5-inch Paderno pan has room for several chicken thighs or a large batch of greens, and its sloped sides, the classic French skillet shape, let you toss food and slide it onto a plate.Carbon steel heats faster than cast iron and changes temperature soon after the burner does. It needs seasoning before first use and gets slicker as it is used; the steps are in the details below.Choosing Between Paderno’s Steel PansThis is Paderno’s lighter carbon steel line. If you want a heavier pan that holds more heat for searing steaks, the 12.5-inch Black Steel Frying Pan is the same diameter in thicker steel. For eggs and single portions, the 8.625-inch Carbon Steel Frying Pan is the smaller size. Learn More

Crowding is what keeps a home cook from getting a good sear. When four steaks or a pound of mushrooms share a pan too small for them, the moisture they release has nowhere to go and the food steams. A 12.5-inch black steel pan gives each piece room, so it browns.This is the size for a family meal or for cooks who entertain, and it is wide enough to pan-roast a whole spatchcocked chicken. Black steel stores heat well, recovers quickly after cold food goes in, and grows more nonstick as its seasoning builds.Paderno or Matfer?Both are thick black steel. Paderno rivets its handles to the pan wall, while Matfer Bourgeat welds them; if baking in the pan is part of the plan, Matfer is the one we recommend. For searing and sautéing on the stovetop, Paderno comes in at a better price than either Matfer or Made In.Need more capacity? The 14.125-inch is the next size up. For one or two people, the 9.5-inch is easier to handle. Learn More

Paderno’s largest black steel frying pan is a batch-cooking tool. Six pork chops fit in one layer, as does a full tray’s worth of potatoes for hash, which saves cooking in rounds when feeding a crowd or prepping for the week.A pan this wide needs a burner that can heat it. On a standard home range, preheat it longer over medium heat so the outer ring comes up to temperature; an induction zone smaller than the base will leave the edges cooler. The pan is heavy when full, so plan on a second hand on the rim when moving it.The handle is riveted. For baking in carbon steel, we recommend the welded-handle Matfer Bourgeat black steel pans, while Paderno offers a lower price than Matfer or Made In for stovetop cooking.The 12.5-inch is the better choice for a family of four on a home range. Learn More

The smallest pan in Paderno’s black steel line is for jobs measured in spoonfuls. Toasting cumin or sesame seeds, browning a few tablespoons of butter and frying one egg all go better in a pan this size, because the thin layer of food does not spread out and burn at the edges.Black steel has little mass at this diameter, so it heats in seconds and responds as soon as the flame changes. It arrives unseasoned and turns darker and more nonstick the more it is used. The handle is riveted through the side wall. If you plan to bake in carbon steel, we recommend Matfer Bourgeat black steel pans, whose handles are welded; for stovetop cooking, Paderno comes in at a lower price than Matfer or Made In.Choosing a SizeThe 7.875-inch gives room for two eggs. The 9.5-inch is the everyday size for one or two people, the 12.5-inch serves a family, and the 14.125-inch handles large batches. Learn More

Breakfast cooks buy this size. At 7.875 inches across, it holds two eggs or a one-person omelet with enough room to work a spatula underneath, and it is small enough to keep on the stove all morning.It also suits the first step of many recipes, such as blooming whole spices in oil or softening a minced shallot before it goes into a sauce. Black steel responds quickly to the burner, and the more it is cooked in, the more easily eggs release from the seasoned surface.Paderno rivets the handle to the pan wall. Bakers who want to take carbon steel into the oven are better served by the welded handles on Matfer Bourgeat black steel pans. On the stovetop, the Paderno line does the same work and costs less than Matfer or Made In.Other SizesGo down to the 7.125-inch for spices and butter alone, or up to the 9.5-inch, 12.5-inch or 14.125-inch for full meals. Learn More

An 8.625-inch carbon steel pan is a good first carbon steel pan for someone who mostly cooks eggs. It is light, quick to heat and quick to season, and after a few weeks of use a fried egg slides out with little more than a film of butter.The size also suits a handful of scallops or shrimp, a single fish fillet, or crepes and blini. Carbon steel sears well and moves easily between burner and broiler.Carbon Steel or Black Steel?Paderno makes two steel lines. This carbon steel pan is the lighter of the two. The black steel pans are thicker and hold more heat for searing; the closest size is the 7.875-inch Black Steel Frying Pan. For a larger carbon steel pan, see the 12.5-inch. Learn More

A 9.5-inch stainless fry pan is the size most cooks reach for when the job is two chicken breasts, a pair of fish fillets or a batch of scrambled eggs. Paderno’s Series 2500 version is built for professional kitchens in Italy, with an aluminum core between layers of stainless steel so the heat spreads across the base instead of collecting over the burner.Stainless steel will not react with wine, tomatoes or citrus, so it handles pan sauces and deglazing that would strip the seasoning from a carbon steel pan. Food sticks if the pan goes in cold; preheat it, add the fat, and let proteins release on their own before turning them. The hollow handle is riveted to the body and stays cooler on the stovetop than a solid one.For a lighter, less expensive pan that develops a nonstick surface with use, see the Paderno 9.5-inch Black Steel Frying Pan. Learn More