Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Carbon Steel vs. Cast Iron Skillet

Seasoning of cast iron holds up better as it gets into the pores of the cast iron. Carbon steel is much smoother and doesn’t have the porosity of the cast iron so the seasoning isn’t as durable. I did get a carbon steel skillet a few months ago and like it though I really got it because I was tired of non stick skillets sticking when I scrambled eggs. So it took some seasoning and learning to cook with it a bit - takes a bit more oil if you don’t want something to stick - as compared to cast iron but I like it for what I got it for. It is lighter and easier to handle the weight but I think it’s better for lighter, less dense dishes or things you just want to give a quick sear. That said I’ve only been cooking with it a few months so with more use my thoughts on it might change.

I’ve got a small carbon steel pan I’m trying out. It’s kinda early to say for sure, but I might agree with Jim on the durability of the seasoning for the reason he said. One thing is for certain, carbon steel is way lighter than cast iron.

Pretty sure carbon steel skillets are lighter even when weight doesn't matter.

My cast is in the cupboard. Found an old carbon steel skillet at a yard sale...it's a breeze to cook in, low maintenance.

I like both but pick up my carbon steel pan most of the time, less weight and heats up faster. Be aware that a carbon steel pan can warp with a flat top cooking surface if you heat it up to fast.

Same here ! I have a Piqua 1935 vintage #8 that is my go to CI pan!!!

My matfer 11" carbon pan is 4.9 lbs, my lodge 12" is 5.8 lbs. Not any significant difference.

Yes, that is likely true about getting enough iron . I likely eat a venison burger 2 times a week. However, I still think everything is better on cast iron.

CS can be a beeyotch to keep seasoned. I've got a 15" CS wok which will rust if it's not oiled right after using it, and no, I don't use soap on it ever! I use only hot water and a woven plastic scrub pad to clean it after use, and re-coat it with avocado oil before storing it. Avocado oil has a smoke point of 500+ degrees F., much higher than canola, olive, or sesame oil. Get the pan HOT- - - -drip in a little avocado oil, and rub it vigorously with a folded paper towel and a pair of tongs. When the steel turns blue/black you're good to go.

Cast. Preferably one that has a polished cooking surface. Steel doesn’t stay seasoned due to the lack of porosity.

I have a couple of the Lodge steel I bought to
carry camping that do really well
I have a few old cast and a newer Lodge #6
that I use also

Repeated use is what makes a ferrous metal
cook vessel work. There's no special oils
or treatment to make a pan "seasoned "
If whatever can be scraped off, it's just burned
on gunk and not "seasoning "
Using metal utensils don't harm a ferrous metal
cook vessel. My ancestors all used metal spatulas
and spoons and such, and none of their century
old cook vessels that I have and use were harmed
by metal utensils.
Lots of yuppie cooking myths perpetuated by
the bleeping internet and blankety blanking
cooking shows on PBS

Just use your s**t and enjoy it.
I just used one of my century old skillets
tonight to brown some ground beef and
used a metal spatula for the gazillionth
time. Unless a nuke hits right here some
time from now, there'll be somebody using
that same skillet for their cooking a century
from now

I bake and fry in cast but grab the carbon for most everything else.

If you season with flaxseed oil its bullet proof

They'll both ring anybody's clock, with the right grip and swing.

We have several cast iron skillets, two are Griswold, they are hands down superior.

I own a number of both and, quite frankly, do not taste/texture a difference. We use the old cost iron stuff in Idaho as it is a fit for the stove we use it on.

I have never had old cast iron break on me but I’ve had a few newer lodge bust while cooking. Has a cast wood stove bust too.

I don’t risk it with cheap cast anymore, not even lodge.

I put a lodge cast griddle on a butane burner and it busted in half. Had a cast grill on a webber grill crumble. Wife dropped a big lodge on our tile floor, busted the pan not a chip or crack in the tile.

I bought the wife a Lodge, enamel lined, cast pot for Christmas a year or two ago. 6 quart I think. She uses it a lot, loves it, and have had zero problems with it. So far…


She hasn’t dropped it on the tile though. Get your feet out of the way. 😬

Got a lot of cast iron , which is great, but cook a lot on tractor disk "woks" which are carbon steel. Both cook great, the carbon steel is a little harder to keep from rusting.

It should’ve busted the tile not the pan.

Cast is too brittle for the likes of me I guess. I was tearing down an old camp shack that had a Franklin stove in it, I hit it one time with a sledgehammer and it busted into a thousand pieces like a sliding glass door. Its still weighed the same but was easier to lift and dispose of.

I just asked my wife which she liked the best because we have both. She said theyre both good but she likes the case iron the best.