Carbon steel vs aluminum pans: which one to buy

Carbon steel is about 99% iron and 1% carbon, Made In and de Buyer both say: a thinner, lighter cousin of cast iron that's seasoned with oil and turns slick with use. Aluminum is a soft, light metal that spreads heat well. Bare aluminum pans are cheap, but most aluminum pans in stores are hard-anodized or nonstick-coated, because bare aluminum wears and reacts with acidic food.

Carbon steel holds its heat and takes very high heat, which makes it the pan for searing, stir-frying and browning. Made In says its carbon steel handles up to 1200°F and works on gas, electric and induction, in the oven, on a grill or over a fire. Aluminum heats up and cools down quickly, which suits quick cooking and baking sheets, but de Buyer says it holds heat less steadily on the stove. Bare aluminum won't work on induction; carbon steel does, because it's iron.

Carbon steel has to stay seasoned, or it rusts, and acidic food can strip its seasoning, both makers say; a stripped patch is seasoned again, and the pan lasts for decades. Bare aluminum dents and warps easily, Made In says, and acid such as tomato, wine or citrus reacts with it and leaves a metallic taste, de Buyer says. Made In expects aluminum pans to need replacing every few years.

Choose carbon steel for a skillet or a wok you'll sear and stir-fry in for decades, and keep it seasoned and dry. Choose aluminum for sheet pans and for a light pan on a budget; de Buyer calls bare aluminum a good starter-kitchen pan and anodized aluminum the one that lasts longer. For a nonstick frying pan, buy hard-anodized or coated aluminum rather than bare.