Both have their place. I think both stainless and carbon steel are extremely cheap in the long run compared to nonstick for the simple fact these pans don’t wear out. Both types of pans will last for generations and can take a real beating, even from metal utensils, though carbon steel does not give a damn about scratches whereas stainless can lose some aesthetic appeal (barkeepers friend can help polish it up though)!
Besides the chemical reactivity differences, stainless pans (especially clad pans with aluminum or copper cores) tend to be much faster to react to temperature changes than carbon steel. At the same time can’t hold as much thermal energy due to lower density, so carbon steel is better for searing a large piece of food without cooling down too much (which can start boiling the food instead of searing).
JayleneSlide@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Carbon steel FTW. I have a hand-hammered carbon steel wok (as well as one carbon steel knife). I live on a sailboat which means salt air. These two pieces of carbon steel perform so well that I’m willing to accept their higher maintenance “costs” (cost, in the effort context).