Anodized aluminium or carbon pan for steak?

Currently I use a stainless steel frying pan with an aluminium core. It works ok for frying steaks and the like, but I'd like something better especially for this purpose.

Initially, I thought it would become a Calphalon hard anodized aluminium pan. There is hardly any better heat conductor than aluminium and the anodizing makes the pan hard and durable.

But now I read many good stories of carbon pans. Do these perform better for frying steaks and the like than anodized aluminium? And if so, why? Surely carbon steel is not a better heat conductor than aluminium.

cast iron is best

I like cat iron the best as well but if you don't w any to put the car into them check out the company woll they make cast aluminum cookware that is a amazing

What you need is a heavy pan that has enough thermal mass to maintain searing temperatures and not to drop to steaming temperatures once the steak gets on it. Cast iron is only better because it's usually heavier. If you can get a thick heavy anodized aluminium pan, it would work real well. Heavy cast iron is easier to find and cheaper, however. A carbon steel pan of the same weight as a cast iron pan would perform similarly on steak.

To be honest, I don't notice much difference in result between my Le Creuset cast iron and my De Buyer mineral B element carbon pan. Both are rather heavy pans...

I agree with the other posters about the thermal mass of the pan being the critical element here...that combined with being able to resurface the pan are why I'd go with the carbon steel. the coating on the aluminum pans will scratch and wear off, then you will have to be quite careful about acidic foods. There are concerns about acidic foods with carbon steel/cast iron as well, but at least you can put a new layer of seasoning on them very easily.

:2cents:

riba said:

To be honest, I don't notice much difference in result between my Le Creuset cast iron and my De Buyer mineral B element carbon pan. Both are rather heavy pans...

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Are you me? I also have a Le Creuset skillet and a De Buyer ... the De Buyer is 32cm however, I mostly use my Turk 28cm. I don't notice any difference between cast iron and carbon steel. Carbon steel seems to be a slightly better heat conductor, cast iron is a bit heavier.

Have a plate carbon steel, fast heating, fast cooling, great temperature control. For the Dutch only: have a basic De Buyer with Duikelman, Amsterdam, for an apple and an egg.