Calling on Blue Skillet, Blanc Creative SB Forged owner.

[Phunguyen18]

Hi Guys,

So after some extensive research on most of the Hand Forged Carbon Steel pan, I’ve. Narrowed my choice down to Blue Skillet, Blanc Creative and SB Forged.

Blu Skillet: very nice pan, but hard to get and expensive.
Blanc Creative: nice price, but not a fan of their new hand spun pan, looks more machine than hand forged
SB Forged: best price, looks amazing (same bluestone as the other two) but a bit on a heavier size.

Below is my research I thought I’ll share for other who are interested. For those that already owned one, post your picture and let me know your thought on it.

Brand Size / Weight Cost
Blanc 11 / 8 4.4LB $240
Blu fry 10 / 8 3.8LB $260
Blu fre 10 / 8 4LB $300
HS 10 / 9
3Nail 11 / 9 4.2LB $220
3Nail 11 / 9 4.4LB $250
Smithey 12 5LB $275
Staged Coach 11 - cooper $250
Kehoe 10 / 8 4.25 or 3.5LB 225
Kehoe 11 / 9 4.9 or 3.9 275
McMurry 12 8lB 200
SbForge 11 / 7.75 5.1LB 195

[stevem627]

We have a Blanc Creatives 11 inch skillet (original hammered style) and we love it. We also were probably some of the earliest owners of SBForge carbon steel 13 inch roasting pan. The SBForge roaster is probably one of our most used pans. Blu seems great but is VERY hard to get so we never got one. Since Blanc has a new design I’m not as happy with the change. I can say without an reservations that I think the SBForge quality and price is great...and you can actually order and get them. I will have to say I love hammered finishes an awful lot and that even carries over to my knives.

[Phunguyen18]

Awesome Steve. My 10 inch Skillet from SB Is on order, I hope to get the before Christmas, finger crossed. You mentioned you cook on the roaster a lot, what do you make on it?

I have to agree with you that I love the hammer look as well and not a fan of Blanc new method. I think they will end up doing the heritage again as a special limited release in the future and charge more for it.

[stevem627]

We use the roaster for frying steaks, burgers, grilled cheese, bacon, sautéing veggies, eggs, French toast, fish, and of course roasting chicken and all types of meats. It is a fantastic pan...we like it so much we bought one for our son and daughter in law who use theirs a lot also. It’s heavy but the size lends itself to lots of different uses.

[ronnie_suburban]

Like Steve, I also prefer the look of the hammered (Heritage?) Blanc Creatives skillets over their "Pro" line. The only other brand on your list that I own is Santa Barbara Forge, of which I have a couple of pieces. I think both brands perform equally well but I like the look of the Blanc pieces better and of course, that's completely subjective. In fact, my favorite of all the pieces I own is the Blanc Creatives Pro Rondeau, which has a completely smooth finish. So, I guess I prefer the hammered finish with skillets and a smoother finish with the larger pieces. But I do love that rondeau. It heats evenly, holds temperature fairly well (for carbon steel) is quite versatile and isn't as heavy as it looks. All that said, Santa Barbara's Sonora line looks really nice but I must resist temptation . . .

[Phunguyen18]

Like Steve, I also prefer the look of the hammered (Heritage?) Blanc Creatives skillets over their "Pro" line. The only other brand on your list that I own is Santa Barbara Forge, of which I have a couple of pieces. I think both brands perform equally well but I like the look of the Blanc pieces better and of course, that's completely subjective. In fact, my favorite of all the pieces I own is the Blanc Creatives Pro Rondeau, which has a completely smooth finish. So, I guess I prefer the hammered finish with skillets and a smoother finish with the larger pieces. But I do love that rondeau. It heats evenly, holds temperature fairly well (for carbon steel) is quite versatile and isn't as heavy as it looks. All that said, Santa Barbara's Sonora line looks really nice but I must resist temptation . . .

Enter 12daysofchristmas for 12% off

[TheVincenzo]

I have been lusting over a hand made carbon steel pan like these for awhile. I don't need one, but the want is high. My biggest issue with all of them is that I have an extreme and probably unreasonable dislike for riveted handles. If someone had a forged handle I would have bought one by now, but alas I have been unable to find any that do.

[ronnie_suburban]

Like Steve, I also prefer the look of the hammered (Heritage?) Blanc Creatives skillets over their "Pro" line. The only other brand on your list that I own is Santa Barbara Forge, of which I have a couple of pieces. I think both brands perform equally well but I like the look of the Blanc pieces better and of course, that's completely subjective. In fact, my favorite of all the pieces I own is the Blanc Creatives Pro Rondeau, which has a completely smooth finish. So, I guess I prefer the hammered finish with skillets and a smoother finish with the larger pieces. But I do love that rondeau. It heats evenly, holds temperature fairly well (for carbon steel) is quite versatile and isn't as heavy as it looks. All that said, Santa Barbara's Sonora line looks really nice but I must resist temptation . . .

Enter 12daysofchristmas for 12% off

LOL - this is not helpful!

[XexoX]

Remember, Blu Skillet's lottery starts today (12/06/2020), 3 pm PST. You can enter one time for each of the 5 or 6 lotteries they have. They'll let you know by the end of Tuesday if you won a spot to buy the pan(s) in a category.

[LaVieestBelle]

I started collecting Blu Skillet years ago. Many times, during the semi-annual (now just annual) online sales, I was a bit sluggish. Things sold in seconds. And I have never made it to the lottery. That said, thanks to help from a great friend and my daughter (who has been repaid with her own 10" and 13" pans from me) and my own perseverance, I have accumulated a nice set. It took years. The 10" fry pan never leaves my stove. I have zero regrets, despite the price. If I were limited to one skillet for the rest of my life, it would be a Blu Skillet. Keep trying!

The sad part--this spring my daughter completed her Masters in Education. I bought the two of us plane tickets to Seattle as a graduation gift, and started researching restaurants and Air BnBs. The whole purpose--go to the Blu Skillet open house sale. Then COVID happened. We re-thought our trip and canceled, and then the open house was canceled as well. When all this is over, a life goal is to recreate the trip out there.

Btw, my only other carbon steel experience is deBuyer. Never had the chance to try the others but I must say that the Blanc Creatives Pro Rondeau sounds very cool. My love, though, for the Blu Skillet has never dimmed!

[KevinWood44]

All 3 brands make stunning pans but personally I do not like the shape handles they all have. I prefer a straighter handle, makes it easier to control (for me) Maybe I've just gotten so used to my Matfer. That said I'd try to get a Blu Skillet but I think any would make you happy.

Personally I am looking to get a Soy saucepan. Copper and Silver....Absolutely beautiful craftsmanship!!

Good luck with order, enjoy!!

[Phunguyen18]

I hunker down and bought the 10 inch Sonora during Thanksgiving and entered into there Blu Skillet Lottery and won a ticket to purchase also they’re 10 inch fry pan and I had to purchase it as well

The Blue Skillet have arrived and it’s damn beautiful. Based on the smoothness of the side and the pan, these seem like they are hand spun as well and not hammered. It’s still beautiful, I will wait until I get the SB to do the side by side comparison and season them at the same time.

[Instagram] https://www.instagram.com/p/CIxMObGrPht ... g7cojo6ge0[/Instagram]

[Kalaeb]

Lucky you. I have a Newquist and a Debuyer getting frequent use. Would love to add a SB one day.

[XexoX]

Lucky you. I didn't get a chance. Darn it all. Enjoy the pans.

I hunker down and bought the 10 inch Sonora during Thanksgiving and entered into there Blu Skillet Lottery and won a ticket to purchase also they’re 10 inch fry pan and I had to purchase it as well

The Blue Skillet have arrived and it’s damn beautiful. Based on the smoothness of the side and the pan, these seem like they are hand spun as well and not hammered. It’s still beautiful, I will wait until I get the SB to do the side by side comparison and season them at the same time.

[Instagram] https://www.instagram.com/p/CIxMObGrPht ... g7cojo6ge0[/Instagram]

[Captaincaed]

The Blu Skillet is a great pan. Pat and Caryn are both really nice. Met them when they were working the farmers markets before they were featured. Really wonderful humans.

[PaulME]

So now I’m intrigued by blue skillet, for the people who have several any advantages of fry pan vs French skillet?

[LaVieestBelle]

Given the scarcity, I would say you should go for whatever you can get your hands on. My 10" fry pan never leaves the stove.

The differences are subtle. In each case, the French skillet measures slightly wider and higher (almost an inch wider in the case of the 13" models), and it will weigh slightly more. Some measurements from my, um, collection--

10" fry pan 10.1" across, 1.5" tall.
10" gratin (same form as the French skillet) 10.25" across, 2.1" tall.

13" fry pan 12.25" across, 1.75" tall
13" French skillet 13.2' across, 2" tall

The weights are different. I went to the web site and there was a 10 ounce difference between the 13" fry pan weight and the 13" French skillet weight.

The inner base measurements are pretty similar, so cooking surface area would not differ noticeably.

Because of the shape, you would have slightly more capacity with the French skillet versions.

I seem to grab my fry pans first, but I love all of them. The collection took years!

Hope this helps. While these are individually made and dimensions could vary, I think my experience is likely typical.

[LaVieestBelle]

Paul, this might help you imagine the differences... 13" fry pan on the left, 13" French skillet on the right.

[PaulME]

Thanks - now to see how long to score one.
Vaguely related, as there are various cast iron companies now where they are actually machining the inner surface - toying with grabbing a loge put the rotary table on the mill and then take a skim cut on the interior. May be worth the experiment
Paul

[Captaincaed]

I've had a couple and I settled on the French skillet. Still let's you fry quickly, and the extra height in the sides is really nice for containing your food more easily.