as materials, carbon steel and cast iron are extremely similar, except that carbon steel can be stamped rather than cast. in practice, this means that carbon st

as materials, carbon steel and cast iron are extremely similar, except that carbon steel can be stamped rather than cast. in practice, this means that carbon steel skillets tend to be much thinner than cast iron ones. durability would not be an advantage I would attribute to the typical carbon steel skillet. a cast iron skillet is pretty much indestructible; if you drop it from stove-height, it would be more likely to damage your floor than to shatter. a carbon steel skillet can easily warp if you heat it up too quickly, which is not nearly as great a concern with a heavy cast iron skillet. I have a cast iron and a carbon steel skillet. I will always reach for the cast iron to sear a steak, but the carbon steel skillet gets used for pretty much everything else.