Yeah, agree on both fronts, carbon steel is wonderful. I wanted to add, regarding cast iron, you can always sand the pan down a bit to smooth out the surface.

Yeah, agree on both fronts, carbon steel is wonderful. I wanted to add, regarding cast iron, you can always sand the pan down a bit to smooth out the surface. On of the biggest benefits to iron or steel cookwear is that you can easily remove and re-apply the non-stick coating. Lodge has the directions on their website. Just make sure you buy pans that have oven safe handles as you bake them repeatedly with a thin layer of oil to build up the seasoning.