Bk Black Steel Skillet is the answer to your nonstick need. At half the weight of cast iron, it offers the same nonstick properties of traditional cast iron. Not only that, it has a nice clean and smooth surface. It comes preseasoned from the factory, making it read to use right away. But the question is, whether its better than cast iron. This review will take a closer look at Bk Black Steel Skillet. We will see whether this pan is worth buying.

Bk Black Steel Skillet Review Quick Summary

Categories	Bk Black Steel Skillet
Performance	Good
Compatibility	Gas, Electric, Halogen, Glass Top, Induction
Colors	Black
Brand Awareness	Europe and North America
Oven Safe Temperature	600 Degree Fahrenheit
Country of Manufacturer	China
Thoughts	A lighter weight carbon steel skillet. While I personally prefer a heftier pan, some might like the light weight design. I still feel like this should be classified as a saute pan rather than a skillet.
Reviewed Cookware	BK Cookware CC002353-001 Black Carbon Steel Skillet, 11′

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History of BK Cookware

BK cookware was founded by Hendrik Berk Van Kampen in 1851. He started out by making milk churns, pots, pans and cooking utensils. Eventually his son took over and started to apply a enamel coating to the cookware. This started the foundation for their enamel cookware. As time went on, so did their fame. In 1951 the Queen Juliana awarded BK the Royal Predicate. From there they continued to invent new and different cookware. Not surprising, they followed the trend of cookware of the time. Their most recent innovation was the bk Wokarang. It is a modern redesign of the wok that makes tossing easier.

Bk Black Steel Skillet Design

This section will discuss the construction and design of Bk Black Steel Skillet. We will go over handle, shape and general performance.

Handle

The handle is made of coated cast iron. At its base there is a big heat choke to prevent the transfer of heat. While it will get hot, it wont get to a point where it will burn you. I recommend using a glove either way.

The coating is a enamel of some sort. It looks like nice and gives it a slight texture to improve grip. Another great thing is that it will prevent it from rusting.

In terms of comfort, its not that great. The corners are sharp and thin. This will just cause fatigue in the long run. The sides have raise edge to help with grip but its just not comfortable. To be fair, it seems like all the carbon steel cookware have horrible handles.

Shape

The shape or the skillet is pretty mediocre. It resembles more like a saute pan than a skillet. Pans with tall sidewall promotes the condensation of steam. This will cause liquid to puddle, making you boil food rather than fry. You can get around this by buying a larger pan. This way you can space them apart.

Another issue is that the tall sidewall makes it difficult to flip food. When you reach under with a spatula, it gets in the way. You can flip food with the wrist, but that takes practice. The good thing is that once you master this technique, spatulas are not really necessary except for heavy food like steaks.

Carbon Steel vs Cast Iron

Cast iron and carbon steel share almost the same cooking properties. The heat distribution is similar and so is the nonstick. The biggest difference is the weight. You can expect it to be half the weight of cast iron. This means that it will heat up quicker but they tend to have less searing ability than cast iron. It is a bit of a trade off. If you do not like how heavy it is, this is a great alternative. The thickness of the BK Cookware is 2mm. While I personally prefer 3mm or above, some might like the lighter weight. Just be aware, that thinner cookware are more prone to heat spots. They do heat up faster though.

Seasoning and Rust

These pans come pre seasoned from the factory. They ship with a thin silicone covering to prevent it from rust, but you can easily wash it off before first use. The seasoning does two thing, it protects it rust and it makes it nonstick. You need to take care of it if you want a nonstick performance. Things like abrasive soap cannot be used. Nor is it recommended to cook acidic food in it. Nevertheless, if you manage to strip the seasoning, you can always reapply it.

There are quite a few different method. One of the easiest is to just fry potato peel with salt and oil. After a couple of time, it will become darker and darker. Improving the seasoning. Another way is to coat the pan with lard or oil. Bake it in a oven of 350 degree Fahrenheit for half an hour. Then repeat as necessary. The better the seasoning the better it performs.

To clean the pan, I recommend just using salt with a paper towel. Salt act as an abrasive that can remove any sediment. Another method that I like is deglazing the pan. It is the quickest way to remove crud.

Chemical Free and Safe!

Since carbon steel uses grease as its coating, it does not use chemical like PFOA or PTFE. This is a great alternative to those ceramic cookware. Ceramic cookware tends to be junk. They simply dont last and you can expect to replace them within the year. With a carbon steel pan, as long as you maintain its seasoning, it should last a lifetime.

Bk Black Steel Skillet Thoughts

Overall, it is a pretty decent carbon steel. It is relatively affordable compared to the other french brand. I personally would like a thicker gauge of carbon steel, but I can see how so might like the thinner version. The handle is also designed a little better than its competitor.

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I hope you enjoyed this Bk Black Steel Skillet Review. If you would like to see more, please visit our Pots and Pans Review page.