I don't own any Matfer pans, but if I did and had never had a problem I would keep using it. My carbon Steel frying pans are extremely inexpensive, purchased from a restaurant supply house. I spent a whopping $52 for both of them, shipping and tax included. Thanks to your videos, I seasoned them properly and have really been enjoying them. My cast iron is hiding in the cabinet pining to be utilized again...
Thank you for your excellent analysis. The main problem I had with my Matfer pan was warping on an induction range. I've had partial success with correcting this issue by heating up the pan and then banging out the bulge on the bottom of the pan with a length of 2X4 wood and using a sledge hammer. When I cook with it I heat the pan up slowly so that the differentials in temperatures at different points remain relatively small. I've had some success with this procedure although it takes longer to make my meal. I think that with regulatory bodies in general there have been some political issues where efforts have been made to undermine our confidence in the decisions and opinions of the experts.
If you are really that worried, go schedule and arsenic poisoning test. Can be done via hair, blood, nail or urine sample. If it's negative, you haven't been exposed to high amount within 6-12months....
Would like to understand how much arsenic. There is naturally occurring arsenic in apples, rice especially high in brown rice. As they say, «The dose makes the poison. » there are so many standard and they are so different in each country. I would suggest that it is going to take more than a week because independent testing, if done correctly, will take time.
@@timjohnson3913 cannot agree or disagree without having the data from the test but you would be surprised at the level of arsenic in brown rice. “average concentrations of inorganic arsenic are 92 ppb in white rice, 154 ppb in brown rice, 104 ppb in infants’ dry white rice cereal, and 119 ppb in infants’ dry-brown rice cereal”. This is naturally occurring. They are obviously not looking for it. My point was that whether or not is is an issue depends on the amounts they found. Without that data point, we cannot judge. Also, without understanding on how the test was designed we cannot infer much. Was it controlled? Was the design sound? Was it done under normal conditions? Would have been good if they tested multiple brands to get a more complete data set. It seems that this was not done in a very scientific way
@@isabelab6851 have you read the report of the governing agency that initiated the recall? If not, then everything you say about the low quality of their testing procedures and lack of control is just speculation vomit.
Thank you for staying on top of this for us Scott. I would much rather wait for correct answers than them rushing to put out some sort of statement that is full of conjecture and speculation and incorrect answers. Waiting for the correct answers gives me a lot of faith in the company.
Hi Scott! Thank you for all of the updates. I hope this is everything will be ok. I just bought a pan the beginning of this month, haven’t had a chance to even use it yet 😢. Dawn 😊👍
Well uncle Scott.. I think you covered everything in a very reasonable way and I hope others will listen to you carefully and understand your reasoning, it will be interesting to see the outcome of this situation, I also have great confidence in how Matfer will deal with the situation no matter what the outcome is, there are also many products we use on a daily basis that probably have the potential for causing harm but we use them every day I'm kind of pointing towards plastics. And not to get too far off topic we do have a portion of society who use every opportunity to exert their environmental perspectives. But, lets see what the actual numbers come out to be for arsenic or whatever else they're looking for. I like the numbers you tossed out there for what is in our drinking water, because things come from the ground who knows in the modern age with highly sophisticated equipment what you will find in any material. 🙂 P.S. if I had this brand of pan I would probably continue to use it. And guess what,... I suppose the rest of the industry creating these products is about to get a thorough examination............
Scott, thanks for caring so much about this because I know I certainly do not. Perhaps it’s time to accept Chinese made products eh? If Matfer were a Chinese company I wonder if you’d give them this much patience and latitude.
I don't own any Matfer. However, if I did, I would continue to use it as usual. I believe this situation is similar to how so many things have warning labels in CA, but in the rest of the US there are no particular warnings. I suspect the regulations in France are more stringent than here in the US. Maybe that lot of pans exceeded the French limits (or maybe it was a testing methodology/interpretation error), but apparently they do not exceed the limits in the US. So from a US testing/regulation standpoint, we have no reason to believe they are significantly better or worse than any others.
I also believe that because people have become so sue happy companies have to warn against every little thing to protect themselves from frivolous lawsuits. Not saying that this is frivolous...arsenic could be something concerning. I'll be looking forward to your update on this. Thank you!
Hmm. No details supplied for levels of possible contaminants. This brings to question both the French standards accuracy, as well as the US (North American) FDA standards for sloth and lax behavior. This may be why either locale has taken each stance. That said I have a superb old Swedish pan (Smålännignen) which I'm considering to replace and have considered Matfer. So, I'll be "on hold" for a purchase until that's cleared up.
I love that there is a channel dedicated to this stuff #teamdebuyer. In generations to come people will ask "Where were you when you heard about the Matfer Carbon Steel Pan recall?"😂
Until there is verifiable proof that people have died from arsenic leaching out of Matfer pants, I will continue to use my pan. I worked very hard to get it to that deep nonstick patina.
I wonder if they tested a pan that was washed well after opening or if they tested straight out of the box. Curious to know more but I do wonder if it will be a everything causes cancer in California level of risk
I'm more confused now. I thought Matfer said that pans sold in the US were not affected, I took this to mean that the non-compliant, recalled pans made from Jan '22 to Sept '23 were known to have not be shipped to the US? They were shipped outside of the EU however, because I have a pan from batch 1104670 in the UK.
I love my Matfers, but am giving them a rest, until more is known. I guess worst case is I have to throw them out and replace them with De Buyers. The horror!!! 😁
I like cooking with a good hood to remove smoke etc from the house. I feel better about using gas with a good hood that exhaust all of the smoke and bad stuff.
If my business reputation was at stake I’d be moving so much faster . I work for a global multinational corporation . If something like this was happening unless we had something we were trying to soften the blow of we would have taken so long to put out a statement it’s crazy
Well, for you to set your Matfer pans aside pending more information is no big deal, since you have so many other carbon steel pans. My Matfer is my only carbon steel pan, other than my wok. But no Debuyere, etc. So, for the rest of us it is a bigger dilemma, particularly if the full answers don't come for a while.
It's too bad it takes so many PR departments to send out information about incidents like this. That seems to be eroding the trust that many of us presumably had in Matfer...
returned mine even before I used. Don't have time to deal with their issues. Purchased a less expensive Merten & Storck quality Carbon Steel pre-seasoned pan for half the cost and it works flawlessly.
I agree with the comment that Matfer’s current response doesn’t generate a lot of confidence. What Uncle Scott read sounded like a bunch of corporate-speak.
While matfer are tested in france... and as you already pointed out that their health codes etc are a lot higher than other parts of the world. There maybe nothing wrong with their production processes and its the source of the steel that is the issue ie where is their source steel is made. If its from china what quality controls exist over there to check up on the steel from a heath and safety perspective would think not as many as france. But then the steel plate would the manufacturing company could just be selling plate that can be used in general production and not in food grade items. So the Alice and wonderland story will probably be getting deeper before they come out with a fact this is what we know type situation and the damage at that stage to matfer is going to be significant financially. Makes me wander what other carbon steel pans regardless of where they made probably have leaching issues of potentially toxic chemicals.
Even though I've only cooked hamburgers in my 12-inch carbon skillet it has never never turned black even though I properly seasoned it.. every time I cook a hamburger on it it takes the seasoning right off down to the bare metal.. I learned about this carbon steel skillet from you last April and I ordered one May 22nd and I just spoke to Amazon and they are going to email the seller that if it's recalled in France because of toxicity that it should be recalled in America since it is made in france. If it's toxic in France it's toxic in America.. they told me that if I don't get a response from the seller that they would start an A to Z claim to get my money back. I do not feel confident ever using this again. I will use my ceramic coated iron Le Creuset skillet from this day foward...
The seasoning on the pan, which is a layer of carbon bound to the surface, will protect against the vast majority of any potential contamination. It is true that utensils will scratch the seasoning, exposing bare metal, but the scratches are so small that any contamination would be less than a measurable amount.
Maybe but that’s an assumption unless you have evidence then please share. And seasoning can come off pans and happens to the best of us. I don’t want to be a squeeze of lemon into the wrong pan away from arsenic.
@@timjohnson3913 What seasoning is and how it works is not an assumption. You can do your own research to learn about seasoning of cookware. To get you started, here is the Wikipedia article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasoning_(cookware) Arsenic poisoning is not a subtle thing. If anyone had gotten acute arsenic poisoning from a pan, it would be obvious. A scratched pan cannot lead to chronic arsenic poisoning because normal maintenance covers the scratches. Again, you can Google "arsenic poisoning" for yourself and learn.
@@loyeyoung1068 “Will protect against the vast majority of any potential contamination” is the assumption you are making. That isn’t the role of seasoning. The role of seasoning for carbon steel is to give a pan a nonstick surface and prevent rusting. Unless you have evidence of contamination protection particular to arsenic, then you are making an assumption.
I went to Matfer Carbon Steel to have a safer way of cooking. Now this possible recall, I just can't believe that they use a different metal make up than the one's in France. As a former sales & marketing rep, this is crazy long time to convey a proper message to their customers. I now have second thoughts about ever buying anything from Matfer again...
Irresponsible not to suggest people stop using their product until clear answers are forthcoming. Also, PR and Marketing? For a safety issue sounds like they’re more worried about THEIR the safety of THEIR bottom line than their customers’ safety. Unbelievable!
Nothing to worry about. It’s excellent quality French arsenic.
It has a reputation of being one of the best here in Europe.
@@hello.itsme.5635 Its true
I don't own any Matfer pans, but if I did and had never had a problem I would keep using it. My carbon Steel frying pans are extremely inexpensive, purchased from a restaurant supply house. I spent a whopping $52 for both of them, shipping and tax included. Thanks to your videos, I seasoned them properly and have really been enjoying them. My cast iron is hiding in the cabinet pining to be utilized again...
What site is this if you can share? I'm curious
Long Live De Buyer!!!
Thank you for your excellent analysis. The main problem I had with my Matfer pan was warping on an induction range. I've had partial success with correcting this issue by heating up the pan and then banging out the bulge on the bottom of the pan with a length of 2X4 wood and using a sledge hammer. When I cook with it I heat the pan up slowly so that the differentials in temperatures at different points remain relatively small. I've had some success with this procedure although it takes longer to make my meal. I think that with regulatory bodies in general there have been some political issues where efforts have been made to undermine our confidence in the decisions and opinions of the experts.
Matfer has sent the matter to its MARKETING and LEGAL teams. That should tell you everything you need to know.
I'm still curious if our US pans just didn't get judged as strictly by our agency as the French one. I will NOT use mine until there is more clarity!
You can stop being curious. European countries have much higher standards for food and health issues.
If you are really that worried, go schedule and arsenic poisoning test. Can be done via hair, blood, nail or urine sample. If it's negative, you haven't been exposed to high amount within 6-12months....
As said, standards are higher in Europe than in the U.S. Take that for what you will.
Wow and I literally just ordered some pans yesterday... I should have gone with made in. I might just return them when I get them in.
I think you will like the Matfers more than the Made Ins.
Sounds like they are waiting for a meeting with their lawyers and marketing dept.
I continue to use both of my Matfer pans on my gas stovetop and oven throughout this recall ordeal. They are both well seasoned and cook beautifully.
Thank you for keeping us informed about this situation. Am eagerly awaiting more information about this from them through you, Melaney from SoCal
Would like to understand how much arsenic. There is naturally occurring arsenic in apples, rice especially high in brown rice. As they say, «The dose makes the poison. » there are so many standard and they are so different in each country.
I would suggest that it is going to take more than a week because independent testing, if done correctly, will take time.
Are rice and apples sold in France? If so, then I imagine they detected more arsenic than what you find in those foods.
@@timjohnson3913 cannot agree or disagree without having the data from the test but you would be surprised at the level of arsenic in brown rice. “average concentrations of inorganic arsenic are 92 ppb in white rice, 154 ppb in brown rice, 104 ppb in infants’ dry white rice cereal, and 119 ppb in infants’ dry-brown rice cereal”. This is naturally occurring. They are obviously not looking for it.
My point was that whether or not is is an issue depends on the amounts they found. Without that data point, we cannot judge. Also, without understanding on how the test was designed we cannot infer much. Was it controlled? Was the design sound? Was it done under normal conditions? Would have been good if they tested multiple brands to get a more complete data set. It seems that this was not done in a very scientific way
@@isabelab6851 have you read the report of the governing agency that initiated the recall? If not, then everything you say about the low quality of their testing procedures and lack of control is just speculation vomit.
A question I posed before: is there any possibility that this could be a generic problem with carbon steel regardless of who the manufacturer is?
Thank you for staying on top of this for us Scott. I would much rather wait for correct answers than them rushing to put out some sort of statement that is full of conjecture and speculation and incorrect answers. Waiting for the correct answers gives me a lot of faith in the company.
Hey, Uncle. Thanks for your care and attention on this issue and for sharing this update!
Hi Scott! Thank you for all of the updates. I hope this is everything will be ok. I just bought a pan the beginning of this month, haven’t had a chance to even use it yet 😢. Dawn 😊👍
Well uncle Scott.. I think you covered everything in a very reasonable way and I hope others will listen to you carefully and understand your reasoning, it will be interesting to see the outcome of this situation, I also have great confidence in how Matfer will deal with the situation no matter what the outcome is, there are also many products we use on a daily basis that probably have the potential for causing harm but we use them every day I'm kind of pointing towards plastics. And not to get too far off topic we do have a portion of society who use every opportunity to exert their environmental perspectives. But, lets see what the actual numbers come out to be for arsenic or whatever else they're looking for. I like the numbers you tossed out there for what is in our drinking water, because things come from the ground who knows in the modern age with highly sophisticated equipment what you will find in any material. 🙂 P.S. if I had this brand of pan I would probably continue to use it. And guess what,... I suppose the rest of the industry creating these products is about to get a thorough examination............
Thanks for the update, and your diligence. Love the channel. Waiting to see if I can use my new-ish Matfer again.....
Scott, thanks for caring so much about this because I know I certainly do not.
Perhaps it’s time to accept Chinese made products eh? If Matfer were a Chinese company I wonder if you’d give them this much patience and latitude.
I winder where your question on using the Matfer pans was posted, Scott. I did not see it on your website. Thanks, Dr Peter
I don't own any Matfer. However, if I did, I would continue to use it as usual. I believe this situation is similar to how so many things have warning labels in CA, but in the rest of the US there are no particular warnings. I suspect the regulations in France are more stringent than here in the US. Maybe that lot of pans exceeded the French limits (or maybe it was a testing methodology/interpretation error), but apparently they do not exceed the limits in the US. So from a US testing/regulation standpoint, we have no reason to believe they are significantly better or worse than any others.
I have two of them. I will put them aside until we get more info. I do have 2 other pans from another manufacturer.
I put a couple of pans in my wishlist. It's not a commitment, but they're there if I decide to pull the trigger and purchase them.
A better question is how much arsenic is in US rice?
I bet there isn’t even a test in the USA for this. Second, any carbon steel pan is better than any nonstick pans and it’s not even close
Totally agree.
I also believe that because people have become so sue happy companies have to warn against every little thing to protect themselves from frivolous lawsuits. Not saying that this is frivolous...arsenic could be something concerning. I'll be looking forward to your update on this. Thank you!
I have stopped using my Matfer 10 inch skillet - I bought in March 2024 and was using it 2-3 times a day
Uncle Scott, it would be awesome if you could do a review of the American made pan by Cast-A-Way. All one piece and no rivets. Thanks for all you do.
Hmm. No details supplied for levels of possible contaminants.
This brings to question both the French standards accuracy, as well as the US (North American) FDA standards for sloth and lax behavior. This may be why either locale has taken each stance.
That said I have a superb old Swedish pan (Smålännignen) which I'm considering to replace and have considered Matfer. So, I'll be "on hold" for a purchase until that's cleared up.
I love that there is a channel dedicated to this stuff #teamdebuyer. In generations to come people will ask "Where were you when you heard about the Matfer Carbon Steel Pan recall?"😂
How far does this go back? I've had my pans 10+years. Not dead yet, a little wacky maybe.
Until there is verifiable proof that people have died from arsenic leaching out of Matfer pants, I will continue to use my pan. I worked very hard to get it to that deep nonstick patina.
I won't be returning my pan. I refuse to give up that tangy arsenic flavor.
Little chance of any major issues. Especially with a good layer of seasoning.
What size pan or pans are under recall?
Heh... Reminds me of Taken when Neeson imitates the new French official shaking down kidnappers. "I'm the new guy. You haven't paid me."
This would be a really good time for De Buyer USA to get their stuff together and replenish their 9.5” omelette pans!
Please…
I wonder if they tested a pan that was washed well after opening or if they tested straight out of the box. Curious to know more but I do wonder if it will be a everything causes cancer in California level of risk
I'm more confused now. I thought Matfer said that pans sold in the US were not affected, I took this to mean that the non-compliant, recalled pans made from Jan '22 to Sept '23 were known to have not be shipped to the US? They were shipped outside of the EU however, because I have a pan from batch 1104670 in the UK.
FDA and EPA don't care about us.
I love my Matfers, but am giving them a rest, until more is known. I guess worst case is I have to throw them out and replace them with De Buyers. The horror!!! 😁
Guess I won't be cooking cheeseburgers smothered with bacon, cheese-product, and mayo in my Matfer. My body is a temple.
😂
Don’t forget the high fructose corn syrup.
What would I do? Wash and re-season, and do the fried egg test!
Why should it have chromium it if is carbon steel?
I like cooking with a good hood to remove smoke etc from the house. I feel better about using gas with a good hood that exhaust all of the smoke and bad stuff.
I love Lodge
If my business reputation was at stake I’d be moving so much faster . I work for a global multinational corporation . If something like this was happening unless we had something we were trying to soften the blow of we would have taken so long to put out a statement it’s crazy
Well, for you to set your Matfer pans aside pending more information is no big deal, since you have so many other carbon steel pans. My Matfer is my only carbon steel pan, other than my wok. But no Debuyere, etc. So, for the rest of us it is a bigger dilemma, particularly if the full answers don't come for a while.
It's too bad it takes so many PR departments to send out information about incidents like this. That seems to be eroding the trust that many of us presumably had in Matfer...
If California or New Jersey issue something on it ...
returned mine even before I used. Don't have time to deal with their issues. Purchased a less expensive Merten & Storck quality Carbon Steel pre-seasoned pan for half the cost and it works flawlessly.
Cheaper pan, cheaper metal, more likely to have arsenic. Bad move before any news is released on levels lol.
I agree with the comment that Matfer’s current response doesn’t generate a lot of confidence. What Uncle Scott read sounded like a bunch of corporate-speak.
While matfer are tested in france... and as you already pointed out that their health codes etc are a lot higher than other parts of the world. There maybe nothing wrong with their production processes and its the source of the steel that is the issue ie where is their source steel is made. If its from china what quality controls exist over there to check up on the steel from a heath and safety perspective would think not as many as france. But then the steel plate would the manufacturing company could just be selling plate that can be used in general production and not in food grade items. So the Alice and wonderland story will probably be getting deeper before they come out with a fact this is what we know type situation and the damage at that stage to matfer is going to be significant financially.
Makes me wander what other carbon steel pans regardless of where they made probably have leaching issues of potentially toxic chemicals.
7:03 The CC says 117%🧐
Warning labels are just legal protection. "hot coffee"
Even though I've only cooked hamburgers in my 12-inch carbon skillet it has never never turned black even though I properly seasoned it.. every time I cook a hamburger on it it takes the seasoning right off down to the bare metal.. I learned about this carbon steel skillet from you last April and I ordered one May 22nd and I just spoke to Amazon and they are going to email the seller that if it's recalled in France because of toxicity that it should be recalled in America since it is made in france. If it's toxic in France it's toxic in America.. they told me that if I don't get a response from the seller that they would start an A to Z claim to get my money back. I do not feel confident ever using this again. I will use my ceramic coated iron Le Creuset skillet from this day foward...
Arsenic is just flavor
The seasoning on the pan, which is a layer of carbon bound to the surface, will protect against the vast majority of any potential contamination. It is true that utensils will scratch the seasoning, exposing bare metal, but the scratches are so small that any contamination would be less than a measurable amount.
Maybe but that’s an assumption unless you have evidence then please share. And seasoning can come off pans and happens to the best of us. I don’t want to be a squeeze of lemon into the wrong pan away from arsenic.
@@timjohnson3913 What seasoning is and how it works is not an assumption. You can do your own research to learn about seasoning of cookware. To get you started, here is the Wikipedia article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasoning_(cookware)
Arsenic poisoning is not a subtle thing. If anyone had gotten acute arsenic poisoning from a pan, it would be obvious. A scratched pan cannot lead to chronic arsenic poisoning because normal maintenance covers the scratches. Again, you can Google "arsenic poisoning" for yourself and learn.
@@loyeyoung1068 “Will protect against the vast majority of any potential contamination” is the assumption you are making. That isn’t the role of seasoning. The role of seasoning for carbon steel is to give a pan a nonstick surface and prevent rusting. Unless you have evidence of contamination protection particular to arsenic, then you are making an assumption.
I went to Matfer Carbon Steel to have a safer way of cooking. Now this possible recall, I just can't believe that they use a different metal make up than the one's in France.
As a former sales & marketing rep, this is crazy long time to convey a proper message to their customers. I now have second thoughts about ever buying anything from Matfer again...
I'm cooking in one of mine right now
With cigarette in mouth too, right?
Dont smoke, my point was people worry too much about everything that pops up on the internet. @timjohnson3913
There should be ZERO leaching of dangerous metals … Z E R O. Back to good ole Lodge/ vintage cast Iron. On a side note … love my Baking Steal
They probably all leech to some degree, it's just a matter of how much and the tolerances.
First viewer!
Think about all the other metal pans that come from China.
Glad I never bought one. Have all other brands but never got to this one just yet. Looks like I won’t ever buy one.
Plot-twist: the others you own aren't any 'safer' than the Matfer.
@@toxicginger9936now that would just be funny. 😂
I can't say that Matfer is superior to other brands .. unless it's hard to find ones without rivets on the inside, if you care about that.
Matfer? Is that similar to a Dicfer?
Nice try but I am wise in the ways of bad jokes!
Irresponsible not to suggest people stop using their product until clear answers are forthcoming. Also, PR and Marketing? For a safety issue sounds like they’re more worried about THEIR the safety of THEIR bottom line than their customers’ safety. Unbelievable!
Why would you stop using the pan as you have been using for many meals seems ridiculous at this point as you have been exposed to the issue.
So once again, lawyer speak.
I returned mine :) I can't believe how irresponsible that company is.
Should have waited before you said irresponsible huh?
Enjoy cooking in your arsenic pan.
Fuck. And i just got mine two days ago.
Just wash and season it prior to use! I think this is way overblown.
Return policy is on your side, I guess. Where did you buy it?
Where did you buy it? Return policy?
Amazon. But I saw the follow up vid.
@@fatman7817 Yea, I would keep mine, too.