Kitchen selectionAt the fire
Vollrath Carbon Steel Fry Pan, 8.5 Inch, Natural Finish
Cook single-portion mise, sear a fish fillet, or turn out an omelette on a small carbon pan built for the line rather than the home.
Available from the maker
Check current price and availability on the maker’s site. Chef Sigi does not take payment for this item here.
Published reference$35.94
Published by The Vollrath Company, LLC: Carbon Steel Fry Pan, 8.5 inch — Natural Finish. Price and availability can change at the maker’s site.
Why this shape
Vollrath's carbon steel family runs 8.5, 11, and 12.5 inches; this is the smallest and the one a line cook reaches for to sauté a single garnish or scramble one order of eggs. Carbon steel takes a seasoning like cast iron without the weight, and Vollrath pours the body at a thickness that holds heat through a quick sauté without the long preheat a cast iron demands; the result is a pan that heats fast on demand and darkens to a nonstick patina over months. Made in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the same foundry that supplies American commercial kitchens, and rated NSF so the pan meets the foodservice certification that matters at scale. The natural finish means the cook gets to build the seasoning from bare steel — Vollrath also sells a pre-seasoned SteelCoat variant for those who want a faster start, but this is the line workhorse.
- Good for
- Single-portion line mise, garnish sautés, scrambling eggs-to-order at the pass, searing one fish fillet, anything on a hot line where the cook wants a small fast-heating pan in hand.
- Not for
- Batch cooking for a family or a banquet — at 8.5 inches the pan tops out around two portions. Reach for the Vollrath 11-inch (already in the catalog) for line mise and the 12.5-inch for batch.
- Care
- Hand wash with warm water and a stiff brush; no soap. Dry over low heat to drive off moisture. Apply a thin coat of oil before storing. Natural finish requires seasoning before first use. Vollrath publishes seasoning and care guidance for carbon steel fry pans in their care article.
Published specifications
What the maker states.
- Material
- Commercial carbon steel, natural finish
- Diameter
- 8.5 in
- Made in
- USA (Sheboygan, Wisconsin — Vollrath foundry)
- Certification
- NSF Listed
- MSRP
- $35.94