The Matfer Bourgeat Recall Explained: What Owners Need to Know

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French regulators recalled specific lots of Matfer Bourgeat Black Steel skillets in April 2024 after tests found arsenic, chromium and iron leaching above European Union limits. The pans were never recalled in the United States. Matfer disputes the finding and has appealed. America’s Test Kitchen withdrew its recommendation and has not restored it.

The Matfer Bourgeat Recall Explained: What Owners Need to Know in a minimalist carbon steel cookware setting — The matfer bourgeat recall explained: what owners need to know.

What exactly did the French agency find?

The DDPP of Isère, a regional consumer protection agency, tested Matfer Black Steel pans made in France. They heated a mild acidic solution in pans drawn from specific production lots. Arsenic, chromium and iron came out of the metal at levels above what EU rules allow.

All three metals matter at those levels. That is why the recall followed.

The test method is worth understanding. Acid pulls metal out of bare steel. That is the same reason we tell people not to simmer tomatoes in a carbon steel pan. The question the test raises is whether these particular batches released more than steel normally should.

Which lots are affected?

Check the label on the packaging. The lot number is printed there.

Pan size	Affected lot numbers
12 inch	1102305, 1103862, 1104661, 1104677, 1104678, 1104679, 1104719, 1104725
10 inch	1108748
8 inch	1104663, 1104664

Most people throw the packaging away. If you no longer have it, you cannot tell which batch your pan came from. That is the practical problem with this recall.

Was the pan recalled in the United States?

No. And the reason is more interesting than the recall.

The European Union sets limits on how much metal cookware may release into food. The United States does not. The FDA expects cookware to be of a purity suitable for the intended use, but publishes no numbers, runs no routine tests, and does not ask manufacturers to prove anything.

America’s Test Kitchen put this plainly after speaking to the FDA, the EPA, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, toxicologists and testing labs. Cookware safety in the US runs on an honour system. A company that discovers a problem is expected to recall the product itself.

Matfer has not done that. As of July 2024, pans from the affected lots were still reaching American buyers through Amazon.

What does Matfer say?

Matfer has appealed the recall. The company states its pans meet the standards set by the French DGCCRF and the EU, and that all its skillets have passed independent third-party testing.

Matfer has also said publicly that the pans failed only because they were tested unseasoned. That argument has some logic to it. Seasoning is a physical barrier between food and bare metal, and a seasoned pan will release less iron than a raw one.

It is not a complete answer, though. Every carbon steel pan ships unseasoned or lightly pre-seasoned, and every new owner cooks in it before the patina is mature. A pan that is only safe once you have done the work yourself is a different product from one that is safe out of the box.

What did America’s Test Kitchen conclude?

ATK had named the Matfer its top carbon steel skillet. They spent several months investigating, then withdrew the recommendation.

Their stated reason: they cannot recommend a skillet that may contain arsenic and may release elevated chromium when alternatives exist.

They also ran their own lab tests on the pan they moved to. The Mauviel M’Steel showed no arsenic, and chromium within EU limits. That is now their top pick.

ATK has said it will review Matfer again if the company provides sufficient assurances. That has not happened.

How worried should you actually be?

Here is the honest version, without either the panic or the brush-off.

Arsenic and chromium are genuinely harmful. The World Health Organization lists arsenic among its ten chemicals of major public health concern. Long-term exposure raises the risk of several cancers.

But cookware is not where most people get either metal. Food and water carry far more. Rice and apple juice are both meaningful sources of arsenic. A toxicologist quoted by ATK made this point directly.

The reasoning that follows is about accumulation. You cannot remove every source. You can remove the ones you control. A pan is one you control.

Also worth holding in mind: only certain lots failed. Most Matfer pans in circulation were never implicated. The trouble is that you probably cannot tell which yours is.

What to do if you own one

Find the lot number on the packaging and check it against the table above.
If it matches, stop using the pan and contact Matfer Bourgeat USA.
If you cannot check, decide how much uncertainty you want in your kitchen. Neither answer is unreasonable.
Either way, keep acid out of it. No tomato sauce, no wine reductions, no lemon. This is standard carbon steel advice and it matters more here.
Build the seasoning properly. A mature patina is a barrier between food and bare steel. Our seasoning guide covers it.

What we recommend instead

If you want a French carbon steel pan and would rather not think about any of this, buy the de Buyer MINERAL B Pro. Same country, same category, no open question. It costs $99.95 and has an 8.3 inch cooking surface against Matfer’s 8 inches.

If you want the pan ATK moved to, that is the Mauviel M’Steel. We stock the 11 inch at $120. ATK tested the 12.6 inch.

If price is what matters, the Merten & Storck 12 inch at $59.99 is triple-riveted and carries none of this history.

Why we still list the Matfer pans

We sell both Matfer pans through affiliate links. We earn money when you buy them. We have told you about the recall anyway, at the top of both product pages and in our frying pan comparison.

Removing them would be easier for us and worse for you. The pan is not banned in your country. The evidence is disputed. Some readers will weigh a lot-specific finding from 2024 against a rivet-free pan they have wanted for years and reasonably decide to buy it.

Our job is to make sure nobody buys one without knowing. What you do with the information is yours.

The Matfer Bourgeat Recall Explained: What Owners Need to Know close-up showing the carbon steel surface or cooking process

Frequently asked questions

Is my Matfer pan dangerous?

Only pans from the listed lots were found to leach above EU limits. If your lot number is not on the list, it was not implicated. If you cannot check the lot number, you cannot know either way, which is the core problem with this recall.

Can I still buy Matfer pans in the US?

Yes. There is no US recall and no sales restriction. Pans from affected lots were still reaching American buyers through Amazon as of July 2024.

Does seasoning fix the problem?

Seasoning puts a polymerised oil barrier between food and bare steel, and reduces metal transfer. Matfer argues this explains the test result. It does not address the period before your seasoning is mature, which is when most new owners cook in the pan.

Do other carbon steel pans have this issue?

No comparable finding has been published for any other brand. ATK lab-tested the Mauviel M’Steel and found no arsenic and chromium within EU limits. Most manufacturers are not independently tested at all, so absence of a finding is not proof of safety.

Has the recall been lifted?

Not as of this update. Matfer has appealed and the appeal was still open at the time of writing. ATK has said it will reconsider if Matfer satisfies regulators.

Sources: America’s Test Kitchen investigation published 27 August 2024; DDPP of Isère recall notice, April 2024; Matfer Bourgeat USA recall statement. Last checked 22 July 2026.