Received my Sonora XL Pan from Santa Barbara Forge! Spent a couple days adding to the ‘seasoning’ that they had already started. I wanted to be sure this baby was ready to rock! I’ve been working to perfect my Dungeness Crabcake recipe and process, and this pan was the key to having the right cooking surface as well as plenty of room to cook six of these bad boys at a time. The result was freaking incredible! They sizzled, flipped well, cooked to a golden brown, and the pan just wiped-down easily after the cooking was done. It is so artful, superbly crafted, and simply badass…I find myself constantly thinking of new things to cook, using this incredible Santa Barbara Forge pan. Well done, folks! Well done.

I have a wood fired pizza oven (also made in Santa Barbara by https://fornoclassico.com) and own 2 of these fantastic pans. They are lightweight and can handle the heat of a direct fire oven. They do not stick but do NOT have any coating. Carbon steel is the secret.

Finally, they are BEAUTIFUL works of art. I especially love the dimples from the hand forging.

BRAVO Santa Barbara Forge!

Very easy to use, has the same heat properties as cast iron, but heats up a little quicker due to being a little less mass than cast iron. It is basically a non-stick pan and very easy to clean. The size of the Sonora XL is perfect for our family of 5 but even works great to cook smaller portions like 3 eggs. If you are thinking about buying this just go ahead and buy, its worth every penny and will last multiple lifetimes.

Fabulous and beautiful !!! Love love love it !!! Thank you for making cooking fun again and oh so easy and classy !

Love this cookware, this is my 2nd one.

Very well made. Beautiful design!

Cooked bacon and then a couple over easy eggs
The eggs slid right out of the pan!

Extremely well designed and made. Very solid. Enjoyable to use.

My wife is a Chef. I got the XL pan for her birthday. She is so taken back by the beautiful bluing she said she’s just going to admire it for awhile before she uses it.

Build Quality 5/5
Appearance 5/5
Usefulness 5/5
Value 5/5
Shipping 5/5

Bought the bundle and was not disappointed. The shipping guys must have been pissed because they punched the hell out of the box. The inside however was perfect. I did a lot of comparison shopping before the purchase. I recommend getting everything you want now before the purchase price goes up. (no I did not get paid to say that).

Amazing product for several generations of service.

Ordered my pan and the company said it was gonna be about 2 weeks to deliver. Took them less then a week. Pan is well made and beautiful. Can't wait til they get more made to order more. We'll worth the price if you want something that last and 1 of a kind

I recently bought a set as a Christmas gift, and it was a hit!! Great quality and beautiful design! We’ve been using them every day they work great. They are easy to clean and no issues with sticking. I also purchased the spatula n tong set and the are so unique looking that we can’t bring ourselves to use them. We have them as a kitchen display! Looks great with our decor!! Thank you for the awesome work SB !!

I saw the SB Forge instagram ad and was a bit skeptical, saw the review's so I placed my order. I just opened the box today and WOW ! These are gorgeous
I’m so happy, Thank you 😊

The Sonoma Pan is one beatiful piece of cookery that will for sure last a lifetime.

I got the Sonora XL Pan and I’m really happy with it. It’s on the heavy side, so the helper handle makes a big difference. The surface is super smooth, and honestly, I wasn’t expecting the handle to be this comfortable—it’s the best I’ve tried on any pan. The XL size is perfect, but now I’m thinking I might need a smaller one too. I checked out some similar pans that cost more, and I’m glad I went with this one. I’d definitely buy from Santa Barbara Forge again.

Small, large, and XL are the perfect combination. Beautiful pieces that I know would last a lifetime.

Our family was cast iron people. We liked the durability and how they cooked, but never was the show piece on the stove. We always cleaned the best we could and stored the pan. NOW- we leave the SB pans on the stove all the time. Then look great cleaned upend cook even better. I gifted all my kids the small pan and also the XL pan which all love them! No more non stick stuff for us.

Excellent

Beautifully handmade pan, functional art at its finest

Beautifully crafted! Beefy and heavy just like I wanted. Not flimsy at all, non stick if you follow their use instructions, I lightly oil it after drying . I’ll get another one soon.

Compared to most of the stuff out there, this pan is top notch in utility, looks and quality.

Beautifully made. The pan is solid! Can’t wait to use it!!

We love all the pans and spatulas. Our purchase of your full line was originally for display only. After figuring out how to restore the seasoning and color, we are cooking with them on stovetop and in the oven.
Without the helper handle, the XL would be useless to us. Since you already make the XL with 2 helper handles, please consider offering the other sizes the same way. That will make them even more enticing for display purposes. We would be the first to buy all sizes with the helper handles.
Also, can you offer a deeper set of pans? And a rectangular pan for meatloaf and banana nut cake.
The display qualities cannot be overstated, and, or course, they would be used for cooking and presentation.
Please thank Joel for the time he spent with us on the phone. He was so helpful.

I received my new SB forged pan and it is everything I hoped it would be. It's beautiful and Ireally enjoy using it. A true work of art.

I have all 3 SB Forge pans. They will be in my family forever. I got pans for my 2 adult daughters as well. The Sonora XL Pan will be excellent for larger meals with company. It's a conversation piece as well. Get yourself one!

Sonora XL Pan w/ Helper Handle

This was a gift to me from a well known executive chef. The pan meets and exceeds all expectations. Congratulations for manufacturing such a fine, made in America, product. It is nonstick like Teflon, wonderful balance, lighter than cast iron and a pleasure to use. It sears beautifully yet does eggs delicately. Best of all is the clean up. Water and a towel is all I need. By now the seasoning has made it even better than when it was new.
I am gifting the chef a same model pan on his birthday. I know he will love it as I love mine.
James B. Stark, MD