It is not non-stick. It's also not stainless. It's "regular steel," and may be seasoned in the same way cast iron is. It's lighter than cast iron though. My two favorite brands are Matfer-Bourgeat and Vollrath. Novice these plain, steel pans aren't right for you until you've acquired a few stainless frying pans, because you shouldn't cook tomato or other high acid foods in them for any period of time. The plain steel will react with acid, discolor the food, make it taste bad, and ruin the pan. Other than that ...
I really like the Bourgeat handles because I like the arch. But my hands are larger and stronger than most -- so the narrow handles don't bother me. Most people prefer the Vollrath handles because they get a better grip. For what it's worth the handles get hotter than hades, and you must handle them with a towel. These are no BS, no styling, nothing ergonomic or modern about them pans. The only thing good about them is that they work better than almost anything else for most purposes, last for nearly forever, and are relatively cheap.
If you want to take a look at the pans, google "matfer bourgeat black steel skillet" and "vollrath fry pan carbon steel." I forget the name of the best Bourgeat retailer, but I believe they're owned by Matfer -- their warehouse is in Van Nuys, CA. I think Globe has the best prices on Vollrath. If you want good instructions on how to season a pan, they're in a pdf on the Vollrath website.
BDL
