Review of de Buyer Mineral Pan, Fry Pan

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List Price: $179.85
Sale Price: $119.95
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I recently purchased the 8" and 14" pans to replace a couple cast iron fry pans my daughter took to college. (Note that these pans are measured by their diameter across the top lip.) First off, I love these pans. They have significant thermal mass, the included directions got them moving the the right direction getting seasoned and non-stick. These pans are closer to carbon-steel than stainless. You will need to treat them like your cast-iron cookware. Bottoms are flat and smooth, which is nice if you have a glass-topped electric range. The one area that I have very mixed feelings about are the handles. I like the angle the handle is set in relation to the pan. I think it helps keep it cool, out of the way, and can even be used for a little extra leverage with the larger plans. In spite of that, the handle poses one limitation.... the ability to use the pan under a broiler.... The 8" pan's handle sits 4 inches above the cook surface. This one just fits into my broiler. But the handle will be very close to the heating elements/flame and so will get very hot. The handle on the 14" pan sits 7 inches above the cooking surface. This will work in my broiler only if I leave the broiler door open. I have worked with commercial stoves which don't have doors on the broiler compartment and I think these pans would work without limitation in that situation.... Myself? I will use them with the broiler door open....

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Doing most of my stove top cooking on my various iron skillets, I decided to try the mineral fry pan out.

After some seasoning according to the instructions that come with the de buyer pan, it works wonderfully.

Few points:

works just as well as my well seasoned iron skillet in terms of non-stick properties

for those who have been afraid to use iron skillets, try this: better than Teflon coming off onto your food

probably just as heavy as my iron skillet

does need some maintenance, including seasoning, and is not dishwasher safe.

unlike my iron skillet, i can cook sauces in this (traditional iron skillets are averse to acidic sauces and liquids in general)

Other notes:

the handle does angle high: this means that the entire pan will not fit into most oven broiler racks (top rack) with the door closed. door must remain open while broiling. not the end of the world.

cannot leave soaking in the sink. must clean and store.

heavy but that is a good thing for heat retention

Very satisfying to use. Great sear. VERY non-stick. Multiple purposes with great effectiveness: sear a steak, fry a delicate egg, make potstickers where you have to fry first then steam out with water. Extremely versatile.

Highly recommend.

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I now own two types of de Buyer pans carbon steel and mineral. The mineral fry pan is at least twice as heavy as the carbon steel and takes forever to develop a seasoned patina (black film). The 99% mineral pan is more eco-friendly and nutritious, but it is still prone to rust and some stickiness. The mineral pan also develops small pits over time, so I now have new pitting on the sides and corners of the pan (which becomes covered with patina). This pitting appears to be exclusive to the mineral pan because the carbon steel does not form pits. There is also a silicone logo on the handle of the pan which seems unnecessary. The patina develops slowly compared to the carbon steel (wiping with paper towels actually "sands off" iron until fully seasoned), and the weight is equivalent to cast iron, but I like the fact that it's 99% iron which is a far healthier option. The long handles are useful for stove top use (it fits in the oven on the middle rack, but there's little room for anything else). You can toast a panini sandwich on a de Buyer mineral pan as opposed to the stickier mess with Chantal enamelware or a stainless steel pan. Also, you have to use these pans frequently (like carbon steel or cast iron) in order to maintain the patina and avoid rust. Expect the pan to get used several times a day, expect a rustic black patina/film, expect to keep it dry and rust free, and you will be satisfied. I am now considering the mineral grill pan because I want grill marks on some foods.

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I really like these pans they are very heavy and great for searing meats and I have good experiences with some pan frying. I read one review where they did am involved seasoning method with different fats and oils in stages of baking in the oven and cooling. I tried this method, it seemed to work well initially. The outside seems to have kept the same seasoning but the inside season finish flaked off the first time I seared some burgers. The burgers cooked wonderfully in the pans it is just that the finish reverted back to more of a bare metal. If I had it to do over I would just follow the instructions that came with the pans. That is boiling potato peels in water etc. It is amazing how dark that potato water gets. Then just heat up the pan with some Crisco or lard or peanut oil and heat it up let it cool and put it away. The seasoning is coming back the more I use them I will have these pans for the rest of my life. They are very thick and heavy.

Just follow the instructions and clean with hot water, scotch-brite or similar and no detergent and wipe dry with paper towel and coat with oil before you put them away. Treat them almost like a crepe pan. The largest pan I haven't found that much use for so far.

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I'd been using hard-anodized aluminum pans for years but was never satisfied with them. Food would stick no matter how hard I tried to season them. Finally, when the anodized finish on them began to wear away, I decided it was time for a change. I did not want to use a non-stick pan because of concerns about posible toxic properties of teflon. What I wanted was a good quality pan that would not stick and would last for years.

I did a lot of research on different types (stanless steel, aluminum, cast iron, etc) and different brands (Calphalon, All-Clad, Cuisinart, etc). Based on my research and product reviews the De Buyer Mineral Steel pan seemed intriguing. It's made of iron and is supposedly eco-friendly. And compared to other higher end pans the price was quite reasonable so, even if the pan wasn't that great, it wouldn't be a major investment.

I purchased a single 10 inch De Buyer fry pan. I was really excited when it arrived after just a couple days. I seasoned it (by the way, check the review by adx442 for an excellent method for seasoning. It can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3NKFHCDJWZXBP/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R3NKFHCDJWZXBP ) and was ready with my first experiment, sauteed chicken breasts.

I was absolutely shocked at what a difference this pan made! I didn't need a spatula to flip the chicken; I could turn them with a fork. Not only that, but they developed a delicious brown crust that I never achieved with my old pans.

And the next experiment? Scrambled eggs. I slid them into a hot pan with a little butter, waited, and stirred them with a spatula no sticking! And clean up was easy. Just swish the pan with a sponge with hot water (no soap, of course), dry, coat with some crisco, and the pan's ready for its next use.

After I'd used this pan for a couple weeks, it developed a lovely patina. I was so pleased that I went ahead and ordered the three piece set of De Buyer Mineral Frying Pans.

I've been using my De Buyer Mineral Pans for a couple month now and am very happy. (My Calphalon pans, in the mean time, are accumulating dust!) The surfaces are consistently non-stick and, unlike mentioned by another reviewer, there is no surface pitting. The only minor complaints I have are that

the pans, especially the largest one, are rather heavy. Transferring food from the larger pan to a dish can be challenging

the interior dimensions are smaller than expected, Pans from other manufacturers with similar external diameters have larger surface areas. So please take this into account.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with my de Buyer pans and I expect that I will never need to purchase another pan again!