This is my second de Buyer carbon steel pan after a 10.2 inch mineral b skillet. I've had the other for years and have learned a lot about seasoning that has helped me with this new pan that I'll get to, but first, I'll give my impressions of the pan.
COMPARED TO OTHER DEBUYER PAN:
For some reason, when I ordered this pan I thought it was was 10.5 inches and would be slightly bigger than my other de Buyer skillet. This is actually 9.5 inches and although I'm a little disappointed that it's not bigger it's still a good size. It's only about 1/2 inch smaller but over a pound lighter than my other pan and has a shorter handle. The weight difference is very noticeable. The sides are also a little shorter. It's a pretty good size for an egg pan or for a burger, piece of fish or medium steak.
I got this primarily to make French omelettes. I have made them in my other skillet with Lyonnaise-style angled sides which is not ideal when trying to flip and fold the omelette. I'm hoping the rounded sides on this will work better. Also, since this weighs less it will be easier on the arm to flip the egg.
The build quality is pretty much comparable to my other pan however the bottom edge of the base of the handle where it is riveted to the pan is rather sharp. It was probably stamped out but not ground down or filed smooth. An errant grab could cause a bad scrape and/or cut. Not a huge deal as that is not a place I'll be putting my hand very often, especially if the pan is hot but I'll have to be careful when washing it. It can probably be fixed with a file.
SEASONING:
I'll try to make this brief and concise. After years of trial and error with my first pan and lots of reading and Youtube videos I feel I have a fairly good method of seasoning and understand it a lot more than I ever have before. Here's what to do.
1. Mineral b pans come with a beeswax coating that must be removed. I got a new Scotch-Brite kitchen sponge with attached scrub pad and scrubbed the heck out of the pan with the abrasive pad while running very hot water on it in the sink. I did this inside and out several times until the sticky feeling of the wax diminished. When I was done the pan felt smooth to the touch and I could see accumulated wax on the surface of the pad. The appearance of the pan at this point had not changed from it's initial dull silver color.
2. Wipe the water off with a towel and put it on the stove burner until all moisture disappears and turn the heat off then wipe with a paper towel. Gray metal residue will come off onto the towel, most likely left from the factory polishing job. Fold the towel and wipe until residue appears to diminish then run the pan under hot water again, add soap and scrub for 10 seconds or so then rinse, dry and repeat wiping with clean paper towel. Repeat this whole process one more time or until hardly any more gray appears on a clean paper towel. At this point the pan still appeared the same as when I began.
Side note: I don't imagine any of this residue would be very harmful to ingest but I wanted to minimize it so that it doesn't interfere with the seasoning, possibly weakening it.
3. With a new clean and dry pan, add a dime's-worth or so of flax seed oil (I'll go into why I chose flax later). Wipe the interior with the oil. You might see oil streaks and it may be fairly glossy. This step is important. You do not want large amounts of oil on the pan. Wipe with a fresh paper towel (from now on PT) until you see no streaks and it appears as if you've wiped all the oil off. If you swipe it with your finger the amount of oil should be almost imperceptible.
Now, put on stove top and heat at high heat on largest burner. You might need a pot older as eventually the handle will get too hot to hold. Constantly run the PT around the pan as you heat. Light swipes are OK and you don't have to lean into it. I just wad up a PT and use my hand. If you're afraid of burning yourself use a pair of tongs. As you wipe there may be spots appear on the pan that look wet. The goal is to constantly evenly distribute the oil around the pan and smoothing out any glossy spots that appear. One way to tell is to look at lights from the room reflecting into the pan. It will start off kind of semi-gloss and glossier spots will appear that you want to even out. You may even feel roughness over these wet spots. It's almost like buffing out the rough spots. Also, the pan will start to darken from the center out. It will progressively get darker with each seasoning layer. After several minutes, depending on your burner heat, you'll suddenly see the surface go matte and dry looking. Keep swiping your PT and keep heating.
You'll notice a smell from the flax oil that will remind some of paint. It's kind of pleasant actually. The hotter it gets the more fragrant it is. At some point the oil will get hot enough that I believe it reaches its polymerization point. If you've been looking at the PT every once and a while as you were wiping, you would have noticed very little color coming off on the PT. Only a very light golden color. When I believe it reaches the polymerization point you will notice, especially if you're rubbing too hard, that darker material is coming off on the PT. At this point I believe you can stop wiping the pan as it will only diminish your seasoning. I heated several minutes more past this point but saw no change to the pan and I did not ever see any smoking. Turn off the heat and let cool for several minutes. Wipe the pan again gently with a clean PT. You should see no real residue coming off. Your PT should look almost clean. I believe that as it cooled the newly polymerized oil solidified and is now set. Rub some more and you should notice significantly less friction on the pan.
Now, let cool until you can rub your hand on the pan and repeat steps 1 through 3 until you have the desired amount of seasoning (some put seven or eight layers on). I believe it's important to only add more oil when the pan is cool to the touch. If the pan is too hot and you pour oil in it, it may start the polymerization process before you can evenly distribute it and wipe out the excess which will leave you with streaks and splotches. I believe that this is the main problem people face. They get uneven, splotchy, sticky finishes because they're using way, way too much oil, or the pan is too hot when the put in oil, or they aren't constantly wiping during the heating.
WHY I USED FLAX OIL.
I used Barlean's Organic Flax Oil Pure Unfiltered 16oz, approx $10-$12 from Amazon, Whole Foods, Sprouts or a health food store. There are two types; the one I just mentioned and one with added lignans. You may also find other brands that add other ingredients. I chose to go with the pure oil and no additives. Also, you'll find it refrigerated. It needs to be refrigerated to prevent oxidation and it also doesn't have a long shelf life. You won't need anywhere near 16 ounces to season a pan and you probably can't use it all up seasoning as you'd have to have dozens of pans. I couldn't find any smaller amounts so, if you've done all your seasoning you can eat the rest of the oil before it goes bad. People take it like a supplement as it's a good source of omega 3 oils. It's also not real great for cooking with as high heat will reduce its nutritional effects, however that's what makes it good for seasoning.
I found out about benefits of flax for seasoning after reading this http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/ which convinced me to try flax. The short of it is that flax is a drying oil which is what works well for the purposes of seasoning cast iron or carbon steel.
If you've done everything right you should have a nice even, dark bronze to black colored pan . If you end up with slightly sticky spots in the pan or areas that are less slick than the rest these spots my not have fully polymerized. I haven't dealt with this enough on a new pan but I suspect that you can heat the pan and wipe with clean dry PT (don't add any more oil) until you feel the spots become more slick.
I will update this after I've gotten some cooking with it under my belt.
UPDATE 7/23/215
There are some things I didn't mention about the seasoning. I seasoned my pan about eight times. It got to be a real pretty deep bronze color that transitioned to lighter pretty blues the longer I heated the seasoning. For the bottom I only did 2 to 3 layers early on and then continued to add cooking surface layers. After I was all done the bottom was a real light blue color. Spots kept appearing which I finally realized were due to the burner grate that probably had oil residue from other pans.
For the cooking I made my first omelette. I heated the pan and a tbsp of butter to almost browning it then poured in 2 beaten eggs at almost room temp. They formed a sort of "pancake" and the whole thing slid around like it was on ice. When I was ready to fold the egg partially over on itself I found out that the pan was actually a little to slick. As I flicked my wrist back to flip the whole egg pancake just slid back into the pan so I had to use a little more force in my wrist flick but I almost sent the whole thing flying out of the pan.
Overall the pan was super slick. More nonstick than any other pan I've used. Almost a little too nonstick :). For my next omelette I may use slightly less butter so it's not so slippery.
One more thing of note. After cooking in it for the first time the pan got noticeably darker approaching the color of my other carbon pan with years of use that has deep dark brown color.
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Product Description
The Perfect Touch
Our specialty pans are perfect for making paella or pilaf, crepes, pancakes and eggs. The possibilities are endless!
Easy to Use
Made of carbon steel, our MINERAL B pans become naturally nonstick after seasoning—without any chemicals or synthetic coating.
Rooted in French Culinary Tradition
We design and manufacture premium kitchen tools to meet the needs of catering professionals and home cooks alike.
MINERAL B Carbon Steel Omelette Pan
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MINERAL B Carbon Steel Wok
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MINERAL B Carbon Steel Steak Pan
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CHOC Nonstick Egg & Pancake Pan
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| Customer Reviews |
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| Price | — no data | $115.26 | $70.00 | $37.10 |
| Dimensions (in.) | 8.5 | 12.5 | 9.5 | 4.75 |
| Material | Carbon Steel | Carbon Steel | Carbon Steel | Aluminum |
| Heat Source | Gas, Induction, Electric | Gas, Induction, Electric | Gas, Induction, Electric | Gas & Electric |
Compare with similar items
This Item  De Buyer MINERAL B Carbon Steel Omelette Pan - 11” Diameter, 8.3” Cooking Surface - PFAS, PFOA & PFOS Free - Made in France | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | -9% $100.00 Typical: $109.95 | $90.00 | $95.00 | -20% $56.00 List: $70.00 | -6% $94.24 List: $100.00 | -10% $89.99 List: $100.00 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 4 | Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 7 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 21 | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 4 | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 4 | Get it Apr 7 - 9 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | recommerce | recommerce | MAUVIEL USA | recommerce | CANGURO | WhoIsCamera |
| capacity | 1 liters | 4 liters | 2.1 liters | 0.4 liters | 0.7 liters | 1 liters |
| material | Carbon Steel | Alloy Steel | Alloy Steel | Carbon Steel | Carbon Steel | Carbon Steel |
| diameter | 11 inches inches | — | — | 10.25 inches inches | 11 inches inches | 11 inches inches |
| has nonstick coating | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| dishwasher safe | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| oven safe | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| model name | MINERAL B Carbon Steel | 5618.28 | M'Steel | 5615.26 | 5610.28 | 5616.28 |
Feels good. Alot of scratches. Multiple returns
Bought 2 pans from manufacturer and had to return 3 times due to deep scratches and scrapes. Not sure how they allow it to leave their facility like this. I also made sure its not the wax coating.Ordered for the 4th time via amazon, looks slightly better but still scratched.Will test it and update review again.Update:Its been 2 months and they work great after seasoning. It gets a dirty look anyways and scratches are inevitable. Raising to 4 stars
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- WurzleReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2024
DeBuyer MINERAL B 8" Carbon Steel Omelette Pan
Size: 8"Verified Purchase - WesRKReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2022
Should’ve bought this years ago…
Size: 9.5"Verified Purchase
I’ve had a Sunnex carbon steel for a few years and it’s been good for certain things like crispy fried eggs, home fries, stir fry’s and shallow frying. I’ve cooked steak on it but have to remove from pan and let the temp come back up as it’s only 1mm thick so wouldn’t retain heat. Burgers would come out nicely crusted on one side and stewed the other.WesRKShould’ve bought this years ago…
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2022
People often change from non stick to carbon steel because of the perceived risks of Teflon. The truth is I think there’s a place in the kitchen for both, in fact they are both a necessity for me. My pan collection now includes 2 carbon steel pans, 1 carbon steel wok, 1 stainless steel pan and 1 non stick pan. The non stick is only used to cook scrambled eggs in butter using a silicone spatula in low heat making the best scrambled eggs and potentially allowing the pan to last many years more than most non stick pans. Provided I don’t accidentally scratch the surface it could last my whole life. The stainless steel is a specialist pan for dishes that involve using the fond that develops from cooking proteins such as pan sauces plus anything acidic such as heavy tomato based dishes.
For frying stuff, nothing beats carbon steel. My brother had a cast iron skillet but the weight made it very inconvenient to use for the whole family and having had a small carbon steel pan in the family for over 30 years, I knew this was the way to go.
I finally got this de Buyer and I wish I bought it years ago. The seasoning it would have built up by now would be perfect. As you can see from the pics, it seasoned up really well. I did the obligatory egg test and it flew around the pan. Temperature control will take getting used to as it retains so much heat you could practically fry an egg almost all the way through off the residual heat from the pan.
This pan, like most carbon steel pans, will outlive me and be passed on through future generations of my family. I can’t recommend this enough. It’s probably not for everyone as most get by with a non stick pan for most day to day light cooking but for people who want to cook restaurant quality food at home, know that the right tool matters.
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JpReviewed in France on June 22, 2020
Belle poêle sans revêtement mais qui nécessite un culottage
Size: 9.5"Verified Purchase
🔴 Dès l'ouverture du paquet, on sent la qualité. La poêle est emballée dans du papier kraft épais. Elle est clairement belle, massive et assez lourde. Cerise sur le gâteau, c'est du made in France. A noter que même si elle est dite "poêle a omelette", elle peut servir pour tout type de cuisson.JpBelle poêle sans revêtement mais qui nécessite un culottage
Reviewed in France on June 22, 2020
🔴 Elle a vraiment une jolie couleur mais malheureusement, il faut la rendre moins "belle" avant toute utilisation.
Comme elle n'a pas de revêtement il faut en effet d'abord la culotter. Donc si vous cherchez une poêle qui devra briller et ressortir nickel à chaque lavage, passez votre chemin et prenez-en une avec un revêtement anti-adhésif.
🔴 Rien de très compliqué pour le culottage. Il faut commencer par la nettoyer à l'eau chaude (sans produit d'entretien) pour enlever la cire d'abeille. Ensuite, il faut faire bouillir des épluchures de pommes de terre dont l'amidon aura un effet protecteur. Enfin, il faut la faire chauffer une première fois avec un léger fond d'huile puis à nouveau à 3 reprises avec cette fois une très fine couche d'huile qu'on aura déposée avec un papier absorbant. Entre chaque cuisson (qu'on arrêtera lorsque de la fumée s'élève) on laisse refroidir la poêle et on l'essuie avec un papier absorbant.
Il y a pas mal de vidéos sur Internet expliquant plus en détail la procédure. Mais si vous trouvez cela trop contraignant vous pouvez aussi la laisser se culotter naturellement au fil des cuissons. C'est plus long, et vous devrez mettre de l'huile au début mais ça marche aussi.
C'est terminé, la poêle est maintenant culottée. Elle est certes moins jolie (voir la photo après culottage puis la seconde après quelques mois d'utilisations) mais elle est en grande partie anti-adhésive. Elle le deviendra totalement au fil des cuissons. Au final elle ne nécessitera plus du tout de gras, elle deviendra entièrement noire, le culottage sera totalement terminé.
🔴 Au niveau entretien : ne pas laisser tremper sinon elle rouille (ça se rattrape mais autant éviter), ne pas utiliser de produit vaisselle, ne pas passer au lave vaisselle. Elle durera ainsi toute une vie. Le revêtement naturel créé par le culottage ne peut en effet pas s'abîmer puisqu'il se reconstruit un peu à chaque utilisation.
Le lavage se fait simplement, d'abord en fin de cuisson avec un déglaçage (soit avec du vin par exemple pour récupérer les sucs et agrémenter votre viande soit simplement avec de l'eau après la cuisson ce qui décollera les aliments). Puis la laisser un peu refroidir pour éviter les chocs thermiques et la passer sous l'eau en utilisant une éponge pour frotter. C'est tout. La sécher, la huiler légèrement à l'aide d'un papier absorbant, la ranger. Si vraiment il y a des aliments collés et que le déglaçage ne suffit pas, on utilisera du gros sel pour nettoyer en profondeur. Si vraiment c'est sale, vous pouvez utiliser une paille de fer (sans trop frotter tout de même pour ne pas enlever le culottage). Dans tous les cas, vous ne risquez pas de l’abîmer, même avec de la paille de fer.
IMPORTANT : avant de ranger votre poêle n'oubliez pas de la huiler légèrement (un peu d'huile sur un papier absorbant qu'on passe sur la poêle). Ca l'entretient et ça évite toute trace de rouille.
🔴 C'est de l'acier donc elle ne craint pas les coups de fourchette ou de couteau. On peut également l'empiler avec d'autres poêles sans craindre de l’abîmer.
Gros avantage : le revêtement anti-adhésif est naturel (l'huile a comblé les micro porosités de l'acier). Les aliments n'accrochent plus. Pour autant, pas de téflon ou autre revêtement pouvant être nocif.
🔴 Concernant la cuisson de la viande : mettre le thermostat aux deux tiers (ne jamais le monter à fond, surtout pour l'induction) et monter la poêle en température. Elle est prête lorsqu'une goutte d'eau jetée dessus se sépare en plein de gouttelettes. On va alors mettre la viande et profiter de la réaction appelée Maillard qui fait que les sucs sont caramélisés. Il ne faut pas bouger la viande tant qu'elle est collée. On peut la retourner lorsqu'elle est caramélisée et n'adhère plus à la poêle. On fait de même de l'autre côté, ensuite on ajuste la cuisson si on la souhaite bleue, saignante ou à point. La caramélisation va donner un excellent goût à la viande et éviter un nettoyage trop complexe avec de la viande qui serait restée collée.
A noter qu'on peut aussi utiliser la poêle sans problème sur un barbecue.
🔴 Les seuls reproches que je ferais sont :
- que le manche a tendance à chauffer. Pas de quoi se brûler mais sur une cuisson longue il faut faire attention en récupérant la poêle
- que la poêle est massive donc un peu lourde
- qu'un mode d'emploi détaillé de De Buyer aurait été souhaitable. Celui qui était joint était vraiment très succinct.
Cela aurait évité certains commentaires d'acheteurs qui se plaignent par exemple que leur poêle est rouillée ou qu'elle garde des traces noires (qui font partie intégrante du culottage).
- la poêle va au four, mais comme elle a une queue feuillard en acier, seul un passage flash est possible (10 minutes maximum à 200°C). Au-delà, la queue risque de coller ou de craqueler
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CONCLUSION
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L'utilisation est donc différente de ce qu'on connaît avec les poêles ayant un revêtement. Il y a des inconvénients mais aussi beaucoup d'avantages dont le principal : une cuisson saine, sans revêtement et sans gras.
Niveau qualité prix on ne fera jamais mieux. C'est une poêle que vous garderez toute votre vie. Vous pourrez-même la léguer en héritage à vos enfants et petits enfants :-)
J'ai également commandé le modèle en 28cm.
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- UgurReviewed in Canada on January 6, 2023
Get it, but expect a little learning if its your first iron pan.
Size: 9.5"Verified Purchase
