# De buyer Mineral B Pro



## Bill13

I have been looking at De buyer pans for a year or so, I am tired of "non stick" that sticks. The only issue I had was that I thought the handles were not that comfortable. Then I found out they were available thru rakuten (a Japanese website) with the cast iron handles and I thought perfect, but the ordering process confused me, I don't speak Japanese, so I never placed the order.

This morning, since my wife is gone all day, I thought I would look around on eBay etc and in the process I stumbled upon this new line called the Mineral B Pro and I thought the handle looked perfect. http://www.debuyer.com/en/products/mineral-b-pro-frypan-with-cast-stainless-steel-handle

I took way to long to find a place that sold them for a reasonable price - Chefs Catalog wanted 99 for the 32 alone! Eventually I found them on Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NSHWE9M/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 I won't say how long this whole effort took, let's just say it was too long.

They are supposed to arrive in a couple of weeks so I will let you know my thoughts once they arrive (I got the 32 and the 24).


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## Mucho Bocho

Nice Bill. Curious if the handle will get hot? I've never taken objection to their stick style handles but I like the looks of the stainless steel one better. Keep us updated on your finding.


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## chinacats

Nice, and from one of the links you sent I see the first omelette pan from deBuyer that I have yet to see...


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## aboynamedsuita

Those look nice, not sure I'll be upgrading though as I'd have far too many of the others to replace (about 14 including the blinis, grill, crepe and country/sauté pans). I've also seen a De Buyer pan with an Eiffel Tower handle, the Y shape is supposed to be good for preventing heat conduction. That said I'll be following this thread with interest. 

The only quibble I have with the current handles on the Mineral B is that some appear to have a clear lacquer coating and others have sort of a silvery coating that has flaked off on some where the bend/curve is above the rivets. I just put some oil on it while seasoning and it seems fine. Some also say "De Buyer Made in France" and others say "De Buyer depuis 1830" or something.

Slightly off topic but just curious if anyone has had issues with the yellow silicone things in the handles, I've used mine in the oven but usually take them out then pop back in once done as in not sure how high a temp they're rated for.


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## daveb

Crap, now I NEED another pan.

On the yellow button, I've done some broiler work with mine, quickly, not had any issues. I've not gone into the oven for longer roasting.


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## Bill13

tjangula said:


> Those look nice, not sure I'll be upgrading though as I'd have far too many of the others to replace (about 14 including the blinis, grill, crepe and country/sauté pans). I've also seen a De Buyer pan with an Eiffel Tower handle, the Y shape is supposed to be good for preventing heat conduction. That said I'll be following this thread with interest.
> 
> The only quibble I have with the current handles on the Mineral B is that some appear to have a clear lacquer coating and others have sort of a silvery coating that has flaked off on some where the bend/curve is above the rivets. I just put some oil on it while seasoning and it seems fine. Some also say "De Buyer Made in France" and others say "De Buyer depuis 1830" or something.
> 
> Slightly off topic but just curious if anyone has had issues with the yellow silicone things in the handles, I've used mine in the oven but usually take them out then pop back in once done as in not sure how high a temp they're rated for.



Regarding the heat concern - I have read that the cast iron handle did get pretty hot which makes sense. I think that may of played a part in the use of cast stainless - we all know stainless sucks at conducting heat. I also think that is the purpose of the slot in the handle, it serves as a heat checkpoint, although that is just a guess. I have an IR heat thermometer and when they come in I plan on testing the temp differential before and after the slot. 

I'm pretty psyched about getting these, it was hard to choose the slower shipping:biggrin:


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## panda

consider vollrath carbon pans, they are half the price and just as good.


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## Bill13

panda said:


> consider vollrath carbon pans, they are half the price and just as good.



They look the same as the Mineral B, which is a great pan, and the price is very nice - but the new handle is what made me shell out the extra money. If I had the Vollrath or Mineral B already I would not "upgrade". 

I have this Vollrath non stick http://vollrath.com/Tribute-3-Ply-F...on-Stick-and-Trivent-Silicone-Handle-1809.htm it's well made but the non stick lasted 6 months of home use which is probably why I did not think to look at them.


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## aboynamedsuita

On the topic of nonstick, anyone else use Gastrolux?


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## Dardeau

panda said:


> consider vollrath carbon pans, they are half the price and just as good.



This. At my last job we had some that were five years old, in a pro kitchen, shoved into a 1000 degree wood oven, with no warping. The don't have the fancy name, but they do the job over and over.


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## DamageInc

I've had the little silicone button in the oven for hours at a time at 230 Celsius with no problems.


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## aboynamedsuita

That's good to know, 230°C is basically 450°F which is about as high as I ever go for sustained periods of time


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## WingKKF

You can get a regular debuyer pan and get a silicone rubber handle sleeve which fits it like a glove. I have a Paderno 11 inch which has a very similar handle to a debuyer and I use this: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ernational (RHDL-L) - Large Silicone Pan Grip


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## Bob_McBob

Hey there Kitchen Knife Forums denizens, refugee here from foodieforums from many years ago

I've had it in the back of my mind to try a carbon steel skillet for a while, but the latest issue of Cooks Illustrated reviews them and got me thinking about actually ordering one. Their equipment recommendations are sometimes a bit screwy, but their pick was the Matfer Bourgeat 11-7/8" skillet because of the medium thickness and weight and non-sloping handle. The equivalent de Buyer Element B was down in the middle of the list because it weighs a pound more, has a steeply angeld handle, and costs twice as much. They actually preferred the spot welded handle of the Matfer, which I've also seen other people mention in reviews.

I'm in Canada, so the selection of carbon steel skillets is mostly limited to ye olde $10 special from the retaurant supply store or a very overpriced Mauviel M'Steel. I can get the Matfer from amazon.com whenever it's back in stock, or the de Buyer from another source for about the same price after tax and shipping. KKF has had a couple really great threads about carbon steel skillets in the past, and I'm curious to know if anyone has any thoughts about choosing between these two.


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## Aleque

I just picked up a De Buyer Carbon + pan off of Ebay. I have never used a carbon pan before, just the good ol' Lodge cast iron. But I'm really liking it. Seasoning it is a bit of a pain, but no different than any other cast iron. I've done a small vegetable stir fry as a side dish and cooked some bacon as well. I really like how even it cooks compared to other pans I have used previously. I would buy another in a heart beat if the price was right. Currently I'm looking at the Country Cooker style with the higher rim. Has anyone ever used this, and would you recommend it?


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## chinacats

Aleque said:


> I just picked up a De Buyer Carbon + pan off of Ebay. I have never used a carbon pan before, just the good ol' Lodge cast iron. But I'm really liking it. Seasoning it is a bit of a pain, but no different than any other cast iron. I've done a small vegetable stir fry as a side dish and cooked some bacon as well. I really like how even it cooks compared to other pans I have used previously. I would buy another in a heart beat if the price was right. Currently I'm looking at the Country Cooker style with the higher rim. Has anyone ever used this, and would you recommend it?



I use the country pan more than any other (I've a total of five deBuyer pans).


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## aboynamedsuita

Aleque said:


> I just picked up a De Buyer Carbon + pan off of Ebay. I have never used a carbon pan before, just the good ol' Lodge cast iron. But I'm really liking it. Seasoning it is a bit of a pain, but no different than any other cast iron. I've done a small vegetable stir fry as a side dish and cooked some bacon as well. I really like how even it cooks compared to other pans I have used previously. I would buy another in a heart beat if the price was right. Currently I'm looking at the Country Cooker style with the higher rim. Has anyone ever used this, and would you recommend it?



I have two of the country style (24 & 32 cm IIRC). I use mine sort of as a wok, since most woks I find nowadays have some crap silicone/non-stick coating inside (I miss the old round bottom seasoned carbon steel one my parents had when I was younger )

I'm limited to an electric stove at the moment, so my only complaint is the limited heat transfer up the sides (ie bottom is much hotter). Also because it is thicker than the average wok you need to keep that in mind when cooking.


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## aboynamedsuita

Bob_McBob said:


> Hey there Kitchen Knife Forums denizens, refugee here from foodieforums from many years ago
> 
> I've had it in the back of my mind to try a carbon steel skillet for a while, but the latest issue of Cooks Illustrated reviews them and got me thinking about actually ordering one. Their equipment recommendations are sometimes a bit screwy, but their pick was the Matfer Bourgeat 11-7/8" skillet because of the medium thickness and weight and non-sloping handle. The equivalent de Buyer Element B was down in the middle of the list because it weighs a pound more, has a steeply angeld handle, and costs twice as much. They actually preferred the spot welded handle of the Matfer, which I've also seen other people mention in reviews.
> 
> I'm in Canada, so the selection of carbon steel skillets is mostly limited to ye olde $10 special from the retaurant supply store or a very overpriced Mauviel M'Steel. I can get the Matfer from amazon.com whenever it's back in stock, or the de Buyer from another source for about the same price after tax and shipping. KKF has had a couple really great threads about carbon steel skillets in the past, and I'm curious to know if anyone has any thoughts about choosing between these two.



Sorry i don't have the background knowledge of those brands to comment. I got my De Buyer at bestbuy.ca on sale for like 40% off, not sure if they still sell it? You can get it elsewhere in Canada but it is expensive. Good luck with your search.


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## havox07

tjangula said:


> Sorry i don't have the background knowledge of those brands to comment. I got my De Buyer at bestbuy.ca on sale for like 40% off, not sure if they still sell it? You can get it elsewhere in Canada but it is expensive. Good luck with your search.



Pretty sure they have cleared em out. I've searched a bit.


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## Bill13

My two are coming in Tuesday. I have the flaxseed oil and can't wait to season them up. I will be posting handle temps and my general thoughts a couple of days later. My first carbon steel pans - I'm stoked!


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## aboynamedsuita

I found the instructions to season confusing (both in the pamphlet and the online video), after washing in hot water to remove the excess wax I just seasoned in the oven several times similar to a CI pan to get the initial layers.

I tried heating the oil on the stove as suggested with one of the 12cm blinis pans for practice, but as the bottom of the pan got hot, it forced the oil up the sides and made a gummy mess, may be because I'm with electric at the moment. That said I didn't just crank the heat either.

Flaxseed oil smells really nice when seasoning, and the residual beeswax smells like honey


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## chinacats

tjangula said:


> I found the instructions to season confusing (both in the pamphlet and the online video), after washing in hot water to remove the excess wax I just seasoned in the oven several times similar to a CI pan to get the initial layers.
> 
> I tried heating the oil on the stove as suggested with one of the 12cm blinis pans for practice, but as the bottom of the pan got hot, it forced the oil up the sides and made a gummy mess, may be because I'm with electric at the moment. That said I didn't just crank the heat either.
> 
> Flaxseed oil smells really nice when seasoning, and the residual beeswax smells like honey



If it's gummy, the coat was too thick...almost none is the right amount...and plenty of heat.


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## aboynamedsuita

chinacats said:


> If it's gummy, the coat was too thick...almost none is the right amount...and plenty of heat.



Agree, that's why I scrapped the method they say to use and did it like a CI in the oven for the initial seasonings. Basically the heat causes the oil to rise up the side of the pan, and the cooler side of the pan resists it and begins to polymerize at the top of the puddle as a ring.

There must be something lost in translation; in the video thy say to use about 1cm of oil and in the pamphlet about 1mm of oil.

[video=youtube_share;hQwCiYPW1Fg]http://youtu.be/hQwCiYPW1Fg[/video]
EDIT: skip to about 1:30 if you don't want to watch them make the pans. 






In another Eurodib video (all mine came in Eurodib shipping boxes), they talk about boiling potato peels to help remove the wax before the seasoning, I just used the hot water method in the other video.

And when cleaning after cooking: no. soap. ever.


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## chinacats

Tanner, try this link...I believe this method is the best I've found.

Cheers


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## daveb

I've done this and put warm, oiled pan (wiped it almost dry) in a 500F oven. Both will work well. The oven is a little more hands off and produces a little more even finish.


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## aboynamedsuita

I've seen the Vollrath method as well, almost like a combination of the two. It's sort of what I do after washing/drying except I do it only once and have to do it on electric. Just to clarify, my issues were past tense as I've gone thru this all some time ago


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## Aleque

daveb said:


> I've done this and put warm, oiled pan (wiped it almost dry) in a 500F oven. Both will work well. The oven is a little more hands off and produces a little more even finish.



When you season the carbon pan, do you season the outside of the pan as well? I initially didn't season the outside to maintain the shiny silver look, but as I cooked the oil from the food would sometimes get on the outside and make it look splotchy so I ended up doing thin layers of oil on the outside as well. Is there a downside to seasoning the outside of the pan?


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## aboynamedsuita

I seasoned the outside of mine, not sure if there are downsides. I've heard of cases of CI pans becoming fire hazards due to buildup grease/crud on the outside (clean with an e-tank or lye bath, you'd smoke out your house if you use the self clean oven). I can't see a thin coating that is properly polymerized being a problem.


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## DamageInc

I've never seasoned the outside of mine.

If I ever feel like there is a little too much burnt buildup on the bottom, I just scrub them with steel wool for a few minutes.


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## perneto

Not seasoning the outside means it's more likely to rust. If you're putting it in the oven or on a grill there's no downside to doing it. On a ceramic/induction stove, it won't be so easy as the smoke from the burning oil would be trapped below the pan.

It will probably get seasoned from use anyway... I'd love for the inside of my carbon pans to be as well seasoned as the outside


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## Talim

The only part of the mineral B line you shouldn't season is the handle. The handle has some type of coating on it that prevents rust. You only need to season the outside once. As long as you don't scrub the outside then it'll continue to season every time you use it.


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## Mucho Bocho

second that Talim. I wasn't going to chime in on this thread cause most people are going to do it THEIR way anyway. But true, these pans don't need built up seasoning inside or outside. Sure you can take the time to do it but just using the pan will build up a stronger layer of seasoning. But either way, the seasoning will eventually get to thick and flake off. The only reason you would want to heat it and put some oil on in in the beginning is because when you get the pan it will be raw. Washing with water without any seasoning will cause instant rust. I've got eight Carbon Debyuers (including a roasting pan) and all the pans have varying levels of seasoning. 




Talim said:


> The only part of the mineral B line you shouldn't season is the handle. The handle has some type of coating on it that prevents rust. You only need to season the outside once. As long as you don't scrub the outside then it'll continue to season every time you use it.


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## Zwiefel

Mucho Bocho said:


> s either way, the seasoning will eventually get to thick and flake off. The only reason you would want to heat it and put some/QUOTE]
> 
> This is exactly my experience....sure was pretty though.


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## Bill13

Mucho Bocho said:


> Nice Bill. Curious if the handle will get hot? I've never taken objection to their stick style handles but I like the looks of the stainless steel one better. Keep us updated on your finding.



Dennis, sorry for the very late response, but here are my measurements from this morning. I used an Thermo-works infrared thermometer with a laser for aiming and found that the slot that is parallel to the pan rim does an amazing job of limiting heat transfer/movement up the handle.

3 minutes on med the pan was 340, the handle "before" the slot was 280, the handle after the slot 91
6 minutes on med the pan was 360, the handle "before" the slot was 360, the handle after the slot 106
9 minutes on med the pan was 370, the handle "before" the slot was 370, the handle after the slot 112
12 minutes on med the pan was 350, the handle "before" the slot was 356, the handle after the slot 129

I did have a hard time getting a finish I liked and find that my wife and children can get things to stick to it after I just used it and had no problems. I've gotten pretty proficient at rebuilding the non stick layer:biggrin: I am very happy with the pans and while the cost differential is not cheap, prorated over the next 30 years makes it no big deal to me. 


Sorry again for dropping the ball on this review,
Bill


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## boomchakabowwow

i'm still learning on loving my new Min-B pan. there seem to be no rhyme or reasoning why some things still stick and next time it doenst.


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## YG420

I posted this in another forum, but hopefully this will help some people here as well. 

1) wash pan with heavy duty scrubber, dish soap, and hot water

2) put on stove on low heat until all water evaporated

3) turn stove to high heat to burn off the laquer. The pan will turn black at first and then blueish/gray until all of the laquer is burned off

4) let rest, then warm up the pan on low heat until warm, put a fine coat of flaxe seed oil on (I dabbed a small drop off oil on a paper towel, wiped the pan until it was evenly coated, then wiped after with a dry paper towel)

5) turn stove to high heat and let the oil smoke a bit

6) after oil smokes, turn off heat and let pan rest until cool to touch. Then start #4-6 again until you get the number of coats you want.

I followed this video with exception of that I burned of the laquer as well.

[video=youtube;xoIO8YOpyN4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoIO8YOpyN4[/video]



[video=youtube;UGXGJD2xTzQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGXGJD2xTzQ[/video]

This is how to burn off the laquer


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