De BuyerMineral Pan, Fry Pan - set of 3 (includes: 8", 10", 12") - Mineral

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!

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.

i wish we had a way to do a few pictures... oh wellI bought these pans about a month ago ... i spent a lot of time getting them seasoned ... I used several different methods including the flaxseed oil method...For me I liked just using several different oils really thin coats heating to smoke... wiping out with paper towel... then repeating about 9 times... I then baked them in the open at 450 degrees... these pans are fantastic.Just yesterday I took down the 8" pan ad wante dto see how the seasoning took... heated it up with a very small amount of oil cracked an egg in it ... let the egg release flipped it perfectly... over easy egg in an iron pan no spatula... what can i say they are perfect pans.if you cook with acids of any kind you will hurt the seasoning... tomatoes many kinds of rubs, and spice mixes have citric or folic acid in them... stay away from them while cooking in these seasoned pans...I have made flawless pancakes, browned chicken to go direct to the oven to roast... steaks are perfect ... as is salmon and hash browns...Seriously a simple wipe out with a paper towel and a quick rinse and dry they are clean... I put a drop of olive oil and rub it in really well on a warm stove to store (olive oil does not go rancid-- they say) if you can pick up any olive oil from the pan with your finger then you have to much on it... even though the pans look slick... the finish is black mirror like and when seasoned perfectly like mine are you can clearly see your face in the pan... looks we dry to the touch... super slick great pans love them.The non-stick pans are in the trash forever.

The 8" and 12" pans I received were the "Carbone" model. Only the 10" pan was a "Mineral" B. Disappointed now I received a mixed bag of pans and I don't know if they will perform consistently. The packaging was also sloppy, one pan had the handle poking out of the box and the internal packing was just some loose paper stuffing. I'm guessing that this was due to inventory problems and someone just decided to freelance the fulfillment. The pans seem to be fairly similar, but I would like an explanation from the supplier and also from De Buyer before I go ahead and season the pans. Otherwise the quality and finish of all the pans looks good and promising, but the handles are also finished differently, and the little yellow button is missing on the Carbone pans. Sloppy, sloppy fulfillment.