de Buyer MINERAL B Carbon Steel Country Fry Pan - 9.5” Diameter, 6.5” Cooking Surface - Ideal for Sauteing, Simmering, Deep Frying & Stir Frying - Naturally Non-Stick Finish - Made in France

I now own 4 of these carbon steel mineral B pans, in various sizes. I also cook so much in a 14" wok that I thought this might be a really useful in between go to everything pan, that was a little smaller. In actual fact it turned out to not be quite as versatile as I'd thought. It's in no way the pans fault at all. The same heavy gauge heat retaining awesome stuff as all of my Mineral B's are, but the high sides that are also much closer to one another make the sides somehow more in the way when it comes to anything that might require stirring. You find yourself angling the utensil way up, which is something I didn't give any thought to in regards to reducing the size of what is effectively a kind of wok. I do like now the base IS wider that a wok. It's very stable, and because of the high sides, a great saute pan that also minimizes oil spattering. I really do like i t, but find myself reaching for it less than I thought I would. Perhaps I need some time to get used to it, but I find I'm still going for my full size wok, or my much smaller saute pans, and also my crepe pan, because it has no sides at all to get in the way. Cannot demote it for that though. It's beautiful, and it seems to have found a place in being the perfect ramen pan; searing onions prior to noodles and boiling water going in.

I really like this pan and have found it Remarkably well suited for stir-frying, braising small cuts of meat, and it has even worked well for deep frying egg rolls. If you're interested in frying steaks, etc, I would not recommend this pan as it is a bit small at the base for such things. Instead, consider the larger De Buyer Country skillet (be forewarned that it is a heavy pan) or one of the traditional De Buyer fry pans. My only complaint with the pan is that the silicone coating on the handle seems pointless--it is too thin to offer any real insulation from the heat and it has melted/cooked away at the point where the handle is riveted to the body of the pan. Seasoning: there is an incredible amount of debate/information on the web about how to season steel and cast iron pans. My experience has been that the methods for seasoning cast iron and steel are similar but not necessarily interchangeable. The method I used, one that has worked well, is to: 1) Boil potatoes skins in the new pan as directed by De Buyer (this helps remove the bees wax coating that the pan ships with). Throw out the resulting grey mess; 2) scrub the pan thoroughly with soap and water to get off any remaining wax; 3) Heat the pan slightly on the stove to ensure that it is completely dry--about 2 minutes on medium heat; 4) Using a clean paper towel, vigorously rub a thin coat of flaxseed oil onto the insides of the pan (don't forget to shake the oil well before using it and to refrigerate it). I cannot reiterate that this layer of oil needs to be very, very thin--best to apply lots of thin layers than one big thick one; 5) Heat the pan until the oil cooks past its smoke point--about 15-20 minutes. Remember that seasoning IS NOT cooking and the goal here is to cause the oil to polymerize. If you are really interested, leave a comment and I will point you to a link that explains the chemistry in-depth; 6) Allow the pan to cool and then repeat steps 3-6 several more times; 7) After you've created a solid coating of 7-10 layers on the inside of the pan, just start cooking with it and it will continue to season on its own. Cleaning; usually I just wipe it out with a clean cloth/paper towel; however, it does, on occasion require that I use some boiling water and salt to get out crusty bits.

I was looking for a “wok” style pan within the 9 inch size and this met what I was looking for. Heavier than I expected but fits what I am looking for- frying, cooking pasta and yes tomatoes and lemon will leave white marks but that's easy to wash. Apparently this brand is well known. If I choose to buy another item from de Buyer, I will wait for a sale. Not sure this brand is worth the cost. Last of all, it still has a strong metallic taste and smell after following the instructions.

Along with all the regular benefits known about this pan it also 'fits' a whisk well. Whether sauces, ice cream or whatever else; egg and other bits can't hide along the wall of the pan. Everything gets whisked together and cooked evenly. It puzzles me why there are so many problems with cleaning and maintaining the Mineral B line of cookware. I treat them the same as cast iron - cooking and cleaning are one continuous process. It takes about twenty to thirty seconds to remove the food and clean the hot pan completely by wiping or gentle scrubbing with water, placing it back on the burner for drying with a cloth, quickly swiping a lightly-oiled cloth over it (reserved for the purpose) and leaving it to cool. I have had some of these pans for several years and one just purchased. They work well to start and better with time. When any pan is used on high temperature (usually well above recommended temperatures for non-stick coatings) and left 'for later' it becomes more difficult to clean. Anyone concerned for the few extra seconds required after cooking can simply make the plates hotter. Many things that stick should rest anyway. The DeBuyer pans are the best fast response non-stick pans I've ever used. Cast iron are, at least for us, equally good but respond very differently to changing temperatures.

Only have gotten it 3 weeks ago but it's fast become my favorite pan. Just big enough to make a dish for 2-4 people. Great quality. Love the cast iron qualities but smooth surface. The deep sides makes it very versatile. Easy cleanups. It was fairly non-stick with the factory seasoning, but it's gotten noticeably better over the course of daily use in the last 3 weeks. It's also not as heavy as a cast iron pan of the same size but still heavy enough to retain heat and feels sturdy. Love it in every way. The only complaint is I wish the light button on the handle were not silicone/plastic so that I could put it in the oven

Not good quality

Bought this for deep frying, and recipes that may involve sauteing and boiling; and something that would last for many many years; so here’s my initial review after seasoning this 2x with potato peels mix with course salts in Canola oil over Induction burner:(I had to do the seasoning process outside in cold weather as I did not want to overwhlem my microwave vent and trigger the smoke alarm detector) Pros: the tater tots I deep fried using gas oven came out very good, the over easy eggs with very scant oil left no residue; clean up with moist towel/paper towel and re applied few crops of canola oil (post seasoned); and because of its weight it sits evenly on the burner Cons: Pricey; very heavy (feels like 10-15 lbs, I have to use both hands ito lift this); the very long handle is flat and awkward with grips; and the before use prep/seasoning process is very tideous, time consuming; also I wish it came with a lid

GREAT for cooking over coals at camp! Non-stick coating forms quickly with repeated use and care (as directed). Easy clean up. Great heat distribution. Plenty of capacity to make a one pot meal for 3-4 people. The 9.5” pan has enough cooking surface to fry 2-3 eggs. The tall sides are ideal for stir-fry, hashes, and boiling pasta. As long as you’re attentive, the long handle stays cool and allows you to move the pan and your food around to achieve the desired temp. On my last camping trip I cooked a vegetable hash, fried rice, and fried an egg for breakfast one morning. It’s an essential piece in my car camping kitchen!