Carbon Steel Frying Pan Showdown: Matfer vs de Buyer vs Mauviel

While some effort was made to control the variables in this comparison- still too many. And the biggest doubt that will inevitably remain in the minds of some viewers is that one brand is sold by the presenter, while the other two are not.

I just bought a mineral B pan, and knowing that the manufacturer doesn't recommend seasoning in the oven I will like to season mine that way. Am I running a big risk that the handle will not take the heat?
Thank you,

De Buyer mineral B is my favourite. I love mine. I’ve bought them as gifts as well, they are quality pans that will last your entire lifetime. Heirloom quality.
I have the 11” standard Mineral B but I do want to purchase the Mineral B pro as well

Thank God for gas ranges.

Hi. Thanks for the review. I am moving away from some non-stick Tefal pans and am looking at carbon steel pans such as these. I spotted you were able to touch the handles whilst the pans were hot. Do these pans not conduct heat up to the handles?

Jesus it's a steel pan...

Does no one test how good and evenly these pans seer?

Lodge.

I stopped watching when you used a steel chain (?) to clean the pan and then wondered the seasoning came off. You're an amateur. Stop giving advices.

Could you please give your opinion on Darto N30 30 cm 4 mm thick carbon steel pan. Is there any chance to have your expert review of this pan?

I bought two Matfer Pan's recently, 2024, and they both came uncoated. I was pleasantly surprised. They seasoned well and I couldn't be happier with their performance.

I hate rivets mineral B needs to offer them without.

How's everyone enjoying their cadmium and lead skillets

Thanks for this video. While it is interesting to see how quickly these pans take to seasoning, the far more important issue is how do they hold up after months of use? Also, do the minor differences in geometry make a significant difference? I particularly liked your demo/discussion of using a chainmail cleaner. Missing from that discussion, however, is the obligatory warning to noobs that the pan MUST be thoroughly dried. While anyone who actually uses carbon steel will already know this, noobs often are left to learn the hard way. IMO, the best way to ensure a dry pan is to briefly warm it back up after towel drying. I also concur with your conclusion that heavier is better. Thicker/heavier pans will typically have fewer hot spots and will retain heat better. My most common use for my carbon steel pan is to sear meat. A pan that retains heat is important for that use.

I wish i could live my matfer, but i got the impossible pan, the blu skillet ironware pan and it is definitely the king

The Matfer is great until the welds split and the handle comes off. Its just spot welded which is the weakest weld possible unfortunately and I know this for a fact because I have been a welder for many years. The De Buyer is the skillet to go with out of all of these. It’s a classic for good reason and many many many chef’s around the world use them. The other carbon steel skillets I highly recommend are Made In carbon steel skillets. They are used by thousands of chef’s around the world and in the kitchens of many high end restaurants for good reason.

Since, Ikea as launch a competitive product also made same material. Available in Europe at least

The real cullotage from Debuyer is the most appropriated imo.

What are the sizes of each of the pans tested?

I heard mafter doesn’t use beeswax but instead resin and that’s why it’s harder to clean off the coating.

I’ve decided to retired my non-stick pans (finally!) and have returned to your comparison of the three carbon steel pans to confirm my choice of Matfer. I turned to Amazon to purchase and discovered a couple of things that concerned me.
1) a reviewer mentioned that these pans weigh almost as much as cast iron! I’m 85 and was looking for something lighter weight. I am not inclined to choose Mauviel instead though as I equate quality with weight. Also, my mother bought me a Mauviel copper pan and I have Bourgeat pans and the Bourgeats seem twice as heavy and twice as good.
2) A reviewer mentioned that the new Matfer’s are not completely flat on the bottom, but concave to minimize warping on convection stoves! What about those of us without convection stoves and have to deal with a dry spot in the center? I can’t imagine that’s a good thing. Is there anyway I can buy the old version? I hope you can comment on this.

This is an EXCELLENT review and helped me decide which carbon steel pan to buy.

Is it ok to use a chain mail scrubber on CS to remove carbon build up? I’ve read not too as it will scratch the pan?

I never use beeswax or any type of wax based formula paste to season a pan that is going to touch my food. I have a friend that was a chef (now retired) at the once famous Ma Maison restaurant in West Hollywood and when it closed in the 80’s. His seasoning method he taught me is to use chopped onions and extra light olive oil (can go up to 500*F for seasoning but I never go above 475*F). When I need to just “repair” an older pan where some seasoning may have disappeared due to being too aggressive with carbon removal, is to use chopped onion and bacon. Let it smoke a bit, wipe with a clean cloth and then into the oven to cure at 400*F. The wife and i have been doing it that way for over 25 years. Works like a champ.

This review is garbage since he didn't follow the directions for Matfer. It's like he intentionally did it wrong for a bad result. It doesn't do the Matfer justice. I would have liked to have seen the fried egg test. As for cleaning, although I use a chain mail scrubber and sea salt most of the time on my cast iron I rarely need more than a paper towel and sea salt for my Matfer. I think I could count on one hand that how many times I've needed more than that.

is that the matfer 10 1/4 ?

I have a Mauviel crêpe pan and it is really good, I like it. When I wanted a carbon steel fry pan I got a de Buyer, primarily because of a certain political affiliation that I learned Mauviel had. The de Buyer is excellent, though I don’t think I’ve done a perfect seasoning job. What I didn’t know was to clean with the chainmail scrubbers, so I have ordered those. I was taking of carbon bits with a Pampered Chef scraper which was just OK, not as effective as the chainmail it appears.

I’m now ready to purchase a de Buyer 11” Professional fry pan

👍👍

Matter for no ribets

@Cook Culture Question, Why is it so important to remove the beeswax coating when you first receive the brand new pan before seasoning with something like grape seed oil rather than just heat the pan up to the melting point of the wax and then add the oil to it and then complete the seasoning process when you use beeswax in your seasoning paste? Seems to me like a waste of time for something that logically shouldn't be necessary. My view is if you heat the pan just to the melting point of the wax so it is liquified and then add the grape seed oil to it then the oil and the wax would mix and become the same as your seasoning paste and do the same job without all of the elbow grease of prep work for the initial seasoning.

Great video! Really helpful indeed. One question: How big in inches or cm those pans are? The De Buyer seems to be like 28 or 26 cm? I'm looking for a new one and I am between the 24 and the 26. Thank you!

Thank you so much for the beautiful comparison. I have never seen them in a side by side comparison. This video definitely answered many of my questions. Conclusion? I want all three.... "but why" my wife says

Thank you for this test, greatly appreciated. One thing that caught my eye was that when you put the oil in, in the beginning, the Buyr looked warped.....that little oil went straight to the rim.

What is the difference between de buyer Carbone Plus and Mineral B? Searched the internet but seems no one can give a clear answer. I'm confused.

Maybe he should try cooking with an all lead pan if he wants heavier meaning better quality

Would it not be better to research the actual size, thickness, and weight of the pans instead of saying ' this one is heavier' or 'this one is thicker guage'.? I know the de Buyer Mineral B is 3mm thick, IIRC the Matfer is similar, and the Mauviel M' Steel is 2mm black steel. 2mm and 3mm pans perform differently, and require a different temperature technique to account for the faster heating and cooling of thinner CS material. de Buyer 2mm pans ( 5400 series) are made from annealed blue steel that is stronger, lighter, and less brittle than regular carbon steel. So the Mauviel 2mm pan should be compared to the de Buyer ( and Made In) 2 mm blue steel CS pans for a more fair comparison.

You should do the Mauviel again, giving it the same treatment instead of leaving bees wax on it. Imo, that's why the seasoning lifts.

I’ve owned two Mauviel pans and they are complete crap. After two years of constant use, neither would take a seasoning (or hold one) and both warped on first use at medium heat.
I’ve tried every method to season them from oven to grill with exactly the same results.
Both had splotchy patches of carbonized seasoning that would eventually peel off with acidic foods or de-glazing. I tossed one, and I’ll be tossing my other after my new Mineral B arrives.
Don’t waste your time on the Mauviel.

I have the Mineral B Pro which is very heavy but I really like it.

I have a Matfer.. On the 10 inch version, after many omelets cooked, it does great for cooking omelets. I wouldn’t use any other skillet, even a great teflon. I have the 6 in Mafter, and it works amazing with sunny side up eggs, steaks, and fish, after many-many uses. I wouldn’t want to use anything else. — it goes straight from stove to oven to finish cooking.

The 12 inch is also very nice, if trying to do high heat cooking, but it’s not a go-to for my purposes. I usually use it for stir-fry; however, I just ordered a wok, and look forward to using that instead of the skillet. Maybe the 12 inch Matfer would be great for cooking meats for a large family, which I am not.

just the video I was looking for!
So hard to choose from the top tier. But this helped me make a decision

Love the video, but my mind was wandering and I set the oven at 400 not 475 in the oven for the first two seasonings of my new Matfer, will this still turn out ok? Thoughts?

What brand induction is that one??

Does the DeBuyer Mineral B (now) have what Matfer calls a "vaulted" pan bottom, which is a slight manufactured in upward bow of the pan bottom? Matfer says this is supposed to head off any possible warping tendencies when used on an induction unit.

Just watched this comparison. All three were seasoned in the oven (per Jake's opening commentary). The handle of the deBuyer has a coating that apparently "should not be baked." Aka recommendation: do not use "stovetop-to-oven." Frankly I'd prefer to do just that, "burn it off" and remove any residual handle material if that's the affect, precisely to enable "stovetop-to-oven" use.

How did the seasoning process (bake at 475F/60 minutes) affect the handle coating?

Curious how you like the Matfer after a couple of years of use now? I have a couple of Matfer's and love them. 🙂

This is obviously a pro review. Do you recommend these pans for mortals with no such ovens?

Is a pan measured from the bottom cooking surface or the top?

Ridiculous.