Steel pans, better than either teflon or cast iron

Thanks SD, I feel the same way about spending extra money on basically the same item. I've read Bruce's review, so I was curious why they labeled it as mineral B, or whatever they call it. I guess I'll wait for the Mafters. I've survived nicely without this skillet so far, so I guess I can wait a few more months
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to ditch the heavy CI for a lighter carbon steel version, and my current wok just died after almost 20 years of use, but I don't see any reason to rush (no offence meant to anyone who decides to buy now).

Thanks for all info guys, I guess I'll wait for the Mafters' 12" and maybe one of the bigger ones to replace my wok.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Just a thought... I think their 9" crepe pan is in stock, or it was not long ago. I use it almost every day for eggs or pancakes or some such, It has nice low sides for getting a flipper in there. It won't break the bank, and it'll allow you to get your feet wet before a larger investment. It's not a huge pan, but it's great for smaller jobs. If I was cooking for more than one person at a time it probably wouldn't work. It would be nice if they made an 11" crepe pan, but then it would be out of stock. :-)

While not CS, I did pick up this 10.5" shallow, crepe type pan from Lodge for about $10.

Haven't tried it yet, but I love all my other Lodge so assume I'll enjoy this one too.


[Image: d7fa25465522e2e95c61799db16cad3b.jpg]

All evidence has been buried. All tapes have been erased.

I got mine directly from (basically) Matfer Bourgeat (sp?) USA. Here's the link: http://www.culinarycookware.com/matfer-b...kware.html

Lots of Matfers pans are out of stock and will be for months.

They have all sorts of professional cooking gear; not just black steel pans. BTW, the pans are far from black. Maybe after a few years of use they're black.

DJ, DeBuyer is about 2x the price of the Matfer. They work just as good, but got low marks for the odd angle that the handle is at. So said Cooks Illustrated anyway. But if you want it now and can't wait I know lots of folks who have them and love them. That's what Bruce has and I haven't heard any complaints from him. I'm just too tight with a buck to spend the extra money. I know nothing about DeBuyer other than that.

Brian, thanks for the information.  I've waited this long so I can probably wait a few months more as I too value frugality.  I can get the crepe pan in a few sizes right now and they are the most practical I think.  I also find Cooks Illustrated to be an excellent publication.  I enjoy their approach to recipes trying various things and explaining the why of what they specify.  Their product reviews are very good as well.  Thanks for the pancake recipe as well.
Mark

Just got the Mafter 9'' crepe pan (Amazon) and I'm a bit disappointed from the QA aspect. It was scratched like hell. It had numerous points where rust kicked in. It had a sticky substance all over the handle and it took me ages and elbow grease to remove it, and hopefully the coating wax. Washed everything thoroughly (handle and outside as all well). Now to the seasoning. BTW, what's your procedure for the handle and underside/outside of the pan? It started rusting in front of my eyes while placing it under hot, running water (per "instructions" that were stuck inside the pan). Do you also coat it with oil? If so, doesn't it get sticky/collects dust (and in my case, lots and lots of cat hair)?

I'll post some photos after I'll read the rules/how-to in the stickies.

Sorry about the scratches but I don't work for the company or Amazon. I doubt that they will bother the pan though unless they're terrible. I got mine from Matfer and not Amazon so I can't address it either way.

I'm fairly certain my labels just pulled off. Did you try that? I know it took no effort at all to remove them. I would have remembered that.

DJ, after washing season it. That will keep rust at bay. Be sure to wipe oil on the outside of the pan while it's smokin' hot and after seasoning. The residual heat will season that as well. My handle after a month of use still hasn't rusted so I have no idea what's in your air that would cause that, but my concern wouldn't be for the pan. If you have pet hair you'll need to store it inside a cabinet and away from hair (no matter what you have for pans).

Thanks SD. I know you don't work for Amazon/Mafter, and I'm sorry if you understood me wrong, or if you thought I had any complaint. Thanks for all the help and tips!
The handle didn't rust, but I was wondering if I should consider it as a CI pan where you oil it when it's hot and you've already answered that (thanks!). Just finished seasoning it, the potato peels methods, and for 90% of the pan it worked marvelously, but I have a few bumps near the edge and a thicker/non slick layer on the sides after it cooled down. I guess I did something wrong, so I'll remove the seasoning from the sides and repeat the process for a better really. For the 90% part that it worked, it's basically a dark, nonstick mirror and an egg just glided over it. Really impressed and hope to nail the seasoning. And again, don't get me wrong - I was disappointed get a somewhat damaged item in the mail, but let's face it, it's a 12$ skillet...
Well, my wife demands pancakes after seeing me playing with the pan, so duty calls.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

I wouldn't strip the seasoning. Either use it as is and it will get seasoned through use, or just do the salt/oil/potato peel method again. I moved my pan around to make sure the burner did the job everywhere. Easy peasy!

The folks over on the BBQ forum have deBuyer pans and they typically didn't get fully seasoned (large pans), but after a use or three they were fully seasoned.

Good to know. If anyone's interested, I'll give an update after a week or so of use. Forgive me, but what does BQ stands for?

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Good to know. If anyone's interested, I'll give an update after a week or so of use. Forgive me, but what does BQ stands for?

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Whoops! That should have been "BBQ".

How did the pancakes turn out?