[Review] De Buyer Mineral B Pro (2023)

The De Buyer Mineral B Pro is De Buyers top of the line carbon steel pan, that has been praised by home cooks and chefs alike for its excellent high-temperature cooking and non-stick abilities. In this review, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about the Mineral B Pro, including how it stacks up against the even cheaper alternatives from De Buyer.

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Design

De Buyer has made carbon steel pans for almost 200 years, and the traditional design has stayed almost the same ever since the beginning. All De Buyer’s carbon steel pans consist of a pressed naked carbon steel plate with a handle riveted in place. It’s a truly functional design, with no concern for looks whatsoever, but has grown into an icon that sets the standard for how restaurant-grade pans should look and feel. What sets the Mineral B Pro apart, is the specially designed handle which features a much more ergonomically grip than the ones seen on the regular Mineral B and Carbone Plus pans. The shiny stainless steel handle has a much more modern look, than the handle found on any of De Buyer’s other pans, and gives the Mineral B Pro a distinctive premium feel. The De Buyer logo sits proudly carved out at the front of the handle, providing not only a reminder of pristine craftsmanship and tradition but also aids to keep the handle from getting too hot.

The design of the Mineral B Pro is in the end just a lot more premium than the more traditionally styled pans and looks great in the kitchen. It still has the traditional heritage feel of the French manufacturer, but with an extra touch that makes it look like a much more premium piece of equipment. It's a pan that encourages you to use it, just because it looks great in the drawer or hanging on the wall.

Price

With a more premium look and feel over the more basic De Buyer pans, comes a more premium price. However, De Buyer’s carbon steel pans are in general a lot cheaper than alternatives with the same cooking abilities, and a good carbon steel pan like this will literally last you a lifetime or two.

You can see the current price here:debuyer-usa.com/products/mineral-b-pro-fry-pan

Cooking

The De Buyer Mineral B Pro excels when the temperatures are high. The pan can get extremely hot, even without your heat source being at full blast. This makes it possible to get some incredible sears on different meats and vegetables, that you’d just never get out of your regular nonstick pan. Because the pans are made from 99% iron, the heat is distributed really well throughout the pan, with ensures no overcooking in the center and undercooking closer to the sides. The Mineral B Pro is also very good at cooking very evenly at lower temperatures, as it retains heat incredibly well. Generally speaking, the pan has many of the same qualities as your average cast iron pan, but only much more maneuverable and easy to handle as it only weighs roughly half of a same sized cast iron.

Because the handle on the Pro series is made from stainless steel rather than the epoxy-coated carbon steel found on the other De Buyer pans, the Pro is oven safe. This is a huge plus, as it gives the Mineral B Pro almost no limitations. You can start by searing your food over the stovetop and finishing it for however long it takes in the oven right afterward. Or you can cook over an open fire or put the pan on the grill without any worry.

It should though be mentioned that the Mineral B Pro, just like any other naked carbon steel pan, doesn’t like to cook very acidic foods. This is due to the seasoning you create on the pan that ensures non-stick. If you cook a tomato-based sauce or something with a fair bit of lemon or vinegar, the seasoning will break down. This isn’t harmful in any way, but you will probably have to re-season your pan afterward.

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Your typical teflon pan will become worse over time and useless in just a few years, whereas your Mineral B Pro will be useless right out of the box, but then just get better and better

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Non-stick

After your initial seasoning of the Mineral B Pro, it becomes very non-stick and should be able to cook a fried egg with very little fat and have it sliding around all over the pan. The pan becomes even better over time as it builds up more layers of seasoning. A great rule of thumb is that the darker the pan is, the more non-stick it is. At some point, if you use your pan regularly, you will end up with a pan that looks nothing like when you bought it and will be as beautifully non-stick as an actual teflon pan right out of the box.

The big difference is, that your typical teflon pan will become worse over time and useless in just a few years, whereas your Mineral B Pro will be useless right out of the box, but then just get better and better. It’s also a nice feeling to know that you’ve sort of created a great pan yourself, instead of buying a great pan someone else made. And it's really not that hard to do - in fact, we’ve made a guide for you to make it even easier: Link. And after you’ve seasoned your pan for the first time, it's just a matter of using it and watching it evolve and get better!

Durability

The Mineral B Pro is made from 2.5 mm thick carbon steel, which consists of 99% iron and 1% carbon. This makes the pans extremely durable and almost indestructible. They feel super solid in your hand and have been known to last for many decades even when being used professionally in restaurants around the world. This is also why De Buyer offers a lifetime warranty if you buy it from their official website: debuyer-usa.com/products/mineral-b-pro-fry-pan

We have heard some buyers complaining about their pans warping when used over either an electrical or induction cooktop. But we’ve tested it ourselves on many different models and sizes of De Buyer carbon steel pans, and have never experienced any warping. However, it is always a good idea to heat your pan slowly and not put it directly on full heat just in case. But if you get it from De Buyers' official website or an official dealer, you’ll get the lifetime warranty and won’t have any worries.

But overall, the Mineral B Pro has a great reputation for being very durable and feels very solidly made.

Heat Sources

You can use the Mineral B Pro over any heat source you’d like - gas, electric, induction, over an open fire, and in the oven. Because of the stainless steel handle offered on the Pro series, there are no limitations to how you can use or abuse these pans. Like any other pan, gas is the superior heat source when it comes to cooking abilities. It heats the pan gradually, reducing any chances of warping and it distributes the heat very evenly so that even the sloping sides of the pan will be as hot as the middle. It also gives you maximum control over the heat. But whatever heat source you have installed in your kitchen will do just fine with the Mineral B Pro, and give you some great results.

Ease of use

Though the Mineral B Pro are very heavy pans, they are still only about half the weight of a similar cast iron pan and have many of the same qualities. The carbon steel pans are light enough for most people to maneuver even the bigger sized pans one-handed, which really is a game changer compared to cast iron. The Pro series has the signature stainless steel handle which is a huge improvement ergonomically over the other series from De Buyer. The handle has creases on the back to give you a good grip, and a dent on the front for your thumb to be in when lifting the pan around. The handle is long and steep enough so that you can grab it closer to the bottom and rest the back of the handle on your forearm to take pressure away from your wrist and not let it do all the lifting. This is very nice to have, with a pan that is as heavy as the Mineral B Pro is.

In the beginning, some foods may stick to the pan, but after a couple of uses, it will be quite non-stick and as easy to use as any other non-stick pan.

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Because of the stainless steel handle offered on the Pro series, there are no limitations to how you can use or abuse these pans

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Seasoning and Care

The Mineral B pro frying pan comes unseasoned from the factory with a coating of bees wax to prevent the pan from corroding during transport and while it sits on the shelf in the shop. This means that you will have to remove the bees wax and season the pan before its first use.

The instructions say that it is very important to make sure all the bees wax is removed before you season the pan. This is best done by using very hot water and a sponge to scrub it off.

After the wax is removed, you need to season it which is done by burning a very thin layer of oil onto the pan. This is in no way harmful and will make sure that your pan will be non-stick. We’ve put together a guide that takes you through the process step by step: link

Once you’ve started using the pan it is important to maintain it probably. Even though it doesn’t take much effort, it will make the pan pretty useless if you clean and store it wrong, because the seasoning will break down, and all your food will stick to the pan.

So, after each use, you will have to clean the pan using only water and a soft sponge. If you use detergent or scrub it too hard, the seasoning will come off. Just use hot water and make sure you get all the food that might be stuck to the bottom off, and then it's clean. If something is really stuck, you can soak it for a few minutes, but don’t leave it sitting in water for multiple hours otherwise it will start to oxidize. When you’ve cleaned it, it's a good idea to put just a drop of oil on the pan and use a paper towel to wipe it around. This, again, prevents the pan from oxidizing while you store it and additionally also aids your seasoning to become even better.

De Buyer Mineral B vs Mineral B Pro

Should you get the standard Mineral B or go for the Pro?

The pans are essentially the same, except for the handle. While the standard Mineral B has a very traditional looking epoxy coated cast iron handle, the Pro has a more premium and modern looking stainless steel handle that is oven safe, unlike the regular Mineral B. The handle on the Pro is also more ergonomic and easier to grip. But in the end, it’s up to you whether or not you want to spend the extra cash on a product that feels more premium and gives you the ability to finish your dishes in the oven. They’re both incredibly capable pans.

You can read our full in-depth review of the standard Mineral B here:[Review] De Buyer Mineral B - Are They the Best Carbon Steel Pans for You?

Different versions and sizes

The Mineral B Pro series comes in 4 different sizes: 8, 9.5, 11, and 12.5 inches. We recommend the 9-inch version as a good medium-sized pan to get you started with De Buyers Mineral B Pro series. The 11-inch model makes for a great large-sized pan that will fit on most cooktops. The 12.5-inch model comes with an additional handle on the opposite side because it is quite heavy at this size. Also, the 12.5-inch model is too big for most regular electric or induction stoves and will therefore need you to have a very large gas burner or be used over an open fire to perform well.

You can buy the 8 to 11-inch models here:debuyer-usa.com/products/mineral-b-pro-fry-pan

And the larger 12.5-inch model here:debuyer-usa.com/products/mineral-b-pro-fry-pan-2-handles

Conclusion

The De Buyer Mineral B Pro is the top of the line carbon steel pan that does it all. The pan feels very premium compared to other carbon steel pans and has great cooking abilities that will allow you to make a fantastic sear on a steak and have an omelet sliding off the pan with ease. We love the fact that the pan is oven safe which is a feature you won't find on any other of De Buyers pans. The Pro series is a bit more expensive than the alternatives, but if you’re looking to get a carbon steel pan without limitations that looks and feels great, the De Buyer Mineral B Pro is the right choice for you!

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