De Buyer MINERAL B Carbon Steel Fry Pan - 9.5” Diameter, 6.9” Cooking Surface - Ideal for Searing, Sauteing & Reheating - PFAS, PFOA & PFOS Free - Made in France

First off: If you cannot lift heavy pans, don't get these. Instead, I'd opt for high-quality stainless. And if possible a stainless/copper.With that said, these are truly a lifetime investment item if they are taken care of. Once it's seasoned, you cannot cook a better pan-fried steak. One of the best pans I've used thus far, and I've owned a restaurant.There are a few suggestions for seasoning. The company's seasoning method is fine, but it's more ideal for a restaurant environment where the pan is being used multiple times a day...thereby creating a very quick seasoning layer from cooking alone. I have found though that cooking at home is different, and the maturation can take much longer. So, I want to share with you what I do to achieve the best and most successful seasoning of my Debuyer iron pans without the sticky residue or uneven seasoning. I'm certainly not the authority on seasoning, but I hope this helps.What you will need: Water, 3 potatoes washed well, flax seed oil, sponge, and a spare dry towel(s).Currently, Amazon sells cast iron flax oil - just do a search and you should find it. Otherwise, you can find flax oil in your local Whole Foods or other markets.INSTRUCTIONS:1. Once you receive your pan, place on burner and fill nearly to the brim (leaving about 1/2" from the top) with water.2. Next, add peels from approximately 3 potatoes. Make sure the potato is washed really well so that you don't get dirt form around the edge of the water. Let boil for 15-20 minutes. You'll notice the water beginning to darken after about 10 minutes, which is normal. This step helps remove the beeswax that is added before shipment more effectively.3. Pour out the water. You may notice a black line where the water level was, that's also normal. Use a sponge to lightly scrub the pan under hot running water, focusing on the sides and around the rivets. You are just finishing off the beeswax that was left over after boiling. BTW: If you have dark spots from the potato peels at the bottom of your pan, no worries...it's normal and not necessary to remove completely. Towel dry and return to burner.4. Turn your burner to high heat, and then place up to 2 tsp. of flax oil (depends on the size of your pan) in the center of your pan while it's cool. Make sure to turn on your exhaust fan if you have one.5. Rub a very thin layer of the oil around the entire inside of the pan with a towel. Make sure to soak up any excess oil, but don't soak up all of it. This is very important, because too much oil will ruin the seasoning process. And not enough will make the process seem like its achieving nothing. Heat until it smokes oh so slightly.*Since the timing is so different from one stove to the next, I suggest you allow it to smoke slightly only as a visual to know that it has reached a hot enough temperature.*Do not leave your pan on the burner without watching it carefully. Again, allowing the oil to smoke a lot is not a good thing and can ruin the seasoning.You will notice it darkening to a dark caramel color, maybe even a reddish-brown tone, but not yet black.6. Allow to cool.7. Repeat steps 4-6 until your pan is nearly black (approx 5-7 layers). Finally, begin cooking!If your pan is really sticky after seasoning, you have added too much oil, the pan didn't get hot enough, or you need to repeat the process. You may have a slight stickiness after seasoning is finished, but that's fine. It's the thick residue you don't want.NOTE: Your pan may not be a perfectly even tone once you're finished, and that's okay. Just cook. It'll be fine. These pans tend to vary slightly from one to the next in terms of their finished color. The only thing you should be worried about is if there are strange smudges in the pan. If that's the case, then you may need to scrub off those smudges and start over. Because over time those smudges may flake off. It means that too much oil accumulated in those spots and caused a truly uneven seasoning layer.BAKING THE SEASONING:I do not find seasoning by baking a good idea unless you are experienced at doing it. For most that aren't it ends up failing. This can cause a lot of unnecessary frustration and wasted time. I really want people to have the easiest experience and not be discouraged, thereby switching to non-stick inferior pans for sake of ease.I also don't suggest switching oils during your seasoning process as some tips may suggest, because it's not necessary when you use flax-seed oil. You have to take into consideration that each oil will have a different burning or smoking point, therefore mixing the oils is not a good idea in my opinion.SEASONING MAINTENANCE:You can repeat one layer of seasoning after each batch of food in the first month or so, or intermittently. This will ensure a nonstick surface that is sure to last through just about anything. The more you use your pan, the more the non-stick surface becomes. Your pan should be completely matured, depending on quantity of use, within two or three years - sometimes less if you use it a lot and properly.BTW: You'll know when your pan has matured when hardly anything sticks to the pan, and you don't have to clean it with anything other than a paper towel after cooking. Sometimes you may have to use hot running water and a soft sponge if you cooked something sticky. Other than that, the pan is very low maintenance once it has matured.And as with all pans, just watch the outside of your pan making sure that it doesn't get a thick layer of buildup. This outside buildup affects the heating aspect. It can cause uneven cooking in some cases. So, just be mindful of that. You can clean the outside of your pan with Bar Keeper's Friend if necessary.***Always remember to oil your pan after each use***LET'S COOK!Your first batch of food should be a meat as this will speed up the maturing process. Most will start with eggs to see if the seasoning is working. This may be disappointing if you don't allow a crust to form on the eggs before flipping, so just be mindful that it may not act like T-Fal initially. And remember the seasoning hasn't fully matured yet. The maturing process takes time. However, once it's achieved your pan should be completely non stick only requiring a paper towel and maybe some hot running water to clean it up.DEEP FRYING:Deep frying food can quickly season the pan, however there is a possibility that the seasoning will begin to flake off around the middle of the sides of your pan if you deep fry often. This is caused by very high heat. If this happens, don't panic. Just take a non abrasive sponge under hot water and lightly scrub off the small bits of loosened seasoning. Then, return to the burner and add a few layers of seasoning to the exposed area to keep any rust from forming.IRON AND HEAT:Remember that iron continues to rise in temperature, thus you can easily burn your food. You will need to get to know your pan in order to find out when to adjust the heat. Regardless of what I'm cooking, I almost never set my heat to HIGH unless it's stir fry. It just doesn't drop in temperature fast enough before burning something.Also, if you add anything cold to your pan it will be stuck initially. Like I mentioned with the eggs, you should wait until it forms a nice crust in which it can be easily removed or flipped.CLEANING AND COOKING UTENSILS:Wait for several batches of food before you use a metal spatula. If you notice small scratches in your layer of seasoning after cooking from your cooking utensils...don't worry. It will darken over rather quickly and should not cause any issues. Flax oil seasoning isn't real soft, but it isn't indestructible either. So, just be graceful at first.To clean your pan do not use soap and water. The good thing about seasoning initially with flax is that the layers are very hard, and even if you happen to use soap and water, it shouldn't completely destroy your seasoning. With that said, I still do not recommend cleaning your pan with soap and water. Hot water is perfectly fine. Do not use metal scrubbers - only the basic sponges with the more gentle scrubbers is recommended. Clearly you will have times when it is necessary to be more aggressive, and that's fine. Just don't feel that you haven't seasoned your pan enough just because you have some sticking. Remember... true seasoning doesn't occur immediately. It takes time.If really stubborn food is stuck to your pan after cooking add HOT water, bring to a boil for about 30 seconds and scrub stuck particles with a wooden utensil. Dispose of the liquid, rinse and towel dry. Afterwards you'll need to place a light layer of oil in your pan and heat the pan just barely to the smoking point. It's not a good idea to boil water often as it will slow the maturing process.Additionally, one tip suggests to place course salt in the pan to sanitize it. However, this can scratch your surface rather quickly if it's the beginning stages of your seasoning, so use that tip cautiously.I really hope this helps you. Good luck, and happy cooking!

Update January 2023: this is still my favorite pan. The coating has built up so that I never need to season it. It's used so much that I just leave it on the stove top. I added a new photo to show how it looks after almost 3 years of constant use.Original review 2020:I have owned this pan for a few months. It took 3 tries to receive an undamaged item: the first 2 pans arrived with sizeable dings/scratches that would have affected performance, and they had to be returned. It looked like the pans arrived from France with these defects, not like the damage occurred during shipment from the Amazon warehouse to my home, so I included this information in my product review as a measure of initial product quality. These pans arrive from the manufacturer stapled inside a thick paper bag, so Amazon would not have been able to easily check for defects on arrival.It took at least 2 months for my pan to develop a good coating. Before use, I baked the pan a couple of times (if you're worried about the silicone piece melting--it can be popped out of the handle, btw--just wrap it with a piece of foil) for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees after coating it with a thin layer of linseed oil. Part of the coating sloughed off the pan, and the things I cooked stuck to it. I wasn't deterred: I decided to use a stovetop method instead, and the results were much better.The best way I found to develop a non-stick coating on a new Mineral B pan:1. Use the pan for things that are less likely to leave a sticky mess until the coating has built up. Steak? Yes. Fried cornmeal mush? No. The very best food I found for building up a good coating in my pan was bacon.2. Use a generous amount of oil in the pan, and be sure the oil is near its smoke point before you add food to the pan. Following this rule of thumb will help prevent sticking that may damage the new coating.3. Leave the pan sitting after use until it feels warm to the touch (not burning hot, not cool).4. Wash the pan with hot running water and a SILICONE scrubber. (Look for "silicone scrubber kitchen" or "silicone sponge;" it's not the same as a silicone scrubber meant for washing your face.) When I first started using my pan, I used a "non-scratch" sponge that didn't protect my new coating at all. Silicone is much gentler. Remember, never use soap on this pan!5. Dry the pan with a paper towel (it will leave a residue on reusable towels).6. Immediately coat the pan with a THIN layer of linseed oil. I usually take the paper towel I dried the pan with and apply the oil, then I gently rub the oil onto the inside of the pan. (Whenever I try to pour a little oil directly into the pan, I end up using too much.) It doesn't take much oil to properly coat the pan, probably only 1/4 tsp or so.7. Heat the pan on the stovetop until the oil smokes. (You might want to turn on the vent fan.) When the oil is smoking, turn off the burner and leave the pan to sit until it is cool to the touch, and then store the pan for the next use.I know it seems like a lot of steps, but once the pan starts to build up a nonstick coating, it will be worth the hassle.This is a wonderful pan; it performs as well as the 90-year-old cast iron pan passed down to me from my grandmother. There is a plastic-type clear coating on the handle, which other reviewers have mentioned. I haven't had any problems with it. (If you're worried about it melting under a broiler, just wrap the handle in foil. Aluminum foil is a great insulator!) The handle stays cool on the stovetop, unlike my grandmother's cast iron pan, which was a pleasant surprise.Overall, I think this pan is an excellent value. I've paid almost this much for nonstick pans that lost their coating integrity in only a few months despite babying them in every possible way (using plastic implements only, never letting other pans touch the coating, etc). I'm very excited to have a pan that will hopefully last a lifetime with proper care. I've been thinking about buying another one. :)

Even heat. We needed a large skillet to cook for family dinners. Well worth the price, heavy, sits nicely on the stove. And the depth is perfect.