Carbon steel pans: De Buyer v. Vollrath

Carbon steel cookware has been showing up a lot in the Mess Hall acquisitions thread. I've been using my De Buyer pans for some time, and have enjoyed them so much I purchased a couple more carbon steel pans from Vollrath.

I decided for Vollrath both because they are far cheaper than De Buyer and I was looking for a lighter gauge steel. I will update this thread as I have opportunity to compare them over the next few months.

Initially, notice how much thinner the Vollrath pan is. Roughly half the weight, and it makes a huge difference. For smaller women especially, the 12-inch De Buyer pans are simply too much to handle.







If a mod would be kind enough to fix my title, I would appreciate it!.

I only have a De Buyer blue steel crepe pan that is probably about as thin as the vollrath you pictured. I use it for a lot of things though, not just crepes.

I'm interested in seeing how your new pans progress. We just go into Carbon Steel DeBuyers not too long ago and are still learning how to use them best.

That DeBuyer you have looks well seasoned and loved.

I have 4 DeBuyer mineral iron pans, all are now well seasoned. They are my go to pans for saute and browning.
DeBuyer has 3 lines of pans. The Professional line is 3MM thick and the larger pans can get quite heavy.
The Professional line is 2MM thick and just right for the home cook.
Then they have the 1MM thick line which I would stay away from, too easy for the pan to warp if you are not careful
Never tried a Vollrath, they are made of the same stuff, so they should perform well after seasoning.

What do these things cost? I have been moving away from Teflon and after going to stainless and cast iron, carbon steel is the obvious next step.

Are the Amazon prices any good? Seems like DeBuyer is the premium brand eh?

What's the advantage of adding carbon steel to a kitchen that already has stainless steel and cast iron pans?





Actually, let me rephrase that. What do I tell my wife when she asks about why I am trying to add carbon steel to a kitchen that already has stainless steel and cast iron pans?

inspiringK said:

What's the advantage of adding carbon steel to a kitchen that already has stainless steel and cast iron pans?





Actually, let me rephrase that. What do I tell my wife when she asks about why I am trying to add carbon steel to a kitchen that already has stainless steel and cast iron pans?

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From my limited use and knowledge:
Carbon Steel is slightly lighter and easier to handle then Cast Iron and has a more traditional shape with rounded sides. My wife used our small one to sautee some pea pods and could flip them using just the pan edge (smallest) with the flick of a wrist, which she can't do or even attempt with a similar sized cast iron.

We've had stainless and I don't recall them ever building up a non-stick coating and always required a ton of oil or butter to prevent sticking.

I'm sure there are other benefits and advantages, but that's how I sold them to my wife and after a few uses, she has no regrets adding them to our kitchen. It doesn't take much to convice my wife to add new Mess Hall items into our little kitchen.

Kentos said:

What do these things cost? I have been moving away from Teflon and after going to stainless and cast iron, carbon steel is the obvious next step.

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We got our on sale up here in Canada at Costco and paid $29 - 8", $32 - 9.5" and $38 - 11", all shipped.

Similar prices were found on sale at other vendors. These are all the Carbone or Black Steel line, which are simply packaged and came with no preseasoning or coating.

Kentos said:

Are the Amazon prices any good? Seems like DeBuyer is the premium brand eh?

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Not necessarily. Mauviel and Matfer-Bougeat are at least the equal of DeBuyer, and Alessi makes very expensive carbon pans.

ouch said:

... and Alessi makes very expensive carbon pans.

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Are they better or just more expensive?

Carbon steel also responds to temperature change a bit quicker than cast iron

Very informative, guys. I am no cooking guru and thus have never heard of carbon steel pans. Guess you learn something every day. I may have to give these a shot.

inspiringK said:

What's the advantage of adding carbon steel to a kitchen that already has stainless steel and cast iron pans?

Actually, let me rephrase that. What do I tell my wife when she asks about why I am trying to add carbon steel to a kitchen that already has stainless steel and cast iron pans?

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That's a tough one. To my mind, cast iron pans and carbon steel pans play the same role in the kitchen. After much consideration, I decided to go the carbon steel route.

For braissers, dutch/french ovens, I'm into enameled cast iron.

brucered said:

Are they better or just more expensive?

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They're very nice pans and the prettiest of the lot (as one would expect from that high end design company) but I wouldn't call them better.

http://www.allmodern.com/Alessi-La-Cintura-di-Orione-7-Egg-and-Crepe-Pan-90104-18-AAS3254.html

http://www.allmodern.com/Alessi-La-Cintura-di-Orione-10.25-Frying-Pan-90103-26-AAS3257.html

Oh man, those are sleak looking. Clean and simple, I like it.

One thing I see that I really like about the Alessi skillet is there are no rivets on the inside of the pan.

ouch said:

They're very nice pans and the prettiest of the lot (as one would expect from that high end design company) but I wouldn't call them better.

http://www.allmodern.com/Alessi-La-Cintura-di-Orione-7-Egg-and-Crepe-Pan-90104-18-AAS3254.html

http://www.allmodern.com/Alessi-La-Cintura-di-Orione-10.25-Frying-Pan-90103-26-AAS3257.html

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brucered said:

Oh man, those are sleak looking. Clean and simple, I like it.

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Intrigued said:

One thing I see that I really like about the Alessi skillet is there are no rivets on the inside of the pan.

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Sexy design, but I'd be worried that my money is going to aesthetics rather than quality build. I like the rivets of De Buyer.

Vlad said:

Sexy design, but I'd be worried that my money is going to aesthetics rather than quality build. I like the rivets of De Buyer.

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Our DeBuyer crepe does not have the rivets, but my wife was happy with it as the inside of that one should be smooth for pouring out crepe batter.

We have had welded on handles in the past, good ones, and they have eventually loosened and the handles came off. Sending them back for warranty (Lagostina I think) was going to cost as much as buying a new pan on sale. Now we look for riveted handles, solid bottoms 1 piece pots (not the ones with the bases on) and have not had any issues.

I say carbon steel similar to cast iron so better for browning food with a slightly faster cool down. My 8 inch gets a lot of love because it's great for reheats and eggs. I have a 14 Mauviel and the Debuyer 12.5 w helper handle. Target is getting in the CS with Guy Fieri. I want a 11 inch Vollrath. I think the vollrath is a great less costly option.