Best Stainless Steel Cookware? De Buyer Affinity Stainless Steel Pan Review 

Awesome tip and I will put that in the next Pancast!

I love this tip. Thanks!

Thanks, Oliver! It's really nice to hear from someone with real-world experience with the pans too. Gives me a little more confidence in the reviews!

Guten tag! Great to hear from Germany. That's a great price! If buying a full set, it's almost worth buying a plane ticket to Europe to get them.

Did the whacking return it to flat? If you can whack it back to flat easily than maybe don't fear the deglazing!

@@UncleScottsKitchen I have managed to give the pan a slight concave shape, when it heats up on the stove it has a perfectly flat connection to the burner. No wobble or spin. After heating up the pan, I put it upside down on an old wooden cutting board (so it will hold its shape while cooking, hopefully) and gave it a few centered whacks with a rubber mallet. The kind you take camping to put those metal tent herrings into hard grund. I gave the same treatment to my mineral b omelette pan that i turned into a spinner on a friends induction stove. Both are performing like new so far. Just took a while to establish the perfect concave shape by turning the pan and whacking it from both sides - maybe this is the reason for my hesitancy... And the fact that i finally managed to "repair" my beloved 200$ pan by whacking it with a rubber mallet :D got some pork tenderloin for a nice saltimbocca waiting in the fridge, i'll deglaze that with some wine and let you know if it still works :)

Same here! I loved this pan for a few weeks until it started suddenly start to warp and than spin on my ceramic / electric stove. Its nice and flat up to medium or medium high heat, but if a crank up the heat it warps again. Maybe i will smack it as well when warm to flatten it out. Thanks mate! Best regards from good old germany too. ;)

I have a clad stainless pan and it hasn't stayed perfectly flat either. Then I bought cheap stainless pans, with a thick disc bottom, from a restaurant supply store. Haven't had any warping issues with those. I think the disc bottom pans work well with an electric stove.

Thanks, Jeanluis! GREAT to hear form someone in France. I will try that steak method and see how it goes. Are the De Buyers and Mauviels and Matfers popular in France? We talk about French cookware a lot here in the USA but I always wonder what people use in France?

Hello, De Buyer and Mauviels are quite expensive compare to other brands but commonly used in high quality restaurants for their robustness and because you can control very precisely the cooking temperature. Thank you again for your videos.

@@UncleScottsKitchen Hello Uncle Scott, here in the uk only people who have interest in cooking have quite extensive knowledge on it. If not most would go for tefal or any bottom disc pan. Seldom you see kitchens with All-clad, matfer, de buyer, demeyere, Mauviels or even Staub. At most you’ll see a lot of le creuset. That’s why whenever we have dinner parties, and they would want me to cook something I’d bring my own pan. Haha. I can’t be cooking on a thin non stick pan. Uncle Scott, can you check out the Samuel Groves cookware. Apparently it’s one of the oldest Britain made cookware. They have probably one of the thickest stainless steel pans at 3mm, all clad and tramontina is about 2.7, debuyer is at 2.8, and Demeyer is about 3mm to 3.3 even some 4.8 for the 5 star ones.

@@UncleScottsKitchenin France we all use non-sticking aluminium pans. That Tefal brand is everywhere (they actually invented the whole thing). Even our pots are non-sticking, which doesn’t make any sense. The general public has no idea who De Buyer and other such brands are.

You are welcome! Finally found a category where I am the leader! ;)

Thanks, Ranger! The difference between boiled okra (which my mom also used to cook) and fried is about as stark it gets!

Several people have been talking up the Demeyeres lately, so I think I will take your advice and get one. Which is the top line they have? Proline? Atlantis?

@@UncleScottsKitchen atlantis is the name of the pots, the frying pans are called atlantis / proline, or just proline, both have 7 layers of stainless steel and aluminum, but the pots have a thicker distribution on the bottom, the pans are 4.8 mm thick from bottom to top, the heat distribution is absolutely even , they don't deform with induction, there are nice videos from the manufacturer on how you can fry chicken breast or steak without any oil, they are of course a little heavier than other stainless steel pans, but weight is quality and they have a 30-year guarantee ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pPhipC4n9lU.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-puxCZSGh74s.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ImW9URV4mA0.html

@@UncleScottsKitchen Hmmm

@@UncleScottsKitchen yay! I would love a Demeyere review!!!

Will you do a review of the De Buyer Affinity Sauce Pans? I have my eye on them to try.

Several people have been mentioning those Demeyeres lately. I have not tried one yet, but I think I will get one to review soon. Are you happy with yours? I hear the Atlantis line is very heavy. Have you tried one of those?

I was looking at the Atlantis series also, but I do not like helper handle that is in 28 cm Atlantis, so I got the Industry instead. I don't believe stainless steel pan's need helper handled as more heavy cast iron pans may need. I have not tried Atlantis pans. Industry is also around half the price of Atlantis. I have been very happy with Industry and also its Silvinox surface treatment seems to be very easy to clean.

I usually just hand things to my wife and ask her to read them for me, but she doesn't want to be on camera...

I haven't tried that graphite one, but I have an All-Clad copper core 5-ply that I really like. I thought I had done a review of it but apparently (might be losing my mind) I can't find it. WIll try to get some more stainless reviews soon.

@@UncleScottsKitchen I watched your video of the Mauviel Copper Cookware, which was also nicely done. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zilW_n2yfK0.html Perhaps that was what you were thinking of? Based on your De Buyer reviews, I ordered my first every carbon steel pan (De Buyer 9.5" Mineral B PRO fry pan), arriving in a few days! Can't wait to try it out. Anyhow, excellent work on all your videos, and I am looking forward to your future broadcasts!

​@UncleScottsKitchen All Clad won't be adding any new pieces to the G5 line. So basically consider it discontinued.

😂👌👍

If weight is no issue, you can get the DeMeyre Proline (or Atlantis) series around the same price. The DeMeyre skillets are by far superior to the DeBuyer ones. When it comes to stainless steel cookware, DeMeyre's Proline and Atlantis series are the best money can buy.

Thanks, Joe B. I have had so many people talking about Demeyeres that I am going to get one of those next.

Sounds to me like you are doing everything right and the egg likes butter more than the canola. If everything is working right except for when you use the canola, then it's either the canola itself or we need to figure out what to do differently with the pan or the egg. I'd make sure the eggs are not cold... you can put them in a bowl of warm water for five minutes if you are in a hurry. Then I would try a little extra heat and oil and see if that helps, then if the egg slides then start dialing back on both until you find the sweet spot. I think the butter and pan are usually around 230F when the egg goes in. Maybe the canola needs more heat before the egg goes in? Could also try a test egg with a different oil and see if that works. Let me know how it goes... might have to do a canola/egg video if people are having trouble with it.

@@UncleScottsKitchen Thanks for the reply! Maybe the egg I used was too cold, I tried to do the same thing when I was using butter - take the egg out of the fridge, crack it into a bowl and wait a little bit). Next time I will wait for the egg to come up to room temp, and I will try cranking up the heat on the pan and I will come back with the results. Also, personally I would love to watch a video like you did before "how to fry eggs on stainless steel/carbon steel/cast iron" but with "standard" oil instead of butter :)

@@UncleScottsKitchen I did the test again, room temperature egg, heated up the pan nicely, did the water bead test, added oil and soon after I added the egg. It fried very fast and stuck to the bottom again, I had to scrape it off basically… I’m starting to think it actually is the canola oil that’s messing with the egg. Later I’m going to try and fry a little test piece of chicken breast and see what happens. I am perfectly fine with frying eggs on butter but other stuff… Not so much.

@@UncleScottsKitchen fyi, I also shot a video of me trying to fry this egg.

Nice eagle eye spotting that! I love how the patina has developed on that pan.

Thanks, Don!

You are exactly right on the pasta, and I normally do that, but I was out of hands with the camera. I think this is the fourth or fifth comment on this video talking Demeyere, so I am going to get one soon. Which is the absolute best/top of the line for them? Atlantis?

@@UncleScottsKitchen Atlantis and Proline are some sort of weird branding thing but both refer to the 7 layer stuff. I have the Atlantis 12.6" pan and it's an absolute MONSTER. huge, heavy and with even heating that is hard to believe for not copper. I also have their 5 layer sauce pan I think that line is called Industry, which is probably a market competitor to the pan you reviewed here if you got it in frying pan form. But yes Atlantis is the big kids pan.

@@UncleScottsKitchen Yes, Atlantis Proline. Don't let the 7 layer thing make you think it's a gimmick. 4 of those layers are extremely thin bonding layers. They're there to make sure the substantial layers play well together. The aluminum alloy core is almost 4mm thick which function like a 2mm copper core. The handles, including the excellent, necessary helper handle on the 12 inch stay cool. This Affinity looks like a great pan too. If you're like me, you will rarely reach for any other type of pan now that you've figured out how to use stainless.

@@UncleScottsKitchen They way I understand it, DeMeyre uses slightly different name schemes in Europe and the US. In Europe, the 'best' pots are the Atlantis line and the according skillets are called the Proline series. In the US, they seem to only go with the Atlantis name, so the 4.8mm 7ply skillets should be called Atlantis, just like the pots. As long as you make sure the skillet is made of 4.8mm thick 7ply material, you got the right ones. And not everyting in those lines is made of ply material. DeMeyre uses ply material for the skillets and sauce pots and a traditional sandwich bottom construction (but with an extremely thick and heavy bottom) with thinner side walls for the other stuff. The idea is to only use heavy ply material where it adds to the function of the cookware. That way you have the weight and material thickness where it serves the cooking process most.

@@UncleScottsKitchen Top of the line fry pans are called "Proline", sizes 8inch (3.3mm thick), 9.5inch (4.8mm thick), 11 and 13 inch (4.8mm thick, both have helper handles). The Atlantis line is their top of the line for saucepans and pots. These are divided into conical shaped vessels (saucier pans and simmering pots) which are 3.3mm thick, 7ply stainless steel and aluminum fully clad, and straight-walled pots and pans with 3.8mm thick, 7 ply stainless steel and copper-silver disk bottoms.

Nice to have someone else in the Never Learn Club!

Thanks, Troy!

Hi Cee, which did you go with, the De Buyer or the Demeyere? I have had lots of people talking Demeyere lately so I want to get one and try it out. Which model is good? I think De Buyer has raised prices just like everyone else with the hyperinflation in the economy. The 32 cm Mineral B Pros are now around $135. Holy cow.

@@UncleScottsKitchen I went with Demeyere, the rivets put me off. almost same skirt which is wonderful for pouring and serving, if you went for the debuyer 32 you could choose the 28cm demeyere controlinduc which is made with induction in mind, it won't warp and after 250c it looses its magnetic property so no scorching. btw you are huge judging from the 32cm pan it looked like a 28 on camera. always wonderful reviews, I hate okra made with tomato sauce and onions but your recipe is the only way to eat okra.

@@UncleScottsKitchen Well, that trasportation chaos and the waiting lines for cargo ships make transport costs skyrocket. Let's go Brandon ... DeMeyre offers a number of series. The Controlinduc is specifically made for induction cooking so it shouldn't be your first pick (as you got gas and infrared). For the best quality, as mentioned numerous times before, go with the Atlantis and / or Proline. Those are the top products by DeMeyre. All other series are either less costly or have a certain focus. As already mentioned, the Controlinduc is made for induction cooking. The Industry series targets professional kitchens (less pricy than the Atlantis). Other series may be more prestigeous and have a 'famous' designer name attached to them. When it comes to the best possible cooking performance with no compromises, that's the Atlantis / Proline.

Allclad D3 TRIPLY is an excellent pan and the D5 is good to but I find the D3 cooks a little better and is cheaper. and is half the price of De Buyer Affinity.

Thanks OB! I am going to delve into the All-Clad vs De Buyer in an upcoming video. I have the All-Clad 5-ply copper core pan and it cooks really really well too. It's in the same price range as the De Buyer. The D3s are cheaper but I haven't used one of those frying pans yet.

Thanks, Stefan! Plenty more videos on the way too.

@@UncleScottsKitchen that's great!

Awesome! How long have you had it? It's always great to hear from people who have the product after I post a review... great reality check.

@@UncleScottsKitchen 5 years now, it's a great pan, not getting much use, since I prefer using cast iron and carbon steel, but I have several DeBuyer products , like you do, and all are excellent, amongst the best out there

Thank you, as always, Jose!

Much appreciated, Chef!

That is great to hear... I always like getting some real-word feedback from people who have the same pans.

Received my 32cm proline last week - it's a beast!

@@stevenwright2166 I would never spend that kind of money for one frying pan.

My grandpa used to say he's too poor to buy cheap. While it's not really necessary to spend >200 bucks for a skillet, it should at least be a high quality one in the mid price range from a quality brand. Cheap skillets not only wear out over time, they also have uneven heat and hotspots. If you spend a little extra on your cookware, it will last you a lifetime. Still, while I'm quite satisfied with my affordable DeBuyer Milady stainless steel skillets, I'm still planning to buy some DeMeyre Proline in the future.

@@berniem.6965 Gordon Ramsay uses Scanpan skillets, for about 1/3 or less of the prices of these ones. There is probably little difference at all...once you get past about the $70 range. The differences are very small, as long as you buy something of decent quality. I'm not telling anyone not to spend their money, but there is a real question about whether the money is worth the value you get. If it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, then spend the money.

The difference is a sandwich bottom or thin (2.5mm) ply construction vs DeMeyre's 4.7mm thick ply material. Those skillets are built like a tank and have a heat capacity close to a heavy cast iron skillet.

Thanks, Stephen, and you as well!

Here is something crazy: I bought an All-Clad copper core 12.5 inch pan a bout two years ago and I could swear I did a review of it, but I cant find it. I will try to get a review of it up soon, but short answer is I really like it as well. Really good cooking performance with that copper core. I haven't tried the D3 but I like the copper core line.

@@UncleScottsKitchen Awesome!

Great question and I am going to put in the next Pancast. In general, I think copper is the best. For most people the price is an issue, so that Inocuivre copper I showed in the video can be $200 - $250 more per pan. So $500 for a frying pan is a different animal altogether than $250. BUT, if price is no issue, I'd go Inocuivre. It's a 2mm pan. If you look around you can also find some Mauviel 250 series (they stopped making them and swapped to a 200 series, but a few are still available). They are going to be more expense still, but they are 2.5 mm... go as thick as you can afford with the copper.

@@UncleScottsKitchen So, I can't find any stock left on the Mauviel 250 here in France, so it seems to be indeed dead and buried. The 200 is somewhat in stock, or at least on backorder. Quick aside : Mauviel pricing is very strange : for a 12 inch, Inocuivre is 290€ the Mauviel 150 is 190€ (2mm vs 1.5mm, makes sense) and the Mauviel 200 is around 310€. but for a 10 inch the Inocuivre is 130€ but the Mauviel 150 is 180€ (??) and the 200 is around 240€. For scale, here in France the Affinity is only 110€ for a 12in and 80€ for a 10in, so I might just add one to the backorder 😁.

Hi Jose! I think it's a little aggressive, but at the same time, the All-Clad Copper Core is even more at $265 and they are kind of comparable pans. I know De Buyer raised prices on the Mineral B Pros not too long ago. I think the inflation in the economy has made things seem a little out of whack. So I think it's recommended at that price... 5-ply high end stainless is in that price range these days.

You can cook any way you want! I generally don't have food up the side, but I will agree on the bacon.... lots of times I lay out bacon up the side of the pan but it shrinks so much that it doesn't stay up there too long. Our crepe pans have very low sides!

@@UncleScottsKitchen Mine as well but I like when the sides are nice and hot (my De Buyer crepe pan - blue is the best, don’t you dare say otherwise!) 😉 Shrinking is the most annoying habbit of bacon.

I've had several people mention the All-Clads, and I thought I had put up a review of one, but (I may be losing my mind) I can't find it. Anyway, I have the same size All-Clad stianelss steel pan, a copper core 5-ply. It cooks very very well, and I asked my wife to use both pans the other day when she was cooking some chicken parm and she says both cooked well and she can't tell any difference in the cooking between the two. That copper core All-Clad is in the same price range as the De Buyer. I haevn't used the D3 frying pan. No dog! Had lots of them growing up on a farm, but dogless at the moment.

Hi. Still to pricey, but you are doing a comparable test in that quality n price of the De Buyer. I might can afford an All Clad 3 ply? Something below $150. I definitely love my cast iron. Peace to you and yours

awesome!

You are correct. I edit these things on an iMac and I don't know if it enhances the sound or what, but they sound great on the desktop then sound worse when they go live.Anyway, I have a lapel mic... now I guess I will have to break down and try to figure out how to use it.

Agree 100%!

Coming up in the next Pancast...

I haven't tried the Prima Matera but as they have copper I'd go with one of those I think.

Indeed! I had no idea he even existed until my wife pointed him out, and he has a zillion subscribers. Lots of stuff on RU-vid.

@@UncleScottsKitchen o yes he is a pro he has been on P.B.S TV for a long time. I just found out he has a cooking school where I live in Fort Lauderdale.

I know, right? The All Clad is 3 layer, but the Affinity is 5 layer. Still a huge price difference.

@@hepgeoff ... Yes, but based on all the testing I've seen, the whole ''5 layer'' deal is a marketing thing. The professional chefs generally can't tell the difference, so prefer the 3 layer cookware. I'm sure this deBuyer is a quality pan. The French and this company are known for good kitchen stuff, but double the price? Without a lid?

@@frankhoffman3566 Good points.

I've got the All-Clad 5-ply copper core and it is also very good. I will try to get a review of it up soon. On the layers, I had a guy who used to work at one of the big companies say (paraphrasing) that three layers is really necessary and becomes more marketing the more layers you add. I think there is some benefit (especially having the copper) but it's not very dramatic the more cores you add. That said, these multicores do cook well.

Thanks, James!

Thanks Matt! If you try it, post back and say how it goes.

@@UncleScottsKitchen Will do

Neither is better than the other. Each have their strengths and weaknesses. Get one of each. I use my carbon steel for meats and stainless for fish & anything acidic (tomato, citrus, et al). Basically if it will harm CS seasoning, use SS. Otherwise CS.

They're made in France.

He has: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8HgtcEF-vQo.html

Xd u neverwash pan in dishwasher

Boomwr

I definitely recommend hand washing. Not a scientist, but aluminum is used in so many things these days that I am not worried about that pan edge. Not much food would be touching it.

I'm in favor of hand-washing a nice pan like this... no dishwasher for me.

Even if aluminum were harmful, you aren't cooking on the rim. You should never put clad cookware in a dishwasher. There's literally no point. Hand washing takes 30 seconds.

I wll get into this more in an upcoming video, but I have the copper core All-Clad in the same size. They both cook really well and evenly and are both about the same price. I have not tried a D3 frying pan, which is less expensive. I think the differences will be in personal taste (look of the handle, where it was made, etc.). Both are fantastic.

Thanks, Ron!

Nice even to people who steal mottos!

If I have a Beyond Meat burger alongside my regular burger, does it count as a serving of veggies?

Next stop: the Moon!

@@UncleScottsKitchen The first carbon steel in space lol!

Thanks, kodak!

Dare I fry some bacon in butter?

@@UncleScottsKitchen Hey Scott I sent you an email did you see it?

works for me :)

that will not be the same product :)

@@sza2bom The 20cm model cost like 88€ here

I did a review on a Proline Atlantis and gave it a thumbs up... I think it is probably the top of the aluminum core-stainless steel category. It is also the most expensive too!

@@UncleScottsKitchen yes sir i remember

Tomatoes! Other than acidic ingredients, agreed!

You obviously did not grow up on a farm in rural Alabama like I did! Ha!

@@UncleScottsKitchen Lol...I guessed it was some kind of a regional or ethnic thing. I lived in various places in Canada and okra is a rare thing to hear about. I hear about it more in the natural food community than anywhere else. Okra has African origin, and is clearly listed as a food popular in the southern US. Okra came to the US with the slave trade back in the 1500s, which makes complete sense, of course.

Ha! If I could figure out how to not make a mess, I was going to try and cook those Beyond Meats upside down.

@@UncleScottsKitchen 😅😅

I have a high end duxtop. They all have the 6” element due to voltage restricton of 120. The freak is supposed to be better but I have seen people test it and it’s uneven also.. a true range is the way to get away from it.. even though from what I understand it still has uneven cooking but I guess not as bad..

My duxtop is on my channel if u wanna check it out to see which one it is.

You are right about that, but the whole reason I got a burner was because I had all of these people with high-end standalone induction ranges emailing me about pans warping on their big fancy stoves too. I just can't spend $1,500 for an induction burner, but I thought about getting a new range for the basement kitchen. I think they make models that are half-electric and half-induction.... might be good for pan reviews.

@@UncleScottsKitchen sounds like a stove meant jsut for pan reviews 😆😆

@@UncleScottsKitchen Why compromise? If you have used a well made induction stove once, you will never go back to normal electric coils / infrared. So better not get a hybrid (except a gas / induction one, that's another topic) and go for induction only. But make sure it has large coils and the best possible heat control. Be careful with 'flex zones', many of those only have a few tiny coils underneath and mostly consist of ... air. So a large coil may be better than a huge looking flex zone that mostly consists of empty space between a few tiny coils that cover only a small fraction of the zone. That's why I went with my 5 zone Electrolux stove top. It has four equally sized outer zones (~8'', one single coil each) and a larger center zone (~11'', combined inner coil and an outer coil with less windings to keep the stove within the power limit of privat households). That way, I can use any pot / skillet up to ~11'' on any outer coil and my larger pots / skillets up to ~14'' in the center. I never liked stoves with different sizes for each burner as it limits what cookware you can use at the same time. On induction, it makes even less sense as you always can use a smaller pot on a larger coil. The magnetic field conforms to the smaller pot as long as it has the minimum required size. So go with the largest coils possible as long as it doesn't exceed the power limit of your kitchen. Furthermore, it doesn't always have to be the most expensive stove top. I've seen 'premium' induction stoves with pathetical tiny coils underneath. My Electrolux 90cm 5 zone stovetop cost around 750€. It was the only induction stove with all outer burner of equal and decent size. Most other stoves have either flex zones (which often suck due to terrible coverage with coils underneath) or all coils of different (and mostly smaller) sizes.

Nothing wrong with that! I put up a review of an All-Clad too... excellent pan: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lOFW28FGAYU.html

I can't even look a chicken in the eye anymore!