Mauviel Vs De Buyer: Which Brand Makes The Better Cookware?

Mauviel and de Buyer are both reputable cookware manufacturers, and avid home cooks and top-level chefs trust their products. If you are someone who finds their favorite space to be the kitchen well, then you are undoubtedly asking the question of whether Mauviel is better than de Buyer or the other way around.

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Mauviel and de Buyer manufacture prime quality cookware, but at the end of the day, Mauviel takes the top spot for various reasons. These include usability, ease of cleaning, and overall better quality. However, it must be stated that de Buyer is still a valid candidate and offers excellent performance.

Now you know what you can expect from each of these brands, and each has its pros and cons, and we shall examine these in finer detail below. Deciding to buy products from either Mauviel or de Buyer is a big move regarding cookware, and you want to be as best informed as possible. Therefore we highly recommend reading on to find out more.

Examining Mauviel Vs. De Buyer Cookware

Mauviel Vs De Buyer, this is the question we are examining. Both companies make a range of cookware out of varying materials and cater to different preferences in terms of what type of cookware you like, whether copper or carbon steel cookware and such. They both pride themselves on creating the best possible cookware, but how do they measure up to one another?

Mauviel Cookware

Mauviel was founded way back in 1830 in France by a man called Ernest Mauviel (hence the name of the brand). The family-owned company is also referred to as "Mauviel 1830" due to the year of its founding and is located in Normandy, France, in a town by the name of Villedieu-Les-Poêles. The town is aptly named; in English, it translates to "God's city of the pans."

The town is predominantly renowned for its tin and copper smiths. Mauviel is most well known for their beautiful copper cookware; however, they have three other lines of cookware: carbon steel, nonstick aluminum, and stainless steel. Mauviel is considered to offer one of the best quality cookware globally and is run by a seventh-generation Mauviel family member.

In its early years and even leading up to modern times, Mauviel has been a staple for cooks and chefs within the professional and commercial markets. Today, they continue to offer their superior quality products to these spheres while catering to the household markets.

De Buyer Cookware

As far as reputation goes, this company which also hails from France and has been manufacturing cookware since 1830, is a hard-to-beat brand. They are world-renowned, and many professionals rely on their products to get the job done in their kitchen. If you are wondering about their cookware, they have a diverse range, but de Buyer is best known for their carbon steel products.

The cookware comes from Le Val-d'Ajol, a village in France, and is found in the Vosges department. As mentioned, they make a range of products, including those made from copper, steel, stainless steel, nonstick aluminum, and obviously, their signature carbon steel cookware.

One interesting fact about de Buyer is that their steel range of cookware can be placed in the oven and will be perfectly safe. For their other products, be sure to read the instructions pertaining to the product to find out for definite if you can place it in the oven.

Additionally, de Buyer prides itself on its nonstick coatings, which are safe to use in standard conditions. They are free of harmful chemicals and compounds such as PFOA and PFOS. Their manufacturing is also environmentally friendly, and they ensure their customers that no harmful particles are released into the atmosphere during the coating process.

Mauviel Vs. De Buyer Carbon Steel Cookware

Carbon Steel and copper cookware are what we will examine in detail as they are the two most popular forms of cookware that you are likely to find in any kitchen. Before we get into which one offers the best carbon steel products, we need to understand what we are looking at when it comes to carbon steel and then examine product examples.

Carbon steel has not replaced copper, but there are certainly more and more cooks and chefs who are looking at it and deciding that it is their favorite form of cookware, and there is good reason behind this. For instance, all you will need to do is look at the advantages we shall discuss below and consider how much is offered from this cookware.

Many home cooks dislike carbon steel; however, the professionals love it. And you are sure to find it in many restaurant kitchens. The reasons for this are that compared to stainless steel, it is better at heat retention. It is more nonstick than Teflon, and when we examine it against cast iron, it stands out in ease of use and maneuverability.

If you have the budget for it, then your next best option (which we shall discuss in further detail) is copper, but there you are, looking at a significant jump in price. The one downside to copper cookware is that the cooking surface is often stainless steel; thus, you do not reap the benefits of a nonstick surface.

Apart from the other reasons that copper is more appealing than carbon steel, there is also the fact that carbon steel does not look as aesthetically pleasing as copper, or stainless steel, for that matter. Carbon steel is what you would categorize as an industrial material, and it requires work to keep it well maintained.

One of these components is that carbon steel requires seasoning, just like cast iron. However, it will acquire nonstick seasoning after just a few uses instead of weeks or months. One benefit, though, and something that it has in common with cast iron (despite being more lightweight), is that it retains heat incredibly well.

So let us examine a comparison between examples of Mauviel and de Buyer's lightweight carbon steel products that, unlike cast iron, allows you to flip and toss food.

Mauviel M’Steel Round Frying Pan, 12.5-Inch

As we know, Mauviel is a French brand and the Mauviel M'Steel 12.5-inch Black Carbon Steel Fry Pan is something that would definitely surprise you. It is undoubtedly a worthy contender in the carbon steel market, even though Mauviel is best known for its copper products. This pan is likely the lightest one you will find out there, as it comes in at just over three pounds.

The pan is kitted with a straight, nine-inch handle that perfectly balances the pan's weight and contents. It has round fluted edges that are angled so that if you are cooking with grease or oil, they will keep it inside the pan when you are searing steaks, for example. Another noteworthy feature is that working with it resulted in evenly cooked food.

Unfortunately, the pan comes with a thick layer of beeswax that you need to spend time and significant elbow grease to remove with steel wool before seasoning it. What is exemplary about this pan is that once you have removed it, the seasoning process is a breeze and almost instantly obtains a nonstick coating.

A bonus feature is that the pan heats up quickly and maintains that heat to ensure that you have evenly heated food and that both sides are equally done when searing steaks. Even once removed from the heat, unlike certain other metals, it retains its heat for a fair amount of time.

Even though Mauviel specializes in copper cookware, they give de Buyer a run for their money. There have been some tests of the two models we are discussing, and the verdict in some cases has been that Mauviel may have outdone de Buyer (even though this is their domain).

De Buyer Mineral B Round Carbon Steel Fry Pan, 12.5-Inch

Although de Buyer is renowned for its carbon steel cookware, many were not impressed by this particular model. The de Buyer 12.5-inch mineral B Round Carbon Steel Fry Pan was at the bottom of many people’s lists when it came to this category.

One of the main things that do not play to its favor is that it is far too heavy; it weighs almost six pounds, and this is coming close to the same weight of a cast-iron skillet to give you an idea. Additionally, it features a long handle that is unnecessarily so, making it awkward and quite challenging when trying to maneuver it with one hand, and the handle's edges dig into your hands.

It is not all that tragic for this fry pan model; it has some benefits. It does an impeccable job at heat induction and is likely the top contender in this department. You may well appreciate this quality if you often need to sear steaks. There is also a helper handle that does offer better design points overall, but it does make for more challenging cleaning.

So even though de Buyer has a reputation for making some of the best carbon steel cookware, it is rivaled by the Mauviel model in this range. However, if the price is a factor for you, we suggest you go with the de Buyer version because overall performance, all brands in this range are similar.

Mauviel Vs De Buyer Copper Cookware

While the nonstick nature of carbon steel can be highly appealing, there is a lot about copper cookware that makes it just as popular, if not more at times. One of the significant differences is that copper cookware is far more appealing to the eye. It is a highly functional metal for cooking as it responds well to heat changes, and the tin-lined versions will offer a low to nonstick cooking surface.

There are going to be drawbacks to copper cookware, just as there are for any other type, but in most cases, it is found that the pros outweigh the cons, making it a worthwhile investment. Examining the two brands, we looked at their copper cookware in general and then honed in on what the conclusive notes were and which sets of cookware we would recommend investing in.

Mauviel Copper Cookware

This company was borne from a town steeped in copper manufacturing, and Villedieu-Les-Poêles is often referred to as the "city of copper." The journey began with Ernest Mauviel, and still to this day, is it a family-run business that his descendants inherited. They have been perfecting the art of manufacturing copper cookware for almost 200 years, and it clearly shows in their products.

What they offer is not merely exquisite-looking and ornate cookware, but rather that which is also highly diverse and remarkably functional. As far as we know, the company boasts that their copper pots and pans are hand-made by expert craftspeople who ensure that the traditional touch is not lost in our fast-paced world where products are churned out without care for true quality.

The best set to look at purchasing if you are interested in Mauviel copper cookware is to opt for the Copper Triply 7-Piece Cookware Set. The cookware is predominantly hand-crafted, as mentioned, and the same methods of craftsmanship have been passed down through the generations of copper cookware makers.

Some modern elements have been added to the copper cookware, and like the carbon steel cookware, it is layered. These possess a three-layer construction and are made up of a .5mm copper exterior, a heat-responsive aluminum core, and a stainless steel interior that reduces the chances of food sticking.

They still offer a more traditional look; however, the stainless steel interior is excellent as it will make for easier cleaning and does not react with the food in any way. All in all, the Mauviel copper ranges, in general, are considered to be the best overall, not just compared to de Buyer but other brands too.

De Buyer Copper Cookware

De Buyer has been making cookware for just as long as Mauviel and also started in France in 1830. Their copper cookware is also made in France, and they offer several collections that may pique your interest, such as the Prima Matera, Inocuivre Service, and Inocuivre Tradition. Each collection is unique in style, yet all contain a stainless steel interior.

De Buyer is noted for having a collection, the Prima Matera Copper 5-Piece Set, compatible with induction cooktops. Although they, like Mauviel, try to maintain the essence of tradition and old-school techniques of manufacturing their cookware, they are also at the forefront of adaptability.

Their Prima Matera range, for example, has magnetic bottoms for induction compatibility. And although the overall structure is old-school, with 90% of the pots and pans being copper and only 10% stainless steel, they are keeping up with the times, as in the example mentioned above.

Regardless of the cooktop, you utilize, the results will be the same, thankfully. Even though they have specific compatibilities, the body of the cookware is only 2mm thick and, therefore (as it is predominantly made up of copper), will heat up rapidly (and evenly) but cool just as fast.

Conclusion

When looking for cookware, one needs to consider various aspects, including the heating properties; for one, you want to know how quickly and evenly the cookware heats and how long it retains it. Another primary aspect is the usability of the cookware, meaning how easy it is to handle and clean. Additionally, you want the cookware to be durable and have stability.

Ultimately, we conclude that if you can afford Mauviel, then opt for their cookware as it offers better overall performance, is of superior quality, and will outdo any other cookware or at least be tough competition. This is what it is for de Buyer, a competitor they cannot quite match up to.

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