This is a beauiful pan! The 9.5 inch pan. I have a De Buyer French pan in the next size up as well. Both these are wonderful saute pans. In most respects I would prefer the Ballarini pan, but in a few respects I might prefer the DeBuyer pan. Both however are wonderful. I think the Ballarini pan achieves absolutely the perfect turn and height of the sides for the size of the pan. The DeBuyer pan has higher sides relative to the bottom surface. As far as a pan for omelets is concerned the Ballarini pan is ideal for making a French rolled omelet in the 2 to 4 egg size. For that purpose, there is little possibility of it being improved on. It is also the perfect pan for making Italian Fritattas or the famous Torte Espanole from potatoes and eggs. The form and height of Ballarini's pan sides are absolutely perfect for flipping, and sauteing. It is somewhat better in that respect than my particular deBuyer pan. With regard to seasoning, I found it slightly easier to season the DeBuyer pan, which also came as raw steel, not nitrided. I would like to see Ballarini offer this same pan in a nitrided ("blued") vesion. Nitrided carbon steels seem to me to give a more durable carbonized coat upon seasoning than does bare carbon steel. They also seem to be a little easier to season and tend to give a move even seasoning of the surface. The one nitrided steel pan I own was very easy to season. Nevertheless, once either the Ballarini or DeBuyer pans, are properly seasoned, these are lifetime non-stick pans and the equal of the best saute pans you will ever own. Another nice feature is that these pans can go into very hot ovens. There are no polymer handle parts to be damaged. A disadvantage, however, of these professional steel pans is that the high long handles will make it impossible to fit these pans into most toaster ovens and they may not fit as close as needed under the broiler of you main oven. These pans can always be refinished and re-seasoned, and that makes their useful lifetime essentially unlimited.. There are different carbon steels used by different pan manufacturers. Carbon steel alloy, sometimes called mild steel, is the most common kind of steel, it is used for nails, for example. Carbon gives the steel malleability, something hard brittle cast iron lacks. The malleability imparted by including up to about 4 % carbon in steel makes it much easier to form manufactured item such as cooking pans out of sheet steel. The main drawback of carbon steel is its susceptibility to rusting. That's were "seasoning " comes in. Seasoning is a way of applying an adherent coating of crosslinked and partially carbonized organic (in the chemical sense) coating to the steel. The carbon steel Debuyer uses is slightly easier to season than the carbon steel Ballarini uses. I wiish Ballarini would tell us in their packaging the nature of their anti rust coating applied at the factory to prevent rusting and keep the pan surface bright before it is sold.. If it is beeswax, then there should be no reason to remove it before seasoning the pan, because Beeswax is soluble in hot cooking oils used to season carbon steel pans. Let me make an additional comment here regarding stainless steel pans as some have commented that their seasoned carbon steel pan is easier to clean than stainless steel. There is a natural tendency to think that since stainless steel doesn't have to be seasoned why use carbon steel if stainless is available. Stainless steel has its place in cooking. But is can't replace seasoned carbon steel. Here is what everyone shopping for pans needs to keep in mind. Protein has a great affinity for steel whether stainless or carbon steel. It has less affinity, however, for some stainless alloys than others, but eggs will stick to steel! So uncoated stainless steel pans make lousy pans for cooking eggs! Seasoned, carbon steel or cast iron pans, on the other hand, become non-stick when eggs are cooked in them because protein dies not stick to elemental carbon nor to crosslinked vegetable oil, i.e., varnish. Also, seasoned carbon steel, or cast iron pans can also be used to cook acidic food such as tomatoes or butter sauces acidified with lemon juice, etc, provided the cooking is relatively brief and not prolonged.. You just can't store, or simmer all day long, acidic foods in these pans even when they are well seasoned. There is, however, absolutely no problem "deglazing" a properly seasoned carbon steel saute pan with wine or vinegar. Both stainless steel and seasoned carbon steel pans have there place in cooking, but they are not entirely interchangeable. And if you have lighter, and therefore more convenient, seasoned carbon steel Ballarini pans, you'll never have to use your clunky, wrist-breaking, cast iron skillet again for sauteing or frying. These pans are not only practical, but they are also beautiful in the eyes of anyone who appreciates top notch functional design.
