Which of these De Buyer crepe pan sizes is best is best for a variety of crepes? The 9.5" seems small to me, but also seems popular.
Blue carbon steel (thinner):
9.5" (7.5" bottom)
Mineral B (thicker, heavy):
10.25" (8.25" bottom?)
12" (10" bottom)
Will be eventually cooking on a pro style gas burner, currently glass top induction.
this plate is 9.5" diameter - the pan ~10"
the larger the pan, the trickier it is to roll the batter around, it wants to set up before the bottom is fully covered . . .
also depends a bit on “crepes what?” - these are “breakfast crepes” - rolled with strawberries. frankly it would be a bit easier to manage if they were smaller.
savory / dinner size - need to be bigger.
Hi Tom, first off, that looks delicious… you just made me hungry!
Thanks for the tip on the pan size and batter rolling. From what I’m seeing of the De Buyer style crepe pans, a 9.5" pan only makes a 7.5" crepe, as the “walls” are 1". but, maybe I don’t have that right. We’d be talking both breakfast and dinner, and it sounds like one size will not do it all. To me, it feels like a 7.5" crepe will be on the small side.
I guess I’m the outlier here as although I have a 9.5, my favorite is an 8” pan.
Whether rolled or filled , sweet or savory, I think the filling or topping is almost the primary focus, the crepes just being the carrier. And even when it’s a simple topping of lemon/sugar, my preference is still for the 8”. You still need to fit them on the plate! I think it’s a bit difficult to get an even cook on larger crepes and flipping becomes a little more cautious when you go larger than 9.5”.
Regardless of size, they are sure delicious!
Wow, that looks amazing!
That is some good context on the smaller sizes. Thank you for sharing. Yes, I was thinking about the flipping, too. I love crisping up tortillas, and the ones we have in the fridge currently are about 8.5", so that may sway me a bit too… however, would really like a pan that’s not so heavy!
I like to fill the triangle shape with a lamb ragu and then use a tomato/marinara sauce , grated Parmesan to bake them, in Italian they are referred to as fazzoletti, handkerchiefs. Molto bene!
I am with you on 9.5 and 8. I also have a tiny one, makes a 3-4” crepe / blink size…
I refuse to admit to how many sizes I have😂
So, you also prefer the 8 over the 9-1/2, or you like both?
That may be the problem here… I do think we’ll end up with multiple. To be honest, I’m more savory than sweet, although my wife (who I’m getting the pan for) is opposite. Those lamb ragu filled crepes look amazing!
if your usual is folded, the larger sizes will do fine - over 9 inches getting the crepe out, stacked up, then filled&rolled, , , can be tricky without tearing/etc.
folded & topped - that doesn’t come into play.
for me, one plate be too small, one plate be too big . . .
I like both for different things.
I use the 9.5 most often, savory crepes / pancakes / quesadillas / dosa and more (it actually sits out on my stove).
I use the 8 dessert crepes or appetizer / starter / finger food for entertaining.
(I have another 8 that’s used daily as a tava / griddle in my mom’s kitchen. Also a 9.5, but she prefers the 8 for daily use.)
Crespelle and lasagne too.
Yes, Marcella’s layered crepe cake is a favorite!
Sounds like it’s hard to go wrong with any size, because you’ll end up with multiple in then end of the crepe story!
I’d start with the 9.5
Mine is a thin, old blue steel, 24cm at the rim. It knocks out fine crepes but also gets a lot of action for eggs. The extremely low walls make flipping eggs quite easy. Since 24 is a common size and I have several pans with 24 lids, it is also great for steaming eggs or melting cheese on most anything.
Thanks, Tim! Despite being thin, that blue steel works well for you? You’re on gas? We’re on electric glass top now, but in about 6 months when the remodel is done, will be on gas.
I use gas. It is small enough that decent heat dispersion is not a big issue and thin enough to be pretty responsive to heat.
