Which rondeau to keep? De Buyer 28cm Affinity, or Fissler Original-Profi 28cm

Question

I bought a De Buyer 28cm Affinity SS Rondeau off BOL.com. Only paid 100 EUR for it as I had a 100 EUR Giftcard. Has not arrived yet.

Then what do you know.... The next day I picked up an used Fissler Original-Profi 28cm SS Rondeau for only 50 Euros. Also hasn't arrived yet.

Which to keep? I think the Fissler is a better product with much heavier weight and thicker bottom. The De Buyer is standard 5-ply.

I don't mind a second hand vessel as age is not an issue for good SS cookware.

Fissler:
https://www.fissler.com/gb/products/product-detail/original-profi-collection-round-roaster-28-cm/

De Buyer:
https://www.bol.com/nl/nl/p/de-buyer-affinity-braadpan-met-deksel-28-cm/9300000021893005/?Referrer=ADVNLGOO002032-G-110747913810-S-1052201430870-9300000021893005&gclid=Cj0KCQiAt8WOBhDbARIsANQLp96eB1vX1MuM6WXyZ797vDdsJ4uFw5csBOpJ2FtglDLbNsfOj9orxrMaAviNEALw_wcB

Answer

I (almost) own both cooking vessels. 

Almost meaning I own the very similar sized 5-PLY Mauviel M’Cook 28 cm sauter pan. 
I also own the Mauviel M250c 28 cm rondeau, which performs pretty similar to your De Buyer Affinity rondeau (ok my 2.5 copper is a better performer, but they are pretty similar performance wise)

I say keep both for these incredible cheap prices you bought them for. 

I use my Fissler OP 4.8 liter roaster for braises and smaller stews where steady temperature is key. 

I use my copper and PLY roasters/rondeau’s for pasta and vegetables dishes, where I like the ability of these cooking vessels to rapidly change temperature up and down. 

You can easily use both type vessels for all type of dishes, but I find my Fissler OP excels at low and slow dishes and my Mauviel M’Cook and M250c excess at high and fast dishes. 

Keep them both. This is bargain prices. 

I paid €160 for my Fissler OP and I waited for years to get the best price on it.

Answer

I would love to keep both but there are two small practical issues haha....

1 - There is a small chance that I need to move countries this year, and I can carry I guess around 40kg.

2 - I really don't need that many Rondeaus. Already have the Le Creuset braiser which I'm trying to sell. 

I'm somewhat tempted to just return the De Buyer if the Fissler is in a good condition. As soon as I use it I won't be able to return it....

Answer

You was on induction I guess?

Keep the Fissler and return the toy ;) then buy more Fissler.

Answer

They both will work fine. Keep the one that “sparks joy”. Lol.

But seriously, if 100 euros is NBD, then keep the one that looks better. Otherwise, keep the cheaper one.

Answer

An off-topic question.

What's everyone opinion of the Fissler 28cm Original-Profi 28cm casserole vs the Demeyere Atlantis 28cm casserole?

Both the same type of pans.

I'm uncomfortable with the Atlantis because of the walls are thinner. The base despite having copper is thinner too, 3.8mm vs 6mm.

Obviously these concerns are unjustified right? As the Atlantis is considered the top echelon of cookwares.

Answer

I would keep the Affinity. At 28cm you're not going to notice much difference in evenness, but you will in response. For one example, try making browned butter in both pans. When the solids brown to your satisfaction, lift the pans off the heat. Notice which pan continues to brown past your desired level. If you pour everything out immediately, it makes little difference, but one pan is more likely to blacken the solids into bitterness even with no additional heat input.

Plus, I think the Affinity has better F&F, and just looks nicer.

Answer

Just FYI you can pick up the Atlantis for around 220 Euros, which is still not a bad deal, considering the "prestige factor" if that's important to you.

So Fissler 28cm at 147 EUR vs Atlantis 28cm at 220 EUR

Not that I'm planning to buy one....

Answer

If you decide to ditch the Fissler let me know, I would be interested in it.

Answer

Got both delivered today. The De Buyer is going back.

Pretty easy choice. The Fissler is built like a tank and much heavier. The super thick bottom will be great for searing. The De Buyer despite being shiny and new might struggle to maintain a good sear on my electric top.

Another advantage is that I'll get 209 Euros back in cash, so effectively converting the 100 EUR giftcard back into cash.

I simply don't need that many pans.

Answer

In this case the Fissler is the better pan. Affinity is pretty and has good fit and finish. But at the end of the day it’s relatively thin clad, and at 28cm I think you will be disappointed. The Fissler is the better heat spreader and the fit and finish is also top notch. I had a similar decision with my 28cm Prima Matera. It was beautiful and responsive, but at 2mm copper it was just not quite even enough for my taste. My 28cm Falk stewpot does that job now though, and I also have the Fissler.

Answer

Today I used the Fissler for the first time, to make Coq au Vin.

I am seriously impressed. This thing performed incredibly. On my undersized ceramic hob the temperature difference between the center and edge was less than 20 degrees C, sometimes not even 5-10 degrees C. This is unimaginable for a large diameter pan on an undersized hob. My Proline isn't even able to achieve this level of eveness!

The chicken pieces seared beautifully. It took a little longer I think compared to my Le Creuset DO but the browning was the most even I've ever seen.

Really an under-rated and fantastic piece of kit.

If it wasn't so damn expensive in Europe I would be tempted to get myself a brand new shiny looking one :)

This one I got I guess is at least a few years old. Yesterday I used oven cleaner to clean most of the oil burn off the bottom and sides, but it certainly shows its age. The edge of the lid was also a little crooked at spots, but I fixed most of it with a hammer.

Answer

It's not fair that I never gave the De Buyer Affinity a chance, but being a much thinner 5-ply at 2kg weight (excluding lid) I guess it simply won't have the capacity for to sear several chicken thighs at the same time.

Answer

By the way guys I found this Fissler model on a German website called PureNature for 189 Euros, which is reasonable I guess.

I never bought from them before so not sure how reliable their service is. This is the cheapest I could find so far in Europe.

Answer

Has anyone been able to ascertain qualitative differences between the 2019 Original Profi and the newer variant? There’s quite a discrepancy in price currently. Usually the “newer” (presumably improved) version is more expensive on a manufacturer web site. Fissler is currently the opposite, and I can’t help but wonder why.

Answer

The De Buyer has gone back. I wasn't able to get all of it back in cash, so I still have a 100eur BOL.COM giftcard that I need to use up.

So I decided to get a Demeyere Atlantis 24cm Casserole 5.2L. I'm missing a pot of this size/dimension so I guess this is a good opportunity. After the Giftcard I will pay 105eur out of my own pocket, basically the same as the De Buyer which cost 209eur.

Today I saute'ed a large batch of vegetables in the Fissler. This makes me question the need for my 32cm Proline 7. It is a hassle to use the Proline 7 because I need to get out my portable gas stove. The temperature distribution on the Proline 7 is also not as good as the Fissler.

Answer

The Atlantis arrived today.

I have to say that the sides are really thin. I know in practice it does not matter especially if you're cooking with liquid but I do feel a little uncomfortable with it just based my personal feeling/preference. The side is basically the same thickness as the Apollo series.

The bottom is also quite thin at 3.8mm. It "sounds" quite thin when I knock on it. From the side it looks much thicker than it really is because of the edge where the body is "bonded" to the base, but it is in reality much thinner.

Now I'm curious how it will cook. I'm a little worried with the 2mm copper base it will cook "faster" than I would like.

Answer

For those that are interested. I did some temperature testing with the Apollo, Industry, and Atlantis on my somewhat undersized electric hob. The hob size is 21.5cm. All the pans are 24cm in diameter.

What I found:

- The Apollo and Atlantis both distributed heat amazingly well. The temperature difference between the center and edge was about maximum 12C in the Apollo, and less than 10C in the Atlantis (due to the copper I guess). It took about 6-7 minutes for the center to reach around 220C, and the temperature difference for the first 3 minutes or so was extremely small, at around 5C.

- The Atlantis cooked slight faster than the Apollo. The difference was only noticeable after the first 4 minutes. I would say about 30 seconds faster to reach the same temperature.

- The Industry performed the worst. The temperature difference between the center to edge was at maximum about 30C towards the end. It also cooked noticeably faster, approximately 60 seconds faster than the Apollo.

This now makes me question why does the 5-ply cookware provide less even heating?

It also makes me question why we should buy the Atlantis over the Apollo? Considering that they basically performed the same.....

Topics

Locations

Your post has been published!

Which rondeau to keep? De Buyer 28cm Affinity, or Fissler Original-Profi 28cm

Discussion Summary

Product

Fissler Batterie de cuisine 4 piÃces, 4 faitouts avec couvercle, Tous feux dont induction, Inox 18/10, Original-Profi Collection : Amazon.fr: Cuisine et Maison

More from Chowhound

Guides

The Ultimate Spring Produce Guide: What's in Season & How to Use It

Recipe Round-Ups

Quick and Easy Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes for Less Morning Stress

Guides

How to Care for Enameled Cast Iron So It Lasts a Lifetime

Home

The Best Tool to Clean a Wood Cutting Board Is Probably in Your Compost Bin

Trending Discussions

Favorite Chowhound Memories

A Final Goodbye for Chowhound

Chowhound Recipes That You are Saving

Food52: Goodbye to Chowhound, the Internet’s First Food Hub

NY Times: Chowhound Closes After 25 Years of Food Obsession, Wisdom and Debate

Quick Links

Latest Discussions

Cookbook of the Month

Dish of the Month

Weekly Menu Planning

Get fresh food news delivered to your inbox

12 Irish Foods to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day That Aren’t Corned Beef and Cabbage

Chowhound

Policies

Community

Editorial

Content