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These kitchen workhorses are a worthy investment for every cook. Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
A cast iron skillet is an affordable kitchen workhorse that lasts, and many cooks consider theirs to be heirlooms. James Beard Award-winning Southern cookbook author and chef Virginia Willis inherited her grandmother's skillet, which she estimates is 100 years old. "When I moved from New York and drove the car down, I put the jewelry, the unreplaceable art, and the cast iron skillet in my car.”
Willis uses her skillet so often that she washes it and puts it right back on the stovetop after use. "Mine is so old and well-seasoned that it can cook anything," she said. "It's a great metal, it heats up fast, and it holds an even heat. It's fairly inexpensive, whether you get a brand-new Lodge pre-seasoned pan or find one at a garage sale or a thrift store. It would be one of the first pans I would suggest to anyone building a kitchen.”
Willis is certainly not alone in her love of cast iron cookware. We love cast iron so much that we're constantly shopping for new pieces to add to our collections, and we have plenty of cast iron skillet recipes you may want to try. To find the best cast iron skillets, we rigorously tested 20 pans to observe their design, cooking performance, value, and more. Read on for our top-rated picks, plus a few helpful insights on cast iron cleaning and care.
We love this skillet's large helper handle, and the unmatched consistent and even heating.
The pour spout is pretty small and can cause drips and spills.
Lodge's skillet continues to be the benchmark for cast iron pans. Nick DeSimone, Food and Wine writer and former restaurant cook, says, "after spending years in professional kitchens using cast iron cookware, the 10.25-inch Lodge is the pan I always reached for at work, and is the only cast iron skillet I have in my home kitchen."
This skillet provided the most even browning across the board in testing, and cornbread was easy to turn out during our tests. There was no sticking, and the included silicone handle was a big help to move it around on the stove or in the oven. We're always pleased with Lodge's consistent heat distribution and searing capabilities — we loved how golden the cornbread got on top and bottom.
The helper handle made pouring liquid out of this skillet easy, but the spout is tiny and caused some dripping in our tests. Cleaning was effortless; debris left inside the pan simply wiped away with warm water. The price makes this skillet an exceptional deal for any household, and a perfect housewarming gift.
Diameter: 10.25 inches | Depth: 2 inches | Weight: 4.29 pounds
Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore
Food and Wine / Russell Kilgore
The skillet maintained its nonstick coating, and the design made it easy to use and maneuver.
Temperature was consistent at first but became uneven over time.
The Stargazer skillet was easy to maneuver in testing. The large helper handle has a wide opening, making the skillet easy to lift even while wearing oven mitts, while the curvature of the long main handle makes it easy to use one-handed. The smooth, flat surface of the pan allowed any stuck-on debris to release quickly with soap and a scrubber. In our tests, the cornbread cooked evenly and released from the bottom with one tap, though the searing on the pork loin was uneven in sections. The temperature in each zone of the pan was even at first but became unbalanced by as much as 20°F after a few minutes.
Still, we found this to be an incredibly versatile and high-performing cast iron skillet. We recommend it for home cooks who want a cast-iron pan but often run into trouble with sticking. Just make sure you keep it seasoned so it stays in good shape.
Diameter: 10.5 inches | Depth: 2 inches | Weight: 5.2 pounds
Food and Wine / Russell Kilgore
Food and Wine / Russell Kilgore
This skillet is light, easy to keep seasoned, and simple to clean.
The small helper handle and pour spouts are design drawbacks.
The Lodge Blacklock pan is the brand's higher-end cast iron skillet, significantly lighter than the original. At just 3 pounds, it's easy to hold with one hand, and the width of the main handle makes it feel sturdy. Although a helper handle is included with this pan, it’s quite a bit smaller and thinner than other models tested and didn’t provide much support when inverting cornbread. We were also disappointed with the pour spouts; they're a bit too small to promote a smooth and consistent pour.
It wasn't hard to clean the Blacklock, and it just needed a thin coating of oil once dry to keep it seasoned. It's at the higher end of the Lodge price range, but we still say it is a reliable, lightweight pan that performs well for most cooking tasks — and it's still pretty reasonably priced overall.
Diameter: 10.25 inches | Depth: 2.5 inches | Weight: 3 pounds
Food and Wine / Russell Kilgore
Food and Wine / Russell Kilgore
Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore
This inexpensive skillet provided a consistently even sear on pork, with uniform golden brown color.
It didn't heat very symmetrically during testing.
The curvature of the Camp Chef’s handle made it one of the most comfortable and easy to use. The design felt especially useful when flipping out cornbread and taking the pan out of the oven. During testing, we achieved a consistent sear on both sides of the pork, and the color of our cornbread was the same throughout. We found it maintained its nonstick capabilities throughout testing, too.
Given its performance and the fact that this was the single cheapest skillet we tested, we think this is an excellent value. It did great in the cooking tests, but when we measured temperatures, we found that it varied by as much as 30°F from edges to middle. That doesn't bode well for many baking tasks, or other recipes where even doneness is key. Still, it's a sturdy, high-quality cast iron skillet that stood up to pans as much as nine times the price.
Diameter: 10 inches | Depth: 5 inches | Weight: 5 pounds
Food and Wine / Russell Kilgore
Food and Wine / Russell Kilgore
Food and Wine / Russell Kilgore
This pan heated reliably, and the enamel coating makes it easy to use and clean.
We encountered some sticking, and the shallow slope of the sides made it messy to use.
We love everything Le Creuset, and it dominated in our enameled cast iron skillet testing. With a solid iron core bonded to a glass-like glaze, this skillet is built like a tank. (And it's available in a rainbow of colors.) "Le Creuset makes the best enameled cast iron; it's the only coated cookware I like to have at home. This skillet is my go-to for gifting," says DeSimone.
The enameled cast iron is slick, retains heat exceptionally well, and requires no seasoning. During our testing, it gave a great sear with fatty meat but ran into some issues with cornbread sticking to the inside . We loved the wide spouts, which make pouring off grease and scraping out food bits effortless, though we did get a lot of spatters in testing thanks to its shallow depth. (We used a splatter screen to mitigate the mess.)
During testing, all food was easily washed off with warm, soapy water. Le Creuset says this skillet dishwasher-safe, but we say not to risk it with any kind of cast iron. The extreme conditions of the dishwasher can damage both the enamel and iron layers over time.
Diameter: 10.25 inches | Depth: 3 inches | Weight: 6.3 pounds
Food & Wine / Frances Crouter
Food & Wine / Frances Crouter
Food & Wine / Frances Crouter
Food & Wine / Frances Crouter
The Lodge 10.25-Inch Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet has proven time and time again to be the best overall cast iron due to its unrivaled consistent heating at a stellar price. The best bang for your buck is the Camp Chef 10-inch Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet; it performed extremely well even against much more expensive competitors.
We tested a total of 20 cast iron skillets for this story. We assessed each pan on attributes like performance, design, and comfort, in addition to collecting quantitative data from a series of identical tests.
Once our other tests were complete, we revealed the prices of the skillets to consider value. At the time of testing, they skillets ranged in price from $17 to $250, with an average of about $100. With such a wide range, we noticed that higher prices didn't necessarily correlate to higher performance; several of the least-expensive skillets performed better than higher-end pans.
Buying a standard frying pan is definitely a little different from shopping for cast iron. Cast iron needs to be seasoned — coated with a layer of cooked-on oil that helps keep it nonstick. Some cast iron skillets are shipped completely bare and need a seasoning session upon arrival. Most of our recommendations are pre-seasoned, but make sure to check before you use the pan. Enameled cast iron is a little bit of a different beast: Its metal is coated with a smooth ceramic layer that makes it more like a traditional nonstick pan and needs less special upkeep.
The texture of cast iron pans is also something to consider: Some are finished very smooth, while others are rougher. Smooth-finished cast iron is less likely to stick in the first place, but the seasoning layer is harder to create and maintain. Rougher surfaces are easy to season over time. If you have an induction stove, cast iron is always compatible, but a rough-bottomed skillet might scratch its glass cooktop surface.
Cast iron skillets come in various sizes, ranging from 5-inch miniature pans to 15-inch family-sized options. Willis recommends a 10-inch cast iron skillet for most households, as it provides enough space for everyday tasks like making pancakes, frying chicken, and baking cakes without being too big and heavy to store. "I like something I can use to make tried-and-true buttermilk cornbread but can also use to roast a small chicken or sear two pork chops," she says. On the other hand, if you have the space, you can consider picking up a few sizes to fit your needs. Cast iron cookware can be as much display-worthy decor as actual cookware.
You may have heard that cast iron doen't need to be washed, or that it can be permanently damaged by soap. "That's totally a myth," says DeSimone, "Back when our great-grandparents were alive, soap had way more lye in it, and that could wear down the seasoning. Today, dish soap is more mild, and a small dab is completely safe to use on cast iron cookware." What's important is that you dry your pans thoroughly after washing; standing water can cause corrosion and rust.
Not cleaning your cast iron properly can actually make you sick. Little bits of food and grease can settle into the surface of your skillet and begin to rot. That spoiled food can mean foodborne illness, not to mention the unpleasant flavors of rancid bacon fat and last week's eggs. If you get really stubborn or burnt-on bits, a cast iron chainmail scrubber is a good tool, which you can also pop in the dishwasher to clean after you use it.
It's good to get into the habit of coating your cast iron with a thin layer of oil after every wash and dry. The oil acts as a conditioner for the iron, protecting it from moisture in the air. You'll also need to give it a full reseasoning periodically, but oiling can extend the life of each seasoning session. Neutral oils with high smoke points like vegetable oil, are the way to go. They won't go rancid, and they're the best choice for the chemical process of polymerization necessary to create layers of seasoning.
Some may think cast iron is indestructible, but Willis reminds us it isn't shatterproof. She's had cast iron pans crack from stress fractures during use and suggests treating your pans carefully. "It is a molten thing, and it's not stainless steel," she says. "If you look at its durability, it's just not as strong as stainless steel. A cast iron pan can crack and shatter."
Maneuverability is vital to consider when choosing cast iron. Cast iron is heavy; think of your wrists when looking at size and weight. Pay some attention to features that help make cooking and cleanup easier, such as handles and pour spouts. A helper handle — a loop across from the main handle you can grab with your off hand — is excellent for easy pouring and seamlessly sliding your pan out of a hot oven. The length of a handle and the addition of helper handles are key considerations. Shorter handles are a better choice if you have smaller hands or a little less lifting strength. We considered all of these factors during testing to ensure these cast iron skillets were up to our standards.
It depends on the manufacturer, so check your brand's specifications. Most skillets come pre-seasoned, but you do need to maintain the seasoning after repeated use. "Cast iron won’t provide the kind of nonstick like the infomercials you see, but it can be virtually nonstick if you use oil," Willis says. The factory seasoning will last for a while, but it's time for a reseasoning once you notice food sticking. "Well-seasoned cast iron is slightly shiny. I always know when my pans need to be seasoned because they look dry and matte," says DeSimone.
There is some debate about whether or not you should use soap on your cast iron. "I wash mine in hot soapy water and then thoroughly dry it with a cloth,” Willis said. "That's the way my grandmother did it, and I just think not washing the skillet is unsanitary." If the pan looks dry, she’ll apply a light coating of mineral oil and place it in a cooling oven to ensure any residual moisture is gone. If she finds caked-on bits, she uses salt as a natural scrub.
Willis recommends avoiding slow-cooking acidic items in cast iron, which can break down seasoning and start to corrode the metal during the cooking process. Though she's fine using a squeeze of fresh lemon to finish a dish of pork chops, she suggests an enameled cast iron skillet for something like a long-simmered tomato sauce.
If your seasoning isn't in tip-top shape, foods like eggs or pancakes will definitely stick and make a big, cooked-on mess. The same goes for delicate foods like fish, especially skin-on fish.
Cast iron is also a porous material; it absorbs oil in the seasoning process and can also absorb flavors in the cooking process. Your skillet brownie will definitely taste funky if you made garlicky roast chicken the night before.
Cuisinel Cast Iron Skillet ($23 at Amazon)
This is an excellent skillet for home cooks who want the most value for their money. Though the small handles might not be for everyone, it's excellent for anyone who struggles with more cumbersome pans.
Calphalon Cast Iron Skillet ($50 at Calphalon)
We liked that this pan comes pre-seasoned and sits at the lower end of our price scale. In our tests, it was easy to clean and sufficiently nonstick. However, it is very heavy and difficult to lift, and we noticed some uneven heating.
Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron Skillet ($17 at Amazon)
While the pan is inexpensive, its comfort and design could be better. However, its performance helped to bring that up a notch in the end. It's a good starter pan that you won't feel guilty throwing out if it gets ruined.
Field Company Cast Iron Skillet ($145 at Field Company)
Though this pan is beautiful, it was uncomfortable to use, and its performance was subpar. It's a little too pricey for what it is.
Not every cast iron pan we tested met our rigorous standards. Many failed with heat evenness, and others were destroyed after a few cooks. Some skillets didn't make the list because of excessive heft, and others were awkward to use during tests, like pouring oil from the pan. Still, some gave a fair performance but were deemed a low value due to an exceptionally high price.
Cast Iron Grill Pan Jennifer Zyman is a Senior Editor for Food & Wine and a former restaurant critic with a culinary school degree and over 15 years of food writing experience. Her work has appeared in Atlanta Magazine, Bon Appetit, Eater Atlanta, The Kitchn, Local Palate, National Geographic, Simply Recipes, Southern Living, and Thrillist.