We buy all the products we test — no freebies from companies. If you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission, which helps support our testing.
In the market for a quality cast iron skillet? We bought 15 of the best pans, and our experts spent weeks cooking all of their meals and baking various desserts in cast iron. We closely evaluated performance while sautéing onions, frying eggs, baking bread, and slow-cooking roasts.
The Lodge 10.25" is the first skillet we recommend. It has a good ole' reliable feel and a go-to utility that makes it a good option for just about anyone. For an enamel upgrade, the Le Creuset Signature Skillet is our top pick for those willing to make the investment.
If you're more of a bread and dessert person, a Dutch oven can come in handy with its deeper sidewalls and lid. There are many styles of cookware out there, each with various advantages and shortcomings. If you aren't interested in using cast iron, check out our testers' favorite cookware sets for non-stick and stainless steel options.
Editor's Note: We updated this review on November 25, 2024, to provide some additional details on a few of our top award recommendations.
If we had to suggest only one cast iron skillet for your kitchen, it'd be the Lodge 10.25". This classic utilitarian skillet could be the last one you (and your progeny) ever buy. It's backed by the Tennessee-built quality and durability that has made Lodge a household name for over 120 years. Compared to other models, this finely forged pan boasts outstanding temperature control. While it can take a little longer to heat up, it's also slower to cool down and maintains a consistent temperature at both low and high heat. From searing steaks to sautéing onions, you can expect a low to non-stick surface that gives you enough control to nail your recipe. While the pan's relatively sandy finish may feel rough at first, this skillet quickly builds a robust layer of seasoning.
Although the Lodge 10.25" would certainly benefit from a longer handle or one with an ergonomic curve, this skillet still balances its weight well. We wish the two pouring spouts were deeper, though. As it is, you have to pour very slowly and carefully to control the flow of sauces or au jus. The diameter fits nicely over most oven eyes, helping to maintain that consistent temperature we so appreciate. But you'll want a pot deeper than 2 inches for large, single-pot meals. This skillet is tall enough to dry frying bacon, but don't expect the sidewalls to block much of the splash-back from shallow fried chicken or pork chops. That said, the flaring sidewalls do make it great for baking pies and crisps. From breakfast to after-dinner dessert, this pan will keep you fed all day long. If you prefer a more ergonomic handle and useful pour spouts, check out the Victoria 10". Though it's not the best for even heating, it is easier to maneuver.
Based on its outstanding performance and lifelong durability, this valuable and versatile skillet is our go-to for everyday cooking.
Nearly 100 years of craftsmanship shine through with the Le Creuset Signature Skillet. From sautéing to searing, this relatively shallow skillet is more than capable of tackling everyday cooking and baking duties with ease. Though it weighs as much as similarly sized pans, it feels lighter thanks to a well-made handle. This is one of three enameled skillets we tested, and the iron is covered with a bonded layer of glass-like black satin enamel that does not require seasoning, translating to quicker clean-up times. Of the enameled pans we tested, this one offers the best cooking performance, cooking the most consistent medium rare steak in our searing test, which won a close second in our taste tests. The exterior is coated in a beautiful porcelain enamel and is available in a rainbow of colors.
You do have to treat this pan's enamel finish with some care. Metal utensils can damage the finish, so Le Cruset suggests sticking to wood or silicone tools. While this may be an issue for those who need a versatile and easy-to-use pan, the price point suggests that this is by no means an entry-level cast iron. It is also expensive and relatively shallow, with less volume than the competition. Still, the beautiful Signature Skillet is ideal for experienced chefs and those accustomed to heirloom-quality cast iron. If you don't need or have the budget for a skillet this pricey, the Lodge Combo Cooker is a steal of a deal. It is more affordable and lacks the enamel finish, so you don't have to worry much about metal utensils scratching your skillet.
It's been proven that blue is the least appetizing color... but it's easy to argue against that when this beautiful pan is capable of producing a wide variety of delicious meals.
A deep pan, shallow skillet, and Dutch oven all-in-one
Shallow skillet doubles as a top
Durable
Versatile
CONS
No pour spouts
Heavy all together
If you're looking to start a cast iron collection, the Lodge Combo Cooker is a great start. This 3-in-1 set includes a deep 4.6" skillet and a standard 2" pan. The shallow side sports a uniquely designed lip that allows it to nest securely on the deep skillet, and voila! — you have a Dutch oven. This was the first cast iron our lead tester ever bought. It's seen daily use for the past 5+ years and is going strong. The deeper side is perfect for sauces or chili, the shallow end is a go-to for pan-frying and sautéing, and the Dutch oven works great for baking bread or slow-cooking roasts in the oven.
Lodge is a well-known brand in the cast iron world, and the high quality of these pans earns that respect. That said, both of these skillets heat less evenly than many other models we tested. They come pre-seasoned with a “pebble” finish that takes some time and effort to properly season, especially since the effort is doubled. Though not the cheapest option, this set offers a lot of value when you consider that you're buying three separate tools. When you consider everything you can make with a dependable deep skillet, a shallow fry pan, and a bonus Dutch oven, the value is clear. Still, for some, even heating is a priority. If you fall into this category, we suggest checking out the Greater Goods 10".
The shallow skillet has a purposefully designed lip, allowing it to sit easily on top of the deep skillet. Helpful as a lid for covering sauces... even better used for baking as a Dutch oven!
The Victoria 10" is delightful to use, thanks to a thoughtful design. The pan's long, arched, and comfortably shaped handle makes it easier to maneuver than most despite weighing as much as the competition. This keeps it feeling agile when flipping eggs or pancakes. The deep pour spouts are also more functional than most, allowing you to accurately distribute treats like browned butter. While the preseasoning didn't stand out early in our test, by the end, we were frying eggs without leaving any residue behind. This skillet also prepared one of the tastiest medium rare steaks in the test, with a delicious, carmelized sear second only to the top scoring Lodge 10.25".
During our sear test, the Victoria 10" maintained a consistent 400°F temperature but did not distribute that heat as evenly as other contenders. The pan-covering flapjack we cooked had a browned middle and was a little doughy around the edges. When using a laser thermometer to test heat distribution along the surface, we noticed it varied more than most. The Victoria also takes a little longer to warm up but holds heat well after initially heating up. If you find cast iron skillets cumbersome, this one is much easier to maneuver and functions nearly as well as our favorites. Folks who value ergonomics and even heat distribution may prefer the Greater Goods 10".
While the Victoria's seasoning journey had some stops and starts, it arrived in the end.
Doesn't accept seasoning as easily as non-burnished pans
We have loads of praise to pile on the Greater Goods 10". For starters, it's one of two we tested with a machine-milled, burnished cook surface. This old-fashioned finish is often reserved for cast iron pans that cost three times the price of this one. Though it's still necessary to season the skillet properly by cooking with butter or oil, the smooth finish is naturally slick. This skillet was clearly designed to balance its weight and optimize ergonomics. It has a long handle with a comfortable grip that doubles as a utensil holder.
Due to the steep sidewalls, the Greater Goods cooks more like a classic sauté pan than a skillet, which typically has rounder sidewalls. The bottom also seems thin compared to other similarly-sized pans. We measured nearly uniform temperatures across its cook surface, but the lightweight build doesn't hold heat as well. This type of fine temperature control will appeal to those who are on top of managing burners (read: professional chefs) but might be annoying to some of us with less cooking experience. The Stargazer 10.5" Seasoned is another great machine-milled option that does a better job retaining heat but costs quite a bit more.
The burnished finish of this pan makes it impressively non-stick after some proper seasoning. Check out how cleanly this quiche lifted off the bottom!
We love the Lodge Dual Handle 12" for cooking up generous, one-pot dishes like stir-fries or searing several steaks at once. Despite its large size, this skillet is impressively lightweight, making it a pleasure to use. From pizza to apple pie, cinnamon rolls to tarts, this skillet will become a go-to for baked goods. You can improve its baking performance by purchasing a 12" Lodge lid, sold separately. Dual handles make it manageable to lift in and out of the oven, and a quality finish helps the pan quickly begin to accept excess oil and butter as seasoning.
Like many of the larger skillets in our test group, this model performed less impressively in our temperature and cooking evenness control tests. Sizable skillets such as these tend to heat unevenly because they are larger than most stove eyes. Large cast iron skillets can also be thinner than smaller versions to maintain a manageable weight. The only time this impacted our cooking quality with the Dual Handle was when simmering sauces since the pan's center was significantly hotter than its sides. If you often find yourself cooking and baking for a crowd (paella, perhaps?), this is our top recommendation. For others who require a smaller, thicker skillet, we recommend the Lodge 10.25".
A perfect lemon tart, lifted just moments before with ease out of this un-greased cast iron. Amazing!
Credit: Aaron Rice
Compare Products
Cast irons of every shape and size, and a kitchen prepped and ready for hands-on testing!
Credit: Aaron Rice
How We Tested
To kick off our testing process, we scoured the internet for the best cast iron skillets on the market. We purchased all the pans in this lineup at retail price to facilitate an objective, comparative review. We tossed these cast irons around the kitchen for weeks, examining their quality, measuring their temperature, and, of course, cooking lots of food. For months, we cooked every meal in these skillets, baking cornbread and quiche, frying eggs and bacon, sautéing onions and mushrooms, shallow frying falafel and pork loins, grilling chicken, searing steak, and slow-cooking pork shoulder. All while evaluating their cooking performance, assessing how easy they are to use, and considering how much cleaning and maintenance each one requires. To create this comprehensive, side-by-side review, we put these pans through over 250 individual tests.
Each pan's score is determined using five key metrics:
Cooking Performance (30% of overall score weighting)
Seasoning (25% weighting)
Ease of Use (25% weighting)
Maintenance & Clean Up (10% weighting)
Craftsmanship (10% weighting)
Why You Should Trust Us
Our home cooking experts for this test are Aaron Rice and Clark Tate. When Araon's not out in the mountains — either testing for GearLab or working as a ski patroller and avalanche educator — it's likely you'll find him at home and in the kitchen. Aaron learned to cook from family at a young age and has worked in and around professional kitchens for the better portion of a decade. From baking bread to slow-cooking carnitas to pan-searing fresh veggies, Aaron cooks with his own personal collection of cast iron daily — including a few heirloom pans that are nearly 70 years old.
Nearly every childhood meal Clark consumed was cooked on a cast iron, and she has amassed quite a collection, including one from each of her grandmothers. She uses both daily. Cooking is how Clark destresses, and she loves how cast iron pans satisfy her need to use products that last and help her feel connected to her family.
Whether you are searching for your very first cast iron or just looking to add to the collection passed down from your grandparents, our in-depth analysis includes 15 of the best cast iron skillets to suit the needs of any home chef.
The Lodge 5-Quart Deep Skillet, quickly earning its keep on our stove top through regular use and its ability to continuously produce great quality sauces.
We assembled a panel of scientists (albeit in the field of geophysics) for our steak searing taste test.
Side-by-side comparison is our secret sauce, bread-and-butter, or any other food-related idiom you can think of to describe our testing process.
Analysis and Test Results
Cast iron skillets are trusted throughout the culinary world as both workhorses of the kitchen and heirlooms that deserve the utmost respect. If properly cared for, these pans can easily last generations and become more refined with every meal. We took into account five key qualities that define a great cast iron skillet: cooking performance, ease of use, seasoning, maintenance and clean-up, and craftsmanship. We then tested these skillets side-by-side, analyzing and ranking them according to each metric. We have seasoned pans, cooked meals, measured surface temperatures, and scrutinized craft, all to bring you an in-depth comparison to help aid your search for the perfect cast iron skillet.
Worse Value
Better Value
What's the Best Value?
Often, value is not simply a matter of price point; a truly valuable product balances performance and price. Our ideal balance is plenty of utility without breaking the bank, and we have found that not all expensive products have outstanding performance, and vice versa; not all low-priced products offer a good value over the long term. For cast iron pans, it works out nicely that the award-winning Lodge 10.25" Skillet is a workhorse pan available at a price any kitchen can afford. For those looking for a cast-iron starter set, the Lodge Combo Cooker is our top choice for overall value. This 3-in-1 includes all of the pans you need for cooking: a deep fryer, a skillet, and a Dutch oven. This complete set comes at a price comparable to many individual cast irons. The Lodge Dual Handle pan also rings up at a great price for a huge, 12" cook surface, and is ideal for those regularly cooking up family-size meals.
Large cast iron skillets in the 12-inch range, like the Lodge Dual Handle 12", are the right size for “single-pot” meals.
Credit: Aaron Rice
Cooking Performance
To test cooking performance, we logged daily hours in the kitchen, turning out delicious food for weeks. To refine our daily observations and impressions, we also designed objective evaluations to assess how evenly the pan's heat, their searing ability, and their temperature control.
Unsurprisingly, the top scoring pans overall also excelled in our cooking performance test — specifically, the enameled Le Creuset Signature Skillet and Staub Enameled 10" Fry Pan, as well as traditional cast iron skillets like the Lodge 10.25" and Victoria 10". But there were some remarkable standouts in each culinary skill set we tested.
The Lodge 10.25" Skillet is certainly a workhorse of our lead tester's home kitchen, serving daily duties like sauteing onions.
Credit: Aaron Rice
Cooking Evenness
While copper and stainless steel pans have a better reputation for heating evenly than cast iron pans, which are prized for their heat retention, there are certainly some standout pans in this review. To test them, we warmed each skillet on low until the temperature stabilized and used an infrared thermometer to measure surface temperatures in the pan's center and each quadrant. We also baked cornbread and cooked a pan-sized pancake in each skillet, noting any temperature gradients.
To put exact numbers to cooking evenness, we used an infrared thermometer to precisely measure temperatures across the surface of each pan.
Credit: Aaron Rice
The Smithey No. 10 and Lodge 10.25" both provide an impressively even cooking surface. The similarly burnished Greater Goods 10" pan and the enameled Bruntmor Enameled with Lid are also standouts in this metric
Although relatively expensive, the beautifully cast Smithey No. 10 offers an even heat distribution unlike any other cast iron pan we've tested.
Credit: Aaron Rice
Larger skillets are too large to match up with the eyes of most stove burners, which is a major factor in distributing heat evenly across a pan. For that reason, none of the larger skillets we tested perform particularly well in this metric. The center remains significantly warmer than the edges of the pan. That said, the only time we really noticed this was when making a pan-sized flapjack and when we neglected to stir our sauces regularly.
Cooking a full-pan flapjack is a great way to look for hotspots. Here we have the Stargazer, Le Creuset, and Camp Chef from left to right in the back row and the Lodge 10.25" and Victoria 10" up front.
Credit: Clark Tate
Searing Ability
Our searing test is definitely a crowd favorite. After covering each pan in a thin layer of high-heat oil (we used canola), we preheated each one before raising it to an ideal searing temperature of 400℉. We then seared roughly equal ¼-pound cuts of red meat on each side for two minutes, monitoring the temperature and aiming for a perfectly rare steak.
Cast iron is capable of holding a steady 400F temperature, making it a great option for searing steak.
Credit: Clark Tate
The Lodge 10.25" and Lodge 5-Quart Deep Skillet, both thick cast iron skillets that are slow to heat up, seared our steaks to near perfection. The Lodge 10.5" Square Grill Pan also won us over thanks to its even surface temperature and consistent ability to sear meat to perfection. The Victoria 10" had an excellent sear but cooked the steak a bit less consistently.
A fan of perfect grill marks on nicely browned meat? Look no further than the Lodge 10.5" Square Grill Pan, a specialty skillet that impressed us with its ability to retain even temperatures.
Credit: Aaron Rice
Temperature Control and Heat Retension
We then tested how long it took each pan to reach 250℉ on a gas burner. The Lodge Dual Handle 12", Victoria 10", and Camp Chef 12" reached the temperature the fastest. That's not necessarily a good thing. When we removed the pans from the heat and let them cool, they were also some of the fastest to lose their warmth, and they tended to heat less evenly. Since heat retention is such a key benefit to using cast iron, we tend to prefer options like the Lodge 10.25", which is slower to warm up and slower to cool down.
A cast iron that heats consistently makes for better baked goods, like the delightfully crisp edges and soft fluffy center of this Stargazer baked cornbread.
The diameter - and thus, the overall surface area of a pan - is a factor that directly correlates with temperature control. Here, you can see just how big different-sized pans are over a normal gas burner. Clockwise from top left: 3.5", 6.5", 12", and 10".
We also brought each pan from medium heat down to low and waited for surface temperatures to stabilize. This simulates a common cooking practice when you set your meal to simmer. Based on the second half of this test, the Lodge 10.5" Square Grill Pan is the winner for temperature control, stabilizing only 1℉ away from the mark — definitely an asset in terms of aiming for that ideal internal meat temperature.
The Le Creuset Signature Skillet is an interesting exception, stabilizing at 287℉ when we dropped from medium to low and keeping our food hotter than we would like. It behaved normally in our other tests, though, cooling at a similar rate to the other cast irons when removed from a heat source entirely and maintaining a 250℉ when set to low from the get-go.
Consistent surface temperatures are a necessity when aiming for a particular internal temperature of a steak. Here, we are keeping time and measuring surface temperatures to ensure that each pan is being tested evenly.
Credit: Aaron Rice
Seasoning
To maintain a non-stick surface, cast iron pans must be seasoned and preheated properly. The mysterious-sounding process of seasoning is simply using heat to bond a layer of oil to the surface of your pan. The process, known as polymerization, links individual oil molecules into a chain that forms a hardened, smooth, non-stick cooking surface. Each pan we tested comes with a layer of seasoning from the factory and with recommendations to deepen and maintain that seasoning over time. We tested both.
One of the best (and tastiest) ways to deepen or maintain the seasoning on your cast iron pan is to regularly use it to cook fatty foods like bacon. You should also use extra oil during the first several uses or start with an easy assignment for your pan, like baking brownies or cornbread. This video from Epicurious with Chef Frank Proto is also really helpful, running through the basics of cleaning and maintaining your cast iron.
We found that the Lodge 10.25" and Lodge 10.5" Square Grill Pan arrived with the most robust seasoning that was easy to improve and maintain over time. The Le Creuset, Staub, and Bruntmor pans earn top marks by side-stepping the issue altogether. These high-end pans have a “satin enamel” coating over the cast iron that doesn't require seasoning at all. Just add oil or butter when cooking.
One of our favorite ways to season a pan is to shallow fry, which allows the oil to soak into the cast iron under consistent heat. Here, we directly compare two of our award-winners, the Lodge 10.25" Skillet (front) and Le Creuset Signature Skillet (back.)
Credit: Aaron Rice
We tested our skillets by frying an egg in a tablespoon of oil right after washing them for the first time. The results ranged from a bit of a sticky mess to a smear of fried egg left behind. This was somewhat expected because while pre-seasoning is a nice place to start for our evaluations, you'll need to continue the process to create a more robust, non-stick layer while breaking in your pan.
Really pushing the capacity of our head tester's home oven, by packing it full of cast iron for seasoning!
Credit: Aaron Rice
After using our pans for weeks with a bit of extra fat and oil and conducting regular maintenance, we repeated the fried egg test with very different results. The most impressive pans by far were the Lodge 10.25" and the Victoria 10". Both cleanly fried an egg with no residue. The Lodge Dual Handle 12" was a close second place. The enameled pans, which don't technically need seasoning, excelled in the first egg test. But they didn't improve over the testing period, so the best non-enameled cast irons surpassed them in the end.
The ugly result of our initial fried-egg test... and a great reminder of why it is important to properly season your cast iron skillet before cooking.
Credit: Aaron Rice
As a generalization, Lodge pans seem to do a much better job of accepting oil, as they quickly start to feel like an heirloom cast iron pan in terms of the quality of seasoning. They are also rough to the touch, often the result of a sand mold. In fact, all of the pans we tested are pebbly to the touch, with a few notable exceptions — the
machine-milled and burnished Greater Goods 10", Stargazer 10.5", and Smithey No. 10. Similarly, the three enameled pans, the Le Creuset, Staub, and Bruntmor, offer satin-like finishes.
The Utopia Kitchen 12.5 may not have sidewalls as proportionally deep as its large diameter might suggest, but it still works great for shallow frying. Which is another great way to season a cast iron pan.
Credit: Aaron Rice
While the shiny surfaces of the machine-milled skillets offer some natural non-stick properties, we found that they are also harder to season. Baked goods released from the Greater Goods skillet with very little residue, but meat cooked on the stove tended to stick. Similarly, pan-frying a pork chop (admittedly a bit too high of a temperature) stripped some of the seasoning from the Stargazer. Even after reseasoning it three times in the oven, it still held on to a bit of egg in our final frying test.
The Greater Goods 10" is burnished smooth. The patina you see will develop and change over time.
Credit: Aaron Rice
The same is true of the Smithey No. 10; we couldn't keep a seasoning on this pan no matter how carefully we cooked or cleaned, using only a wooden spoon and a regular sponge. The rough finish of the traditional cast iron pans seems to offer a better purchase for seasoning to build on over time.
A well-seasoned cast iron pan should be hydro-phobic (literally, scared of water.)
Credit: Aaron Rice
Ease of Use
To assess how easy each of these skillets is to use, we considered key components that affect the cooking experience. We noted which pans offered pour spouts and tested their usefulness. We considered how ergonomic and useful each handle and holder turned out to be and tested our ability to wield each pan easily with one hand. We also tested these skillets on all appropriate cooking surfaces, including glass-top stoves and campfires, and we even threw them in the oven.
The Victoria 10" Skillet is among the easiest cast irons to use in the test thanks to particularly deep and well-designed pour spouts, a long and curved handle that makes its weight much easier to wield, and a larger grip handle out front, giving you both better leverage and a better chance of it staying cooler longer.
What size cast iron is going to suit your particularly cooking needs?
Credit: Aaron Rice
The Lodge 10.5" Square Grill, Stargazer 10.5, and Camp Chef 12" also have longer handles with a curve that helps you counter-lever their heft. We really appreciate how much lighter they feel as a result. The long, notched handle on the Greater Goods 10" is comfortable and doubles as a utensil holder. Most of the Lodge pans we tested, other than the 10.5" Square Grill, left us longing for more leverage.
A heavy-duty design and short handle affect the balance of the Backcountry 12"... Best to use two hands when handling this sizable cast iron.
Credit: Aaron Rice
On the poorly designed side of ergonomics, the Backcountry 12" has a peculiarly short handle, especially in relation to the pan's large size. The Utopia Kitchen Pre-Seasoned skillet, with a similar diameter, is only a slight improvement on the Backcountry 12" pan thanks to the fact that it weighs one pound less and has a slightly longer handle. Well-designed handles matter so much because cast irons are heavy and can be difficult to handle when empty, let alone brimming with food. We measured each pan's weight on a digital scale and also noted our personal experiences while cooking.
If you really value ergonomics, look specifically for a pan that includes an articulated handle to help you lift these heavy skillets.
Credit: Aaron Rice
The Le Creuset Signature and Stargazer 10.5 skillets are a bit lighter than the rest and also feel lighter thanks to their curved handles. We were also impressed with the balance of the Lodge Dual Handle 12". It feels much easier to handle than other similarly sized pans, particularly when pulling it out of the oven. If you struggle with the weight of cast iron, steer clear of the Bruntmor Enameled Cast Iron. This beast weighs in at just over 14 pounds with the lid, and that's not including food weight.
Based on size, weight, and the fact that it has a lid, we prefer using the Bruntmor Enameled deep skillet for braising and slow cooking single-pot meals like pot roast. But it is quite hefty.
Credit: Aaron Rice
Thanks to its thoughtful design, which forces you to use two hands to deal with its weight, the Lodge Dual Handle 12" also earned our respect. It's one of the most versatile skillets in this review. Equally suited for shallow frying chicken as it is for baking cinnamon buns, we were surprised by how often we found ourselves reaching for this pan. If you like to make tomato-based stir-fries or sauces, consider purchasing an enameled pan since the acid can damage traditional seasoning.
We loved baking in the Lodge Dual Handle.
Credit: Aaron Rice
But the Lodge Combo Cooker's 3-in-1 capability is, without a doubt, the most versatile purchase option. This set covers all major bases—you get a deep pan for sauces and frying and a shallow skillet for sautéing, and then stack the two to get the equivalent of a Dutch oven.
Thanks to the included lid, the Lodge 5 Quart Deep Skillet also excels at slow cooking, like the carnitas pork pictured here.
Credit: Aaron Rice
Many home bakers find that cast iron pans are particularly useful for sustaining the steamy microclimate needed to perfect the chewy crust of a San Francisco-style sourdough bread. Deep pans that include a lid, like the 5-Quart Deep Skillet or Combo Cooker options from Lodge or the Bruntmor Enameled Cast Iron, are all great choices if baking bread is one of your goals.
Testing out bread baking with the Lodge 5-Quart Deep Skillet (back right), as compared directly with our lead tester's trusty Lodge Dutch oven.
Credit: Aaron Rice
For baking things like pies, quiche, tarts—or anything that has a bottom crust—we found that pans with rounded sidewalls give these crusts the right shape and make them much easier to lift from the skillet. The Lodge Dual Handle 12" sports the most curve at the point where the sidewalls come in contact with the base of the pan, whereas the Backcountry 12" has a notably angled transition at this point.
It's possible to bake delicious, artisan-grade loaves of bread at home with a covered cast iron. In fact, many home bakers insist on them!
Credit: Aaron Rice
Cast irons hold heat longer than most pans. If you leave your food in the pan, it will continue to cook even after you remove it from the element or the oven. This works well for foods that are easy to remove — like bread — or something that will be fine with a bit more cooking time — like a crisp or cobbler.
The Backcountry 12" skillet has the capacity to produce delicious pots of chili in good quantity.
Credit: Aaron Rice
Maintenance & Clean Up
Properly maintaining your cast iron is important to preserve its seasoning, but that doesn't mean it has to be complicated. If you follow a few cardinal rules, cast irons are almost easier to clean and maintain than any other tool in your kitchen. Essentially, let them cool a bit, wipe out any grime with a soft sponge, paper towel, or silicone scraper, and dry them completely. They will rust if you don't. A good maintenance practice to maintain seasoning is to dry them using low heat on your stove, wipe on a layer of oil, and leave them on low for 5 to 10 minutes. Viola.
Most of the skillets in our lineup require a similar amount of maintenance and care, but for the three enameled skillets, the Le Creuset, Staub, and Bruntmor, it's for different reasons. Since you don't have to season these pans, you don't have to be as fussy about cleaning, drying, and oiling them. (Le Creuset and Staub claim that their respective Signature Skillets and Fry Pans are dishwasher safe, though we wouldn't risk it.) You do, however, have to avoid using metal utensils or stacking anything inside these pans without padding them — either mistake could wear through the enamel finish. They can also crack if you drop them, bang them, or move them right from the stove into cold water. Incidentally, regular cast irons can do this too. Remember that they like to heat up and cool gradually.
Please, No Dishwashers — Dishwashers subject cast iron skillets to the drying forces of hot water and heat, which will ruin their seasoning. Similarly, you should avoid dry, high-heat cooking with these pans and always coat them with oil before placing them on a heat source.
Even the interior satin-enamel finish of the Le Creuset Signature Skillet benefits from regular wipe-downs of oil. Note, however, how the oil doesn't absorb like it would normally into raw cast iron.
Credit: Aaron Rice
For the non-enameled skillet options, a well-seasoned pan that is preheated is the easiest to clean and maintain. That's why the Lodge 10.25" skillet scores the highest; it accepts and maintains seasoning easily, and handles any type of utensil, metal included. Once you've broken this pan it, keeping it in top shape requires little effort. The Victoria 10" has the potential to be just as easy to maintain, but it takes more effort to build that resilient, well-seasoned layer.
How it started: cooking the first egg on the brand new, pre-seasoned Stargazer.
The event: we pan-fried a pork chop, with plenty of oil but at too high of a temperature. The seasoning came off under the burn scar.
How it's going: the Stargazer after three rounds of oven-based seasoning. The patina is more interesting now, and we managed to scrape it off when using metal thongs. Back to the oven...
Then there are the burnished smooth cast iron pans, which we struggled to coat with a robust seasoning layer. We expect this struggle to continue, meaning that you'll have to more carefully wash, dry, and oil the Stargazer, Smithey, and Greater Goods pans. The Stargazer and Smithey scratched so easily that we recommend avoiding metal utensils with them. On the other hand, too much texture can also be a problem. The Lodge 10.5" Square Grill Pan has deep grooves that are annoying to scrub.
The grilling ribs on the Lodge 10.5" Square Pan makes it just as great for evenly cooking asparagus as it does for steaks.
Credit: Aaron Rice
Craftsmanship
In many ways, cast iron is the durable, long-lasting alternative to modern, non-stick skillets. Many cast iron skillets become family heirlooms, passed down for generations. So, while blemishes or less-than-elegant lines may not affect their performance, they'll be around for a while. They might as well look nice.
Lodge pans dominate this review for a good reason—the Tennessee-based manufacturer has perfected its technique for over 120 years. The Victoria brand is no newcomer, either. The family business has been casting skillets in Medellin, Colombia, for three generations since 1939. The near-perfect balance, comfortably wedged handles and softly finished features shine.
A great cast-iron skillet is an heirloom kitchen item, that will ideally last for generations. This is the shallow skillet-half of our head tester's personal Lodge Combo Cooker: notice the beautiful sheen that has developed after years of nearly daily use.
It's tough to beat the vibrant color of an enameled cast iron. Here, we're browning meatballs in the Staub Enameled 10" pan, next to the stew simmering in our own Le Creuset Signature Round Oven.
The Victoria 10" skillet's elegant handle works wonderfully to offset its weight. a
Le Creuset and Staub are also venerated brands known for impeccable craftsmanship, particularly when it comes to enameled cast iron. Their dedication to that craft shines through beautifully. We are also impressed by the overall quality of the Greater Goods 10". This smooth-surfaced skillet is lightweight for its size and has a long, ergonomic handle.
The top-quality craftsmanship of Le Creuset Signature Skillet is too beautiful not to display!
Credit: Aaron Rice
Conclusion
Cast iron skillets are a quintessential part of any home kitchen. Some folks come across truly great cast irons in antique shops or at yard sales. Other lucky ones have them passed down as family heirlooms. Others must create that experience for themselves, buying a brand-new skillet that will become a well-loved pan. We hope we've offered some solid recommendations to make your search a little more manageable.
