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Jan 4, 2024 · Wirecutter. After testing 16 cast-iron skillets, we recommend the Lodge Chef Collection 12 Inch Cast Iron Skillet. It’s lightweight, sears well, and releases foods easily.
- The Winners, at A Glance
- The Tests
- What We Learned
- The Criteria: What to Look For in A Cast Iron Skillet
- Our Favorite Cast Iron Skillets
- The Competition
- FAQs
- Why We’Re The Experts
You just can’t beat this cast iron skillet that’s been a longtime Serious Eats favorite. It sears superbly and has hovered around $25 to $30 for time immemorial. If you’re new to cast iron, this no-frills, durable skillet is a solid choice to start with. The 10-inch Lancaster weighs just over four pounds, so it’s easy on the wrists and heats up fas...
Throughout testing, I used our winning enameled cast iron skillet from Le Creusetas a control. 1. Heat Conduction Test: I set the skillets over medium heat and immediately took the temperature of the cooking surface (left, center, right) with an infrared thermometer. Then, I set a timer in 30-second increments and took the temperature in the same m...
Which Size Cast Iron Skillet Was Best?
A 10- to 10.25-inch skillet will serve most people well—it’s the perfect size for frying up some eggs, flipping a few pancakes, or searing steaks. It’s what we reviewed in the past and what I stuck to in this update. That said if you’re looking for a slightly larger skillet, all of our winners are available in bigger versions. A 12-inch skillet, for example, is large enough for a family of four or for more substantial servings.
Seasoning and Surface Texture Wasn't Super Important
One interesting difference between old-school and new-school cast iron skillets is the color and texture of the pans. Newcomers like Lancaster and Smithey make brassy pans with smooth, shiny surfaces, while Lodge and Victoriasell black skillets with a grainy texture. The pan’s color reflects its seasoning: The darker it is, the more seasoned it is. (Seasoning is a buildup of polymerized fat, which creates a nonstick surface.) The brass-colored pans I tested (from Lancaster, Stargazer, and Smi...
Cast Iron Was (and Is) Durable
Cast iron skillets are sometimes misunderstood. I’ve known people who refuse to buy one because they think they’re too high-maintenance and yet others who have balked when they see me using a metal spatula to squish and scrape smashed burgers on my favorite dual-handled Lodge skillet. To all of them, I say: It’s going to be okay. Cast iron is an incredibly forgiving material; unlike PTFE-coated nonstick pans, you can safely use a hardy metal turner without ruining the surface. And while it’s...
A cast iron skillet should be durable and easy to maneuver—you’re dealing with a ripping hot pan after all. All of my top picks were on the lighter side, which made lifting cornbread out of the oven less of a workout. Helper handles and pour spouts were optional features that, while helpful, weren’t essential. Surface texture is often an indicator ...
What we liked:This no-frills skillet from Lodge has been a longtime Serious Eats favorite—and for good reason. It’s affordable, durable, and nonstick out of the box. It beautifully seared steak, baked golden cornbread, and fried eggs slid right off the surface. What we didn’t like: It’s on the heavier side compared to other winners (though it wasn’...
Lodge Chef Collection 10 Inch Cast Iron Skillet: This isn’t a bad pan per se; it seared well and didn’t have any issues cooking fried eggs. However, I didn't love the curved sides, which reduced co...What's the difference between bare, seasoned, and enameled cast iron?
A bare cast iron skillet has not been seasoned (take a gander at the next FAQ to find out how to do this!). A seasoned cast iron skillet has been coated with fat and heated, creating a polymerized layer that’s naturally nonstick. Finally, an enameled cast iron skillethas a cast iron core that’s coated in, well, enamel. This makes it more nonstick out of the box, and it doesn’t require seasoning.
How do you season a cast iron skillet?
It’s easy! First, take your freshly unpackaged skillet and give it a wash just in case there are any errant metal bits from the manufacturing line. After hand drying, you can set it over medium heat for a few minutes to ensure all the water is gone. Then, preheat your oven to 450°F. Rub the entire skillet with a neutral, high-smoke point oil (canola oil works) and place it in the oven for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the skillet (it’ll be hot), rub with more oil, and repeat another three to f...
Do I need to pre-season my cast iron skillet?
All of the cast iron skillets we tested were sold pre-seasoned or had a pre-seasoned option. In this case, you don’t need to do any more seasoning off the bat—you can get cooking and let that seasoning grow over time. If you buy a bare, unseasoned cast iron skillet, you’ll need to season itbefore getting started so you don’t end up with food stuck on the pan.
She previously tested gear at America’s Test Kitchen and worked in restaurants and bars, too.For this review, Grace tested 10 cast iron skillets (with the Le Creuset enameled skillet as a control) by examining their heat conduction, frying eggs, searing steak, and, in the winners, baking c...Mar 4, 2024 · Camp Chef 10-inch Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet at Amazon ($22) Jump to Review. Most Versatile: Stargazer Cast Iron Skillet at Amazon ($125) Jump to Review. Best Lightweight: Lodge Cast...
- Jennifer Zyman
Mar 11, 2024 · Many might say that the best cast-iron skillet is the one they got from Grandma. However, we aren’t all so lucky to inherit an extremely well-seasoned, smooth-as-glass pan that lets...
Apr 28, 2023 · 1. Best Overall Grill Pan. Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast Iron Square Grill Pan 10" Ocean. $187 at Amazon. Read more. 2. Best Value Grill Pan. Gotham Steel Aluminum Grill Pan....
Mar 20, 2024 · Amazon. Smithey No. 10 Cast-Iron Skillet. $170. Food52. $170. Smithey Ironware. Lodge 10.25” Cast-Iron Skillet. $34 $20. Amazon. $25. Target. A cast-iron pan is one of the most...
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Feb 9, 2024 · The best grill pan was the Lodge Chef Collection 11-Inch Cast Iron Square Grill Pan —it hit the sweet spot in terms of grill grate depth: The grates were tall enough to keep high-fat foods (like burgers) elevated so they still got identifiable grill marks, but not too tall that they prevented the food from cooking evenly.
