Cast iron is also known to develop a seasoned surface with use over time, a flavor that will find its way into the foods you cook in them. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/cooking-tools/g29993894/best-cast-iron-skillets/, Best Cast-Iron Skillets 2022. I cooked a burger on each of the three pans to test searing prowess.. That means no digging at it with metal utensils or scrubbing with heavy soap to get it clean. Available Sizes: 10.25 and 12-inch | Pre-Seasoned: N/A | Lid Included: No, "I tried hard to find things this skillet couldnt do, and I failed spectacularly since it did everything I asked of it." The Best Induction Cookware Sets for Precision Cooking, These Are the Best Skillets for Every Cooking Style, We Tested the Best Carbon Steel Pans to Use in Your Kitchen, The 7 Best Paella Pans, According to Chefs, The Best Cookware Sets for Glass Stoves, Tested by Our Experts, The Best Tagines for All Types of Cooking Styles, We Tested the Best Stainless Steel Cookware Sets for Your Kitchen, The Best Nonstick Cookware Sets, Tested in Our Lab, We Tested the Best Pizza Stones for Crispier Crusts, The Best Braising Pans for Delicious Meat, Soup, Sauce, and More. 10 Cast Iron Skillet at Food52, Le Creuset Signature Iron Handle Skillet at Amazon, Best Overall: As with most cast iron, some special handling is required to maintain this pan's seasoning, but the beautiful, American-made craftsmanship is worth the extra careand can be handed down as an heirloom later on. This is a heavy pan, so we appreciated the generous assist handle on one side, making it more stable to carry around or move from hob to oven. It's available in three sizes: 20, 26 and 32cm, meaning you're sure to find a pan to suit yours and your family's needs. I didn't notice any cold spots and it gave a very pronounced sear to my burger. These hardy and versatile pans can be used for a whole host of different dishes or used in place of your frying pan, roasting tray or pie dish. Our ribeyes achieved a deep rich crust and again, there was no sticking. A very well-seasoned pan will be smooth, black, and shiny, and drops of oil will bead up on the surface. Choose your pan wisely, and invest if you can. It also costs $250 which is more than I'd ever care to drop on a single pan. Frying pans tend to have a single long handle with a helper handle on the opposite side to make it easier to move and empty the pan. As well as the cooking tests, we marked the pans against the following criteria: One-pot recipesFrying pan sausage hotpotPerfect sauted potatoesFrying pan pizza pieHow to cook the perfect steakGiant skillet pan cookieHow to make the best fried eggs, Best non-stick frying pansBest pancake pansBest saut pansBest griddle pansBest pan setsBest saucepans9 of the best paella pans, Choose the type of message you'd like to post, 10 of the best cast iron skillets and pans. It also just looks really slick, especially if you spring for the lid., This is another cooking material that is often in the cast-iron conversation. This pan is available in four different sizes: 24, 28, 32, and 36cm. There was no need to top up the pre-seasoning before our first dish. Constructed of an ultra-durable alloy of steel and carbon, cast iron pans heat and cook evenly and stand up to the nicks, dents, and scratches one might typically find with other types of pans. It's heavy: a 10-inch model is generally at least 5 pounds, and while many of us may be looking for integrated exercise shortcuts, when you're hungry and short on time, flinging heavy cast iron around the kitchen is no fun. If it is not very well seasoned, you can use a paper towel to wipe on a thin layer of oil after cleaning to prevent rust during storage. As with most kitchen kit, the big-price tags won the day here, but there are some bargain buys perfect for starting your journey into cast-iron cooking. It has all the appeal of the rough-and-ready iron skillets in our round-up but has a silky smooth black enamelled interior that makes ingredients glide around. The answer is yes. What do buyers say? This high heat will give an excellent sear to a steak or a crust to cornbread, both of which can be difficult to achieve with stainless steel, nonstick and many of the rest. Cast iron is an effective heat distributor, plus these sorts of pans are unlikely to have plastic handles, so can be transferred to an oven like a casserole dish. While available in 7-inch, 10.25-inch, 12-inch, and 14.5-inch versions, we tested the largest size and found it to be one of the best on the marketsecond only to the Stargazer. Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron, Lodge 10.25-Inch Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet Review, Best Design: By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Lighter pans that cook similarly do exist and are worthy of consideration if you're looking to give your arms a break., I tried two cast-iron alternatives recently: A featherweight cast-iron skillet from Japanese crafter Vermicular andMade In's hearty blue carbon steel frying pan-- also billed as a lighter alternative to cast iron but with similar properties, I cooked a bunch of meals with both and then ran two official tests with the lighter pans alongside my cast-iron skillet to see how they compared.. Any chef will tell you how invaluable a cast iron skillet is for the perfect finish on steaks, but theres a whole host of other dishes that cook like a dream in a well-seasoned, heavy pan. Available Sizes: 10.5 and 12-inch | Pre-Seasoned: Optional | Lid Included: No, "This pan impressed us with its amazing browning and nonstick abilities, acing tests where many other pans failed. There's a good amount of space between the handles and the pan, making it easy to remove from a hot oven or even transport from hob to table. By submitting your information, you are agreeing to Lodge Cast Irons Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. To test nonstick properties, I fried a single egg using low heat to see how completely the egg would lift from the surface. An easy method is to apply a small amount of oil to the pan, wipe it onto the sides, and then heat it on the stove until its very hot. Some Dutch ovens designed for camp cooking have legs that allow them to be placed over hot coals, and some include concave lids so coals can be put on top, which allows the pot to heat from both the bottom and the top. Read our full Kuhn Rikon Black Star iron frying pan review. 7 Best Cast Iron Skillets of 2021 - Top Rated Cast Iron Cookware. This versatile pan is comfortable and easy to carry thanks to the two large handles. However, our reviewer did note that it's pretty heavy. The versatile Blacklock Triple Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet is part of Lodge's line of pans replicating antique cast iron. At 20 x 10.5 inches, it's large enough to serve a family (it'll cover two burners on the stovetop), but it's less than an inch thick, so it's a cinch to store. One of the downsides to cast iron is that it is much heavier than cookware of a similar size thats made from other materials. Also, like cast-iron, if cared for properly (e.g. Dutch Ovens/Casserole Dishes: Available in enameled as well as uncoated cast iron, enameled Dutch ovens are much more popular since you can use them to cook any type of food. It has a long and slim ergonomic handle and the main pan is distinctly thinner than standard cast iron. That said, there were no hotspots or cooler patches on the surface, and we found its fuss-free shape easy to clean, with no tricky areas to dry off once washed. But cast iron skillets arent just reserved for savoury dishes; swap out your cake tin and make strawberry, almond and polenta skillet cake or this sticky ginger skillet parkin. Not exactly the surface was definitely not as slick as the Lodge, with a further coating of oil advisable before first use. We will only ever feature cast iron skillets and pans that prove to be good value for money. The heat retention is great for producing impressive grill marks when using a grill pan, while griddles can be used for searing steaks or for making pancakes without the pan losing its temperature. Wed recommend this as a starter pan find out how you like to sear, and work your way up to a lower maintenance, higher quality version. Best cast iron skillets to buy in 2022How to choose the best cast iron skilletBest cast iron skillets at a glanceHow we tested cast iron skillets. The good news? The downside to enameled cookware is that the coating can crack or chip, rendering the cookware unfit for cooking. Slightly more shallow than some of the others here, it couldve done with slightly more pronounced pouring lips, as the rounded edges meant there was a bit of escaped sauce when we poured onto the plate. The thickness of the cast iron used directly impacts the pan's weight. Simply wipe the surface with a paper towel, rag or the sponge Made In provides with some hot water -- but never let it soak. The pan will change color over time (mine already has) but that shouldn't (and hasn't) affected the pan's cooking ability.. Introia sometimes uses her Dutch oven to also roast an entire chicken since its high sides prevent splattering and also provide consistent heat to help cook the bird evenly. Overall, the high price is worth it for such a quality, durable design. A great aspect was how non-stick it was when testing. Good Housekeeping and Popular Mechanics both picked the Stargazer 10.5-Inch Cast Iron Skillet. Get easy-to-follow, delicious recipes delivered right to your inbox. Cast iron does something that most other cooking materials can't -- specifically, imparts a firestorm of surface heat to food. Warm water and, when necessary, a little bit of soap will go a long way. If you're looking for a budget pick, we recommend the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet, which also performed exceptionally well and is a fraction of the price. We highly rated its non-stick surface, comfortable handle, even heat distribution as well as the general aesthetic. Since cast iron is heavy and it retains heat, a pan's handle configuration is important. The Vermicular light cast-iron skillet seared the burger well. How do you remove the seasoning from a cast iron pan? Woks, Pizza Pans, and Other Specialty Pans: There is a wide range of specialty pans made from cast iron, includingwoks,pizza pans, cornbread pans,tagines, baking pans, specialty braisers, scone pans, casseroles, biscuit pans, and more. New to baking with cast iron? Today, there are some manufacturers that are producing cast iron cookware made from thinner material. Ultimately, this pan's versatility earned it a near-perfect rating and a permanent place in our tester's kitchen. Eggs easily slid out of the pan and when we fried steak in it, we achieved a beautifully dark crust. Most new pans will come with seasoning instructions. You can also use kosher salt and hot water. The egg slipped right out of the pan. Weighing just 2.4 pounds, the fry pan's cooking surface is 1.5 millimeters thick and sports a thin enamel coating that keeps food from sticking. Its looped handle boasts a higher arch that's more ergonomic and stays cooler when pulling it in and out of a hot oven. To put our cast iron skillets to the test, we cooked a simple fried egg. This multi-use griddle has a smooth side for flipping flapjacks and a ribbed side for grilling steaks with perfect sear marks. These days I find myself reaching for these lighter "versions of cast iron" far more often than hot and heavy stuff. 10 Cast Iron Skillet, The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. ), a grill pan is an affordable way to get the char marks of outdoor grilling. It comes in black, grey, and red too. Its a great size perfect for browning large cuts of meat or cooking whole fry-ups. It was also the simplest to clean, didnt mark easily and didnt require any scraping to remove food. This is a best-selling skillet in the US, where having a pan like this is the norm. It comes pre-seasoned, and it's very easy to clean. This guide is regularly updated with new models that have been tried, tested and top-rated by BBC Good Food's reviews experts. Not only is it attractive, but it is also built to last. All rights reserved. Smithey Ironware Company No. In our egg-frying tests, the Stargazer was the only pan where not a trace of egg whites stuck, and it was also rated the easiest to clean. As a bonus, we love all the color options, which you won't get with unenameled options. Available Sizes: 6, 8, 10, and 12-inch | Pre-Seasoned: Yes | Lid Included: No, "This triple-seasoned pan was low maintenance between foods we made; it did not lose its seasoning after the first couple of tests and washes." Donna Currie, Product Tester. As it comes in various colours, it would make a good gift. Before use, it must be washed, dried, and seasoned. It had excellent heat retention in our lab testing, leading to even browning in nearly everything we made. Lodge is well known for its reasonably priced, but high-quality uncoated cast iron cookware that is made in the USA. Enameled cast iron cookers are a staple in her kitchen for soups, stews, curries, and other broth-based dishes. The outer edges were slightly crisp and nothing stuck. It's often dubbed a hybrid of cast-iron and stainless steel and in my experience, that's an accurate description. https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/food-drink/a28493008/best-cast-iron-skillets/. Staub Cast Iron Frying Pan (view at Amazon), Finex 10-Inch Cast Iron Skillet (view at Amazon), Victoria Cast Iron Skillet (view at Amazon), Butter Pat Heather 10-Inch Skillet (view at Butter Pat Industries), Camp Chef 12-Inch Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet (view at Amazon), Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron Skillet (View at Amazon), Field Company Cast Iron Skillet (view at Field Company). Smaller or less expensive frying pans might omit the helper handle, so you might need to use a two-handed grip on the long handle. The two-handled Prospector has all the heat distribution qualities wed look for in a skillet, and the 26cm version we tried from the range was perfect for a one-pan dinner for two, breakfast eggs or a couple of large steaks. They usually include a lid, which sometimes has small spikes underneath to channel moisture onto the food for moist cooking. This Nordic-style skillet from Fiskars was the sleekest-looking of the bunch it has a beautiful matte finish and wooden handle. Theyre more heavy-duty than a standard frying pan, making them resistant to knocks and scrapes. Cast iron cookware needs different carethan your typicalstainless steelor aluminum cookware, but once you learn how to handle it, its just as easy as any other pots or pans you own. Los Angeles-based chef Elodie Introia (aka The Hungry French Girl) primarily uses her bare cast iron skillets for searing meats and other sturdy foods. Theyre also the go-to pan for travelling and camping, as they can be used on pretty much every heat source. Marquette Castings makes a lighter cast-iron pan. This bargain pan looks very much like, shall we say, a tribute to the classic Lodge skillet the benchmark for most cast iron pans in the US. But we wanted to ensure that the outside of the steak wasnt just seared we looked for a perfectly pink medium rare inside. We loved that it had a handle on each side, making it especially easy to lift up and out of the oven. Check out our pros quick tips for cooking in enameled cast iron. A worthwhile look-alike though, with some of the chunky appeal and that all-important grab handle. As soon as the steak hit the pan it sizzled and formed a deep, rich crust. They can also be used for making soup stocks or soup, as well as for any long-simmering foods. Any rust spots that do appear can be rubbed away with fine-grade sandpaper before cleaning. After rigorous Lab testing, the Stargazer 10.5-Inch Cast Iron Skillet was the clear overall winner as it outperformed all the rest in its heating and nonstick abilities as well as its maneuverability. Grill Pans/Griddles: You can find grill pans, grills, and griddles in both coated and uncoated cast iron, from frying pan size all the way up to those that span two burners on your stove. Made of thick cast iron, it features a smooth, polished interior which makes the skillet easier to clean and maintain. How about a classic tarte tatin? 2022 CNET, a Red Ventures company. I haven't had many instances where that method doesn't do the trick but, if needed, a tiny drop of soap and some light sponge work won't completely ruin the pan. Care: Much like cast iron, you'll want to avoid the use of harsh soaps and chemicals that could affect the seasoning. Our favourite of all the iron skillets we tested, this classic is going to stay firmly in place in our kitchen armoury. In testing, we found that this pan's hefty size requires a bit more time to heat up, but it distributes that heat evenly and stays hot for a long time. Create golden-crusted chicken thighs for this pan-fried chicken in mushroom sauce or try our aubergine, halloumi and harissa skillet bake. Plunging a hot pan into water is a bad idea as the cast iron can warp. Griddlescan be used much like giant frying pans, except that liquid has to be kept to a minimum. Her work has appeared in many publications including Architectural Digest, People Magazine, House Beautiful, Delish, Eat This, Not That!, Greatist, and more. Therefore, its best to avoid simmering acidic foods, like tomatoes for a sauce. It grabbed the most egg of the three but nothing a warm washcloth couldn't handle., Care: Similar to cast-iron, you won't want to scrub this pan with any tough scrubbers or steel wool. Collier Sutter, Review Editor. The inner coating felt rough to the touch but once seasoned it started to build up a nice, non-stick patina. When cooking with acidic foods, such as citrus fruits or vinegars, give your skillet a further protective seasoning by wiping with some oil on kitchen paper to make a light coating that will help protect it from damaging chemical reactions. There probably isn't a cookware surface with a more fervent fanbase than cast iron and I totally get it. Whilst this skillet produced a nicely cooked fried egg, we found that it retained heat a little too well, meaning it was difficult to control the temperature. I've gotten great sears on my cast-iron regulars -- scallops, chicken, potatoes -- and the burger I cooked here was no different (see image below). They need to be regularly seasoned with oil or fat and be cleaned, dried and stored correctly. There's a deeper version too that's a few centimeters smaller in diameter for $155. Our tester was able to cook everything from steak to bread with ease. The company also has a line of enameled cookware that is made overseas. Beyond carrying out basic cooking tasks with each such as baking cornbread, frying up eggs, and searing steaks, we judged each one based on heating ability (conductivity, distribution, and retention); maneuverability (weight and size, the comfort of pulling in and out of a hot oven, and the ergonomics of each handle); nonstick abilities; and pour spout performance. It's suggested that you season this pan much like a cast-iron skillet. For the steak, we let the pan get ripping hot. The 10-inch skillet ($60) weighs 3.8 pounds, which is more than both of the pans we tested, but still significantly less than the brand's traditional cast-iron cookware.. To find out more about our reviews, head over to our how we test and review products page. aubergine, halloumi and harissa skillet bake, butter bean, chorizo and spinach baked eggs, strawberry, almond and polenta skillet cake, Kuhn Rikon Black Star iron frying pan review, Staub cast iron double handle skillet review. 10 Cast Iron Skillet, Best Enameled: The pan of choice for dedicated cooks, these skillets are also ideal for crispy chicken thighs in this pan-fried chicken in mushroom sauce, frittatas or even a classic tarte tatin. This pan fared better when we cooked meat. It was slightly lighter in weight than many of the other pans we tested, which has the benefit of making it easier to handle. Essentially, the Stargazer is a star that is worthy of its price tag. It also has spouts on either side which are really useful when needing to pour off excess oil. Very good., Made In's carbon steel gave the burger a terrific sear, on par with cast iron. Magazine subscription your first 5 issues for only 5! Its very heavy, but feels durable. Frying Pans: These are the most popular uncoated cast iron pans, while Dutch ovens are the most popular enameled products. Read our full Vonshef cast iron skillet pan review. *Coupon code will be sent to your email after you sign up for our newsletter! Let the pan cool for at least an hour and then scrub it with hot water and kosher salt to remove any oil residue. Gayle L. Squires, Product Tester. If that happens, most of the beautiful and tasty crust gets left on the pan and not on the burger, steak or chicken skin. A relative newcomer to the market, Stargazer was founded in 2015 by kitchenware designer Peter Huntley.