Again, as with all the pans we tested, cleanup of the Smithey No. But as weve noted above, if youre willing to put in a bit of work on your end, even an affordable cast iron pan can become an invaluable part of your kitchen arsenal. Smithey Ironware's No. (Tip: Be sure to dry the pan completely, and dont let it soak in water, as cast iron will rust if left wet.) The steak stuck a bit, but the sear was nice and brown. For those willing to pay extra for a more aesthetic skillet, the Smithey's ultra-smooth, polished interior and copper color makes it stand out, while also delivering top-notch performance. For under $20, it's a versatile and effective piece of equipment from an American legacy brand with a lot of trust in the space. This is a perfectly good option for an economical cast-iron skillet, though the brand doesn't have as strong a reputation as some others we tested. Field Company has a more matte finish than other vintage style and it was a little more forgiving with initial seasoning attempts compared to its glossy counterparts. Check. 8 pan is so lightweight. The Lodge Chef Collection 12-Inch Skillet rose to the top of our rankings for not only delivering great results across all of our testing criteria, but also for its affordable price. The pan's thin cast walls and base make for, not only a lighter weight pan, but one that heats up much faster and more consistently than a conventional cast-iron pan. A cast iron skillet is a workhorse and can do just about anything. 8 is a lightweight pan that heats up fast, seasons well, and can be used for a variety of purposes. Reseasoning the pan was also a breeze: Add a thin layer of oil, distribute it with a paper towel and bake it upside down for an hour or so. Weighing just 6.5 pounds, compared to the classic versions 8 pounds, the Chef Collection comes preseasoned with 100% natural vegetable oil and has two slightly larger pour spouts that allowed us to deftly remove oil from the pan without a dribble in sight. Just be sure to go gentle on your cast iron skillet when cleaningyou want to keep the seasoning intact, so steer clear of harsh soaps and abrasive brushes. Priced at $42.95, its a good value. Right out of the box, its coating (made with 100% non-GMO flaxseed oil) held up to our tests, yielding evenly-cooked fried eggs that didn't stick at all, and a nicely browned potato. But if your budget allows, wed step it up to a higher-rated model. The Victoria simply came with a better seasoning out of the box, and was slightly more comfortable to hold and maneuver. With Lodges long and well-regarded company history, lifetime warranty, great results and approximately $50 price point, we think the Chef Collection 12-Inch Cast-Iron Skillet will be the new focal point of your kitchen essentials. Is It Better To Lease Or Buy A Car In Summer 2022? But for just a few bucks more, we recommend upgrading to the Lodge Chef Collection skillet. It was on the heavier end of the spectrum though (5.2 pounds), and we ultimately found ourselves drawn to the lighter weight pans. When we talk about "seasoning" on a cast-iron skillet, we don't mean flavor enhancers like salt and pepper. For stubborn stuck-on food (it happens! Butter Pat Industries make cast-iron pans for real aficionados. Like many of the other newfangled vintage-style cast-iron brands (read more about what vintage-style means below) Lancaster pans have a glassy smooth cooking surface. It came out on top when it came to even heat distribution the only pan that measured basically the same temperature in both the center and around the edges. Also, a cast iron pan should be heavyits iron, after all. Yes, the helper handle is more of a helper tab, but we didnt need too much assistance in lifting this skillet. Does the design of the skillet boost its performance? A good toaster oven should be able to do everything your big oven can do, just in a cuter, more compact package. We didn't deduct points from pans without a factory seasoning, but if they did have one, we considered how effective it was at creating a nonstick surface without any initial effort from us. The Finex Cast-Iron Skillet was a unique addition to the test; the product comes from the Portland, Oregon-based company that has made a few changes to the design of traditional cast-iron skillets. The brand has been producing cast iron since 1896, and some of those original pans are probably still out there cooking. Rather, the advantage of an upmarket cast-iron pan comes from adding all the design differences mentioned above together. If youre looking for an inexpensive pan that produces fine results, the Victoria is worth a closer look. Straight out of the box, we had high hopes for the Smithey No. Below youll find our top choices, as well as the specifics of how we tested, what we looked for specifically in the best cast-iron pan, and the other models we reviewed. Thats it. It takes a lot more material and effort to create a cast iron skillet compared to, say, non-stick cookware. When you make a purchase through links on this page, we may earn a commission. Lodge Chef Collection 12-Inch Cast-Iron Skillet, Butter Pat Joan 12-Inch Cast-Iron Skillet. Lodge skillets come in a range of sizes, ranging from 3 1/2 inches in diameter up to 15 inches, but the 8-inch option is a top choice for everyday use. We thoroughly tested 18 of the leading cast-iron skillets at various price points, looking for the very best models on the market. The Best Toaster Ovens for Roast Chicken, Emergency CookiesAnd Toast, Of Course. The more we worked and added to the seasoningeven with just a few teststhe better it got, which bodes well for a lifetime of use. Perfectly pre-seasoned with soy based oil, its ready to use right out of the box with a size and weight that work well for the oven, stove, grill or over a campfire. Despite what you may have heardthey rust easily! On the so-so side, the flat handle was just fine comfort-wise, and the tab that serves as a helper handle was too small to be of great assistance. We did find it a little difficult to clean though. Pans from legacy cast-iron cookware companies and new highly rated DTC brands went head to head as we determined which offered the best cooking experience right out of the box. It got points for its lifetime warranty and did a fine job when it came to pouring out oil (its shape means eight pour spouts), but it was the slowest pan to heat oil and felt extremely heavy even though it weighed 6.3 pounds. With its ultra-smooth, polished interior, copper color, signature three-hole design on the helper handle and pretty stamped California Valley quail bird logo, the craftsmanship is easy to spot. But the 10-inch skillet doesn't have a helper handle on the side, which felt like a dealbreaker for such a heavy-duty piece of equipment. With its unique octagonal design, large coiled handle and industrial vibe, it also stood out in many of the tests we put it through. The three holes on the helper handle are a trademark of the brand, but they also serve a functional purpose, allowing you to easily hang the pan from a rack and giving it better grip. 2022 Forbes Media LLC. The weight is largely due to the nature of iron and its ability to reach and maintain high heat is derived from that weight. While polished pans do take longer to build up a consistent seasoning, by nature of being smooth, they weren't any less nonstick out of the box compared to the pre-seasoned rough pans. It worked wonderfully when it came to releasing cornbread from the pan, lifting right out with ease and, while our fried egg flipped nicely, it left just a bit stuck to the pan. Fried eggs fared just as well: Again, cooked in 1 tablespoon of butter, they released and flipped with zero sticking, simply gliding around the pan. To counteract that, we suggest rotating the pan while cooking, especially if youve got, say, several slices of bacon going at once. One common complaint about cast iron skillets is that theyre extremely heavy. The heat distribution and time it took to heat oil were toward the bottom of the pack, however, and the Field was the only pan without any pour spouts. These pans also tend to be heavier, and take a longer time to get to an appropriate cooking temperature, but maintain the heat for longer. The 5 mistakes to avoid when cooking with cast iron. Preseasoned with multiple layers of grapeseed oil, it aced nearly all our tests. To revisit this recipe, visit My Account, thenView saved recipes, By Elaheh Nozari, Kendra Vaculin, and Wilder Davies. Our testing included 10 cast-iron skillets, ranging in price from $22 to $295. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Those low-cost brands make excellent cast-iron pans, and we still recommend them for anybody new to cast iron who wants something affordable. It has super shallow walls which makes it more suitable for making pizzas (makes sense since this is a pizza oven company), pancakes, or pizookies, and for sauting or searing on the stovetop. While you cant put your cast-iron pans in the dishwasher as you would with modern nonstick pans, when properly cared for theyll perform just as well, and theyll last a whole lot longer. Not only that, it's a hefty six pounds, and the most expensive in the lineup. Its time to upgrade your nonstick skillet. To use it, lay it flat against your cast-iron skillet and move it up and down. Ultimately we found that the sum of all of the Lancaster pan's design features added up to something that's much more user friendly than a conventional cast iron pan. It did a wonderful job with cornbread, leaving nothing but a few crumbs from our slicing and the eggs and steak left just the smallest bits behind on the pan, easy enough to scrape right up with our spatula. A Warner Bros. The French-made 9-inch skillet has a durable nonstick, chip-resistant black enamel finish on the interior (so you can skip the seasoning) and an enameled exterior in 11 color options. Pretty on the counter? It includes a matching lid, allowing you to use it similarly to a Dutch oven: You could easily braise meat or bake bread in it, thanks to its oven-safe design. The important thing here is to dry the pan completely right away. Its two loop side handles give you a better grip when moving the skillet and also make it easier to store. We did worry that the smooth surface would mean the sear would be less textured than that of a rougher pan, but seared chicken thighs came out perfectly burnished and crispy, and the tall side walls are ideal for shallow or deep-frying. The Camp Chef Cast-Iron Skillet also turned out to be a pre-seasoned pan that wasn't especially nonstick straight out of the box. Lodge is an American company beloved for its affordable cast iron cookware, and many experts agree that its budget-friendly skillets work just as well as those from high-end brands. 2022 Cond Nast. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Preseasoned with 100% non-GMO flaxseed oil, it features a longer, 7-inch curved handle than other models, along with a wide helper handle. Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson, The best cast-iron skillet: Lancaster Cast Iron No. Making a cast iron pan is also time consuming: It requires a lot of grinding to get the right finish. Not only is cast iron one of the best cookware materials for heat retention and distribution, but its also unbelievably durable, lasting for generations if cared for properly.