Our Picks For The Best Cast-Iron Skillet To Buy

Looking for the best skillet to buy in 2020? Look no further, we’ve put together the ultimate guide!

Which cast-iron skillet is best for you? It’s easy to find out! Check out pricing and in depth reviews here on Amazon.

1. Lodge L8SK3 10.25″ – Best Overall Pick

If you’re a new convert to the tribe of cast-iron enthusiasts, you would be hard pressed to choose a better jumping off point.

There are several reasons Lodge skillets are a popular first-timer’s choice: They’re American-made, so you know you’re getting a quality product; they’re pre-seasoned, meaning they’re treated with oil to prevent wear and rust; and they’re relatively inexpensive (cast-iron cultists routinely spend hundreds of dollars for quality pieces).

The Lodge’s versatility is typical of cast-iron (it handled campfire classics like bacon and cornbread with equal ease) and at five pounds, has weight but falls short of the wrist-breaking heft often associated with cast-iron cookery. The L8SK3 was our testers’ favorite for an entry-level cast-iron skillet.

(Click the picture for pricing on Amazon)

2. Calphalon Pre-seasoned 12″ – Easiest to Clean

Calphalon is a popular brand of kitchenware and their entry into cast-iron continues to uphold the standard they’re known for.

While the cooking surface of the 12″ skillet is quite a bit larger than the other skillets we tested, the Calphalon’s short handles make space management a non-issue (note: most of our testers required both hands to take the Calphalon out of the oven).

The most unique feature of the Calphalon is the curved slope of the pan. Rather than the typical “wall” construction of typical cast-iron which makes cleaning tricky, the gentle slope prevents food buildup; a nice touch given cast-iron’s reputation for being difficult to clean.

(Click the picture for pricing on Amazon)

3. Victoria SKL-212 12″ – Easiest to Handle

Another great entry-level cast-iron skillet, the Victoria SKL-212 scored high with our testers on ease of handling.

The extra-long handle and reinforced helper handle make the Victoria surprisingly well-balanced and ergonomic.

Outdoor enthusiasts will appreciate the longer handle for campfire cooking, and the thick sidewalls hold heat particularly well – great for crisp bacon and tasty crusts. Newbies to cast-iron cooking will appreciate the smoother finish of the cooking surface, making seasoning a far less burdensome task.

(Click the picture for pricing on Amazon)

4. AmazonBasics Pre-Seasoned 10.25″ – Best Budget Choice

We did not have high hopes for this skillet; products marketed towards the budget shopper typically disappoint in just about every category.

However, the AmazonBasics cast-iron skillet performed admirably for cookware in this price range, provided the time was taken for a full seasoning process.

While that might scare away the true culinary neophyte, those with a little expertise (or a few YouTube tutorials under their belt) can come away with a decently capable cast-iron skillet at a fraction of the price of it’s competitors.

(Click the picture for pricing on Amazon)

Review of Lodge, Field Co, Greater Goods, Presto

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Solid iron pots and pans aren’t only flexible within the kitchen area, they soak up and maintain warmth nicely, creating them perfect for dishes you’d prefer to maintain heat lengthy once they strike the desk. Cooking with solid iron also provides some distinctive well-being advantages. The greater seasoned your pan, the greater nonstick it gets to be, which lets you use much less oil as well as other fat when cooking.
A cast-iron skillet is not perfect for a set-aside-to-soak kind of individual. For very best outcomes, rinse the pan with scorching drinking water instantly following cooking. When the pan will get a sticky coating or develops rust more than time, scrub it with metal wool and reseason the solid iron. To stop rust, dry the skillet completely and frivolously coat the cooking surface area with cooking oil.
Conventional cast-iron skillets do not arise in the box having a nonstick surface area. That includes seasoning or coating the skillet with cooking oil and baking it inside a 350° F oven for an hour or so. The skillet will not consider that shiny black patina just, however, but as soon as you dry it with paper towels, it will likely be prepared to use.
Solid iron cookware retains warmth extremely nicely, which suggests that even though it may be a bit sluggish to totally warmth up, it heats extremely evenly. As soon as it is scorching, it stays scorching for some time, even following the warmth is turned off or even the pot is eliminated in the oven. This tends to make it perfect for frying, braising, grilling, as well as other cooking programs exactly where it is essential for your pan to remain scorching following including meals. It is also perfect for stovetop braising because the perimeters and lid can get scorching for even cooking on all sides. Simply because the cookware retains its temperature even following the warmth is turned off or modified, it is not as appealing when you are cooking meals that demand a fast temperature alter.
The study exhibits that solid iron may even increase the iron content material of meals, which may be useful for all those with iron deficiencies. Meals with lengthier cooking occasions, these which are stirred frequently, and acidic meals like tomato sauce are much better at leaching out much more iron in the pan. Any time you cook dinner something with body fat or oil, the pan’s seasoning will enhance.
Uncoated solid iron cookware may cause meals to style like steel when the coating gets worn down, which will occur in the event you cook acidic dinner meals for lengthy amounts of time. Consequently, it is very best to prevent simmering acidic meals, like tomatoes, to get a sauce. Solid iron also will get very scorching and retains warmth nicely, so it is very best to prevent sensitive cooking fish, which will effortlessly split aside. Lastly, prior to your solid iron pan is seasoned correctly, it is very best to prevent sticky meals, like eggs.


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