The Cast Iron features a resilient pre-seasoned design that prevents rust, provides non-sticky surfaces, thus easy to clean versatile for cooking various and different meals. While the brand is relatively unknown in America, they are quite popular in Asia. The eight corners of the skillet are touted to offer versatility when pouring, but every corner dribbled on our counter. For most cooking tasks, we found the heft of a skillet doesn’t have any bearing. In our analysis of 16 expert reviews, the Carote Carote 8-Inch Nonstick Skillet Frying Pan Set placed 5th when we looked at the top 11 products in the category. The Chef Collection skillet is shallower than the classic Lodge and holds about 2 cups less. There's also a large helper handle (though no pouring spouts). Okay, nonstick pans are great for scrambled eggs. We also read editorial reviews by Cook’s Illustrated and Serious Eats. But overall it performed the same as the Chef Collection skillet in our tests, searing steak well and releasing eggs easily. At 6½ pounds versus the 8½ pounds of the classic Lodge, it’s more manageable to maneuver than traditional cast iron, and the slightly lower, gently sloped sides make stirring foods and maneuvering a spatula easier. I have a high end Bosch induction range that works fine … We’ve tested 16 skillets since 2017 and think the Lodge Chef Collection 12 Inch Skillet is the best. It has a comfortable handle, a good factory seasoning, and like other Lodge skillets it’s still made in the USA. The standard Lodge 10.25-inch cast-iron, which previously held the top spot, was usurped this year by a newer model: the Lodge Blacklock 96 skillet, also 10.25-inches. 4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic for the price! Newer models from companies aiming to recreate the qualities of vintage skillets require you to build up the seasoning yourself. 8 Skillet ($125 at the time of writing) which, at 4.3 pounds, was the lightest of all the 10-inch skillets we tested and the only one we could comfortably hold with one hand. In recent times, I have rediscovered this timeless cookware. Inexpensive: We have tested pans ranging from $20 to $300 over the years and ultimately found that they don’t perform that differently. (Note that in this review update of the best cast-iron pan, we chose only rough cooking surface options as our winners, forgoing the smoothed-surface options that try to emulate the design of vintage cast-iron pans. The small stick handle is placed at a slight angle and is smoother at the spot where it meets the pan, making it more ergonomic than the short, straight handle on the original Lodge. It has a smoothly polished surface that heated up very evenly. We found that the Blacklock "triple seasoning" created a more effective nonstick layer than the average Lodge as well. From. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Finex skillets have a polished cooking area, but the walls are left with the casting texture. Hundreds. First, it's lighter weight, cast in what the website calls a "thin design" that weighs 4.6 pounds, compared to the classic's 5.2. The Camp Chef 12" Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet released foods cleanly in our tests, but it is particularly rough-textured, heated extremely unevenly, and has a slightly smaller interior surface than the others we tested. The non stick interior is made of cast iron which is more durable, sturdy, and super easy to clean up. The most common complaint people will throw out about cast-iron skillets is that they rust easily and are a pain to maintain and clean. However, we didn’t find that it was more nonstick than any of the skillets we tested, and it emerged with dark, blotchy stains from searing steak. First, we fried and scrambled eggs (using oil) in each skillet straight out of the box. The manufacturers of these skillets suggest they don’t need as much seasoning, since the very smooth surface will provide excellent release. Contrary to popular belief, you can wash your pan with mild dish soap and hot water. Most of all, we loved how easy it was to clean this pan, likely because of its great seasoning, which repelled stuck on food better than other models we tested. When considering the price of a cast iron dumbbell set, in general, the more weights there are in the set or the heavier those weights are, the more the set costs. 12 Cast Iron Skillet slow to heat up, it was particularly uneven at heating. But what really made the Lodge skillet stand out from the competition is its lighter weight combined with its affordable price. There are no pour spouts, but we found it easy to pour hot grease over the edge without dripping. It’s deep, which would work well for frying chicken. These labor-intensive pans were cast from thinner molds, which makes them lighter than many modern pans and easier to maneuver. For the original guide, we interviewed Nancy Fuller, host of Farmhouse Rules; Jeremiah Langhorne, chef and owner of The Dabney in Washington, DC; Mary Theisen, founder of The Pan Handler; Matthew Hartings, professor of chemistry at American University and author of Chemistry in Your Kitchen; and Brad Schwarting, president of the Griswold and Cast Iron Cookware Association. Like the Butter Pat, this pan is shallow and showed blotchy stains after searing a steak. Antique and vintage cast-iron cookware were hand-poured into sand molds and hand-polished to a smooth finish. We thoroughly tested leading cast-iron skillets, looking at a variety of different brands and styles, including new models and cult favorites. With a few exceptions, we found in our testing that most cast-iron skillets perform similarly at basic tasks like searing a steak or frying eggs. Three times more durable non-stick cookware. The overdesigned Finex 12-inch octagonal skillet is another offering from the indie movement of cast-iron producers trying to make pans the old way. While you can always braise or deep-fry in a Dutch oven instead, if you’d like to be able to do these things in your skillet, we recommend the original Lodge 12-inch skillet instead (more on that below). This beautiful cast-iron skillet is 17 inches across and has two handles that make it easy to carry and use. In addition to side handles, many Dutch ovens also include a convenient metal carrying handle. If you're a first-time cast-iron skillet owner looking for a 12-incher, go with the Victoria—it works straight out of the box, is easy to clean, and only gets better with additional seasoning. Will not rust. However, we didn’t notice a difference between the Chef Collection and the heavier traditional Lodge when we seared half-inch-thick strip steaks. To test the cast-iron pans, we started by heating a quarter cup of oil in each skillet until shimmering, then poured the hot fat into a jar to see if we could do this with minimal (or no) dribbling on the countertop. Finally, we added Finex ($175-$275) to the mix, as the Portland, Oregon-based company has made a few changes to the design of traditional cast-iron skillets. (In stainless steel pans the second side often has trouble getting as good of a sear as the first.) Since it’s only about 6 ounces lighter than the Chef’s Collection pan we recommend, we don’t think it’s worth paying significantly more. Butter Pat Industries Joan 12" Polished Cast Iron Skillet is the most expensive skillet we tested, which the manufacturer attributes to the fact that it takes about 41 people 21 days to produce. The purpose of these first two tasks was to test the efficacy of any pre-seasoning. If those are things you do often, this is the pan to get. Matthew Hartings, professor of … I run it from Nov - March, its a long cold winter in Michigan. The best of the bunch was the Field Company's No. Lodge skillets are available on multiple websites (including Amazon) as well as through national retail chains, independently owned hardware stores, and cooking stores. Field Company advertised that they've brought back the smooth cooking surface found in vintage cast-iron pans, which looks new-agey but requires a bit of work to achieve a nonstick surface. Since cast-iron skillets are generally inexpensive, we were curious to see if the extra expense of some pans translated into better performance. Since the popularity of cast iron has spiked in recent years, the demand for antique skillets made anywhere from the late 1800s to mid-20th century by now-defunct companies like Wagner and Griswold has skyrocketed. Meanwhile, a new generation of lighter, smoother, pricier cast-iron skillets from artisanal companies has emerged out of a desire to manufacture new pans that are similar to the older ones. It’s notably heavier than the Chef Collection skillet but still comfortable to maneuver with the aid of the generous helper handle. At around $120, the Stargazer Cast Iron 12-inch Skillet was the least expensive of the new-gen pans we tested and was the least smooth. In Asia, there is a much more rich combination of colors and design. We then washed the pans, coated them lightly in vegetable oil, and baked them for an hour at 500°F (or 450°F, if they were only heat-safe to that temperature) to create one layer of seasoning (read more about how to season cast-iron skillets). It must be dried thoroughly after washing to prevent rusting. Its slightly sloped sides are good for whisking pan sauces and make the capacity a little more forgiving, so you can squeeze in an extra strip of bacon. 4. We didn't expect there to be notable differences between the 12-inch and 10-inch skillets we tested from the same brands, but it turned out that the Victoria 10-inch cast-iron skillet doesn't have a helper handle on the side, whereas the 12-inch Victoria—and all the other 10-inch cast-iron skillets we tested—does. As the Stargazer is quite deep, it would be a good choice for frying chicken or poaching dumplings. When you take into account the heft and heat of a cast-iron skillet, aiming for the small opening of a jar is challenging on its own without the added headache of subpar pour spouts. The roomy helper handle on the other side of the skillet is big enough to wrap your fingers underneath with a bulky pot holder. A new generation of high-end cast-iron skillets produced by small companies like Butter Pat or Stargazer come with a very smooth cooking surface and are typically a couple of pounds lighter. A good seasoning will work almost as well as a nonstick coating to consistently prevent foods like eggs and cornbread from sticking. When you don't want to grill outside, use a cast iron skillet on your stove top to create great-tasting chicken fajitas. First, the octagonal shape of the pan is designed to provide eight easy access points for flipping food, but we didn't find our eggs any easier to flip. According to the online sources, they have been manufacturing cookware for over 20 years. Most contemporary, inexpensive cast-iron cookware is heavy and comes with a slightly pebbly texture. They're true workhorses, and … Just don't forget that last squeeze of lime juice over everything. The handle is too thick to grasp securely with a folded towel, and it slipped when we poured drippings. They're great for sautéing, frying, and baking. But a number of factors can affect how easy and comfortable a pan is to use and ultimately set some apart from the rest. 12 Cast Iron Skillet, How to Buy, Season, and Maintain Cast-Iron Cookware, president of Griswold and Cast Iron Cookware Association, The Gear You Need to Start Sous Vide Cooking, How to Clean and Season Cast-Iron Cookware, Tramontina 10-Inch Professional Restaurant Fry Pan. Her expertise builds on a lifelong career in the culinary world—from a restaurant cook and caterer to a food editor at Martha Stewart. The Lodge Chef Collection 12 Inch Skillet delivered evenly browned steaks, crisp golden cornbread, and sunny-side-up eggs that slipped right out of the pan. Lodge doesn’t have a formal written guarantee or warranty on its classic cast-iron ware. In 2019, we also tested a number of high-end new skillets modeled after antiques. Though we enjoyed using it, we find it hard to justify the $160 price. Cooks turn to these durable pans for pan-frying, searing, baking, and making eggs. Best overall: Lodge Cast Iron Skillet For a stove top skillet, this one from Lodge is probably the best on the market. Before joining Wirecutter in 2016, he worked in the food and restaurant industry for several years and was an editor at International Culinary Center in NYC for three years. A weapon for cleaning your cast-iron skillet. When fried chicken recipes call for a "heavy skillet," this is what they're talking about. They're true workhorses, and every kitchen should have one of these relatively inexpensive, super-heavy duty pans that boast a natural nonstick coating when properly seasoned. This new line of cast iron cookware from Lodge is clearly trying to capitalize on the renewed interest in vintage-style cast iron, especially now that the market has become crowded with startups attempting to revive the old cast iron standards of lighter weight and smoother surfaces. into and out of the oven, or from the stovetop to the table. For our original review, we bought two Wagner #10 skillets—which are slightly smaller than the 12-inch modern skillets we tested—from eBay and tested them against our modern pans after seasoning them with Sheryl Canter’s technique. Verified Purchase. Best Cast Iron Sinks 2021 : Reviews and Buyer’s Guide Best Cast Iron Kitchen Sinks 2021 : If you are planning to give your kitchen a makeover, then, in all probability, the first place that you need to start with would be the sink, for the simple reason that the right sink can make your kitchen stand out for the right reasons. Le Creuset cast iron has a nice weight to it without the heft. At under 6 pounds, the Field Company #10 Field Cast Iron Skillet weighs the least of all those we tested. The Victoria 12-inch cast-iron skillet was our previous runner-up, and in tests for this update performed on a par with the Lodge skillets. So we find it hard to justify paying almost $300, even if you do get a 100-year warranty. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Of all the cast-iron skillets we tested, it came closest to exhibiting even heat distribution, and in testing it was a pleasure to use. Before that she spent seven years rustling pots and pans as a professional chef in restaurants in New York City. The lighter weight of the Chef Collection skillet could also be a slight handicap if you were browning a very thick piece of meat like a tomahawk steak, as a heavier pan will hold in more heat and give you better second-side browning. They retain the rough texture of the sand mold and weigh significantly more. We found that the rough surface was better for building long-term seasoning, as the oil can cling to the spaces around the rough surface. That said, many of us have Lodge skillets at home that range in age from 15 to 20 years old and have never had a problem. Cast-iron skillets have been an essential tool in American home kitchens for well over a century. The easiest way to maintain your cast-iron pan is with regular use. Cuisinel Cast Iron Skillet Review - In this cast iron skillet review, we give you a comprehensive account of the ‘Cuisinel Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet 12-Inch with Handle Cover’ - its features, benefits and why it is labeled as the best cast iron skillet to have in your kitchen. A clever trick is to keep it on your stove, or easily at hand, so it’s convenient to use (it also doesn’t hurt to cook bacon and other fatty foods in it from time to time). We prefer slightly rounded stick handles that allow for a natural grip near their base, which gives you good control. And unlike nonstick-coated pans, cast iron is safe past 500 degrees and can go under the broiler. We poured hot oil without dribbles and cooked bacon to a crisp without having to rearrange the strips. The classic Lodge costs a very reasonable $20 to $30 (buying the skillet on Amazon costs a little more, because it comes with a silicone handle grip), making it slightly less expensive than the Chef Collection skillet. It will strip the pan of any debris, including grease. The Camp Chef skillet ($21) also turned out to be a standard cast-iron that wasn't especially nonstick straight out of the box.