We Made More Than 20 Batches of Cornbread to Find the 5 Best Cast Iron Skillets (2024)

A cast iron skillet is an affordable kitchen workhorse that lasts, and many cooks consider theirs to be heirlooms. James Beard Award-winning Southern cookbook author and chef Virginia Willis inherited her grandmother's skillet, which she estimates is 100 years old. "When I moved from New York and drove the car down, I put the jewelry, the unreplaceable art, and the cast iron skillet in my car.”

Willis uses her skillet so often that she washes it and puts it right back on the stovetop after use. "Mine is so old and well-seasoned that it can cook anything," she said. "It's a great metal, it heats up fast, and it holds an even heat. It's fairly inexpensive, whether you get a brand-new Lodge pre-seasoned pan or find one at a garage sale or a thrift store. It would be one of the first pans I would suggest to anyone building a kitchen.”

Willis is certainly not alone in her love of cast iron cookware. We love cast iron so much that we're constantly shopping for new pieces to add to our collections, and we have plenty of cast iron skillet recipes you may want to try. To find the best cast iron skillets, we rigorously tested 20 pans to observe their design, cooking performance, value, and more. Read on for our top-rated picks, plus a few helpful insights on cast iron cleaning and care.

Our Favorite Cast Iron Skillets

The Lodge 10.25-Inch Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet has proven time and time again to be the best overall cast iron due to its unrivaled consistent heating at a stellar price. The best bang for your buck is the Camp Chef 10-inch Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet; it performed extremely well even against much more expensive competitors.

How We Tested Cast Iron Skillets

We tested a total of 20 cast iron skillets for this story. We assessed each pan on attributes like performance, design, and comfort, in addition to collecting quantitative data from a series of identical tests.

• Heat conduction test: Starting at room temperature, we heated each skillet over medium heat. recording the temperature on the left, right, and center every 30 seconds for 4 minutes. Then, we recorded the temperature of the left, right, and center of the pan every 30 seconds for four minutes to determine how consistently and evenly each pan retained heat.
• Sear test: We added a tablespoon of oil to each skillet, then preheated over high heat for 3 minutes. We seared two 5-ounce portions of pork loin in each pan for 3 minutes per side, then let them rest for 3 more minutes. We looked for proper golden-brown crust and even coloration on the pork, and noted whether the oil was sufficient to prevent sticking.
• Baking test: Ww preheated the skillets for 10 minutes in a 425°F oven, then made a batch of skillet cornbread, using a tablespoon of shortening to grease the pans before baking. After baking and cooling, we turned the skillets over, noting whether the cornbread released cleanly and how easy each pan was to maneuver. We also looked for even coloration across the top and bottom and made sure the batter was fully cooked throughout before the sides began to burn.
• Pour test: For skillets with spouts, we added half a cup of oil and poured it into a glass Mason jar to look for drips, spills, and any other difficulties. We found that wider spouts generally work better than small, narrow ones.
  
• Cleaning and seasoning: Between cooking tests, we hand-washed the skillets, noting any that required extra scrubbing or released food especially easily. We also followed the manufacturer's directions to season the pans for long-term use and storage, noting how easily and how effectively the process worked.

Once our other tests were complete, we revealed the prices of the skillets to consider value. At the time of testing, they skillets ranged in price from $17 to $250, with an average of about $100. With such a wide range, we noticed that higher prices didn't necessarily correlate to higher performance; several of the least-expensive skillets performed better than higher-end pans.

Factors to Consider

Type

Buying a standard frying pan is definitely a little different from shopping for cast iron. Cast iron needs to be seasoned — coated with a layer of cooked-on oil that helps keep it nonstick. Some cast iron skillets are shipped completely bare and need a seasoning session upon arrival. Most of our recommendations are pre-seasoned, but make sure to check before you use the pan. Enameled cast iron is a little bit of a different beast: Its metal is coated with a smooth ceramic layer that makes it more like a traditional nonstick pan and needs less special upkeep.

The texture of cast iron pans is also something to consider: Some are finished very smooth, while others are rougher. Smooth-finished cast iron is less likely to stick in the first place, but the seasoning layer is harder to create and maintain. Rougher surfaces are easy to season over time. If you have an induction stove, cast iron is always compatible, but a rough-bottomed skillet might scratch its glass cooktop surface.

Size

Cast iron skillets come in various sizes, ranging from 5-inch miniature pans to 15-inch family-sized options. Willis recommends a 10-inch cast iron skillet for most households, as it provides enough space for everyday tasks like making pancakes, frying chicken, and baking cakes without being too big and heavy to store. "I like something I can use to make tried-and-true buttermilk cornbread but can also use to roast a small chicken or sear two pork chops," she says. On the other hand, if you have the space, you can consider picking up a few sizes to fit your needs. Cast iron cookware can be as much display-worthy decor as actual cookware.

Care and Maintenance

You may have heard that cast iron doen't need to be washed, or that it can be permanently damaged by soap. "That's totally a myth," says DeSimone, "Back when our great-grandparents were alive, soap had way more lye in it, and that could wear down the seasoning. Today, dish soap is more mild, and a small dab is completely safe to use on cast iron cookware." What's important is that you dry your pans thoroughly after washing; standing water can cause corrosion and rust.

Not cleaning your cast iron properly can actually make you sick. Little bits of food and grease can settle into the surface of your skillet and begin to rot. That spoiled food can mean foodborne illness, not to mention the unpleasant flavors of rancid bacon fat and last week's eggs. If you get really stubborn or burnt-on bits, a cast iron chainmail scrubber is a good tool, which you can also pop in the dishwasher to clean after you use it.

It's good to get into the habit of coating your cast iron with a thin layer of oil after every wash and dry. The oil acts as a conditioner for the iron, protecting it from moisture in the air. You'll also need to give it a full reseasoning periodically, but oiling can extend the life of each seasoning session. Neutral oils with high smoke points like vegetable oil, are the way to go. They won't go rancid, and they're the best choice for the chemical process of polymerization necessary to create layers of seasoning.

Some may think cast iron is indestructible, but Willis reminds us it isn't shatterproof. She's had cast iron pans crack from stress fractures during use and suggests treating your pans carefully. "It is a molten thing, and it's not stainless steel," she says. "If you look at its durability, it's just not as strong as stainless steel. A cast iron pan can crack and shatter."

Ease of Use

Maneuverability is vital to consider when choosing cast iron. Cast iron is heavy; think of your wrists when looking at size and weight. Pay some attention to features that help make cooking and cleanup easier, such as handles and pour spouts. A helper handle — a loop across from the main handle you can grab with your off hand — is excellent for easy pouring and seamlessly sliding your pan out of a hot oven. The length of a handle and the addition of helper handles are key considerations. Shorter handles are a better choice if you have smaller hands or a little less lifting strength. We considered all of these factors during testing to ensure these cast iron skillets were up to our standards.

Other Cast Iron Skillets We Tested

Strong Contenders

Cuisinel Cast Iron Skillet ($23 at Amazon)

This is an excellent skillet for home cooks who want the most value for their money. Though the small handles might not be for everyone, it's excellent for anyone who struggles with more cumbersome pans.

Calphalon Cast Iron Skillet ($50 at Calphalon)

We liked that this pan comes pre-seasoned and sits at the lower end of our price scale. In our tests, it was easy to clean and sufficiently nonstick. However, it is very heavy and difficult to lift, and we noticed some uneven heating.

Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron Skillet ($17 at Amazon)

While the pan isinexpensive, its comfort and design could be better. However, its performance helped to bring that up a notch in the end. It's a good starter pan that you won't feel guilty throwing out if it gets ruined.

Field Company Cast Iron Skillet ($145 at Field Company)

Though this pan is beautiful, it was uncomfortable to use, and its performance was subpar. It's a little too pricey for what it is.

What Didn't Make the List

Not every cast iron pan we tested met our rigorous standards. Many failed with heat evenness, and others were destroyed after a few cooks. Some skillets didn't make the list because of excessive heft, and others were awkward to use during tests, like pouring oil from the pan. Still, some gave a fair performance but were deemed a low value due to an exceptionally high price.

Our Expertise

Jennifer Zyman is a Senior Editor for Food & Wine and a former restaurant critic with a culinary school degree and over 15 years of food writing experience. Her work has appeared in Atlanta Magazine, Bon Appetit, Eater Atlanta, The Kitchn, Local Palate, National Geographic, Simply Recipes, Southern Living, and Thrillist.