The best cast iron skillets and pans you can buy

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The Insider Pick:

• Cooking with a cast iron skillet isn’t for everyone, but those who love this type of pan swear by it. If you’re ready to try cast iron cooking for the first time, or if you want a high-quality cast iron skillet, the Victoria Cast Iron 12-Inch Skillet Fry Pan is a versatile option that’s perfect for all kinds of cooking tasks.

The idea of living simply has become popular again. Search Google for home improvement, and you may see results about living in tiny houses, reducing your carbon footprint, running a family game night, or having electronics-free time.

Another option for simplifying things is to reduce clutter. If you’re like most people, you’ve collected quite a lot of stuff over the years. Reduce the number of things you have, and you’re sure to feel freer. (Plus, you’ll actually be able to find things.)

If you want to start in the kitchen, we have an idea for you. Rather than having specific pans for many different types of cooking techniques, go back to a cooking surface and design that’s been extremely popular for more than a century – cast iron skillets. This material works great for cooking any kind of food using any kind of heat source.

Advantages of cast iron pans

Cast iron seems old-fashioned and strange in an era filled with shiny non-stick cookware, but it's much more durable and long-lasting than Teflon. Cast iron pans also leach tiny amounts of iron into the food as you cook, which can increase your daily iron intake.

The cast iron material will absorb all of the materials cooked in the pan over time, which adds flavor and seasoning to your pan. Although some may find that off-putting, for true cast iron fans, this feature is what makes the skillet a great cooking tool. It's also what makes the cast iron skillet completely non-stick. Here are some other great features of cast iron pans.

• Even heating: One reason why cooks and chefs love cast iron is because it heats far more evenly than pans made from thinner materials. It maintains its hot temperature, even when you add a cold steak to the pan, says Serious Eats, which allows it to cook faster than a thin skillet. Foods will also cook more evenly.
• Indestructible: Cast iron pans will last for decades and still continue to work perfectly, as long as you take care of them properly and season them before use.
• Naturally non-stick: As long as you care for the skillet properly and have it seasoned, food will not stick to the cast iron pan. Lodge Cast Iron says you can use metal utensils to cook on these pans without having to worry about scratching the surface.
• Take it anywhere: You can use the cast iron skillet in your kitchen, over a campfire in the middle of nowhere, and anywhere in between.
• Versatility: You can cook almost any kind of food in a cast iron pan, often times multiple foods simultaneously. It will work on a surface burner of an oven, it’ll cook over heat from an outdoor grill, it works with a campfire, or it can be placed inside the oven for baking.

Some people don’t like how heavy a cast iron pan is. Admittedly, you will have to use your muscles to move this pan around. But think of it this way: You’ll be able to work off some calories before you eat by carrying around a cast iron skillet.

Additionally, because this pan is one piece, the handles will become hot over time. You’ll want to have gloves or oven mitts available to handle the cast iron pan. Some companies also sell silicone handle covers to protect your hands, so it's worth buying some.

Read on in the slides below to learn why the Victoria Cast Iron 12-Inch Skillet Fry Pan is our top pick, and why you might also like the Lodge Miniature Skillet, the Le Creuset Signature Iron Handle Skillet, the Simple Chef Cast Iron Skillet 3-Piece Set, and the Lodge 14-Inch Seasoned Cast Iron Wok.

The best cast iron pan overall

Why you'll love it: The Victoria Cast Iron 12-Inch Skillet Fry Pan has a smart design with its curved handle and pour spouts, making it a great cast iron pan for cooking any dish.

The Victoria Cast Iron 12-Inch Skillet Fry Pan is the perfect skillet for cooking just about anything. It's well-designed, affordable, and long-lasting just like cast iron cookware should be.

It has a long primary handle and a shorter secondary handle for steadying the pan as you carry it. The skillet has a good depth and a fairly wide surface, so you can sear steaks, fries eggs, and make all kinds of delicious food. In its review, The Wirecutter points out that having two large pour spouts on either side of the pan makes it easy to remove grease without causing a mess.

One Amazon buyer loves the build quality of the Victoria cast iron pan and says newcomers will love the detailed instructions it comes with. Just remember to season your pan before using it so that you have a non-stick surface to cook on.

The long handle makes it easier to gain leverage on the pan when moving it around, which is good because it is a bit heavy. Epicurious reviewed the skillet and liked the handle length because it doesn't heat up as quickly as a shorter handle would, and it makes it easy to handle this skillet. The handle is slightly curved, too, which one Amazon reviewer highlighted in her comments.

Victoria offers this pan in 12-inch, 10-inch, and 8-inch sizes to suit your needs. If you plan to cook steak in your pan, get the 12-inch one, but if you want to cook small stuff like a fried egg, grab the 8-incher.

Pros: Smart design with a curved handle for easier carrying, two well-designed pour spouts for dripless pouring off of grease, long handle doesn’t heat up fast, detailed instructions included for beginners

Cons: Pre-seasoning isn’t as thorough as it should be, some breads may stick to the pan

Buy the Victoria Cast Iron 12-Inch Skillet Fry Pan on Amazon for $24.99 (12-Inch/Large), $17.99 (10-Inch/Medium), and $17.99 (8-Inch/Small)

The best miniature cast iron pan

Why you'll love it: When you need a small cast iron pan to take with you camping or hiking, the Lodge Miniature Skillet is just right.

Bigger isn’t always better with a lot of things, and the same is true for cast iron pans. Although a large pan definitely has its advantages, the Lodge Miniature Skillet, with a 3.5-inch diameter, offers plenty of reasons to like it, too.

If you want to take a small cast iron pan camping or hiking, this tiny skillet will be easier to carry than a large pan. Or, if you want to perfectly cook one fried egg to create your own egg sandwich on an English muffin without visiting the restaurant featuring the clown mascot, this is the pan to use, according to one Amazon buyer.

You can purchase this particular cast iron skillet design from Lodge with diameters ranging from 3.5 to 15 inches, so if you want a bigger size, there are options for you, too.

The Spruce says the miniature skillet is made with materials identical to the larger Lodge cast iron pans. The skillets larger than 9 inches in diameter contain a secondary handle that helps in steadying the pan.

The Lodge brand name is one of the most trusted among those who use cast iron pans, according to The Induction Site. Many vintage Lodge pans remain in use, even decades after they were initially purchased. Insider Picks' guides editor Malarie Gokey can verify that Lodge pans are excellent. She owns this same mini skillet and two more large ones and no longer cooks with anything else.

Even with a small size, the Lodge Miniature Skillet evenly distributes heat, according to Top Best Brands, yielding successful cooking results.

However, one Amazon reviewer says the small skillet size causes the heat to reach handle more quickly than with a large pan, so you will want a silicone handle for protection. Luckily, Lodge sells great ones for $5 to $8.

Pros: Perfect size to carry in a backpack at 3.5 inches in diameter, easy to cook single items like one fried egg, carries trusted Lodge brand name, evenly distributes heat when cooking, very low price point

Cons: Small size causes handle to heat up faster than a large pan, difficult to clean at times

Buy the Lodge Miniature Skillet on Amazon for $7.42 (3.5-Inch), $7.99 (6.5-Inch), $10.79 (8-Inch), $14.83 (9-Inch), and up to $36.99 (15-Inch)

Buy the Lodge Silicone Hot Handle Holder on Amazon for $4.99 and up

The best professional cast iron pan

Why you'll love it: The Le Creuset Signature Iron Handle Skillet is really expensive, but this cast iron pan with enameling does a great job with cooking food evenly in style.

Let’s just mention the biggest problem with the Le Creuset Signature Iron Handle Skillet right up front: This cast iron pan with enamel is incredibly expensive. You’ll pay several times more for the Le Creuset cast iron pan than for all the others in our guide.

But many cooks who use the Le Creuset brand swear by it, thanks to its great design and toughness. This particular skillet is available in 10 different enamel colors. It also has main and secondary handles, as well as pour spouts on both sides of the pan.

If you’re looking for an especially durable and tough cast iron pan with enameling, Think Cook says the Le Creuset Signature Iron Handle Skillet is the perfect option. It even works with induction cooktops.

The Stone Frying Pans like the lack of maintenance required with these pans. When cared for correctly, as an Amazon buyer points out, food doesn’t stick to the pan.

The multiple enamel colors make this skillet a fun, colorful addition to your cookware collection.

However, a few Amazon buyers say they’ve struggled to keep this pan clean, which is a significant disappointment, considering the high price tag.

Pros: Cooks all types of food evenly, large cast iron skillet will work for large meals, enamel coating on the pan provides a bit of color and looks great, works with induction cooktops, especially durable cooking option

Cons: Far higher price point than other cast iron pans of the same size, can be difficult to clean

Buy the Le Creuset Signature Iron Handle Skillet on Amazon for $199.95 (11.75-Inch) and $164.95 (10.25-Inch)