The Lodge Classic is also a great option if you want something more substantial, and the value is incredible.
Cites price
Articles · Where two groups agree
What food writer and gear review youtube both recommend
Handle comfort splits evenly, 2 people each way, and the same reviewer supplies both sides.
About Food Writer and Gear Review YouTube.
We have not used any of these ourselves. We read 18 sources and structured what 8 people said. Of the 19 quotes below, 6 are complaints. Every one of them links to the person who said it and the second they said it.
Based on 8 people, 18 sources and 83 recorded claims.
The answer
Food writer and Gear Review YouTube agree on two pans: the Lodge cast iron skillet and Matfer's carbon steel pan. Prudent Reviews, a cookware reviewer who discloses an affiliate interest on some of its claims, calls the Lodge Classic "a great option if you want something more substantial." Julia, on America's Test Kitchen, calls the same skillet the best buy against a pricier Smithey. Non-stick performance is not settled between the two: it is praised by 4 of these 8 people and faulted by 3.
The 4 quotes behind this, from 3 people · 1 objecting
If you want a really nice cast iron skillet, check out the Smithey Ironware number 12 for $200, or for the best buy, check out the Lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet for just $43.
Cites price
once you build up that seasoning after a couple cooks it is gonna be perfect for eggs this is actually the the you know ultimate egg pan it's what I use mine for the majority of the time
Cites non-stick surface
It's heavier and the surface is rougher, but it holds on to seasoning better and it still passed the egg test with no sticking.
Cites surface finish (against), non-stick surface, seasoning durability, weight (against)
| Product | Cited in favour | Cited against | Voices | Declared interest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lodge cast iron skillet | handle (1), heat retention (1) | handle (1) | 2 voices | none declared |
| Matfer carbon steel pan | non-stick surface (1), seasoning durability (1) | safety (1), seasoning durability (1) | 3 voices | none declared |
Where people disagree
- Autodidactically Yours says a well-seasoned Matfer "is gonna be perfect for eggs" after a couple of cooks, but Prudent Reviews found the rougher Lodge needed its own seasoning cycle before it stopped sticking.
- Kent Rollins ranks Lodge as the skillet that "probably disappoints me the most in seasoning" out of the ones he tested, while Prudent Reviews groups it among the skillets that season well.
- Handle comfort splits within the Lodge line itself: Prudent Reviews faults the Classic and Chef Collection's handle as too wide and sharp against the hand, but says the redesigned Blacklock's longer handle avoids that complaint.
The 6 quotes behind this, from 3 people · 3 objecting
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 7:03.
Cites non-stick surface
Quoted earlier on this page. Hear it at 6:02.
Cites surface finish (against), non-stick surface, seasoning durability, weight (against)
now of all the Skillets here the one that probably disappoints me the most in seasoning the way it comes to you or the way you buy it out of the store is Lodge with that rough finish on it
Cites seasoning durability (against), surface finish (against)
The skillets with the rougher surface, the Calphalon, and the two Lodges hold their seasoning well.
Cites seasoning durability
The biggest issue for me is the handle. It gets very wide where it connects to the skillet, then it narrows toward the end, and the edges feel sharp and dig into your hands.
Cites handle (against)
The Lodge cast iron skillet is the pan food writers and Gear Review YouTube both back, and its most cited flaw is the handle: Prudent Reviews says it "gets very wide where it connects" and digs into the hand.
Prudent Reviews found it had the best heat retention of the 12 skillets tested, and that it stayed flat through an induction warp test at 425°F for two minutes. Adam, on America's Test Kitchen, says that by the end of testing the 12-inch Lodge had turned smooth and stick resistant, at $43 in 2023. The redesigned Blacklock trades the same rough surface for a longer handle. None of these 7 recommenders states how long they have owned one; none carries a declared interest, across 60 claims.
The 5 quotes behind this, from 2 people · 1 objecting
Despite the lighter construction, it actually had the best heat retention of all 12 skillets.
Cites heat retention, price
On the lower end, Victoria and Lodge Chef Collection are my two top picks.
It also stayed completely flat after I heated it on a powerful induction cooktop at 425° F for 2 minutes, which was not the case with some of the others.
Cites warp resistance
Actually, by the end of the testing, even though it was a little rougher at the beginning, it was smooth and stick resistant and well seasoned, and it's $43.
Cites surface finish, non-stick surface, seasoning durability
Matfer's carbon steel pan is the other pick these two groups share, and it carries real doubt: Prudent Reviews will not recommend it "because of the ongoing recall situation," after French regulators found elevated arsenic and chromium levels in testing.
Matfer is appealing the ruling and says its pans meet EU and French safety standards when used as instructed. Based on 3 recommenders across 8 sources with no declared interest, it appears to season much like cast iron once broken in. Autodidactically Yours, the only owner among them, went from a stripped silver pan to fully blackened in nine months, and reports the pan cooks non-stick without a problem once seasoned. Uncle Scott, relaying his mother's experience with the older seasoning method, says her pan had not changed color after an hour and a half. None of these 3 recommenders reports owning one longer than nine months.
The 6 quotes behind this, from 3 people · 3 objecting
The two pans I don't recommend are Matfer because of the ongoing recall situation and De Buyer Mineral B because of its limitations while cooking in the oven.
Cites safety (against)
This pan passed France's national safety standards, but regional regulators found that the pan released excessive levels of arsenic, chromium, and iron when cooked in a highly acidic solution for 2 hours.
Cites safety (against)
Matfer is appealing the decision and says the test conditions don't reflect real-world cooking. They also point out that their pans meet all EU and French safety standards and are safe when used as instructed.
i bought it in april it's now january so after a few mishaps there's been about six months in between this being a stripped silver pan and now being completely black
Cites seasoning durability
Owned 9 months
i have a new larger style mat for carbon steel pan here that i got for christmas and i've used about less than 10 times and you can already see the seasoning is developing on it
this pan already cooks non-stick no problem and yours should too if you're using it properly
Cites non-stick surface
now my mother's case she followed the mat for directions to a tee she used the potato peels salt and oil method and cook those twice and as matter of fact she ended up cooking them for like an hour and a half and at the end of the hour and a half the pan still had not changed color she had a spot of seasoning in the…
Cites seasoning durability (against)
How long each one lasts
Three figures appear for these two pans, and only one is an owner timing their own use. Autodidactically Yours went from a stripped silver Matfer to a fully blackened one in nine months, in 2021, the only ownership duration either pan carries. Kent Rollins, in 2023, says Lodge "has been in business in South Pittsburg Tennessee forever and ever," which is a claim about the company's history, not about how long his own skillet has lasted. Prudent Reviews' 2024 sentence gives Lodge, Calphalon and Stargazer years of use, and gives a shorter span only to Field and Smithey, neither of which is Lodge or Matfer. No other figure gives Lodge a duration.
The 3 quotes behind this, from 3 people
that is Lodge now Lodge has been in business in South Pittsburg Tennessee forever and ever they have this handle that I really like
Cites handle
I’ve been using Lodge, Calphalon, and Stargazer for years, and Field and Smithey for several months, and all 6 skillets perform really well.
Who wants what
Eight people carry all 83 claims behind these two pans, and most hold several cohort tags at once: the same voices are logged as Cookware Reviewer (5 of 8), Gear Review YouTube (4 of 8), Professional Kitchens (3 of 8), Chef (3 of 8), and Home Cooks (3 of 8), with Collectors, Food Writer and Cooking YouTube at 2 each and Buy It For Life Enthusiasts and Beginners at 1 each. Food writers and Gear Review YouTube do not disagree with each other as groups anywhere in these claims: the split that shows up runs between the two products and between individual reviewers, not between the two audiences.
What the evidence suggests
- Choose the Lodge if a product recall history concerns you: Prudent Reviews declines to recommend the Matfer over an ongoing French investigation into elevated arsenic and chromium levels.
- Choose the Lodge if a manufacturer's long history matters to you: Kent Rollins points to Lodge's decades running out of South Pittsburg, Tennessee, as part of why he likes it.
- Choose the Lodge if a wide, sharp-edged handle bothers you: Prudent Reviews faults the Classic and Chef Collection's handle as too wide and sharp against the hand, but says the redesigned Blacklock's longer handle avoids that complaint.
The 4 quotes behind this, from 2 people · 2 objecting
What the evidence doesn’t tell us
Prudent Reviews holds 46 of these 83 claims, 55% of everything these two cohorts have said about either pan. None of the 8 people quoted times their own ownership of the Lodge; the closest figure, Kent Rollins' claim that Lodge has been around forever, is about the company's history, not about his own skillet. Only one person, Autodidactically Yours, gives an ownership figure for the Matfer, nine months. Whether either pan holds up past that point is not something any of these 8 people has said.
The 2 quotes behind this, from 2 people
Who says so
Authority here is scoped to the subject, never to how large someone’s audience is. Where we hold no domain expertise for a person, the page says so rather than implying one.
Prudent Reviews
Our mission at Prudent Reviews is to help you find the best products for your home. We take the stress out of shopping by testing, analyzing, and comparing the top products. Our reviews, comparisons, and product guides are in-depth, carefully researched, and completely unbiased. Since launching, we've helped millions of people across the globe find the best products and improve their lives at home. If you have questions or want to partner with Prudent Reviews, email Andrew@PrudentReviews.com. As an Amazon Associate Prudent Reviews earns from qualifying purchases.
Autodidactically Yours
I'm curious. Whenever I encounter something, I like to know what it is and how it works. It doesn't matter if it is a machine, culinary process, social organization, or work of art. I'm fascinated by just about everything. Once I understand something, I like to share my excitement about it with others. I've gotten pretty good at that by working as an educator for ten years. I recently moved away from that profession, so this channel is my new outlet where I will share my adventures on becoming an amateur expert in cooking, technology, and other topics. This channel is operated by Jake Nabasny, PhD. You can find my free cookbook and other texts at my personal website: https://jake.nabasny.com/
Kent Rollins
Love outdoor cooking? Want to learn more about Dutch oven cooking, cast iron or grilling? Then you've saddled up to the right place. I've been cooking outdoors over live fire for over 34 years as a chuck wagon and cowboy cook. We have a new series on the Outdoor Channel "The Cst Iron Cowboy" You may have also seen me on Chopped Grill Masters, Chopped Redemption or Beat Bobby Flay. Stick around and be sure to subscribe for tips, tricks and recipes. Keep the fire hot and the wood dry... Kent
Uncle Scott
Our Motto: You can never have too much great cookware and kitchen gear. Our Philosophy: If you have great equipment and great ingredients, with a little practice you can cook any dish in the world. At USK, we make recipes, review frying pans, deep fryers, knives, grain mills, gadgets, pots and pans, and anything else you might find in a high-end kitchen. We teach people how to season carbon steel and cast iron pans, show people the proper way to cook eggs, tell a few jokes, and cook delicious meals. We really like high quality brands such as De Buyer, Falk, Matfer, Lodge, Smithey, Mauviel, Le Creuset, live, Staub, Breville, and others. And, importantly, Uncle Scott buys all of the products he reviews with his own money, and unlike many cookware channels, no free items are accepted for review. This keeps Uncle Scott's reviews genuine, trustworthy, and unbiased. Any sponsored videos or affiliate sales links are clearly labelled.
What this piece cites evidence about
Every product, brand and category named in a claim behind this article, not only the ones with a section of their own above. Where we hold a full page for one, it is linked; the rest are named as text because the evidence has not cleared that bar yet.
Sources
Short quotes and deep links only. We publish no transcripts, and every quote above opens the original at the second it was spoken.
- Best Carbon Steel Pan? I Tested de Buyer, Lodge, Matfer & More
- Best Cast Iron Skillet? I Tested Lodge, Smithey, Field, Stargazer, & Calphalon
- Best Non-Toxic Cookware? I Tested All-Clad, Made In, Le Creuset & More
- Black Carbon Steel Pan in JUST 6 MONTHS (3 EASY STEPS)
- Don't Buy a Cast Iron Skillet Without Watching This! Which Cast Iron Brand is Right for You?
- I Tested Every Cast Iron Skillet, These Are the Best & Worst
- Matfer Bourgeat Carbon Steel Pan Seasoning | Tool Tips | Kitchen Alchemy
- Matfer Carbon Steel Pan Seasoning Problems Solved
- The Best Cast-Iron Skillets
How this page was made
The prose above was written by a model from a fact sheet assembled out of the evidence, then checked line by line: every quote verbatim against the evidence table, every name against a claim, every number against the sheet. Prose that fails is not published. It is derived data, not testimony. The testimony is the quotes.
Verified 2026-09-17