Evidence index · Cast Iron Skillets
Only the cast iron skillets that buy it for life enthusiasts and collectors have independently backed. A product one group praises and the other has never mentioned does not appear here.
buy it for life enthusiasts is who the advice is aimed at; collectors is who the advice is aimed at.
8 people on record as buy it for life enthusiasts and collectors make 75 quoted claims about cast iron skillets across 12 sources. Membership is recorded with its own evidence — for a person by the trait they are on record holding, for a community by the source it was said in — and authority is scoped to cast iron skillets rather than to fame.
This page is the evidence, scoped to buy it for life enthusiasts and collectors. Where the full cast iron skillets evidence adds up to a finding, it is written up separately.
Endorsements and objections about cast iron skillets from buy it for life enthusiasts and collectors, together, strongest evidence first.
Said he had a field and he had trouble with eggs early on and he resolved to just quit cooking eggs for a while. He went and cooked a bunch of other stuff and said he circled back around to eggs later on and then they were non-stick.
Cites seasoning durability
Now, Chris also said later that uh all that cooking he did, he was in some sort of um hurricane relief situation, and I don't know if he was cooking for first responders or for people in a shelter or what have you, but when one of the hurricanes hit, he was doing a ton of cooking and used his field.
Cites seasoning durability
and i'm impressed with it really really nice skill skillet only about six pounds guys
Two judgements rest on this sentence:
Big Lew BBQ & Other Things I Want to Do! was given the product. Stated in the source: “i do want to thank the field company for sending it to me for a review” Kept and labelled rather than dropped: a paid endorsement is still evidence, and you should be the one to decide what it is worth.
i will say when i dump the potatoes out that first day i'm gonna dump the shrimp creole out um not shrimp creole what they'll make shrimp a two-fade right um and the gravy from the pork chops and stuff i'm gonna dump the leftover out uh that did well because it's real thick
also this is kind of nitpicky but i've got an induction stove and both skillets that i have my other number 12 skillet same size bottom they fit on that burner that over there that i use my number 10 skillet on but with the other one since this sides flare out i've got to kind of duck under and look to see if it's…
so anyway the that's what i got to say about the field skillet i used it and if i didn't like it i would have quit using it i continued to use it all week it was a labor of love it wasn't tough it wasn't tough to decide hey i want to cook something else in this skillet
i'm i'm really satisfied with the skillet
anyway i think you would be too if you're in the market for a premium cast iron skillet my recommendation is go with field
This means that of these three, the traditional mass produced lodge model is the most durable. It's basically indestructible
Cites durability
We'll first look at our traditional winner from lodge. This is by far the least expensive of the bunch and it is a really great bargain.
Cites price
but it's also the heaviest of the three options at eight pounds
Cites weight (against)
Not a recommendation for a specific product: technique, materials and what to look for in cast iron skillets. Citable on its own terms. There are 35 of them; the 33 with the strongest evidence are below.
if you do a lot of steaks and you love a really thick Dark Crust on your steaks with a medium Center like I do there's really nothing better than cast iron
Cites heat retention, searing and crust
but a five ply will do that also
but this is great for like I love doing stir fries in this I love doing searing steaks in this is great
Cites heat retention, searing and crust
cast iron if I'm going to seirus steak I'm probably going to do it in a cast iron pan
this cast iron I particularly love to use for frittatas it's the perfect depth it holds the heat really well and it Cooks the frittatas perfectly like a nice thick frittata so I do love that small 8 in
I love to use cast iron on open fire on the grill on the smoker there's really nothing better for open fire than cast iron and Searing a steak
but like I mentioned in the beginning of this video a very well-made 5 to S ply stainless steel pan will SE a steak very well also
I'd go with the big cast iron because it's so useful for so many things on the fire
I'd go with the big cast iron because it's so useful for so many things on the fire
there's three ply there's five ply there's seven ply Alloys that are stainless steel with titanium to make them stronger and last longer and look better for a longer time period
Cites appearance, durability
Owned 9 years
but this pan has been a Workhorse I think this is a 14inch I've had this pan for 9 years I don't even know the brand of this one but I I think I bought this one in HomeGoods or something like that a long long time ago
First, a broad cooking surface. We preferred pans that offered at least 10 inches of flat cooking surface.
Cites handle, shape and form, size and capacity
That extra height is really necessary for containing hot oil and food, such as when frying donuts and shallow frying chicken.
but we preferred those with wide broad loops that we could really hang onto, especially when wearing oven mitts
Generally though, we recommend buying a 12 inch skillet if you can. It's always good to have the option of a bigger pan for recipes of different sizes
If you wanna bang it around with no fear of damage and use it at any temperature under the broiler or on the grill, even over live fire or with metal utensils.
Cites durability, heat resistance
The enamel isn't toxic, but you certainly don't want that in your food and it does make the surface more sticky.
Cites non-stick surface (against)
Another downside, don't expect enamel cast iron skillets to be or become non-stick.
The enamel coating can sometimes heat and expand and retract at different rates, which can lead to cracking, an issue called crazing.
Cites crazing (against), non-stick surface (against)
While some manufacturers claim their pans will do this and become more non-stick with use, in our hands-on testing experience, we found that not to be the case.
Be warned however that this enamel coating makes these skillets less durable than their uncoated brethren.
Cites coating (against), durability (against), scratch resistance (against)
You also wanna avoid using metal utensils and scraping or banging the pan, you know it's glass, so you gotta be a little bit careful with it.
Artisan makers often cast their to have thinner sides, but a thicker bottom which cuts down on the total weight of the pan, but keeps that heat retention capability.
Cites heat retention, non-stick surface, surface finish, weight
Most artisan makers will also take the time to hand polish their pan surface, which makes it naturally non-stick much faster than a mass produced pan.
Generally being a single piece of metal also makes these skillets very sturdy.
Cites build quality, coating, durability, ease of cleaning, maintenance, rust resistance
These cast iron pans start out like traditional cast iron, but then they're coated in a glass like vitreous glaze that seals the pan from air and moisture that could cause rust
their enamel coating makes enamel cast iron pans virtually maintenance free. You never have to season them and you can soak, use soap and scrub as much as you'd like.
Okay, that is my buying guide for these wonderful lifetime pans.
In terms of cooking, there's very little these pans can't do.
Cites even heating, heat conduction, heat retention, searing and crust, versatility
Its superpower is that it can retain and conduct plenty of heat for deep browning of food.
like regular cast iron, these pans have excellent heat retention, so they'll sear, fry and braise well maintaining the heat you want without undesirable temperature dips as food is added or flipped
Though all of these are gonna sear a great steak.
A thick heavy pan has the mass and density to hold more heat than a thinner pan does, and once preheated will cook more evenly than a thinner and lighter pan
Cast iron skillets are one of the most versatile pieces of cookware you can buy since they work on the stove top in the oven, even on the grill.
Cites acid resistance, induction compatible, maintenance, oven safe, stovetop compatibility, versatility
Best of all, you can cook almost anything, even acidic foods that need to be simmered for a long time like a tomato sauce because the enamel seals the cast iron making the pan rust proof and non-reactive.
While both regular and enameled cast iron pans are induction compatible, the smoother enameled bottoms can be a little gentler on glass cooktops
Enameled is for the person that never wants to think about seasoning their pan. Enamel doesn't need it.
The artisanal pans are a little less maintenance than the traditional pans and they just look beautiful.
Cites appearance, maintenance
traditional pans while they're a few pounds heavier, they have better heat retention
Cites heat retention
You want to wash and dry these pan thoroughly and lightly oil them each time after use to prevent rust and build up that non-stick surface.
Cites maintenance (against), rust resistance (against)
You also never wanna leave these pans soaking in the sink, so if you're that type of cook, maybe cast iron isn't for you.
Finally, their colorful appearance is pretty enough to bring to the table for serving.
Cites appearance
Acidic foods like tomatoes can strip the seasoning from traditional cast iron if simmered for too long in the pan.
Cites acid resistance (against)
if you want cast iron but would like a lighter pan look to enamel, they tend to be lighter than traditional
Cites weight
they carry a rough texture left behind from the sand mold they were cast in
Cites surface finish (against)
and yes we still use our cast iron and carbon steel panss
always told you that cast iron is an investment it's going to outlast everything else you got each one of these Skillets if you take care of it will last you a lifetime and you can pass down from generation to generation to generation
Cites durability
cast iron has notoriously been blamed for it's too heavy you know but folks cast iron was built so many years ago for one reason uh to cook with but also heaviness is heat retention
Cites heat retention, weight
now these are all companies that are made in America and that's the number one thing that we stand for
Cites country of manufacture
um i do have an eight that dates to the roosevelt administration that i use a lot one that dates to the other roosevelt administration that i use a lot actually predates that one and uh it's got a gate mark on the bottom
Cites durability
it only requires a feris magnetic material something like cast iron which is well it could be centuries old can work on an induction burner
Cites induction compatible
They can still cook extremely well, but I wouldn't spend hundreds of dollars expecting them to outperform a good modern skillet.
Cites price (against)
you're not going to find that on a lot of iron anymore you go to the store and you buy some it feels like gritty pavement
Cites surface finish (against)
The cast iron market wasn't really delivering what it had a hundred years ago, and there wasn't a good reason for that. And most modern cast iron is rough and has this sandy surface, it's difficult to clean and it's not quite as enjoyable to cook on.
Three judgements rest on this sentence:
This piece was really beautiful, it was well-polished. The surface was super smooth. It made me a cast iron junkie.
Cites appearance, surface finish
where ever you get your good cast iron look for that good milled finish
Cites surface finish
in particular their smooth surface um weren't being manufactured anymore
Cites surface finish
these pans are vintage this has got to be probably 50 or 60 years old and yet it still works great
Cites durability
That's what really got me interested in cast iron is looking at old heirloom pieces that I thought had really nice cooking qualities