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Cookware: where beginners and buy it for life enthusiasts agree

Only the cookware that beginners and buy it for life enthusiasts have independently backed. A product one group praises and the other has never mentioned does not appear here.

7 people we have grounds to call beginners and buy it for life enthusiasts make 77 quoted claims about cookware across 12 sources. Membership of each group is recorded per person with its own evidence, and authority is scoped to cookware rather than to fame.

Which cookware do both beginners and buy it for life enthusiasts recommend?

Endorsements and objections about cookware from beginners and buy it for life enthusiasts, together, strongest evidence first.

Lodge cast iron skillet

3 voices 8 claims 4 objections

Field cast iron skillet

2 voices 18 claims 7 objections

3:31 supports Uncle Scott Beginners
It's [music] got three layers of grape seed seasoning on it. So, you can just give it a wash and just start cooking.

performance tested it Field Cast Iron Review: Egg Problems & Great Gratins

Cites heat retention, maintenance, non-stick surface, searing and crust

the field turned out some nice cornbread, no sticking and a nice crust.
this field cranked out an absolutely delicious [music] grten with no sticking on the potatoes.
Butter potatoes. Those brown up pretty nicely and they did not stick. That's a good thing.
But the field did okay here and I think it helped with the browning that both the potatoes and the okra, they get moved around a little bit.
I think you did an okay job with bacon. Just a little bit of pulling on there, but the um the card says uh bacon can actually stick a little bit early on. So, with that in mind, I think it did uh just fine. I started it out in a room temperature pan, brought it up to heat, some early [music] flips, and mostly…
Um I mentioned that the pan doesn't have as much thermal mass as maybe some other cast irons or carbon steels for that matter, but I am still getting a good sear and browning here.
And here, summoning every bit of egg sliding mojo that I could muster, [music] I got a moderately decent sliding egg. It released even did okay on the flip. You know, cast iron skillets are not really known for flipping eggs, so the side walls are too tall, etc., etc., but it's still released on that second side, and…
2:01 objects Uncle Scott Beginners
I think that lack of heaviness, lack of thermal mass, lack of metal, however you want to um describe that, uh for me anyway, I think it made the pan a little bit more difficult to cook in. It's difficult to get it heated evenly. I feel like um it's responsive, which is great for a uh copper skillet, for example. But…

performance tested it Field Cast Iron Review: Egg Problems & Great Gratins

Cites base and rim (against), even heating (against), heat retention (against), non-stick surface (against), size and capacity (against), surface finish (against)

And I think one of the reasons I've had so much trouble with eggs in that field is that um those grooves, they uh I think they have not filled in yet and um they're kind of gripping food a little bit when I try and slide it around.
There is [music] a very tiny uh ring around the bottom of the pan which makes it sit up just a little bit. It's barely even noticeable. The Brevel has a temperature sensor in the middle of the cooking surface there and it has to stick up and make contact [music] with the bottom of a pan. Um there's also a logo here in…
Uh, no matter what I tried, I was getting, um, different essentially different cooking zones. I couldn't get the pan heated very evenly and I would put an egg in and sometimes um, part of an egg would stick and part would slide and the egg would come apart. And I think that's because the pan is not heated evenly and…
This uh 10-in pan um I had to work in two batches.
It's [music] um too narrow to lay out strips of supermarket bacon, but it will hold four if you cut them in half.
Let's talk a little bit more about that uneven heating though here. Uh you can really see it with these grilled cheese sandwiches. Give them their first turn there. And you can definitely see where one half of the grilled cheese is toasted and the other uh the butter is melted, but there is no toasting on there. So,…
I've also made some breaded squash and zucchini. And I like these for testing pans because I can lay them out all around the pan. Then when I flip them, I can tell if they're hotter or cooler spots. You can definitely tell that um some of these zucchini are much browner than the others.
And it's just a little bit more uneven and a little bit more difficult to cook in this pan than some others I have reviewed.
And after doing a ton of work on the seasoning and doing a lot of cooking, circling back to eggs, and I got this. And I got to say, I have never seen that [laughter] fried egg before. It's almost like uh orbiting almost like a planet or something. I don't know if that counts as half of a fried egg. never had um a…
And finally, I got to where I found that, uh, just trying different temperatures, if I went really, really low, um, I could get an egg to release, and this is after three or four minutes of setting up very, very slowly. I could get an egg to kind of sort of release and it'll move around, but I still say that egg is…
1:00 supports Uncle Scott Beginners
It's really good at certain tasks such as hightemp sears, um, oven performance, grotens, cornbread.

use-case fit tested it Field Cast Iron Review: Egg Problems & Great Gratins

So people that have maneuverability issues, have trouble with the weight of cast iron, uh they're going to like the field.
I think if you are in the market for a lighter cast iron pan, you might really like the feel, especially if your cook top can get it heated evenly.
10:34 supports Uncle Scott Beginners
Now, on the upside here, blasting that pan up to 400°, that could have easily, if that had been a wide um carbon steel pan, some uh cast irons that easily could have warped or damaged the pan. But thankfully, the field um it took that blasting and remained flat. So, that's a good thing.

durability tested it Field Cast Iron Review: Egg Problems & Great Gratins

Cites seasoning durability, warp resistance

cooking red meat in a pan at high temperatures on a gas cooktop really does add some color to a piece of cookware, whether you're cast iron or carbon steel. And I think this was very good for the seasoning on this field.
Um, 0 to 10 cooks, 60%. So, lots of people are having better luck with the field um than I have had so [music] far.
7:03 objects Uncle Scott Beginners
Now, it's a high-end pan. Uh list for about 165. I got mine 20% off on a sale, so they do go on sale from time to time, but a fairly expensive pan.

value tested it Field Cast Iron Review: Egg Problems & Great Gratins

Cites price (against)

Not quite as much as a smiddy, but definitely five or six times more than a comparable lodge.
But it's not going to change the fact that um I've had a little bit of difficulty with this with this guy and it's not worked as well as some lowerric cookware right out of the box. So, there's still a um problem with the value proposition there.
2:31 mixed Uncle Scott Beginners
I can get eggs to slide and release. Now, thank goodness the um the seasoning is developing and coming in, but I have yet to cook a single egg that I would really really love to eat in this guy.

performance tested it Field Cast Iron Review: Egg Problems & Great Gratins

Cites heating speed (against), non-stick surface, searing and crust

And holy cow, this thing is cooking very quickly, setting up very quickly. It's slid, but this is kind of one of those brown uh what I call internet eggs. [music] It slid, but it is kind of like shoe leather, and they wouldn't actually want to eat this egg.
Uh, normally I flip my steaks at two minutes when I do a hightemp sear on the stove top. So, I checked it at 2 minutes and actually I thought it could use a little bit more time. So, I put it back on that first side and gave it another minute. So, at 3 minutes I turned it and um, very nice browning and sear on there.…
And I'm going to say here that I can get an egg to slide now. The field, I mean, it's definitely come in. You can see the difference. It's darker and it's gotten better. But I am still waiting. I have yet to cook a truly delicious uh perfect fried egg in this guy after a month and a half of heavy seasoning and usage.
2:31 objects Uncle Scott Beginners
I also am having a little trouble getting the seasoning to develop and come in, or what they call the break-in period. At a month and a half in, I am still having trouble getting non-stick eggs.

durability tested it Field Cast Iron Review: Egg Problems & Great Gratins

Owned 2 months

Cites maintenance (against), seasoning durability (against)

I have reseasoned this pan multiple multiple times. I have seasoned it with Crisco, with grape seed oil, with peanut oil. I have seasoned it in the oven. I have done carbon steel type seasonings on a stove top, getting the pan smoking there.
11:35 supports Chris Hall Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
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.

durability relaying someone else Field Cast Iron Review: Egg Problems & Great Gratins

Cites seasoning durability

12:05 supports Chris Hall Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
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.

use-case fit relaying someone else Field Cast Iron Review: Egg Problems & Great Gratins

Cites seasoning durability

Le Creuset dutch oven

2 voices 4 claims 1 objection

15:47 supports Uncle Scott Beginners earns commission on this
Now, as far as the enamel, I think all of these Dutch ovens are goodlooking.

appearance tested it NEW: Lodge USA Enamel Review with cooking & Staub/Le Creuset comparison!

Uncle Scott earns commission on this. Stated in the source: “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” Kept and labelled rather than dropped — a paid endorsement is still evidence, and you should be the one to decide what it is worth.

Cites appearance, surface finish

The stoves and the L Crusades may be a scoch smoother, and I can't tell if that's actually true or if that's just what I expect. And um it's reinforcing my expectations.
3:38 supports The Knife Wizard Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
so in my mind and I'll give you my opinion in my mind I would much rather buy a l cruset knowing that if I ever wanted to sell it I could get 75% of what I paid for it back without any hassle then try to save some money and get this have a subpar product and at the end of the day never be able to sell it and get my…

recommendation tested it Le Creuset vs. Lodge Enamel — Compare and Contrast.

1:37 objects The Knife Wizard Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
a nice little thing of note is that the lodge comes with a stainless steel handle on the top the L Crusade does not however this is good up to about 500 a little bit over 500° that's good for an infinite amount of temperature but when you think about it you really shouldn't be using this above 500° anyway so I feel…

handling tested it Le Creuset vs. Lodge Enamel — Compare and Contrast.

Cites heat resistance (against)

Smithey cast iron skillet

2 voices 3 claims 1 objection

What do beginners and buy it for life enthusiasts say about cookware in general?

Not a recommendation for a specific product — technique, materials and what to look for in cookware. Citable on its own terms.

2:36 objects Uncle Scott Beginners
if you have an electric flattop stove it makes it more difficult to get your pan seasoned now i season my pan regularly when our gas stove top if you're cooking on a gas stove top the flame hits the bottom moves outward enough around the sides of the pan so you get a good even distribution of heat all over the pan…

use-case fit owns and uses it daily Matfer Carbon Steel Pan Seasoning Problems Solved

Cites heat conduction (against)

8:33 supports Hannah Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
First, a broad cooking surface. We preferred pans that offered at least 10 inches of flat cooking surface.

recommendation tested it Cast Iron vs Enameled Cast Iron: Which is Better? | Gear Heads

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
3:01 supports Hannah Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
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.

performance tested it Cast Iron vs Enameled Cast Iron: Which is Better? | Gear Heads

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.
2:01 supports Hannah Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
Generally being a single piece of metal also makes these skillets very sturdy.

durability tested it Cast Iron vs Enameled Cast Iron: Which is Better? | Gear Heads

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.
0:30 supports Hannah Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
In terms of cooking, there's very little these pans can't do.

performance tested it Cast Iron vs Enameled Cast Iron: Which is Better? | Gear Heads

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
0:00 supports Hannah Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
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.

use-case fit tested it Cast Iron vs Enameled Cast Iron: Which is Better? | Gear Heads

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.
3:31 supports Christopher Scott Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
I have both of those other those other things they are wonderful to cook with

performance owns and uses it daily Our Journey From Hexclad to Stainless Steel

Cites non-stick surface

I have both of those other those other things they are wonderful to cook with
and also in the care section you'll find that there are ways to make your stainless steel cookware very nonstick into efficient it's just absolutely amazing
7:32 objects Hannah Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
like cast iron, it rusts when it's bare. It requires seasoning or a process that bonds oil to the surface of the pan not only for protection, but also to start the pan on its journey to make it non-stick.

durability Are Carbon Steel Pans Really The Best? | Gear Heads

Cites dishwasher safe (against), rust resistance (against)

One thing you wanna note with carbon steel, you don't wanna put these pans in the dishwasher. The dishwasher will ruin the seasoning.
0:00 objects Sprint Kitchen Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
Turns out non-stick pans like Teflon use coatings called PTFE that over time can leech chemicals into your food. This can cause things like cancer, liver damage, and reproductive issues.

performance relaying someone else Heritage Steel Cookware Review: Eater vs Titanium

Cites flavour impact (against), safety (against)

When using nonstick, we put them in the dishwasher and sometimes you can slightly taste the food that you previously cooked in it before, especially things like fish or even the detergent from the dishwasher.
22:06 objects Christopher Scott Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
it feels like sort of a scam that non-stick cookware manufacturers know they're selling a product with planned obsolescence and customers should have to Reby their pots and pans every couple of years Bingo buddy yeah 100% okay

value Our Journey From Hexclad to Stainless Steel

Cites price (against)

11:34 mixed Hannah Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
you can see this pan has a nice non-stick layer started on it that will build over time. But you can do things in the normal path of cooking that will damage that non-stick surface. Really acidic things, for example, like tomato sauce, or white wine, or lemon juice. They can strip that coating back a little bit. This…

durability tested it Are Carbon Steel Pans Really The Best? | Gear Heads

Cites acid resistance (against), seasoning durability (against), repairability

Seasoning is a process. It can take upwards of a year to fully season a pan, even if you use it frequently. And sometimes, the seasoning will look like you're taking one step forward and two steps back. It can look blotchy, and brown, and sad.
0:30 supports Sprint Kitchen Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
It's non-toxic, super durable, and honestly, if you know how to use it, it actually has better non-stick properties than a non-stick pan.

performance relaying someone else Heritage Steel Cookware Review: Eater vs Titanium

Cites ease of cleaning, non-stick surface, safety

It's non-toxic, super durable, and honestly, if you know how to use it, it actually has better non-stick properties than a non-stick pan.
Cleaning stainless steel is actually easier than you think. First, wait until the pan cools down. Sticking a hot pan in cold water causes it to warp. You never want to do that. Once the pan is warm, but not scolding hot, add some water. Let it sit for a minute, then scrub with baking soda or barkeeper's friend for…
17:04 mixed Christopher Scott Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
just be careful if you're using a metal metal utensil on your your your stainless steel stainless steel is actually kind of soft and it will scratch it's not going to affect the performance but just you know if you're going to use a whisk you might want to use a silicone whisk

durability owns and uses it daily Our Journey From Hexclad to Stainless Steel

Cites scratch resistance (against)

10:33 mixed Hannah Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
Ceramic non-stick pans, also known as green non-stick pans, they use something similar to beach glass but it's a very thin layer. It doesn't off gas in the way that PTFE does, but it's very fallible. It's a thin layer, it can crack, it can actually dry out the moisture. The oils come out of the pan where you use it on…

durability tested it Are Carbon Steel Pans Really The Best? | Gear Heads

Cites coating (against), safety

0:37 notes The Knife Wizard Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
the point of a dutch oven in terms of a stew or a brazer what have you is really to Stew so the idea here is you have the liquid all the way up and you have the meat fully submerged in liquid and you're using the actual uh liquid to cook the food

use-case fit Le Creuset — Braiser vs. Dutch Oven.