Other cast-iron skillets we tested
The Lodge Cast-Iron Skillet
People tend to be shocked that we don’t place the Lodge as our winner or budget pick. It is a fantastic pan, make no mistake. It has a great factory seasoning that’s resilient from the jump, and the 10″ costs around $20 bucks—so what gives? When it came down to it the Victoria pan had a slicker factory seasoning out of the box and a more comfortable handle design.
Stargazer Cast-Iron Skillet
The Stargazer is a lovely pan. It differs from a lot of other cast-iron pan designs by eschewing a pour spout for a curved lip around the entire edge of the pan. Liquids pour from the pan without drips or clinging to the edge. It also has a spacious and easy-to-grab helper handle. It comes with a lightly pre-seasoned polished surface that was fairly nonstick out of the box, but had definite room to improve over continued use. At 5.2 lb. for the 10″ skillet, it is on the heavier side, which is why this one didn’t win overall. It’s still an excellent, well-designed pan.
Smithey Ironware Skillet
Another high-end polished cast-iron pan on the list. Smithey pans are exceptionally gorgeous, so much so that it almost feels wrong cooking with them. However, you should cook with it straight away, as the factory seasoning is a little light on these, and we observed a little bit wearing away after the first couple rounds of cooking prior to us adding an additional layer of seasoning. Gorgeous as they are, Smithey pans are heavy, 5.8 lb. for the 10″ skillet.
Field Company Skillet
This skillet is the second lightest (4.3 lb. at 10″) and has a velvety surface that holds onto seasoning a little better than the smooth polished pans. Like the Stargazer, it also has a curved lip instead of a pour spout, but we found that this pan does have a bit of a dribbling problem, which we weren’t so crazy about. Still, one member of our team who has now lived with this pan for years loves it and uses it every day.
Victoria Cast-Iron Signature Pan
This is Victoria’s answer to the high-end polished cast-iron pan. The seasoning is great, but the pan is heavier than the Lancaster, and we didn’t love all the extra design embellishments. The brass insert on the handle had no practical value (it heated up quicker than the surrounding cast-iron). Also all the extra ridges and divots just meant more places for gunk to get stuck in.
Ooni Cast-Iron Skillet Pan
Ooni is a pizza oven company, and this pan is really designed for cooking in an oven rather than on the stovetop. It has a detachable handle, which is actually a bit of genius design for making it easy and comfortable to grab out of a blazing hot pizza oven. But the sides are too shallow for doing more normal cast-iron things like frying chicken, or sauteing greens. It is, however, great for cornbread and pizookies.
Camp Chef Cast-Iron Skillet
This pan is pretty similar to your standard Lodge or Victoria, but with a seasoning that’s not quite as nonstick out of the box. We did fine, however, that it adds new layers of seasoning quite well, so it’s not a bad budget pan by any means.
Valor Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet
The Valor is apparently a favorite in restaurants, but there’s nothing really special to it that makes it stand out. If anything, the pour spouts are so small they might as well not be there at all.
The Lodge Blacklock 96
Lodge released this pan in response to the wave of new and fancy polished pans, and beautiful (quite beautiful), well seasoned (three glossy layers), and lightweight as it is (almost even with the Lancaster), our testers found the handle uncomfortable to hold.
Finex Cast-Iron Skillet
We’re all for innovation, which is what Finex sought to do with its octagonal pan and its bulbous handle, but we didn’t really observe any value from the modifications. While the octagonal shape is for easier flipping you could just use a bigger cast-iron pan for anything you want to flip. And its “speed cool” handle was awkward and bulbous in hand.
Kitchenaid Cast-Iron Skillet
Anytime Kitchenaid ventures beyond the small appliance space you never quite know what you’re gonna get. In this case, it’s a cast-iron pan that is totally average in every way except for its modern, minimalist design. We think this pan is too expensive for what you’re getting.
Barebones Cast-Iron Pan
“Ooh, a lid!” Was the universal reaction to this cast-iron pan. If you like the idea of having a lid for your pan, this is your pan. The problem with cast-lids though, is that they don’t benefit from the progressive seasoning development the rest of the pan gets as you cook with it. Lids are only really dealing with evaporative moisture, which makes them even more likely to rust.
Backcountry Cast-Iron Skillet
This is a super polished cast iron pan with a glossy cooking surface that was nice to work with. However, we noticed quite a few cosmetic issues, like small nicks and rough edges that made it seem like there were some corners cut in the manufacturing process.
Cuisinel 12 Inch Cast Iron Skillet
Amazon customers really like this pan. It comes with a silicone handle cover and a glass lid which is nice (glass is a better material for a lid than cast-iron). It also has tall, 3-inch sides, which makes this pan great for frying. Beyond that though, the pan is heavy and seemed to be barely pre-seasoned.
Müeller Cast Iron Pan
Another pan that is just fine. The factory seasoning is minimal, so you’ll have to build that up yourself. There are several better options that are just as affordable from Victoria, Lodge, and others.
Utopia Kitchen Skillet
This is an affordable pan that looks a lot like a Lodge, but with a lesser factory seasoning, we can’t recommend it.
Amazon Basics Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Pan
The seasoning that came on this pan out of the box was pretty bad, and with so many other cheap alternatives that offer much better quality, we don’t see the point in purchasing this pan. It’s also only available in a 15-inch diameter at the time of writing, which is bigger (and heavier) than most people need.
How to care for a cast iron skillet
Seasoning
When you first get your pan, you’ll want to season it. We recommend this even when the pan comes labeled as pre-seasoned. To do this, just lightly rub a bone-dry pan with a thin layer of high-heat, neutral vegetable oil and place it upside down in a scorching oven—450°F-500°F should do the trick. Leave for an hour, turn off the heat, let it cool in the oven, rub with a tiny bit more oil, and store. You can season cast iron as many times as you’d like to build up a glossy nonstick surface; when the pan looks dull or dry, it’s time to moisturize.
Washing
No, you can’t chuck it in the dishwasher, and you won’t be using your normal hand wash methods, but a cast-iron skillet really doesn’t require much love. When it’s time to clean up, simply wipe a damp rag across the surface of your pan, then dry it thoroughly. Often, that’ll be enough. But if there are any crusty bits, try pouring coarse salt in there and going at it with a Tawashi scrubber, which has soft bristles that whisk away any detritus. Many will tell you to avoid soap at all costs lest you ruin your careful seasoning, but a little dish soap is fine—just don’t let it sit in hot water. (Read our complete guide to cleaning cast iron.)
For really baked on crumbs, try The Ringer, a handy chain mail scrubber that easily rinses clean between uses. After cleaning your cast iron, be sure to wipe your fry pan very dry—this is key for preventing any rust spots. Then take a teeny bit of neutral cooking oil (like canola or vegetable), smear on a paper towel, and give it a light coating. Take care to get the handle and the bottom as well as the cooking surface, as rust can crop up anywhere. And you’re good to go! It sounds involved, but it really only takes a few minutes. A well-seasoned pan takes virtually no time at all, so dutifully season and you’ll be rewarded.
How to fix rusty spots on cast iron cookware
Toss your skillet in the sink absentmindedly or leave it out in the rain, only to find it’s developed a layer of orange rust? Don’t panic—rusting can happen pretty easily if you allow your pan to come into contact with water for an extended period of time (it is made of iron, after all). But that doesn’t mean it’s ruined. A salt scrub will help with most small spots, while a vinegar soak is the cure for more serious cases. (Read more on dealing with pesky cast-iron rust patches.)
