What Is The Best Cast Iron Skillet?

In this video, Mr. Cast Iron asks, "What Is The Best Cast Iron Skillet"? We get this question occasionally, and there are so many brands to choose from. The one brand I like is the skillet with food being cooked, lol! One pan I use regularly is a three-notch Lodge. But you have many others from vintages like Wagner Ware, Griswold, BSR, or Birmingham Stove and Range. Newer or modern-day companies are Finex, Butter Pat, Staub, Victoria, Stargazer, Smithey, and Field and Company. Take your pick, but leave me a comment on your favorite!

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#mrcastiron #lodgecastiron #finex #smithey #stargazer #griswold #wagnerware #campchef @bayouclassic #lancaster #fieldcompany

[shovelhead]

The best cast iron skillet is the one I have on the stove cooking something. Old or new. Thank you for sharing this with us, Mike. Stay safe and stay warm

[pattiellen]

My favorite cast iron skillet is the one my grandmother left me. It is old, unlabeled, and about 7 inches across. The cooking surface is as smooth as silk. She baked a pan of cornbread in it almost every day for years. My grandmother was born in the year 1900, and she got the pan from her mother. My grandmother passed away in 1998. I guess all that fat back and bacon grease finally caught up to her, just like the well-paid heart doctors warn us about. 😂 I guess if you are only going to live to be 98 years old, then go ahead and enjoy some pork products.

[lcook]

Mike all I have ever had is lodge. I have seasoned them correctly and treat them correctly and will never have any other brand. With mine nothing sticks including eggs. I cook goulash in them and it is delicious. Love them.

[ckost]

I am new to CI, got rid of all non-stick chemical skillets/pans for safety reasons 5 years ago. First buy was a Pioneer Woman 12" CI, cooking surface needed some seasoning and began to cook/bake extremely well, large robust handles, pour spouts, very clean casting edges, and flat bottom tech. make it a winner, it's heavier than the Lodge 12". I have become a fan of Victoria CI, design features are well thought out and executed with skill, cooking surface is incredible, taking seasoning very easily and displaying all the great traits CI is known for. I have the Victoria 10" skillet, Victoria 12" skillet, Victoria 6qt Dutch Oven, with lid doubling as a 10" round grill pan, and 10" Pioneer Woman skillet. High end CI is nice, with many options, but the high price isn't needed to get world class CI.

[hawgwildcastiron]

Mike, my favorite overall is my Erie 2nd series #8. It is super light and cooks great. Favorite brand and series is hand scribed BSR Red Mountain because they are so smooth and have big pour spouts. Favorite modern is Lodge, I use Lodge a lot and you cannot beat their baking pan selection and they have great camp ovens. Best boutique cast iron is Smithey, I have a 12 and it took forever for the seasoning to hold, but now it works like a champ. Best enameled I believe is a tie with Lodge, Descoware and Le Creuset, all perform exactly how they are supposed to. I am restoring a Lodge chef skillet to compare it with my BSR to see which one works best. The point is that everyone will have their different "best" skillet, and it depends a lot on what they are cooking in it and their personal preference. But I agree a full skillet is the best skillet.

[gardeningandgrowing]

I bought a field. It’s great and I love the smoother interior. It’s also not as heavy as a Lodge. Lodge is good too, but some are better. I also have some vintage ones that are great. Love the smooth interior.

[RedProg]

Am a loyal lodge owner. Just received a blacklock 12". 👍

[nskiing]

My favorite is my Field, Lancaster and Finex also love the vintage skillets. As for raw cast iron. And Le Creuset for enameled

[bonepie]

The Best Cast Iron is the one you use.

[turdferguson]

Mike that's a difficult question. I've got to vote for the early 1900s Erie due to the smoothness and light weight. We use a #9 as a daily user. Wapak comes to mind as a light skillet also, they closed in 1926..Several old skillets have the smooth texture but are usually thicker and heavier. I wouldn't use the new stuff for a bedpan plus you can find the older skillets cheaper even at some antique stores than what is sold as premium cast iron. I make spatulas from new Lodge skillets to fund my vintage cast iron addiction so they aren't totally worthless. There's something cool about a 100 year old skillet that still works and looks new.

[natemr]

My favorite cast iron skillet too buy is lodge have a great week mike 😀

[coalregionrider]

The Lancaster pans look nice but for 250 $ I can buy alot more from Lodge. My wife the Lancaster wooden spoons and they are nice.

[jmfstl]

I like the older ones better but I have taken the newer Lodge pans and sanded the inside till it was smooth and then seasoned them. After that they get a nice finish are much better than what comes from the foundry.

[rstumbaugh]

Uncle Mike, the best cast-iron to cook with is the one that you enjoy cooking with the most and gives you the best results. It’s the one that you grab more than any of the others. I like my food different than you like your food and best for me may not be best for you.

[hillbillybbq]

Hey buddy I got a question. I found a 12 inch cast iron skillet for 5 dollars and it says food network on the bottom lol it's half the weight of my 2 other 12 inches. It's about half the thickness of a regular iron skillet. I looked it up and it was marketed as a light weight skillet. Do you think it's aluminum coated with cast iron? I've heard some companies make them like that? But I have to say I love it! It heats up really fast and surprisingly even too. Stay warm brother it's fixin to get cold!

[weswalker]

I don't have much but I like enameled when it comes to Black cast iron if it is a family heirloom that is always the winner. I think one of the deciding factors at least for me is it going to be over open fire or on a stove . another thing throw in as a consideration is weight. If you're young and tough you got plenty of time to handle that heavy cast iron and work up a good seasoning. Older folks I would suggest if weight is a problem to consider the old stuff

[American-CastIron]

Mike I have a lot of old and new lodge I prefer old griswold bsr Wagner pans I tend to stay away from Chinese steel and I’ll make a video on that but the best cast iron pan is the one you can afford period

[jimglatthaar]

Mike, you have asked a tough question. I own a lot of cast iron skillets. They run the gamut: ancient; old; recent; and brand new. My preferences generally are ancient/old over newer, smooth surface over rough surface, lighter over heavier (particularly when I have a full batch of food in them). If I had to rank them, I would say Griswold large block logo, Erie (also Griswold), Lodge no-notch, Lodge 1 or 3 notch, Borough Furness (new artisan skillet), Lodge newer.

[donaldsmith]

The best cast iron is what you like and can afford. I dont like supporting china, but I have a camp chef that i just happened to come up with. It is my most used skillet. I use it most mornings for breakfast, and then it depends for supper. I just prefer the longer more comfortable handle.

[MaggieBryan-jijn]

The hand me down to the one you get for free or the best cast iron