Because of their weight, cast iron skillets often have a small “helper” handle on the far side to make lifting the pan easier. Most skillets don’t come with lids, although you can often buy them separately. A skillet is a pan with gently sloped sides and a long handle. The terms skillet, fry pan, and frying pan are all different words for the same piece of cookware. Reactive to Acidic Foods: Some acidic foods, such as tomatoes, can lift the seasoning off a bare cast iron pan, releasing more iron into the food and altering its taste.īestReviews Skillet, fry pan, or sauté pan?
And without an enamel coating, cast iron is prone to rusting. Requires Hand-Washing: You can’t wash your cast iron skillet in the dishwasher it must be cleaned by hand.
And because of its weight, if you drop a cast iron skillet, it could damage a tile or wood floor or a countertop … or your foot. A 10-inch cast iron skillet weighs around five pounds. That handle can become extremely hot during cooking, so you’ll need to wear an oven mitt to pick it up – or risk a burn. Hot Handle: Most cast iron skillets are one piece, meaning that the handle is also made of cast iron. Requires Seasoning: Cast iron that isn’t enameled needs periodic seasoning to resist rust and maintain its nonstick properties. Of course, cast iron does have some downsides.
This is a big plus for those with iron-deficient anemia – or anyone who needs more iron in their diet.Īffordable: Cooks on a budget appreciate that cast iron is fairly inexpensive, especially when compared to copper and high-end stainless steel cookware. Imparts Iron: Cast iron even has a health benefit: uncoated cast iron tends to leach small amounts of iron into food as it cooks.
Many stainless steel, copper, glass, and aluminum pans do not offer this benefit. Induction-Ready: Cast iron works on induction stoves. Not only that, it’s perfectly usable over a campfire or other open flame. Oven-Ready: If you enjoy cooking stovetop-to-oven recipes, you’ll appreciate the fact that cast iron works just as well inside the oven as it does on top of the stove. That makes cast iron perfect for searing, crisping, or creating a crust on your food. But once it gets hot, it stays hot for a long time – much longer than other types of cookware. Stays Hot: Cast iron heats up fairly slowly compared to other metals, and it doesn’t conduct heat exceptionally well. Still, for cooks who prefer to avoid potentially harmful nonstick substances, the nonstick properties of cast iron are a huge plus. Nonstick: Another benefit of cast iron is that when it’s seasoned and used regularly, it’s fairly nonstick – though not to the extent of a Teflon-coated pan. Some families hand their cast iron pans down for multiple generations. In fact, it’s not unusual for a cast iron pan to be used for decades without showing much wear or tear. There are several compelling reasons for this.ĭurability: Cast iron is incredibly durable. And yet, cooks have been using cast iron pots for hundreds – some sources say thousands – of years. Each of those materials has compelling strong points of its own. There are plenty of other types of cookware on the market: copper, glass, stainless steel, and aluminum, to name a few. If you’re looking to buy a cast iron skillet and wondering where to start, we’re here to help. And while there are skillets made of a variety of metals, cast iron has its own unique strengths that make it a joy to cook with. The workhorse of cookware, skillets are perfect for scrambling, stir-frying, sautéing, pan-frying, searing, and much more. Whether you cook every night of the week or just once in awhile, you almost certainly reach for a skillet on at least some of those occasions.