The sixth century BCE marked the origin of cast-iron creation in China and the manufacturing process remains unchanged since then. Cast iron has undergone a renaissance in its making for centuries. Molten-metal is poured into the sand mold, and after cooling the pan is allowed to appear in a single piece inclusive of handles.
The new era started and we got the unique modern-day cast-iron skillets. My mom gifted me one and honestly, I didn’t like it in the first instance until I used and experienced its benefits. They are non-stick and require minimal or no oil at all and this is a health bonus! Versatile enough to bake fluffy frittatas, sear steaks, seafood, and cakes.
These are affordable, chemical-free, add iron to your food, and absolutely easy to clean. Practically indestructible the cast-iron skillets are worth every penny you spend. The skillet transitions from grill to stovetop to oven with absolute convenience.
All are not created equal and on the basis of reviews of real customers and my personal experience, the list of best skillets is here. I am sure once you use them you won’t stop raving about them:
Our 3 Favorite Cast Iron Skillets | Featured Recommendations
Best Cast Iron Skillet: Reviewed in Detail
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What To Consider When Shopping For The Cast Iron Skillet For Home?
Cast iron skillets come in varied sizes. The buyer has the option to purchase the skillet which is both new and used. Here the weight of the cast-iron skillet plays a significant role in the purchase of a satisfactory piece of cast iron skillet.
The good quality cast iron skillet should have handles that are usable and don’t burn the chef while handling the product, and for this, the cook is advised to put covers on his hands while working on a cast-iron skillet.
While purchasing the best-cast iron skillet, the customer is suggested to hunt for a skillet that has handles on both the sides. The double handles allow the cook to balance the pot easily on being heated. Moreover, the handles balance the skillet and it becomes comfortable for the cook in maneuvering it.
What is The Best-Rated Cast Iron Skillet?
Cast iron skillets contain a great variation in the price. The culinary industry is flooded with a range from much cheaper than a new set of more modern skillets to much more expensive costs per piece. Frankly speaking, a good and a fine piece of cast iron skillet does not require a huge investment, but before stepping into the market for its purchase; a customer should really do thorough market research on its price depending on their use of it.
Cast iron skillets are available in twofold preferences- bare and enamel-coated cast iron skillets. Bare cast iron skillets come without any covering to make them inherently non-stick, but they have to be “seasoned” and then used to develop a patina in order to become truly non-stick.
On top of it, bare cast iron items come with much a lower price tag than enameled products. On the other hand, enamel-coated cast iron skillets are non-stick and “non-reactive”.
Though these items don’t need to be seasoned but do require regular maintenance and care to keep the finish intact. Otherwise, the enamel coating wears off, and the skillets can become unusable over the passage of time.
Cast iron pans bar to last for a high expectation of lasting for a lifetime. Make sure the coating of the good cast iron wok should be thick enough to withstand heat transferred through the iron. Every single thing pertaining to the skillet should be even, and no part of it should bear a different thickness level, as it leads to unreliable heating and makes cooking in them really burdensome.
Additionally, the cook needs to pay heed as to what kind of tools should be incorporated on enamel coated cast iron skillet. Sharp metals could take off some of the finish and leave a chef with a pot or pan that is blessed with so many spots that will be a restriction in the aid of heating.
Thus, choosing the best-cast iron skillet brand from the market of the food industry is not at all cumbersome. One can even spend on an enameled cast-iron skillet or on a non-enameled cast iron skillet. However, the only pondering point is the post usage or in other words, the cleaning process involved in the cast iron skillet.
- Cleaning the skillet immediately after its use, while it is still hot or warm is the best way to sustain for its longevity. The best advice is not to soak the skillet or place it in the sink for rusting.
- The skillet needs to be washed by hand using hot water and a sponge or stiff brush. Avoid using the dishwasher, soap, or steel wool, as these may act harshly on it by stripping off the pan’s seasoning.
- Stubborn foodstuff can be removed by scrubbing off the skillet with a paste of coarse kosher salt and water. Even the most obstinate food residue may also be loosened by boiling water in it.
- The skillet needs to be thoroughly towel-dried or one should experiment with one’s hands in drying the skillet over low heat on a stovetop.
- Apply a light coat of vegetable oil by using a cloth or a paper towel to the inside of the skillet. Some people even prefer to oil it from the outside.
- The last and the most significant tip to restore the skillet for its sustenance is to store it in a dry place.
Benefits of Cast Iron Cookware
Cast iron cookware is conferred with the title of the “king” of cooking products. Cast iron cookware is the longest-lived item in any kitchen. Cast iron skillets and other similar products can last for more than a century with appropriate care and storage techniques.
The best part is that many cast pots and pans can be put directly on the table as a serving dish. There are innumerable cookware products to spend your money upon, but cast iron cookware tops them all with its many ecological features and food preparation benefits.
Bestselling Cast iron skillet is considered to be the original non-stick pan sans any chemical hazards. It possesses the benefit of cleaning it with less human efforts, no soap, and just applying stiff brush and hot water. Cast iron skillet is a great alternative to non-stick cooking surfaces.
Cast iron skillet can be pre-heated to temperatures that will brown meat and will withstand oven temperatures well above what is considered safe for non-stick pans. You can cook almost any food in a good quality cast iron skillet to accomplish your pangs of hunger as well as your glutton cravings.
In a nutshell, you just need to pay heed to a few important things in mind while working with a cast-iron skillet, so as to maintain a healthy relationship without any single cribbing.
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Never use cast iron in the microwave.
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Season your cast iron skillet properly and still if your food sticks, you need to re-season it for better results.
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Never use damaged, cracked, or rusted cast iron.
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It’s important to heat your pans slowly before adding your food as cast iron conducts heat very well, thus needing less energy to cook thoroughly.
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Never put cold liquids or large amounts of very cold food in the skillet as this could lead to the cracking of the cast iron.
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Cast iron skillets get hot very easily. It is strongly advisable to keep hot pans handy while working on it.
Final Thoughts
Cast iron is long-lasting and exceptionally resilient. So if you ever happen to find an old piece of cast iron skillet free of cracks or chips at a garage sale or secondhand store, don’t give a second thought, but grab it immediately! Poorly taken care of cast iron can still be refurbished and will last you a lifetime. Moreover, it is just a single time investment.
The sole purchase of the cast iron skillet can do versatile tasks. It can take up the place of a casserole pan, searing pan, cornbread pan, and griddle, and one Dutch oven takes the place of a large bread pan, soup and stockpot, and deep fryer, and thus, you can ponder to appreciate after realizing its actual worth.
This single-time purchase of cast iron skillet done at your end can bear the mark of historical significance for the coming generation of yours if kept with proper and desired care.
Every time you extend your hands in making use of cast iron skillet, you are actually seasoning it again by filling in the microscopic pores and valleys that are part of the cast-iron surface. The more you cook, the smoother the surface becomes!
The benefits of cast iron skillets are terrific as witnessed above. It’s time that multitude should realize the culinary wonder that a cast iron pan can impart! Even if the pan is rusty or encrusted with grease, buy it anyways. Don’t worry!
The ways to get that new or old one into shape with appropriate seasoning is already discussed, so enjoy it for a lifetime of fat-free cooking. You’ll surely be able to pass the skillet on to your own children and grandchildren, as an indelible mark of any other important piece of family possession and tradition.
In the present scenario, an outsized selection of cookware can be procured from kitchen suppliers, of which cast iron vessels encompass only a minimal fraction of it. However, keeping in hand the advantages, the durability and dependability of cast iron as a cooking tool have ensured its survival.
Thus, the culinary market still witnesses’ cast iron cookware. Looking into its advantages, it is highly recommended by most cooks and chefs as an indispensable component of any kitchen decor.
Best Cast iron cookware has a higher tendency to withstand and maintain very high cooking temperatures and acts as a common choice to fry food items. It’s one of the most commonly used kitchen tools. It’s the perfect vessel to cook up a great pork chop, crisp up some chicken chunks, or even bake lip-smacking chocolate brownies.
Cast iron cookware is as tough as nails and doesn’t ruin easily. Moreover, if it is seasoned then you can even store them directly placing in each other. In a properly seasoned cast iron pan, one that has been rubbed with oil and heated repeatedly, the oil has already broken down into a plastic-like substance that has bonded to the surface of the metal.
This is what gives well-seasoned cast iron its non-stick cookware properties, and as the material is no longer actually an oil, the surfactants in dish soap do not affect it. One should go ahead, soap it up and scrub it out at your convenience. Seasoning is a process by which a layer of animal fat or vegetable oil is applied and cooked onto cast iron or carbon steel cookware.
New cookware should be vigorously washed in hot water with a strong detergent to remove any casting oils from the cookware’s surface. The seasoning layer protects the cookware from rusting, provides a non-stick surface for cooking, and prevents food from interacting with the iron of the pan. However, recurrent use of acidic foods like tomato sauce will remove the seasoning and the cookware requires frequent re-seasoning.
The cleaning strategy for the best-cast iron cookware is a bit unique. Some die-hard fans of cast iron utensils never clean them at all. They simply wipe them out after use, or at the maximum wash them with lukewarm water and a stiff brush.
A few others, advice washing with mild soap and water, and then re-apply a thin layer of fat or oil. Finally, the easiest way of cleaning is to scrub with kosher salt and a paper towel or clean rag. A seasoned cast-iron skillet is utterly smooth, shiny, and non-stick. One would easily come to know that the time has come to re-season if food sticks to the surface or if the skillet appears dull or rusted.
On top of it, cooking with cast iron helps in-takers to get more iron in their diet in order to build red blood cells in more numbers. Even it is the wise recommendation of a doctor that patients suffering from anemia should cook their food with cast iron.
Nothing sustains forever in this world. But if one takes excessive and consistent care then as per the thumb rule the product can last longer. There are certain rules, one needs to be cognizant of a successful lifelong relationship with your cast iron.
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To season your pan, heat it up on the stovetop until it’s smoking hot, rub a little oil into it and let it cool. Repeat this process, a couple of times and you’re all set to go.
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Cleaning up of the good cast iron skillet thoroughly after each use by washing it with soap and water and scrubbing out any debris from the bottom is highly recommended. I use the scrubby side of a sponge for this.
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Rinsing out of excess soap with water, then place the skillet over a burner set to high heat. When most of the water inside the skillet has dried out, add a half teaspoon of vegetable, canola, or flaxseed oil. Rub it around with a paper towel. Continue heating the pan until it starts smoking. Let the cast iron skillet cool down and thus, ready for use.
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Just utilize your skillet to the maximum! The more you fry, sear, or bake in a cast-iron skillet; the better would be the seasoning of it.
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Water, the source of life, is the natural enemy of iron. Even a single drop of water resting in the cast iron skillet would lead to rust. It is strongly advised to dry out the skillet with a paper towel and coat it with a tiny amount of oil before it is replaced for storage.