Best Cast-Iron Frying Pans
These top-rated pans turn out amazing seared steaks and more
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Cast-iron frying pans have been around for centuries, but their popularity hasn’t cooled a bit. In addition to being incredibly durable—they can last for decades, if not generations—cast-iron pans are particularly good at retaining heat. That means they’re also great for searing, and in fact, all the cast-iron pans in Consumer Reports’ ratings ace our searing test.
CR tests two types of cast-iron pans—uncoated pans (the ones you probably picture when you think of cast iron)—and those coated with enamel, like you see on a Dutch oven.
The advantages of that coating? The enamel creates a smoother surface that makes these pans a bit easier to clean than traditional cast iron and a bit gentler on smooth-top ranges. It also prevents the pan from rusting or reacting to acidic foods like a traditional cast-iron pan. The disadvantage is that the outer coating can chip.
To see how well a cast-iron frying pan works for home cooks, our tests focus on the tasks people typically use this cookware for: searing steaks, browning scallops, and baking cornbread. We also measure heating evenness with a thermal camera, as well as record how hot the pan and the handle get. Heads up: All the handles get hot enough to burn your hand, so make sure you have a pot holder nearby when cooking with cast iron.
Below are the 10 top-scoring 12-inch cast-iron frying pans from our tests, listed in alphabetical order. We’ve included five uncoated and five enameled options. For more information on these and other pans in our tests, see our cookware and frying pan ratings.
CR’s take: Like the other pans featured here, the Bayou Classic earns an Excellent rating for searing steak. It’s almost as good at browning scallops but only so-so at baking cornbread. Heating evenness is also middling. It weighs 7 pounds.
CR’s take: The pricey Butter Pat aces our tests for baking cornbread and searing a juicy New York strip steak, and it’s the only cast-iron pan that earns a very good score for heating evenness. At just over 6 pounds, it’s also one of the lighter models in our tests. Its handle gets much hotter than the handles of all the other frying pans in our labs, though, so you’ll want to be careful handling it while cooking. The Butter Pat is sold only on the company’s website.
CR’s take: You can’t beat the price on Calphalon’s Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron frying pan, and few others in our ratings beat its performance. This pan got excellent marks in searing and very good marks in our baking, cooking evenness and cleanup tests. At 6.5 pounds, it’s a bit lighter than other pans in our tests, and it comes with a 10-year warranty.
CR’s take: With its octagonal shape and spring handle, the Finex Cast Iron frying pan will surely catch your eye—as will its price. It gets a top score in our steak-searing test, and does a very good job at baking as well. Cooks might appreciate the unique shape, which allows liquid to be poured from various angles. The spring handle doesn’t get as hot as some in CR’s tests, but you’ll still need a pot holder. This pan weighs 7.7 pounds.
CR’s take: Lodge has been making cast-iron frying pans in its Tennessee foundry since 1896 and is one of the few surviving iconic American brands. This 12-inch Lodge is top-notch at browning scallops and earns an excellent rating for searing a steak. Baking is only so-so, though. Heating evenness is also mediocre. It weighs 7.8 pounds, which is about average.
CR’s take: The brightly colored Chef’s Classic from Cuisinart got top scores for searing (after all, that’s what cast iron does best), and a very good mark for ease of cleaning (which is, of course, what enameled cast iron does well). But its scores for baking and cooking evenness were only middling. It’s also a bit heftier than some other pans, weighing in at 9.2 pounds.
CR’s take: Le Creuset is known for its Dutch ovens, which are also enameled-covered cast iron. You can easily sear a steak in this nifty Le Creuset frying pan, and it earned a very good rating at browning scallops. However, it was only so-so at baking cornbread. But not everyone bakes in their cast-iron skillet. It’s just as easy to clean as all the other pans on this list.
CR’s take: The fiery red Staub frying pan is a champ at searing steak. And you won’t be disappointed when you use it to cook cornbread, because it earns a very good rating on that test. But it’s only so-so at browning scallops in our tests. It’s easy to clean, and you can move it from oven to table for serving.
CR’s take: This Tramontina frying pan excels at two tasks that you depend on with a cast-iron skillet: searing steak and browning scallops. We also baked cornbread and it earned a very good rating, which is on a par with most of the top pans on this list. And it’s as easy to clean as all the other top-rated pans here.
CR’s take: Weighing in at 8.1 pounds, the Viking Cast Iron skillet is not the lightest cast-iron pan in our ratings, nor is it the best-performing. It excelled at our searing test, but fell off in our tests for baking, cooking evenness, and ease of cleaning.
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