The one drawback of a finished surface is that the pan goes through a bit of an awkward cosmetic phase as you develop the seasoning. For the first couple of months, expect your pan to look a little mottled and inconsistent in color. It doesn't impact the performance of the pan—like all cast iron, it continues to get better over time. The same process happens to a pan with a rougher surface, it's just harder to see.
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All that being said, we still think that for most people, a standard cast-iron pan is an excellent cooking tool, and a well-seasoned, well-cared for specimen will deliver all that you want. The surface alone isn't enough to justify getting a higher end pan, which is why we weren't crazy about all the new cast-iron brands on the market. Rather, the advantage of an upmarket cast-iron pan comes from adding all the design differences together. They make for a pan that's just more enjoyable to use and one that's worth splurging on.
There's also something to be said about supporting small-scale domestic manufacturing businesses, but that's a whole other conversation.
Stargazer Cast-Iron Skillet
The Stargazer Cast-Iron Skillet was a lovely pan to use. It has a generous helper handle, a smooth cooking surface that came nonstick right out of the box, and a curved lip in lieu of a pour spout that does a great job of pouring without dribble. It was on the heavier end of the spectrum though (5.2 pounds), and we ultimately found ourselves drawn to the lighter weight pans. However, this is still an excellent pan, and as far as polished-cast iron prices go, is very reasonable.
Smithey Ironware Skillet
Smithey Ironware's No. 10 Skillet is a gorgeous pan that boasts a lovely bronze luster right out of the box. The polished surface had a great base nonstick surface that we think will only improve with use. Just be prepared for a bit of an awkward phase in terms of appearance as this pan breaks in. The one drawback is its weight, the heaviest of the 10-inch lot, coming in at a whopping 5.8 pounds.
Field Company Skillet
The Field Company's No. 8 Skillet, at 4.3 pounds, was the second lightest of all the 10-inch skillets we tested. Field Company has a more matte finish than other vintage style and it was a little more forgiving with initial seasoning attempts compared to its glossy counterparts. Like the Stargazer below, the Field has a curved lip instead of pour spouts, however we found that the Field's wasn't curved enough to keep oil dribbling down the side.
Victoria Cast Iron Signature Pan
The makers of our winning budget cast iron recently came out with their own higher end pan that has a more intricate design and smooth, polished cooking surface. Compared to pans from Lancaster, Smithey, or Field, Victoria's upscale pans have a far more robust, pre-applied seasoning that amplifies it's nonstick capabilities right out of the box. Overall, it performed on par with the Lancaster, but it was still notably heavier than our winner. We also weren't so keen on the design finishes. The handle has a brass insert designed to stay cool longer, but during testing we found that it actually warmed up faster than the surrounding cast iron. Not a huge deal, since we think stay cool handles are a bit overrated anyway (all cast iron handles eventually get too hot to touch, so it's worth getting in the habit of using a pot holder or handle cover of some sort at all times).
Victoria Signature Soft 10-Inch Skillet
Borough Furnace Frying Skillet
The Borough Furnace Frying Skillet is a beautiful piece of cookery made out of a small workshop in Upstate New York. We like that the company uses recycled iron in its manufacturing process. However the pans weren't our favorite. The shape of the pan—shallow and with outward angled walls— diminishes its versatility, and the long handle, while cool at high temperatures, digs into your hand when you hold it. Not only that, it's a hefty six pounds, and the most expensive in the lineup.
The Lodge Classic Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet
The Lodge Classic Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet is available in many sizes including 10.25-inches and 12-inches. For around $20, it's a versatile and effective piece of equipment from an USA-made legacy brand with a lot of trust in the space. The Victoria simply came with a better seasoning out of the box, and was slightly more comfortable to hold and maneuver.
Victoria 10-Inch Cast-Iron Pan
The Victoria 10-Inch Cast-Iron Pan had big shoes to fill; we assumed it would be a top performer because we loved the brand's 12-inch model so much. But the 10-inch skillet doesn't have a helper handle on the side, which felt like a dealbreaker for such a heavy-duty piece of equipment. This was a tough pan to move into and out of the oven, and from the stovetop to the table, even with an oven mitt.
Ooni Cast Iron Skillet Pan
The Ooni Cast Iron Skillet Pan came with a detachable handle that's actually genius for in-oven baking. It has super shallow walls which makes it more suitable for making pizzas (makes sense since this is a pizza oven company) or pancakes, and for sautéing or searing on the stovetop. But if you want a cast iron pan for those purposes, instead of, say, deep frying, this is a good one to get.
Ooni Cast Iron Skillet Pan
Amazon Basics Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Pan
The Amazon Basics Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Pan had some strong ergonomic features, including an easy-to-grip handle with a thumb imprint and a robust helper handle, but the pre-seasoning it claimed to have right out of the box was virtually non-existent.t.
Camp Chef Cast-Iron Skillet
The Camp Chef Cast-Iron Skillet also turned out to be a pre-seasoned pan that wasn't especially nonstick straight out of the box. However, it responded remarkably well to additional seasoning: It was easier to achieve an even coat of seasoning on the surface of this pan than the classic Lodge. And after just one round of seasoning, the surface became very nonstick. This is a perfectly good option for an inexpensive cast-iron skillet, though the brand doesn't have as strong a reputation as some others we tested.
Lodge Pro-Logic Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet
The Lodge Pro-Logic Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet had the same surface and seasoning as the standard Lodge cast-iron, but a sloped handle and curved sides intended to make it more comfortable to use. The handle has a thumb print similar to the Amazon Basics pan, and it's easy to grip and maneuver. There's also a large helper handle (though no pouring spouts). The curved interior should have been great for flipping, but the pan weighed 5.1 pounds, so it was more cumbersome to move around.
The Lodge Blacklock 96
With competitive price and timely delivery, siao sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.
The Lodge Blacklock 96 is Lodge's answer to the new generation of smooth cast iron pans. It looks similar to the classic Lodge skillet but differs in a few critical, useful ways. It is among the lightest, (Lodge’s website claims it’s 3 pounds 14 ounces, which would make it the lightest, but our scale had it a touch heavier than the Lancaster). It's also triple seasoned, which we found yielded a more effective out-of-the-box natural nonstick layer than the average Lodge. However, we weren't crazy about the handle which dug into our hands, and the surface, while smoother than a standard Lodge, was still considerably rougher by upmarket skillet standards.
Finex Cast-Iron Skillet
The Finex Cast-Iron Skillet was a unique addition to the test; the product comes from the Portland, Oregon-based company that has made a few changes to the design of traditional cast-iron skillets. First, the pan is octagonal, designed to provide eight easy access points for flipping food; second, it has a stainless steel spring that wraps around its handle to prevent it from getting hot. It also has that smooth surface of the vintage style pans. Ultimately, we found the larger handle cumbersome to hold and preferred pre-seasoned models for cooking with right out of the box.
Valor Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet
The Valor Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet is a restaurant favorite: It's inexpensive, classically designed, and built to take a beating. We appreciated how nonstick it was right out of the box and only wished that the pour spouts on either side were a little bigger—these were tougher to use than those of other 12-inchers we tested. That said, for a budget pick that you can use the day you buy it and every day after, the Valor works fine.
Backcountry Cast-Iron Skillet
The smooth surface of this pan fried up an egg with no sticking, but the handle was a little too short and clunky. On a cosmetic level, there were some unsightly edges, seams, and nicks in the metal cast that a cast iron pan at this price should probably not have.
Kitchenaid Cast-Iron Skillet
A relatively new addition to the Kitchenaid product lineup, they currently only offer a large 12 inch skillet. It has a more modern shape with a nice long handle. The cooking surface however is roughly the same quality as a Lodge cast iron skillet, but at twice the price.
Barebones Cast-Iron Pan
The thing our testers loved the most about the Barebones pan was the lid that came with it, which has a nice copper handle. Performance-wise it was middle of the pack, but wasn’t too heavy, and the long handle was nice.
Butter Pat Industries Skillet (Temporarily unavailable)
When we tested Butter Pat Industries cast-iron we found them to have incredibly high quality. In 2024 the company announced it had been acquired by Yeti (of cooler fame) with an eye towards expanding their production. Both companies are known for excellent products, so we have no reason to doubt the new Butter Pat x Yeti pans will be experience any issues, but we have not tested them yet, mostly because, at the time of writing they were unavailable to the public. We'll keep an eye out to see if they're added to Yeti's regular lineup in the future though.
The Heather 10-Inch Polished Cast Iron Skillet
Müeller Cast Iron Pan
A run of the mill, barebones cast iron pan. We found the out of the box seasoning relatively scant, and the cooking surface rather small relative to the 10-inch diameter. It is a perfectly serviceable pan, but there are plenty of other better alternatives out there.
Mueller Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
Cuisinel 12 Inch Cast Iron Skillet
A favorite among Amazon shoppers, this skillet had some solid attributes like a generous 3-inch depth and high sides for frying and an included glass lid (one of the few pans that had one), but ultimately it was an unremarkable pan. For a pre-seasoned pan, we found the seasoning to be pretty inadequate compared to the Victoria. All in all, a decent pan, just not the best of the bunch.
Cuisinel Cast Iron Skillet with Lid
Utopia Kitchen Skillet
The Utopia Kitchen Skillet is a mass-produced pan that bears many similarities to Lodge pans. However, the factory seasoning was inferior (something that matters in our mind for budget pans), which led to it being one of the stickier fry pans out of the box.
One of the most intimidating aspects of dealing with a cast iron skillet, particularly those with a smoother vintage-style surface, is building up and maintaining the seasoning. Yes, pretty much every cast-iron pan you’ll find will come pre-seasoned, but we’d be lying if we said that they were indestructible right out of the box. A lot of cast-iron lovers will say that the best way to develop the seasoning on your cast-iron pan is to simply cook with it regularly. This is true to some extent, but certain cooking techniques, and overly vigorous scrubbing can damage and remove underdeveloped seasoning, and might leave you with some bare spots. This isn’t a big deal—you might just need to use a little more fat the next time you pull it out to cook— but you might find that you will need to re-season it in the beginning.
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Adam_R. said: Click to expand...
My number 10 user is a newer lodge. I used it for about 3 years before I knew how to actually take care of cast iron. Beat the hell out of it. Once I have learned the proper way to take care of it it started to actually work as it was suppose to. I have seasoned it in the oven and cook on it all the time. Never stripped it. I have repaired the bad season pretty well and it is growing completely slick over most of the pan. Never had an issue with the preseasoning. I also would have a hard time believing if their was an issue with preseasoning we wouldnt know about it. They sell a ton of pans. And although most of us prefer older pans rather than newer lodges, they are still an outstanding company. They are "cast iron" people so I imagine a LOT of time and research went into their preseasoning. So in short, Ive used it, have had no issues, and trust itOMG where id you find your Wok?
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