Cast Iron vs Enameled Cast Iron: Which is Better? | Gear Heads
Should you get a traditional black cast-iron skillet or a colorful enameled one? Depends on how you use it.
Learn more:
Buy the Lodge 12 Inch Cast Iron Skillet:
Buy the Lodge 10.25-Inch Cast Iron Skillet:
Buy the Lodge 8-Inch Cast Iron Skillet:
Buy the Le Creuset 11 Inch Enameled Cast Iron:
Buy the Le Creuset 10 Inch Enameled Cast Iron:
Buy the Le Creuset 9 Inch Enameled Cast Iron:
Buy the Smithey 12 Inch Cast Iron Skillet:
Buy the Smithey 10 Inch Cast Iron Skillet:
Buy the O-Cedar Scrunge Sponge:
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0:00 – Intro
1:04 – Buying guide
1:30 – How cast iron pans are made
2:12 – Lodge
2:54 – Smithey
3:50 – Le Creuset
6:30 – Which should you buy?
8:40 – What to look for when buying
10:38 – Cast iron maintenance
13:55 – Outro
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Enameled cast iron is a waste of time. Get yourself a $10 sand pot if that’s what you want.
Please, please, please address the shiny vs dull side of the foil…does it really make a difference and if so how???
It is nice to see new faces sometimes. So hello Valerie Li Stack!
Given the price of enameled cast iron, is there a great deal of advantage to using it over a heavy duty, fully clad stainless steel pan of comparable size? It seems like some of the advantages of cast iron are lost with the enamel.
Val is awesome!
I have a standard cast iron 3qt dutch oven with a 10" skillet lid — does everything i need cast iron for — though the particular brand I have (Tortillada) the skillet sides are only 1.5 inches, it works fine for cooking for one or two – and only cost about $40 for both pieces.
the video I've been waiting for!!!!
My 12-inch Lodge is my favorite; my grandkids will be fighting over which one of them gets it or gets my Lodge Dutch oven. Maybe they can flip a coin. I do have 8-inch pans for each of them.
Definitely. Would appreciate Lisa's cast iron tips.
I love my 10 in lodge pan. I bought it brand new a couple of years ago and after using metal utensils on it almost every day – it’s really smoothed out! I have found that using coffee filters to oil them up after a wash/dry is helpful since there’s minimal lint and it’s super cheap. Another helpful tool is Lodge’s rust remover eraser, it helps so you could tackle small rust spots instead of stripping the whole pan. 🍳
Lodge for the win. Use it, that rough texture goes away. Cast iron the only pans, baking dishes, and pots I use. I had a nice old Griswold until someone decided they needed it more than me and stole it out of the back of my truck.
Cast iron is exactly why I didn't buy a glass-top stove, all of my skillets are basic cast iron. I use them because I can go straight from the stovetop into the oven without switching pans, because I can use them with any of the heat sources I have, and because they're cheaper than quality carbon steel pans. I don't worry overly much about the seasoning though, because I can always re-season them. I'm gonna have to get some flaxseed oil though, that's a great piece of info!
Val!
#Lodge
The famous LeCreuset is essentially enameled cast iron
As much as I like to support artisan makers, polishing a Lodge takes a couple of hours and turns an affordable pan into a powerhouse cooking vessel. It's just silly to pay someone else a large premium to polish a pan.
If you like cast iron skillets but feel they're too heavy, consider trying carbon steel skillets such as by DeBuyer or Matfer
Lodge all the way!
We have my husband's father's 12" cast iron skillet of uncertain parentage. It's a beast, but it makes fantastic cornbread and frittatas (among other things).
So, what do you think of the cast iron skillets that are enameled outside and raw inside?
I'm now 65. I gave up my Lodge pans because they were just too heavy for me. I've changed over to carbon steel pans.
I have a Lodge and always wanted an artisanal. Maybe one day. I've hear you can sand the Lodge smooth though I'm not sure if it makes it more non stick, some say the texture prevents the seasoning from flaking. It is true you don't want to cook tomato based sauces, it really take off the seasoning.
Enamel fails eventually and isn't buy it for life. Bare cast iron is better.
I sand and polish my lodge pans myself dont like the casting stuff still heavy but just as smooth as the expensive pans are way more non stick
You can use dish detergent on any of them. The reason they say not to use soap is because in the old days, lye was a common ingredient in soap and lye removes seasoning. Any properly seasoned cast iron will hold up fine using dish detergent and modern soaps.
A 25th anniversary deserves THE definitive test by bringing back all the winners from 25yrs of tests in one very specific category to finally reveal the one result everyone always asks for but you don’t test – longevity.
What a missed opportunity to announce the best long lasting nonstick fry pan ever made.
Please please please wash your cast iron pans with dish soap. I promise that the seasoning (that polymerized layer of oil) is not going to be affected by dawn. please don't leave old food and dirty oil in your pan. All you gotta do is wash it out with soap, dry it on the stove top, then rub a tiny bit of oil into the surface.
The whole begining is rather dumb you are comparing all the wrong things first of all the atraction of cast iron isnt non stick coating thats why we have teflon pans second enameled pans shouldnt be compared to traditional cast iron they have nothing in common except for the heft and third the "artisan" pans are dumb just take an angle grinder to any cast iron skillet paint with oil and burn it its not that hard
Great job Val.
So, enamel is the most expensive, and least durable. 😞