If I could have only one pan, it would be an enameled cast-iron skillet. The best enameled cast-iron skillet is incredibly durable and versatile enough to work as a sauté pan, a frying pan, a braising pan, and even a baking pan. It&#;s long-lasting, ovensafe, compatible with all cooktops, and because porcelain enamel is alkaline-resistant, you can cook acidic foods in it without issue (not so for uncoated cast iron, which can lose its seasoning with too much acid).
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The best enameled cast iron skillet
The enamel also eliminates nearly all of the maintenance required for raw cast iron, so it&#;s a great option for busy home cooks who want the excellent heat retention and distribution you get from cast-iron pots and pans but may not have time to care for uncoated cookware.
It won&#;t get as nonstick as very well-seasoned, uncoated cast iron; you&#;ll always need some butter and oil to get easy release. But even a budget-friendly enameled cast-iron pan will last a lot longer than pricey nonstick pans.
After testing 10 popular and highly rated enameled cast-iron pans, I&#;m pleased to report that most were pretty good. But in terms of performance and versatility, the Staub Traditional Deep Skillet stood out as the best overall.
Below, find more details on the Staub, along with recommendations for a lightweight option and a budget pick. You can also learn more about how I tested, what I looked for, and what I thought of the enameled cast-iron pans that didn&#;t make my top picks.
If you want the look of a classic cast iron skillet with the durability and versatility of an enameled pan, Staub&#;s Traditional Deep Skillet is the best you can buy.
Everything I cooked in this pan turned out beautifully. With a generous pat of butter, not even fried eggs stuck to the lightly-textured black enamel cooking surface&#;though I did get a perfect crispy edge on the whites. This pan continued to impress when I cooked quesadillas, grilled cheese, and large cuts of meat. The straight but slightly-flared sides maximize the cooking surface area, and they&#;re tall enough that you can easily use this skillet for shallow &#;deep&#; frying and braising. This is also the only one of my top picks that didn&#;t hold onto any of the cornbread I baked in it (and yes, I buttered each one very well).
I loved this pan out of the box, though I admit that might have had something to do with the fact that the matte black version (which costs $20 less than the other colors) could be easily mistaken for meticulously-maintained raw cast iron. To add to its traditional look, it has two pour spouts, a not-too-long handle that still looks classic, and a solid helper handle that&#;s small but functional enough when you need it.
What I didn&#;t love about the Staub Traditional Deep Skillet
Other than the price, there&#;s not much I didn&#;t love about this enameled cast iron skillet. That said, it&#;s always a little annoying when something is advertised as dishwasher safe (like this pan), and then you read the manual and realize &#;hand washing is recommended.&#; The manual also recommends using non-metal utensils in this pan. I&#;m sure it&#;s to avoid scratches, but part of the point of using cast iron instead of nonstick is that you can use whatever utensils you want. Also, because the handle and pan are all cast together, the handle will get piping hot even on the stove, so you&#;ll want to use a silicone handle cover or oven mitt&#;but that&#;s an issue you&#;ll experience with nearly every cast iron skillet.
Specs
Sizes available: 6.5 in, 11 in, 12 in (varies by retailer)
Color options: Yes (varies by retailer)
Oven safe to: 500ºF
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Well-made enameled cast iron is generally pretty pricey, and the quality of Cuisinart&#;s gear is all over the place, so I was repeatedly surprised by the performance of this truly affordable enameled cast iron fry pan.
While we think both pans are worthwhile, if you don't own either it's hard to beat the longevity and versatility of a traditional cast iron skillet like our favorite (after testing 22 pans!) from Lodge.
When you read the words &#;cast iron pan,&#; what&#;s the first image that comes to mind? A heavy black metal skillet with years of patina&#;a.k.a seasoning&#;built up into a glossy top coat? Or do you picture that pan with a smooth, naturally (somewhat) nonstick surface made from enamel? Maybe you imagine a 5-quart Dutch oven with a colorful exterior or a wide and shallow braising pan. All of these are made from cast iron (the exact composition of which varies with each manufacturer), and they are all excellent pans for a variety of cooking tasks.
Compared with stainless steel or nonstick, cast iron pans are heavy, durable, and great at heat retention. To efficiently evaluate the pros and cons of bare versus enameled cast iron (and help you decide which one is right for you), we&#;ll look primarily at skillets. Although you can find uncoated Dutch ovens and braisers, these shapes are most often coated in enamel&#;meaning the qualities inherent in enameled cast iron skillets apply to them, too (with exceptions relevant to size and shape).
The Best Cast Iron and Enameled Skillets
Heat Conduction and Retention
Heat conduction (how efficient and quick a pan is at transferring heat from the cooking unit) and heat retention (how consistently the pan holds its desired temperature throughout the cooking process) are two different concepts. Because most cast iron pans are large and heavy, they are slower to heat and are inferior conductors of heat. But they shine at heat retention, maintaining a consistent temperature even when food is added.
It's a myth that cast iron pans are superior at conducting heat. Instead, they're actually excellent at heat retention.
Serious Eats / Taylor Murray
The presence or absence of an enamel coating won&#;t affect either of these qualities. What does determine a pan&#;s efficiency in both categories is the type of metal used, as well as its thickness. As we've found in our reviews and use of both of these pan types, thinner, lighter-weight pans are faster to heat, and more prone to temperature fluctuations. Heavy pans with thick bottoms will excel in heat retention.
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Performance
Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore
When we talk about a cast iron pan&#;s performance, we&#;re discussing its ability to sear as well as its potential for sticking. A high-performing pan with good heat retention will excel at a hard sear, creating a strong Maillard reaction that produces a golden-brown crust. The pan should also easily release the food from its surface, which happens once the reaction has been completed. So a pan with poor ability to sear is one that will cause food to stick or flake to its surface.
When we tested enameled cast iron skillets, we seared a whole bunch of pork chops. You can see how the browned differently per pan here.
Serious Eats / Taylor Murray
Both enameled and bare pans are great at searing. The presence of an enamel coating may slightly hinder browning, though. As for the stick factor? When a bare cast iron pan is well-seasoned&#;meaning it&#;s coated in even, consistent layers of fat built up over time&#;it has natural nonstick capabilities. Note here we didn&#;t say it&#;s entirely nonstick. For delicate tasks, like cooking an omelet, we still recommend forgoing cast iron entirely and going with nonstick.
Versatility
Serious Eats / Taylor Murray
Kitchen folklore warns that it&#;s bad to cook acidic ingredients like tomatoes in a bare cast iron pan, because those foods may strip the iron from its surface, causing the pan to degrade. So you may think it would follow naturally that enameled pans are a better choice, due to their &#;all foods welcome&#; abilities. However, it&#;s debatable how much iron leaching actually happens with uncoated pans; a study showed the heat needs to be very high for this to occur. Stripping and corrosion also happen primarily when a pan is used without a layer of proper seasoning. And you wouldn&#;t use your bare cast iron pan without seasoning it, would you?
We think both traditional and enameled cast iron pans are exceptionally versatile.
Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore
Our conclusion: with ample seasoning built up and an adequately hot temperature, uncoated pans are more versatile and nonstick than their enameled brethren. It's worth noting, too, that while traditional cast iron can be used at any temperature (literally, throw it over a fire!), enameled cast iron is more sensitive. One of our favorite enameled cast iron skillets, from Le Creuset, has a max temp of just 500°F&#;limiting some of its versatility.
Longevity
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Here&#;s where bare cast iron absolutely takes the cake: These pans are built to last for generations. They&#;re incredibly durable, practically impossible to crack or break, and can even be brought back from the dead. It&#;s totally possible to revive a rusted cast iron pan at home, and if things get really bad, you can sand them back to a base layer, from where you&#;ll build up the seasoning over time.
Enameled cast iron pans are prone to chipping, cracking, and scratching over time, or with misuse. Metal utensils cannot be used on the enamel surface, so you&#;ll need to invest in silicone-tipped tongs and food turners if you plan on cooking with enameled pans. That said, high-end enameled pans like Le Creuset and Staub have excellent quality control to ensure proper construction. You&#;ll take your chances with cheaper coated pans.
Care and Maintenance
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
There&#;s no denying bare cast iron requires more meticulous care and maintenance than enameled cast iron. We don&#;t believe in babying cast iron&#;we&#;re totally fine with a little sudsy water&#;but it should never be left to soak or drip dry. Water is the enemy of exposed iron, so to properly maintain a bare pan, it should be washed, rinsed, dried, then heated with a thin layer of neutral oil to seal and protect the seasoning.
If that sounds too fussy, you&#;ll be happy to know you can soak, wash, and dry an enameled pan with almost as much cavalier abandon as you do other cookware. Just remember that it should not be introduced to metal, so use a bristle brush rather than steel wool for stuck-on food. Although some enameled cast iron pan manufacturers give the green light for dishwasher use, we still recommend washing it by hand to preserve the coating.
Price
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