Cast iron fry pans are made from the union or alloy of iron, carbon, and other minerals, their shape is given by an industrial casting process, which is why they are also known as cast iron pans.

These utensils are usually unique pieces, they do not have joints or attached handles, which means that, unlike the rest of the pans, they do not have removable parts. They are pans that can be used on gas, ceramic, or induction stoves, outdoors and indoors, inside and outside the oven. They heat up quickly, transmit and conserve heat very well, as well as withstand the highest temperatures.

We want to invite you to complement this information in our article Best fry pan brands. For now, stay with us, we offer you the best brands of cast iron pans, features, offers, opinions, suggestions, and discounts.

Staub Cast Iron 11-inch Traditional Skillet

Best brands of cast iron fry pans

Cast iron frying pans do not have any type of coating on their bottom, this means that they are pieces without Teflon or other non-stick substances.

In the following list, we show you the top 5 best brands of cast iron pans, with small historical reviews, purchase links, and recommendations.

1- Lodge

2- Nutrichef

3- Cuisinart

4- Norpro

5- Westinghouse

Other brands of cast iron pans

All the aforementioned brands are available in portals such as Amazon, Carrefour, El Corte Ingles, Falabella, Home Center, Home Depot, Ikea, Soriana, Walmart, and Zara Home.

  • Jim Beam 
  • Ubbe
  • Gibson General
  • Stansport
  • SharkTank
  • Pyr O King

We have added to the list some extra brands that are worth being recognized. However, thanks to their excellent products, quality, prices, and guarantees.

Advantages and disadvantages of cast iron skillets

Like any kitchen implement or utensil, cast iron pans have certain advantages and disadvantages that you should know about and that we show you in the following section:

Advantage

  • Preparing food in cast iron pans means the absence of toxic substances.
  • They are pans with almost infinite durability, their one-piece surface and the lack of any technology make them almost eternal.
  • They reach much higher temperatures than an aluminum pan, so you can cook with less power.

Disadvantages

  • The main disadvantage is the weight, they are very heavy pans.
  • They require some care to prevent them from rusting.

How to season cast iron pans?

Pan seasoning is a really important procedure that needs to be done on all cookware you want to use for the first time.

The objective of curing pans is to prevent all the food that you want to prepare from sticking to the bottom of it, as well as lengthening its useful life, keeping it in good condition, and improve cooking time.

To cure the pans you must:

  1. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and place it in the lower level of the oven.
  2. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Celsius.
  3. Clean the cast iron pan(s) with a mixture of hot water and neutral soap and rub gently with a sponge, avoiding burning your hands.
  4. Rinse and dry the pans very well with a cloth that does not leave threads or lint.
  5. Generously grease the entire surface of the pans with vegetable oil of any kind, remember to grease the handle, handles, and back.
  6. Place the pans upside down on a rack in the middle level of the oven.
  7. Bake for one hour.
  8. Turn off the oven, you must let the pans cool completely in the oven.
  9. Remove the remains of dirt with a piece of paper. They will be ready to use.

We explain how to clean all your cast iron pans

The first thing you should consider is that to clean any type of pan, it must be completely cold to the touch. At this point, you can remove any solid food residue with the help of kitchen paper, if necessary.

As a recommendation, it is necessary to scrub all dirt from the cast iron pans by hand and not resort to the dishwasher, you can avoid using soap and use salt to, together with a sponge, rub the rest and remove the most difficult.

To avoid oxidation, remember to rinse your cast iron pans very well and dry them, the most effective thing would be to use the kitchen fire or the oven if it is on.

Avoid making the following mistakes with cast iron skillets

The maintenance and cleaning of cast iron pans are crucial aspects to extend their useful life. To help you achieve that goal, we recommend that you avoid the following:

  • Wrong cures. Not curing before using or not doing it correctly is a mistake when it comes to taking care of your pan.
  • Cooking with a heat source that is too intense: although they are not easily deformed utensils, they do allow less energy to be used, so using the most intense fire in the kitchen or using maximum power is not recommended.
  • Avoid handling unprotected cast-iron skillet handles, as they will be so hot that they can cause serious burns.
  • Use sharp utensils for cooking: iron is very resistant, but you should not use sharp forks or knives, you could damage the bottom of your pan. For this, you have used wooden pallets.
  • Not cleaning cast iron skillets after each use is another common mistake.
  • Never resort to soaking cast iron pans, much less use anti-grease detergents.
  • Iron rusts, leaving your pans wet will only ruin them.

Cast iron pans – Know some purchase considerations

All kitchen implements and utensils have their reason for being, they are usually difficult to choose due to the wide options and utilities. For this reason, we have important information for you regarding notable aspects of cast iron frying pans, such as their manufacturing material, energy consumption, durability, and prices.

Material

Iron is a material with very high resistance and can be used in any type of kitchen, which offers versatility when preparing food. These pans can be used in the kitchen or the oven without any inconvenience.

Energy expenditure

One of the qualities of iron is that it is a material with excellent temperature conduction, you will not need much time for it to heat up and maintain its temperature.

Durability

As we have explained in the material section, cast iron pans, as long as they are cared for correctly, are considered a long-term investment. There are even many families that have inherited this type of utensil from their children or grandchildren.

Iron is a material that does not scratch easily, which is an excellent advantage.

Prices

There are different characteristics of cast iron pans that cause their prices to vary, some of those aspects are the brand and size.

After researching the market, we can say that the price of these utensils ranges from $219 to $5067.

Best brands, where to find offers and discounts

After all, we have already clear which are the best-cast iron pans. And, what are the characteristics you should consider before buying one? We have no choice but to leave you this link where you will find the catalog of available products.