Cast Iron Skillets Worth Keeping on the Stove

Enameled, so there is no seasoning to build, protect or apologize for, and you can cook tomatoes or wine in it without stripping anything. It is the lightest pan here by a decent margin, which matters more than it sounds when the pan is full. Two real costs: it is shallow enough to limit what you can braise in it, and the enamel wants wooden or silicone utensils and gentle treatment.

10.25 in diameter, 5.38 lb, enameled, no seasoning required

Get it if

you want cast iron heat without the maintenance ritual

Skip it if

you cook with metal tongs and spatulas and would rather not think about the finish

The high-walled option, and the only one here that comes with a matched cast iron lid - which turns the pan into something you can braise or steam in rather than just fry on. The extra two inches of diameter also means a cornbread or a deep-dish that actually fits. It is bulkier and heavier to handle than the 10-inch pans, and there is some chatter online about long-term durability, though the testers saw no degradation in use.

12 in diameter, 7.31 lb, pre-seasoned, includes cast iron lid

Get it if

you bake in your skillet or want a lid for braising and steaming

Skip it if

your storage is tight or you find a seven-pound pan awkward to move

Same iron, same seasoning, but with a helper handle on the opposite side, which is the single most useful modification to a heavy pan. Moving twelve inches of hot skillet out of an oven with two hands instead of one is the difference between a confident lift and a small disaster. The base is relatively thin for its size, and testers measured more variation in surface temperature across it than on the smaller pans.

12 in diameter, 7.38 lb, pre-seasoned, two handles

Get it if

you cook for a crowd and move the pan between stove and oven a lot

Skip it if

you want the most even heat across the whole surface for things like pancakes

Three pans in one box: a skillet, a deep pot and - with the skillet inverted as a lid - something that works like a small Dutch oven, which is the setup a lot of people use for no-knead bread. Testers called it a steal, and for anyone outfitting a kitchen from nothing it covers more ground than any single skillet here. The compromise is that each piece is a competent generalist rather than the best version of itself.

10.25 in skillet plus 3.2 qt deep pot, pre-seasoned, interchangeable lid

Get it if

you are starting a kitchen from scratch or want to bake bread in cast iron

Skip it if

you only want one pan and would rather it be the best single skillet