New Cast Iron Skillet

I normally cook steaks on the grill outside, but with the recent stretch of single-digit temperatures, I wasn’t too excited about going outside to cook the ribeyes I pulled out of the freezer. As I contemplated how I was going to prepare them, it became apparent that I need to fill the gaping hole in my kitchen toolbox: a cast iron skillet.

I’ve never owned anything cast iron aside from an enameled dutch oven, so I asked my Twitter followers whether they had any recommendations. The end result was as follows:

Considering the cost premium of Le Creuset, I wasn’t surprised to see Lodge come out on top. While I appreciate the attachment to vintage pieces, I don’t have a lot of time to look for pieces at estate sales or thrift shops. As for machined cast iron, I wasn’t aware anyone was still doing that, but there are a few companies going down that route, such as:

• Finex
• Stargazer Cast Iron
• Smithey Ironware

Check them out if you’re so inclined.

What did I get?

In the end, I went with the Lodge 10.25-inch skillet. I had not planned on buying a skillet, but I was at Target and walked by the Lodge display where the skillet was on sale for $13.93 (plus 5% discount thanks to the [Target RedCard]{https://rcam.target.com/ “Target RedCard”)). Cast iron is not your typical impulse item, but I figured “What the heck.” and bought it. If I decide I want to do more with cast iron down the road, I can always explore the other options after I get more familiar with using it.

I christened the skillet with a batch of cornbread using the Skillet Cornbread recipe from The Pioneer Woman site. The cornbread came out with nice crispy edges and bottom. I neglected to take a photo of the finished product in the skillet but did take a picture of the product itself.

Update

I also made pork chops last night. Excellent.

Helpful Links

While doing my research, I came across some links I found helpful or interesting.

• What Kind of Cast-Iron Skillet Should You Buy? from American’s Test Kitchen
• Rule With a (Cast) Iron Fist: 32 Recipes for the Best Pan In Your Kitchen from Bon Appétit
• The Truth About Cast Iron Pans: 7 Myths That Need To Go Away from Serious Eats
• How to Clean and Maintain Cast Iron from Serious Eats
• Jeffrey B. Rgers’ About Cast Iron page – He’s really into Cast Iron.