Cast-iron Skillets

Cast-iron skillets are good at searing

Cast iron has natural nonstick properties and is an alternative for cooks looking for nonstick cookware made without the chemicals perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Virtually indestructible, cast iron should be heated slowly, but it will cook food quickly and evenly once it's heated. Cast-iron cookware is also oven-safe. However, it does require extra maintenance. For instance, cast-iron skillets shouldn't be washed with soap, as this can strip away their seasoning, the thin coating of oil that keeps food from sticking to the surface. They also shouldn't be soaked overnight or left to air-dry, as this may allow rust to form. What's more, their handles can get very hot, and some cooks consider their extra heft to be unwieldy.

Cast-iron skillets are available either seasoned or unseasoned. Unseasoned skillets must be seasoned before use, coated with oil and baked for an hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition to making the surface nonstick, seasoning prevents foods from reacting with the cast iron and also inhibits the formation of rust.

Cast-iron skillets by Lodge consistently perform well in expert and owner reviews. The company's seasoned skillets are sprayed at the factory with a soy-based vegetable oil, which is then baked on at a very high temperature. The manufacturer says the resulting finish looks and performs better than home seasoning. The Lodge Logic 12-Inch Skillet (*Est. $25) has vertical sides, a helper handle and a handy pour spout on each side. One foodie magazine highly recommends this skillet for its roomy cooking surface and even heating, although the editors note that the handle is a little small for the weight of the pan.

More than 700 owners at Amazon.com give the Lodge Logic 12-Inch Skillet an average rating of 4.4 stars out of 5. Users rave about this pan's durability, even heating and low price. They say it is great for searing meat, making pan gravy and baking cornbread. Most owners say food doesn't stick at all, but a few say that eggs will turn out better in a nonstick skillet. Although most users praise this skillet's durability, we did read some complaints about pans that either arrived damaged or cracked after a short period of use -- a serious issue because Lodge products have no written warranty. A Lodge representative says the company will replace pans that fail within the first few uses, but this is an unofficial policy and not a formal guarantee. Lodge Logic pans also come in 10-inch, 13-inch and 15-inch sizes.

Made of enameled cast-iron, the Le Creuset 11.75-Inch Iron Handle Skillet (*Est. $150) also receives plenty of expert endorsements. Although it's substantially more expensive than the Lodge Logic skillet, reviewers say its cooking performance is about the same. Food & Wine magazine picks both the Lodge Logic and Le Creuset as two of its three favorites. The New York Times writer Marian Burros tests the Le Creuset skillet, as well as seasoned and unseasoned Lodge cast-iron skillets and five others. She says both the Le Creuset and Lodge pans cook omelets without sticking, and chicken was "moist and browned beautifully." Le Creuset narrowly edges out Lodge because of its enamel finish, which she says makes it possible to cook acidic foods "without changes to color or taste." However, this feature may not be worth the extra $125 to everyone.

Another inexpensive option is the Camp Chef 12-Inch Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet (*Est. $25). In one professional review, it does a superb job at cooking everything from eggs and cornbread to steak and chicken. The Camp Chef comes preseasoned and features pour spouts and a helper handle like the Lodge Logic, but its sides are a bit more sloped. We didn't find enough user reviews to evaluate this pan's long-term durability. Camp Chef pans are also available in 10-inch and 14-inch diameters.