Six cast iron skillets from about $25 to $175, in 10- to 12-inch sizes, for steak, smash burgers, fried eggs and cornbread. Plus the best oil for seasoning one.
By Nell Harlan · Updated Oct 29, 2026Updated Oct 29, 2026 · 21 skillets compared21 skillets compared
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Buy the 12-inch 12-inch Lodge. It's about $35, it comes seasoned and ready to cook on, and it gives you 10 inches of flat bottom, room for two strip steaks, or four smash burgers that won't steam. America's Test Kitchen made it their Best Buy, and the slightly bumpy surface took on seasoning quickly in their tests and turned nearly nonstick.
If 8 pounds is too much pan for you, the Chef Collection is close to 2 pounds lighter and holds its heat even better. Cooking for one or two? The 10.25-inch Lodge is about $25. And for a glassy, machined surface at half the weight, there's the Lancaster (at about five times the price).
You want one skillet for steak, chicken thighs, potatoes and cornbread, and you're cooking for three or more.
Skip it if
Lifting 8 pounds with one hand hurts your wrist. Get the Chef Collection, or the 10.25-inch.
The number to look at is the flat bottom, not the 12 on the box. The 12-inch Lodge has 10 inches of flat surface inside the sloped walls, and the 10.25-inch has only 8.4. That's the difference between a skillet of potato wedges that browns and one that steams. America's Test Kitchen rated it Highly Recommended, and the sides are 2¼ inches tall, so shallow-frying chicken doesn't spit oil all over the stove.
Lodge has made cast iron in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, since 1896 and seasons it with vegetable oil. The surface out of the box is pebbly, a little rough if you run your hand over it. Don't worry about that. Cook bacon, fry eggs, roast a chicken on it a few times, and the bumps fill in with seasoning.
The handle is short (about 5 inches) and gets hot, which is why this version comes with a silicone sleeve. Use the sleeve on the stove, and a real oven mitt when the pan comes out of the oven.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Slow to heat, because it's thick. Give it several minutes on medium before the steak goes in.
Heavy enough that you'll use the helper handle every time.
Made in TennesseeSilicone handle sleeveTwo pour spouts
2
Best for two
Lodge Classic Cast Iron Skillet, 10.25-Inch
The same pan in a size you can lift with one hand, for about $25.
You cook for one or two, or you want a second pan for eggs and grilled cheese.
Skip it if
You'll sear steaks for a family. Two steaks crowd an 8.4-inch bottom.
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This is the skillet most people picture when they hear "cast iron," and at about $25 it's one of the cheapest good pans you can buy of any kind. America's Test Kitchen made it their Best Buy among 10-inch skillets: it browned deeply and left a dark, flavorful fond for a pan sauce. Some eggs stuck while it was new, and it wants a thin wipe of oil after every wash.
At 5 pounds 10 ounces, you can lift it with one hand to slide a fried egg onto a plate, which you'd never do with the 12-inch. Honestly, that's the main reason to pick it.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Too small to be your only skillet if you cook for a family.
No silicone sleeve at this price. The version with one costs about $5 more.
Made in TennesseeOne-hand size
3
Best lighter Lodge
Lodge Chef Collection Cast Iron Skillet
Nearly 2 pounds lighter than the Classic, with sloped sides for a spatula.
You like the Lodge but want something you can toss vegetables in without a forearm workout.
Skip it if
You want a long handle. This one is only slightly longer than the Classic's.
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The lighter pan held heat better. In Prudent Reviews' test, five minutes after coming off the heat at 400°F, the Chef Collection was still at 228°F, the best of the 12 skillets they tried, against 211°F for the Classic Lodge. It also heated the most evenly from center to edge, and it's nearly 2 pounds lighter.
The walls slope out more than the Classic's, so a spatula slides under a burger or a crispy potato without catching on the edge. CNN Underscored's best overall pick was the 10-inch version of this pan. I'd get the 12-inch, unless you live alone.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Pour grease slowly, or it runs past the spouts.
The bottom is slightly concave, which Prudent Reviews noticed on its pan.
Made in TennesseeSloped sidesAlso in 10 in
4
Best handle
Victoria Cast Iron Skillet, 12-Inch
A 7-inch curved handle, longer than the Lodge's by 2 inches.
You've burned your hand on a short cast iron handle and want more distance from the heat.
Skip it if
You want the slickest pan possible out of the box. The texture is rougher than the Lodge's.
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Victoria's handle is the thing. It's about 7 inches long and curved, so you hold the pan farther from the heat and get more leverage when you tip it to baste a steak with butter. America's Test Kitchen called the handle well designed and the pan a good value. Victoria has made cast iron in Colombia since 1939 and seasons it with flaxseed oil.
It heated faster than the Lodge in Prudent Reviews' test, and held its heat a little better. The weak spot is the seasoning: in America's Test Kitchen's long run of tests, it lost some of its slickness and food stuck more by the end. An extra round of oil in the oven helps (see the section on seasoning below).
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The seasoning wears thinner than the Lodge's at first.
Eggs need a nudge to release while the pan is new.
Made in ColombiaFlaxseed oil seasoningTwo pour spouts
5
Best lightweight
Lancaster No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet
About 4 pounds at 10.5 inches, machined smooth in Pennsylvania.
You want cast iron you can flip an omelet in, and the price doesn't scare you.
Skip it if
You mostly sear steaks. Thinner walls give up heat faster than a heavy Lodge.
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Lancaster casts, machines and seasons its skillets in Pennsylvania, and the machining is the point: the cooking surface is ground smooth, the way old Griswold and Wagner pans were. At 10.5 inches and about 4 pounds, it weighs less than the 10.25-inch Lodge. CNN Underscored called it the best machined skillet it tried.
LeafScore fried an egg in it on medium with a light spray of oil, and nothing stuck. The tradeoff is the same one you'll find on every light pan: less iron, less stored heat, so a cold steak drops the temperature more. It has no helper handle, and the handle itself gets hot, so keep a towel nearby.
The extra $140 over a Lodge buys lightness and a smooth surface on day one, not a better steak.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
About $175.
No helper handle.
Made in PennsylvaniaTwo pour spoutsAlso in 11 5/8 in
6
Best smooth 12-inch
Stargazer Cast Iron Skillet, 12-Inch
A machined surface, a 7.6-inch handle and a big helper loop.
You want a smooth 12-inch pan and a handle you can grip far from the flame.
Skip it if
You like pour spouts. The Stargazer has a flared rim instead.
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The Stargazer has the longest handle of any skillet Prudent Reviews measured, 7.6 inches, plus a big helper loop on the other side, which matters when a 12-inch pan full of fried chicken comes out of the oven. The surface is machined smooth, and the rim flares out all the way around so you can pour bacon grease from any side.
It heats fast. In Prudent Reviews' test, three cups of water boiled in 3 minutes 24 seconds, against 4 minutes 45 for a Lodge. The heavier Lodge held the heat longer once it was there, though. Their factory seasoning also wore through after a few uses, so plan on a couple of oven rounds of oil early on. The end of the handle curves into a cup shape that can press into your palm when the pan is full. Stargazer covers it with a lifetime warranty.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Thin factory seasoning.
The cupped end of the handle can dig into your palm.
Made in the USAFlared rim, no spoutsLifetime warranty
The best oil for seasoning a cast iron skillet
Any neutral oil with a high smoke point works. Lodge uses soybean oil at the factory and, for re-seasoning at home, likes plain vegetable oil, canola or melted shortening. Grapeseed oil works too. Victoria seasons with flaxseed oil.
The oil matters less than how little you use. Rub a thin coat over the whole pan, inside and out, then wipe it until it looks dry. Put the skillet upside down in a 450°F to 500°F oven, with foil on the rack below, and bake it for an hour, as Lodge says. Let it cool in the oven. Excess oil is what turns sticky, so if you see drips, you used too much.
Day to day, you rarely need the oven. Cooking with fat (bacon, a fried egg in butter, a pan of roast potatoes) builds the seasoning on its own. After washing, dry the pan on a low burner and wipe on a few drops of oil.
Who this is for
Anyone shopping for a first cast iron skillet, or replacing one. Cast iron is the pan for a dark crust on steak, crisp smash burgers, cornbread that drops out in one piece and chicken that goes from the stove to the oven in the same pan. For eggs and fish every morning, a ceramic nonstick skillet is easier. And if you want enameled cast iron for stews and bread, see the best Dutch ovens.
How to choose
Measure the flat bottom
A "12-inch" skillet is measured rim to rim. What you cook on is the flat part, and America's Test Kitchen wants at least 10 inches of it for searing and frying. The 12-inch Lodge has 10, the 10.25-inch has 8.4.
Heavy for searing, light for everyday
A thick, heavy pan stores more heat, so steak hits a pan that stays hot. A light pan responds faster when you turn the burner down and is easier to lift. For one pan, pick heavier.
Rough or smooth
A pebbly surface (Lodge, Victoria) fills in and turns slick as you cook. A machined surface (Lancaster, Stargazer) is slick from the start and costs about five times as much.
Check the handle
Cast iron handles get hot. A long handle (Victoria, Stargazer) keeps your hand farther from the flame, and a helper handle on the other side makes lifting a full pan safe.
What I'd skip
Smithey No. 12 Cast Iron Skillet
America's Test Kitchen's winner, slick from day one and heavy enough to sear evenly. It's about $200 and Smithey sells it on its own site, not on Amazon.
Light and smooth, but it warped noticeably in Prudent Reviews' heat-shock test and held heat poorly. America's Test Kitchen found it ran hot and browned a little unevenly. About $215.
Lighter than the Classic, but the thin bottom browned steak in two tones for America's Test Kitchen, and the handle edges dig into your hand. The Chef Collection does the "lighter Lodge" job for half the price.
Eight sides, a coiled steel handle and pour spouts everywhere. America's Test Kitchen found the extras added little and that fish and eggs stuck. About $230.
It browns well and comes with a handle cover, but the rough surface snagged paper towel lint and stayed greasy in America's Test Kitchen's tests. The Lodge costs the same.
How I picked
At least 10 inches of flat surface for the top pickSides at least 2 inches tallNo warping under high heatUnder $40 for the first three picksSold on Amazon US
Six skillets out of 21, from about $25 to $230, picked for how well they cook for their weight and their price. Measurements come from America's Test Kitchen, Prudent Reviews, CNN Underscored and LeafScore, and specs from the makers. Prices are Amazon's on October 29, 2026.
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Common questions
What is the best oil for seasoning a cast iron skillet?+−
A neutral oil with a high smoke point: vegetable oil, canola or melted shortening, which is what Lodge recommends, or grapeseed oil. Use a very thin coat and bake the pan upside down at 450°F to 500°F for an hour.
Should I season cast iron at 350 or 450?+−
At 450°F or higher. Lodge says 450°F to 500°F for one hour, with the pan upside down so the oil doesn't pool.
Can I cook eggs in cast iron?+−
Yes, once the pan has some seasoning. Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium for about 3 minutes before the egg goes in. If a fried egg comes loose with a nudge, your seasoning is in good shape. A smooth pan like the Lancaster released a fried egg cleanly the first time LeafScore cooked in it.
What size cast iron skillet is best?+−
A 12-inch for most households. A 10-inch is easier to lift and right for one or two people.
Is a Lodge as good as an expensive cast iron skillet?+−
For cooking, nearly. America's Test Kitchen rated the 12-inch Lodge Highly Recommended alongside its $200 winner. The expensive pans are lighter or smoother from day one; the Lodge gets slick with use.
The verdict
Start with the 12-inch Lodge
If you cook for three or more and want one skillet for steak, burgers and cornbread, get the 12-inch Lodge for about $35. If you'd rather lift less iron, the Chef Collection is the lighter Lodge, and the Lancaster is the one to spend on.
