The Best Enameled Cast-Iron Skillets

Enameled cast-iron skillets often get lumped in with regular cast iron. We’ve been guilty of that ourselves. Sure, both are cast iron, but enameled versions offer a different range of features and cooking options. Like regular cast iron, these pans have excellent heat retention, so they sear, fry, and braise well, maintaining the heat you want without undesirable temperature dips as food is added or flipped. But unlike regular cast iron, their enamel coating makes enameled cast-iron pans virtually maintenance-free. You never have to season them, and you can soak, use soap, and scrub as much as you like. Best of all, you can cook almost anything—even acidic foods that need to simmer for a long time—because the enamel seals the cast iron, making the pan rust-proof and nonreactive. While both regular and enameled cast-iron pans are induction-compatible, the smoother enameled bottoms can be a little gentler on glass cooktops (though you should still lift and place heavy pans carefully, rather than dropping or dragging). Finally, their colorful appearance is pretty enough to bring to the table for serving. (Our recipes for warm dips and fondue take advantage of these features.)

The downside? Don’t expect enameled cast-iron skillets to be—or become—nonstick. Enamel is a glasslike coating heated to very high temperatures and bonded to the pan’s surface. It will not become seasoned as you use it, the way plain cast iron does. While some manufacturers claim their pans will become nonstick with use, in our hands-on testing experience, we have found it not to be the case. Seasoning is oil that has been heated until it polymerizes, meaning that its molecules link, bonding together and to the metal cooking surface of a pan to create a natural, renewable nonstick coating. Enamel prevents the oil from bonding to the surface as successfully as it does to plain metal. As a result, food sticks, and this won’t change over time as it does with traditional cast iron. 

Furthermore, enamel can be damaged if the pan is exposed to very high, direct heat, so unlike regular cast iron, it’s not for the campfire or grill. Avoid thermal shock (rapid changes from cold to hot or vice versa), scrubbing with rough abrasives such as steel wool, or whacking with metal utensils. 

Caveats aside, these pans can be an excellent addition to your kitchen, and we ultimately recommended all of them. As we tested, we learned which features were most desirable.

We think that a 12-inch skillet is the best size for most cooks, providing plenty of room to cook for as many as six people.

A smaller 10-inch skillet can also be a good choice if you have limited storage space or regularly cook for two to four people. 

An 8- to 9-inch skillet lets you cook for one to two people. It’s also useful for small tasks, such as toasting nuts or browning butter.

• Big, Secure Handles: These pans are heavy—12-inch models weigh anywhere from around 6 to 8 pounds empty—and longer handles gave better leverage as we maneuvered them, though shorter ones worked if the pan had a good helper handle. The best helper handles were large and gave us a great grip; the worst were tiny.

• Moderately High Sides: We preferred sides measuring about 2 inches high for 12-inch models, tall enough to contain food, oil, and splatters when shallow-frying apple fritters or simmering ziti with tomato sauce, but low enough to slide in a spatula at a comfortable angle. We saw enameled cast-iron skillets on the market with sides much higher than 2 inches; these very deep pans work better for deep-frying and braising than as a skillet. Some manufacturers even call them “chicken fryers.”

Nice to Have 

• Maximum Ovensafe Temperature of 500 Degrees Fahrenheit: Most of our pans were rated ovensafe to 500 degrees, and one was even higher. This is helpful because you can use them under the broiler, as we did when browning cheese on ziti. With pans that listed top temperatures in the 400-degree range, we confirmed with manufacturers that it was OK to put them under the broiler for brief periods of 5 to 10 minutes. When we did, they were fine—but we’d prefer not to worry about it.

• Color Choices: Function is far more important than looks, but it’s a pleasure to choose an attractive enamel color. Some pans came in a wider range of colors.

• Glossy versus Matte Interior: Enameled cast-iron pans are enameled inside and out, typically with matte black enamel interiors and glossy, colorful exteriors. One or two pans flip the script. Their glossy interiors were slightly easier to clean; food stuck a bit less, and wiping them dry with towels never snagged lint the way rough matte interiors did. The matte exterior of our Best Buy also made the handles grippier, a nice feature.

• Poor Weight Balance: Awkwardly balanced weight made heavy pans harder to handle. One pan felt harder to maneuver than others, and we were surprised to find that it wasn’t actually the heaviest pan. When we lifted it, it felt like someone was pulling down on the other side of the pan. 

• Inadequate Helper Handles: We’re not always a fan of helper handles, but with enameled cast-iron pans, they’re a necessity. Small, slippery ones were uncomfortable and dangerous. It’s no joke; we dropped the front of a hot skillet onto the glass of an open oven door because the stubby helper handle slipped out of our pot holder–covered hand.