Have you been wanting to add a piece of cast iron cookware to your kitchen for a while, but you’re not sure how to maintain it? An enameled cast iron skillet could be the solution to your problem.
The main reason for this is because enameled cast iron doesn’t need to be seasoned. This takes all of the hard work (and guesswork) out of keeping it in great condition. It’s easier to clean too and, unlike most cast iron, there’s no need to spend hours scrubbing away at baked-on patches of food.
You also won’t have to worry about acidic ingredients damaging the cooking surface as you do with cast iron. Put simply, you can cook pretty much anything you like and still get the fantastic cooking experience you’d get from a regular cast iron skillet.
Sounds ideal, doesn’t it? There is a slight catch, though. A quick online search for an enameled cast iron skillet will pull up hundreds of results, and each of them will claim to be better than the last. This can soon take the joy out of finding that perfect piece of cookware!
So, to make things easier, we’ve done the hard work for you. Below, you’ll find five of the best enameled cast iron skillets available. We’ve even put together a handy buyer’s guide that’s packed with information on what to keep an eye out for when making your decision.
OUR TOP PICK
If one brand is most famous for creating high-quality cast iron cookware, it’s Le Creuset. This Signature Enameled Cast Iron Skillet is yet another fantastic addition to their collection. You can also choose from a range of vibrant colors, allowing you to match it perfectly with the rest of your cookware.
It features a black enamel interior that requires absolutely no seasoning, so it’s incredibly low maintenance. It’s also designed to resist rusting, corrosion, staining, dulling, and other general wear and tear. This means it’s going to last a really long time.
There’s no need to worry about burnt patches or cold spots in your food, as this enameled cast iron skillet has been optimized for steady, even heat as well. It’s also designed to be easy to use and features a large loop helper handle that offers you a comfortable, secure grip on the skillet while you maneuver it around your cooktop.
Another fantastic thing about this enameled cast iron skillet is that it is oven-safe up to 500ºF. This means that recipes that start on the cooktop and finish in the oven can all be made in one pan, cutting down on your washing up! And, while we’re on the subject of cleaning dishes, this skillet can be put straight in the dishwasher when you’ve finished for ultimate convenience.
Pros:
- Black enamel interior - doesn’t need seasoning, and is rust-resistant, corrosion-resistant, and stain-resistant
- Optimized for steady, even heat distribution - no need to worry about cold spots or burnt patched on your food
- Easy to use - features a large loop helper handle that makes it easier to move the skillet around the cooktop
- Oven safe - can be used on the cooktop and in the oven in temperatures up to 500ºF
- Dishwasher safe - makes cleaning up easier than ever
Cons:
- Expensive - While Le Creuset is a highly reputable brand, their cookware does come with a higher price tag than some other brands
EDITORS CHOICE
If you’re working with a limited budget but you still want the best quality possible, this Artisan Enameled Cast Iron Skillet from Crock Pot is a fantastic choice. It’s also available in three different sizes and a range of colors to suit your cooking needs and style preferences.
The enameled cast iron cooking surface is ideal for searing, frying, roasting, and anything else you might want to do to create some amazing dishes. It’s also extremely low-maintenance and doesn’t require any seasoning.
You can move this enameled cast iron skillet straight from the cooktop to the oven as well, as it is oven-safe up to 500ºF. And, unlike a lot of cast iron cookware, this skillet can be used on all types of cooktop including induction, ceramic, gas, and electric.
The cooking surface has also been designed to distribute and retain an even level of heat across the entire skillet. This offers a much more efficient cooking experience and prevents cold spots or burnt patches. It’s easy to clean too, and can simply be washed using hot water and dish soap.
Pros:
- Inexpensive - a great option for anybody working with a limited budget
- Low maintenance - doesn’t need seasoning to maintain the cooking surface
- Compatible with all cooktops - including induction, ceramic, gas, and electric
- Oven safe up to 500ºF - can be used in a variety of ways to offer fantastic versatility
- Even heat distribution and retention - provides a more efficient cooking performance
Cons:
- Not dishwasher safe - not as convenient to clean, however, it can be washed by hand very easily
BEST VALUE
This Enameled Cast Iron Skillet from Lodge is made from two different materials: matte cast iron and porcelain. This offers an extremely durable cooking surface that is low maintenance and never needs to be seasoned.
This mixture of materials also ensures that there won’t be any chemical reactions to acidic ingredients that would otherwise damage it. This means that you’re able to cook just about anything with the confidence of knowing that it’s extremely hard to damage your skillet!
As well as being super-tough, this enameled cast iron skillet offers excellent cooking performance. It is designed to distribute and retain an even level of heat right across the cooking surface, which prevents burnt patches and cold spots. It’s also oven safe up to 500ºF.
Cleaning this enameled cast iron skillet is easy too, and it can be placed straight in the dishwasher for ultimate convenience. Alternatively, it can easily be washed by hand and it won’t take hours of scrubbing to clean it.
Pros:
- Made from two materials - a mixture of matte cast iron and porcelain provide a durable cooking surface that doesn’t need to be seasoned
- No chemical reactions - this mixture of materials also ensures that acidic ingredients won’t damage the cooking surface
- Excellent heat distribution and retention - prevents burnt patches or cold spots from forming
- Oven safe - can be placed in the oven and used in temperatures up to 500ºF
- Dishwasher safe - makes cleaning up super easy
Cons:
- Color may fade in the dishwasher - some people found that the exterior color of this enameled cast iron skillet faded slightly when cleaned in the dishwasher
RUNNER UP
The Chef’s Classic Enameled Cast Iron Skillet from Cuisinart features a porcelain enamel exterior and interior. This means that it’s extremely durable, low maintenance, and never requires seasoning. It also provides a cooking surface that won’t absorb flavors or odors, or get damaged by acidic ingredients.
Oven safe up to 500ºF, this enameled cast iron skillet can be used on a huge range of cooktops including induction, ceramic, gas, and electric. This doesn’t only make it perfect for versatile cooking but means that you won’t need to worry about replacing your cookware when you upgrade your stove.
This skillet has been designed to provide an even level of heat distribution and retention, so there’s no need to worry about raw patches or burnt spots forming on your food. Meanwhile, the wide, cast iron handles provide you with a comfortable and secure grip while you’re cooking.
When you’ve finished cooking, you’re offered ultimate clean-up convenience as this enameled cast iron skillet can be put straight in the dishwasher. Its porcelain interior and exterior also mean that even if you don’t have a dishwasher, cleaning by hand is super-easy.
Pros:
- Porcelain interior and exterior - provides a highly durable, low-maintenance cooking surface that never needs to be seasoned
- Can be used on various cooktops - including induction, gas, ceramic, and electric
- Oven safe up to 500ºF - offers versatility and helps cut down on the number of pans you use
- Wide cast iron handles - provide you with a comfortable, secure grip while you’re cooking
- Easy to clean - can be put in the dishwasher or cleaned by hand with minimal scrubbing
Cons:
- Heavy - some people found this cast iron skillet to be particularly heavy, so it may not be the best choice for somebody who would struggle to lift a heavy piece of cookware
RUNNER UP
This Enameled Cast Iron Skillet from Tramontina has been designed with ultimate cooking convenience in mind. It features two helper handles that provide you with a secure, comfortable grip as well as two pouring lips that make decanting sauces directly from the skillet incredibly easy.
The cooking surface is designed to provide an even level of heat distribution and retention, so you know you’ll be getting evenly cooked food every time. The cooking surface doesn’t need to be seasoned either, so there’s no need to worry about maintaining it to keep that excellent performance.
This skillet can be used on various cooktops including gas, electric, ceramic, and induction. It’s also oven safe up to 450ºF, giving you the versatility to move it straight from the cooktop to the oven when needed without having to decant your food into a separate dish.
Another fantastic thing about this enameled cast iron skillet is that it comes with a lid. This provides you with even more versatility and you’ll be able to create a tight seal around the pan that keeps moisture in and stops flavor from escaping! To top it all off, this skillet comes complete with a lifetime warranty that acts as a testament to its quality.
Pros:
- Features two helper handles - provides a secure, comfortable grip as you move the pan around your stove
- Two pouring lips - makes it easier to decant sauces from the skillet with minimal mess
- Enameled cast iron cooking surface - provides an even distribution of heat and never needs seasoning
- Comes with a lid - offers more cooking versatility and allows you to keep moisture and flavor in your food when slow-cooking
- Compatible with all cooktops - can be used on induction, gas, electric, and ceramic cooktops and is also oven safe up to 450ºF
Cons:
- Not dishwasher safe - however, the enameled cast iron cooking surface makes it easy to clean by hand with minimal effort
Best Enameled Cast Iron Skillet Buying Guide
Choosing a surf helmet is an important decision. As a surfer, you have to be able to put full confidence into the product, as ultimately, your safety will be depending on it.
The ideal helmet will, of course, vary from one surfer to another, depending on performance level, age and size. This being said, there is a basic criteria in which every safety helmet should satisfy.
Below, we have put together a small guide of the sorts of factors you should be considering when looking for the perfect, protective surfing helmet.
When it comes to choosing the perfect enameled cast iron skillet for your kitchen, there are certain things that you need to consider. Sure, it’s easy to get caught up in the aesthetics of the skillet, but will it work with your cooktop? And, when you’ve finished with it, how easy will it be to clean?
Below, we’ll take you through some key points to bear in mind when you start shopping. Taking a little extra time to think about these things will help save you time and money, and will help guide you towards the best enameled cast iron skillet for your cooking needs.
Versatility
One of the most important things to think about when choosing an enameled cast iron skillet is what type of cooktop it’s compatible with. This is especially important if you have an induction cooktop as they are notorious for not working with certain pieces of cookware.
All of the choices we’ve listed above can be used with various cooktops including induction, ceramic, gas, and electric. This offers you the versatility to cook on different cooktops if needed and means that when you eventually have to upgrade your cooktop, you won’t have to change your skillet.
You’ll also notice that all of the enameled cast iron skillets we’ve chosen are oven safe. This is a fantastic feature as you’ll be able to move your ingredients straight into the oven using the same pan when needed, rather than having to decant them into a different dish.
An oven safe enameled cast iron skillet will also give you the ability to keep food warm if you’ve run out of space on your cooktop.
Cleaning
So, you know that you need your enameled cast iron skillet to work with your cooktop and, ideally, be oven-safe. But, when you’ve finished cooking, you don’t want to spend hours scrubbing away at it to get it clean.
This is why it’s important to look at how easy your chosen skillet will be to clean. By far, the easiest way to clean an enameled cast iron skillet is to put it in the dishwasher. However, if you want to do this, you’ll need to make sure that it’s dishwasher safe. Not all enameled cast iron skillets are, and putting them in the dishwasher can damage the cooking surface.
With that being said, if your enameled cast iron skillet isn’t dishwasher safe (or you don’t have a dishwasher to put it in), the interior surface is usually very easy to clean using just hot water and dish soap. This is because it is non-stick and, as such, you’ll find that you can wipe it clean very easily.
Extra Features
Enameled cast iron skillets come in a variety of different designs, and some have extra features that can help enhance their cooking performance. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the standout features to look out for that will improve your cooking experience and give you a little more bang for your buck!
All skillets have a handle, but some enameled cast iron skillets feature two large helper handles. These are designed to help you move the skillet around your cooktop and put it in the oven with ease by offering you a secure, comfortable grip.
Some enameled cast iron skillets also have pouring lips around the rim. These are perfect for decanting sauces or serving certain foods without creating a mess in the process. The lip basically acts as the lip of a jug, narrowing the flow of the liquid and allowing you to pour with greater accuracy.
Finally, some enameled cast iron skillets come with a lid included. This is a great extra feature as a lid allows you to cook with even more versatility than your skillet already offers you. It can also help to enhance the taste of your food as you’ll be able to lock in moisture and flavor when you’re slow-cooking.
Likewise, a lid will allow you to keep any leftover food safe from cross-contamination.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a cast iron skillet and an enameled cast iron skillet?
Both provide an excellent, even level of heat distribution and retention. However, the main difference between cast iron and enameled cast iron is that enameled cast iron doesn’t need to be seasoned to maintain the cooking surface. This makes it a much lower-maintenance piece of cookware.
There is a slight difference in life expectancy between them, though. If looked after properly, cast iron can last a lifetime. Enameled cast iron has a lifespan of between 10-20 years, as the enamel coating can begin to chip and crack over time.
