Best Cast-Iron Skillets: Tested Picks for Every Budget

From the kitchen: Gerzsi tried to lift the big cast-iron skillet with one paw. The skillet won. Chef Tamás took the pan, set it on the hottest burner and waited. When the steak went in, the sizzle was so loud that Clyde put his head through the window to see what had exploded.

Cast iron is the pan for steak and hard searing. It takes a while to heat, then it holds that heat when cold meat hits the surface, which is exactly what gives you a dark, even crust. It also goes from the stove into a 500°F oven and lasts for generations. The trade-off is weight and a little care.

We didn’t test these ourselves, and Chef Tamás hasn’t reviewed these models, so the rankings below are the testers’. America’s Test Kitchen scrambled eggs at the start and the end of testing to check the seasoning, seared flank steak in a 500°F oven, shallow-fried potato wedges, roasted cod and baked cornbread. The Kitchn ran its own test. All four pans here are traditional 12-inch cast iron, not enameled.

Quick picks

The four pans, side by side

Cast-iron skillet	Price range	Who it’s for	Tester verdict
Lodge 12″ (L10SK3) · See today’s price	$25–50	Almost everyone	ATK Best Buy, Kitchn Best Budget: about 8 lb, 10-in surface. Starts out a bit rough.
Smithey No. 12 · See today’s price	About $200	Cooks who want a smooth pan from day one	ATK Winner, Kitchn Best Splurge: just under 8 lb. Bronze color turned blotchy.
Lodge Blacklock 39 12″ · See today’s price	$50–100	Anyone who finds 8 lb too heavy	ATK Recommended, Kitchn Best Lightweight: about 6 lb. Cooked slightly unevenly.
Victoria 12″ (SKL-212) · See today’s price	$25–50	Cooks who want a better handle	ATK Recommended: about 7.3 lb, long rounded handle. Seasoning slipped in testing.

1. Lodge 12″: the one for most people

ATK’s Best Buy. Compared with their winner, it “offers equivalent performance at a bargain price,” and “its gently nubbly texture quickly gained seasoning.” It weighs about 8 lb with a 10-inch cooking surface. ATK listed it at about $35 to $44 (America’s Test Kitchen). The Kitchn named the 12-inch Lodge its Best Budget pick, and its tester wrote that by the end of testing nothing was sticking (The Kitchn). It is the searing pan on our pörkölt shop list.

Good for: steak, cornbread, and a first cast-iron pan. Not for: anyone who struggles with an 8 lb pan. It also starts out rougher and a little sticky until the seasoning builds.

2. Smithey No. 12: the winner

ATK’s winner: “this roomy pan didn’t let food stick and stayed impressively slick.” It weighs just under 8 lb with a 10-inch cooking surface and 2¼-inch sides. ATK listed it at about $200, sold on Smithey’s own site. The one downside they named: the bronze color turned blotchy with use (America’s Test Kitchen). The Kitchn called it its Best Splurge (The Kitchn). Reviewed, on the other hand, flagged poor nonstick properties (Reviewed), so the testers do not all agree.

Good for: a smooth, heirloom pan you buy once. Not for: anyone who wants the most pan for the money. ATK found the Lodge cooked about as well for a fraction of the price.

3. Lodge Blacklock 39 12″: the lighter one

ATK recommended it: “Handling this lightweight, handsome pan was a real pleasure.” It weighs just under 6 lb, about 2 lb less than the classic Lodge. The catch: “the thin bottom and lack of heft meant that this pan cooked slightly unevenly.” ATK listed it at about $80 (America’s Test Kitchen). The Kitchn named it Best Lightweight (The Kitchn).

Good for: cooks who want cast iron but can’t lift 8 lb comfortably. Not for: anyone who wants the most even sear. The heavier pans held heat better.

4. Victoria 12″: the better handle

ATK recommended it for one feature most of all: “a terrific long, rounded handle that made its weight easier to hoist.” It weighs about 7.3 lb. The downside: “its nubbly surface, which started out well seasoned, backslid during testing.” ATK listed it at about $31 to $37 (America’s Test Kitchen).

Good for: cooks who find the short Lodge handle hard to grip. Not for: anyone who wants a pan that stays slick with little care.

What to skip

ATK rated the Camp Chef 12″ only Recommended with Reservations: “its surface was rough and snagged lint from paper towels,” and cornbread and fish stuck to it (America’s Test Kitchen). For about the same money, the Lodge did much better.

Cast-iron skillet FAQ

Do I need to season it before I use it?

All four pans here come pre-seasoned, so you can cook in them right away. ATK found the seasoning on a rough pan like the Lodge builds quickly with use. Cook something fatty the first few times, and the surface gets slicker every week.

Can I use soap?

A little mild soap is fine. What hurts cast iron is soaking it or leaving it wet. Wash, dry it on a warm burner, and rub in a thin film of oil.

Cast iron or enameled cast iron?

Different pans for different jobs. This guide is plain cast iron, for searing. Enameled cast iron is usually a pot for braises and stews; see our Dutch oven guide.

The bottom line

Buy the Lodge. Two test kitchens found it does the job for a fraction of the price, and it only gets better with use. Buy the Smithey if you want a smooth pan from day one and don’t mind paying for it. Then heat it longer than you think, and let the steak sizzle.

Tester-ranked. Beaver-approved.

Sources

• America’s Test Kitchen: The Best Cast-Iron Skillets (June 24, 2025)
• The Kitchn: The Best Cast-Iron Skillets
• Reviewed: The Best Cast Iron Pans (June 2024)
• Gerzsi.com: Kitchen tools a head chef uses every day (Chef Tamás’s skillet note)

Price ranges are based on the prices the testers listed, checked in October 2026; prices change often. Wirecutter and Serious Eats also test cast iron, but we couldn’t read them when this guide was written, so nothing here is attributed to them.