Best cast iron skillets for seasoned and succulent food, every time

When you imagine a classic cast iron skillet, it’s probably something like this one from Stellar that comes to mind. This British-made pan, with its rugged patina and beautiful ridged handle, is simple yet impactful in form. From its solid stature (it weighs 2.3kg) to its streamlined craftsmanship, it oozes quality. This really feels like a piece you’ll have in your forever forever.

The roomy skillet – just the right size for frying half a dozen sausages, baking a sizeable cornbread or cooking large pancakes – is double pre-seasoned by hand with vegetable oil, so it’s ready to use straight from the box. It comes with a lifetime guarantee, and from our tests, we feel confident that it’s built to go the long haul.

But it wasn’t just looks and quality that made us choose this as our favourite cast iron skillet. We loved that this model was safe for outdoor use on the barbecue or in a pizza oven, as well as on all hob types – meaning you’ll really get your money’s worth. We also appreciated the deep base, which made it especially versatile for baking and roasting. In fact, the Stellar handled everything we threw at it, from burgers to crepes. And each time, after a simple hand wash and a light coating of oil to maintain the pan’s sheen, it looked as good as new.

Just dipping your toe into cast iron cookery and not sure you want to commit to a pricey single pan? This affordable set of three cast iron skillets, in 15cm, 20cm and 25cm formats, lets you get a feel for the cooking method at a seriously friendly price point.

From the smallest 15cm size, perfect for preparing a single burger, egg or side sauce, to the largest at 25cm – which can tackle family-sized meals with ease – you have a skillet here for every occasion. Each one comes flanked with a duo of useful pouring spouts, as well as a loop on the handle so you can hang them when not in use (great for cramped kitchen spaces). And while they don’t come with the life-long guarantees of some brands, they are lighter than many competitor pans too, which can be particularly welcome if you’re carrying it full of food.

We were seriously impressed with this affordable little skillet, specifically designed for outdoor cooking. Made in Germany and pre-seasoned, ready for use, it performed just as well making smash burgers on our barbecue as it did baking cornbread in our oven.

The 25cm size is just right if you’re cooking for one – a small steak or fried egg – but it’s also a great pick if you’re preparing sides and want a cast iron skillet that isn’t going to dominate the entire hob. That said, it does come in seven sizes, up to a whopping 50cm diameter, so it can also cater for families and big groups. Whichever size you opt for, the two-handled design makes it easy to transport from the heat source to a serving space while still hot and saves space on a cluttered camping stove or barbecue too.

For discerning cooks with deep pockets, Chasseur’s French-made cast iron is a long-running favourite. Established in the Champagne-Ardenne region in 1924, the brand makes enamel-coated cast iron of an enviable quality and sells its products with a lifetime guarantee to prove it.

Of all the cast iron skillets we tested, this was the only one with a wooden handle – a feature which ensures the skillet is never too hot to pick up without oven gloves. It’s also one of the few with a colourful enamel exterior (you can buy it in a cheery chilli red or a sleek matt black). Both features ensure it looks great on the hob, particularly in farmhouse-style kitchens, but the former means you can’t use it in the oven – arguably limiting for some cooks.

However, with its ultra-spacious 28cm frame, balanced silhouette and easy-to-clean surface, you’ll still find plenty of everyday use for this piece of kitchen artistry, whether your repertoire favours swift stir-frys or sizzling lamb chops.

Le Creuset needs no introduction. This stalwart cast iron cookery brand is a kitchen icon, with a range of timeless investment pieces designed to last a lifetime (and issued with a lifetime guarantee, too). Like every Le Creuset item we’ve ever tested in the past – and we’ve tested a fair few – we couldn’t find fault with the 23cm skillet.

As per Le Creuset’s standard, this small pre-seasoned skillet is coated with a smooth, colourful, oven-safe enamel coating, making it a bit gentler on glass hobs. We found the compact 23cm skillet to be just the right size for caramelising onions or frying a couple of eggs. And it behaved just as we’d hoped, with even cooking when used on low to medium heat settings and balanced weight for manoeuvring it across the hob.

Particularly welcome was the ‘helper handle’ notch on the opposite side of the pan, which was large enough to allow us to get a proper grip on things for safe toting when hot. We loved the pouring spout too, making filtering off excess oil (for example, when frying mince for tacos) or pouring sauces a breeze.

If you find the look of cast iron a bit dreary, we’d recommend injecting a bit of family-friendly fun into your kitchen with this Disney-branded pan. It’s fitted with an embossed lid and metal handle sporting Mickey Mouse. Technically speaking it’s a cast iron casserole category, but its shallower-than-normal design means it can tackle most of the dishes a skillet would, with the added bonus of that lid for oven roasting, baking and braising up to 240C.

And it’s not just a novelty piece – this cast iron feels like real quality (after all it’s made by long-established brand Prestige). We had no trouble cooking up great burgers and fried eggs, and we found that it cleaned well too. Take care of it by drying it thoroughly after each wash and oiling regularly, and it’s a pan that should be with your family for many years.