It’s an ideal shape for searing, … The eight corners of the skillet are touted to offer versatility when pouring, but every corner dribbled on our counter. Today, it still produces American-made cast iron skillets in nearly every size you can imagine, from extra small for personal cookie skillets to large 15-inch pans for crowd-pleasing casseroles. While nonstick skillets have a short life expectancy—three to five years depending on use—well-maintained cast-iron cookware can last generations. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Providing the ultimate in heat retention and distribution, this pan gives you the all the benefits of cast iron with none of the drawbacks – it’s pre-seasoned and ready to use right out of the box! Nostalgia factor (cast iron is so retro!) This affordable pan is lighter than a traditional cast-iron skillet and a little shallower. The Camp Chef 12" Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet released foods cleanly in our tests, but it is particularly rough-textured, heated extremely unevenly, and has a slightly smaller interior surface than the others we tested. The Lodge Blacklock Triple Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet is advertised as being 5 pounds 6 ounces, according to the specs listed on Lodge’s website, but it actually weighs about 6 pounds 2⅜ ounces by our measure. The company says the discoloration will even out over time as the pan develops more seasoning, but that will take more time and attention than maintaining the seasoning on a Lodge. As preparing bacon is most certainly a 2 handed job, it features an extra-long handle (complete with T-fal’s signature thumb rest) along with an easy-to-grip side helper handle, with dual pouring spouts for an effortless bacon fat draining experience. Cook to desired doneness. For the bacon lover who values tradition and also enjoys heavy things, First and foremost, forget about the idea of cooking bacon straight and flat. The classic Lodge sears well and is deep enough for frying chicken, but it is hefty to maneuver around the range. That said, many of us have Lodge skillets at home that range in age from 15 to 20 years old and have never had a problem. For our original review, we bought two Wagner #10 skillets—which are slightly smaller than the 12-inch modern skillets we tested—from eBay and tested them against our modern pans after seasoning them with Sheryl Canter’s technique. A good start for seasoning on your cast iron pan. But again, the Lodge pans performed just as well, didn’t stain when searing, and have more comfortable handles. Place the pan over medium heat Care and Cleaning. The lack of a warranty doesn’t concern us because Lodge cast-iron skillets are very durable, and Lodge has a good reputation for customer service. The Best Frying Pans for Bacon #1. The roomy helper handle on the other side of the skillet is big enough to wrap your fingers underneath with a bulky pot holder. The main things that set them apart are weight and texture. Heat a large skillet (preferably NOT the skillet you are going to cook your pizza in) over medium heat and add bacon. Get some good cooking grease to use later. Best of all, this option includes a solid sandwich press, ideal for making the perfect lunchtime BLT with all of your succulent breakfast leftovers. It's satisfying and loaded with flavors from the… My pick is the T-Fal pre-seasoned cast iron skillet from Amazon. A good seasoning will work almost as well as a nonstick coating to consistently prevent foods like eggs and cornbread from sticking. Drain on paper towels. From the ancient times of Alexander the Great to the modern days of Homer J. Simpson, our love affair with bacon has stretched across millennia. The easiest way to maintain your cast-iron pan is with regular use. They retain the rough texture of the sand mold and weigh significantly more. To loosen stubborn cooked-on food, pour hot tap water in the skillet while it’s still hot and let it bubble for a minute or two, then transfer to the sink and hand wash. Make sure to dry your pan completely since lingering moisture can cause rust spots or damage your seasoning. Pros. The makers of the new artisanal pans replicate this process, while in contrast most inexpensive modern cast-iron pans are mass-produced on automated production lines. Enameled cast iron generally doesn’t need special care, and … A cast-iron skillet cooks bacon faster For our first stovetop cooking test, we pitted a 12-inch cast iron skillet against a 12-inch stainless-steel skillet. After some cooking tests, the surface of all the high-end skillets looked blotchy, and some had patches of the base metal showing through. The Lodge was a solid performer at just about every task. Learn more. So we find it hard to justify paying almost $300, even if you do get a 100-year warranty. Let’s not kid ourselves – of all the smells that emanate from the kitchen, few are quite as saliva-inducing or endorphin-firing as the whiff of a sizzling hot skillet full of thick-cut, juicy bacon. The best recipe for cast iron skillet home fries. At around $120, the Stargazer Cast Iron 12-inch Skillet was the least expensive of the new-gen pans we tested and was the least smooth. You want to make a delicious breakfast for your family, so you fry some bacon… However, we didn’t notice a difference between the Chef Collection and the heavier traditional Lodge when we seared half-inch-thick strip steaks. Since the popularity of cast iron has spiked in recent years, the demand for antique skillets made anywhere from the late 1800s to mid-20th century by now-defunct companies like Wagner and Griswold has skyrocketed. (If you’re willing to pay more for a slightly lighter pan, Lodge also makes the Blacklock Triple Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet, but we think the Lodge Chef Collection performed better overall). This recipe uses that to full advantage by layering thinly sliced potatoes around the chicken in the pan. Its 20-inch by 13-inch wide-ridged cooking surface is perfect for those who like their bacon extra crispy, as the fat has room to drain to the bottom. Next, we cooked 6 ounces of bacon in each skillet until crisp. Using Cooking Spray. It also serves to season the cast iron … Easy to make home fries with bacon and eggs in a cast iron skillet using an induction burner. And they will build up more seasoning over time. Finally, we fried two eggs in a tablespoon of butter to test how well the seasoning held up and to see how easily a spatula could be maneuvered around the skillets’ sides. Here are a few of your options, and remember, whichever frying pan you choose, you’ve already made the right choice by choosing bacon. Thank you! I like the thick cut bacon best. We’ve read through this guide and stand by our current picks. These labor-intensive pans were cast from thinner molds, which makes them lighter than many modern pans and easier to maneuver. Cast iron is ideal for searing because it holds onto heat better than stainless steel or aluminum cookware. The ultimate dinner or party food to serve up. A clever trick is to keep it on your stove, or easily at hand, so it’s convenient to use (it also doesn’t hurt to cook bacon and other fatty foods in it from time to time). The Lodge’s stick handle is smaller than the one on the Chef Collection skillet and lacks an angle, but you can still get a good grip. Choosing the right frying pan for your bacon-loving lifestyle might be one of the more difficult choices you make in your life, but rest assured that once the decision is made, you’ll always have at least one reason to get up in the morning. 12-Inch Cast-Iron Skillets, Cook’s Illustrated, January 2019, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, How to Buy, Season, and Maintain Cast-Iron Cookware, June 8, 2010, Nancy Fuller, host of Farmhouse Rules, phone interview, December 6, 2016, Jeremiah Langhorne, chef and owner of The Dabney, phone interview, December 8, 2016, Mary Theisen, founder of The Pan Handler, phone interview, December 6, 2016, Matthew Hartings, author of Chemistry in Your Kitchen, phone interview, December 22, 2016, Brad Schwarting, president of Griswold and Cast Iron Cookware Association, phone interview, December 7, 2016. Lodge pans also performed the same as the new high-end skillets we tested and in some cases better. However, we didn’t find that it was more nonstick than any of the skillets we tested, and it emerged with dark, blotchy stains from searing steak. The stainless-steel handles deliver a nice contrast to the all-black base, and the double-burner design allows you to cook bacon in amounts to keep even the hungriest, neediest family satisfied. Place a single layer of bacon strips in a cold skillet, preferably cast-iron. Fry until crispy and fat is rendered. Most of the time, that’s all you’ll need to keep your pan in great shape. From the ancient times of Alexander the Great to the modern days of Homer J. Simpson, our love affair with bacon has stretched across millennia. Preheat the oven to 400° F and layer your bacon into the skillet in a single layer. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the brussels sprouts and onions have developed a slight char. The overdesigned Finex 12-inch octagonal skillet is another offering from the indie movement of cast-iron producers trying to make pans the old way. Join the discussion today. Though we enjoyed using it, we find it hard to justify the $160 price. Cast-iron skillets have been an essential tool in American home kitchens for well over a century. Carefully add the brussels sprouts, onion, walnuts, and corn to the cast iron skillet. Now that more people are seeking out these pans, the prices have quadrupled in some cases. It has a rolled lip instead of pour spouts, and we had no problem pouring off bacon grease without getting it all over the counter. We also noticed that the expensive pans developed blotchy stains after searing steaks—it didn’t necessarily affect the performance, but this indicated that it will take more work to build up a dark, even seasoning on them. She is perfectly happy to leave all that behind to be a full-time kitchen-gear nerd. For best results, try cooking bacon in an iron skillet the sound of the sizzle is part of the appeal. Every aspiring bacon chef needs a few tried and true weapons in their salt-cured arsenal: a pair of tongs for the crucial and frequent flipping of the bacon strips, a large plate covered with paper towels to soak up the extra grease, and of course, a frying pan tailor-made for preparing the most important part of breakfast. The manufacturers of these skillets suggest they don’t need as much seasoning, since the very smooth surface will provide excellent release. Before that she spent seven years rustling pots and pans as a professional chef in restaurants in New York City. Sam Sifton, the food editor at The New York Times also helped out with our 2017 testing. Lodge skillets are available on multiple websites (including Amazon) as well as through national retail chains, independently owned hardware stores, and cooking stores. Having both handles offers security when you’re taking the pan off the stovetop and draining hot grease. It is best to fry venison bacon in a cast iron skillet using a medium heat setting. We then seared boneless sirloin strip steaks in 2 teaspoons of canola oil to gauge how well each pan seared meat. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate and wipe the skillet clean. Separate each piece of bacon and just dump it in the pan all willy nilly. We also noticed that the handle appeared to be unseasoned, leaving it vulnerable to rust. Whether you prefer chewy or crispy, turkey or pork, there’s a bacon out there for everyone. Senior staff writer Michael Sullivan tested the Lodge Blacklock Triple Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet against the reigning picks for our 2020 update. Combine cornmeal and skim milk together in a bowl; let sit until some of the … The sides of the Lodge Chef Collection skillet are also about a quarter inch lower than the classic Lodge’s, which will decrease steaming when you’re browning burgers, helping you achieve a great sear. Plus, you can fry eggs in the drippings for a real country-style breakfast treat. It seared steak, fried eggs, and released cornbread well in our tests. Lighter antique or high-end skillets are easier to lift and maneuver, but a helper handle makes even hefty skillets manageable. Cook Time by Texture. Finex skillets have a polished cooking area, but the walls are left with the casting texture. As the chicken cooks, the fat and juices coat the potatoes, and they brown and crisp. T-Fal cast iron skillet at Amazon. Like the Lodge Chef Collection skillet, it comes well-seasoned and performed as well as skillets many times its price in our tests. Flipping this pan over takes some muscle, but when we did it, our cornbread plopped right out. While you can always braise or deep-fry in a Dutch oven instead, if you’d like to be able to do these things in your skillet, we recommend the original Lodge 12-inch skillet instead (more on that below). Next, we greased and floured each skillet’s interior surface and heated it to see how evenly it browned, an indication of how well it conducts heat across the entire surface. If you’re curious as to how heirloom skillets compare with new ones, we talk about vintage pans (as well as the high-end skillets that aim to reproduce them) below, and why you might want one. Arrange bacon in a single layer in a cold cast-iron skillet. A favorite for all ages, any time of day. But if you find yourself with burned-on food deposits, a pocked patina, or a rust invasion, read our comprehensive guide to cleaning and seasoning cast-iron cookware, which covers almost every situation you could run into. But the Lodge pans have a great, nicely nonstick seasoning right out of the box. You only get a one-year warranty from Amazon. It’s deep, which would work well for frying chicken. It has a comfortable handle, a good factory seasoning, and like other Lodge skillets it’s still made in the USA. When we were pouring hot oil, our grip on the handle was secure, and we always kept control of the pan. Whether you prefer chewy or crispy, turkey or pork, there’s a bacon out there for everyone. Read the Bacon sticks to my Lodge cast iron skillet discussion from the Chowhound Cookware, Cast Iron food community. Sharon Franke, who worked on our 2019 update, tested and wrote about kitchen equipment at the Good Housekeeping Institute for more than 30 years. Fried eggs slid out as effortlessly as from a nonstick skillet. Prepare it for use by wiping a thin layer of vegetable oil around the inside of the pan. Turn bacon occasionally with tongs for even cooking. Then we compared the difficulty, texture, cleanup, and appearance of each, to determine which is best. Easy to maneuver: Most cast-iron pans are quite heavy—the classic Lodge 12-inch skillet weighs about 8½ pounds—so it’s important that they come with a comfortable handle and a large helper handle on the opposite edge of the pan. Chewy: 12 min. Cook on medium-low heat—you want to render a lot of the fat out … Inexpensive: We have tested pans ranging from $20 to $300 over the years and ultimately found that they don’t perform that differently. It has a smoothly polished surface that heated up very evenly. Set the skillet aside. However, at about 8 pounds, it’s one of the heaviest skillets we tested, and it heated very unevenly so it isn’t one of our picks. Like the Butter Pat, this pan is shallow and showed blotchy stains after searing a steak. Find out how here. Especially since Lodge now makes a lighter pan for around $40, we don’t think it’s worth paying well over $100 for these new-breed pans. Make sure you’re cooking it right with the best pan. After we cooked bacon, it looked like some of the manufacturer’s finish had been stripped off, which may account for the fact that this was only one of two skillets we tested that couldn’t turn out cornbread without sticking. On the stove. 12 Cast Iron Skillet, How to Buy, Season, and Maintain Cast-Iron Cookware, president of Griswold and Cast Iron Cookware Association, The Gear You Need to Start Sous Vide Cooking, How to Clean and Season Cast-Iron Cookware. Put them together (cooking bacon in a cast iron skillet) and….. perfection! The Best Pre-Seasoned 10-Inch Cast-Iron Skillet: Lodge Blacklock 96. While there are a few things every baconite can agree on – bacon should always be placed on a cold pan and heated up, for example – the bacon world is divided over which pan is best. Of all the cast-iron skillets we tested, it came closest to exhibiting even heat distribution, and in testing it was a pleasure to use. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the skillet… 12 Cast Iron Skillet slow to heat up, it was particularly uneven at heating. But it also illustrated one disadvantage of a super-smooth surface: It allowed steak to dome in the middle when the muscle shrunk. With more than 10 inches of surface area, there’s plenty of room to lay out bacon strips. While the spiraled polished stainless steel handle is designed to stay cool, it didn’t in our tests. Read the Cast iron skillet- bacon stuck- oh no discussion from the Chowhound Cookware, Cast Iron food community. He has worked in various facets of the food and restaurant industry for over a decade. On the downside, the longer stick handle throws off the weight distribution and makes the pan seem heavier, even though the Victoria weighs a pound less than the Lodge. While it’s a little shallower than the classic Lodge, this skillet’s slightly sloped sides make it great for searing and roasting. To check for the nonstick-ness of the factory seasoning, we made cornbread and turned the pans upside down to see if the baked bread fell out with prying or sticking. We prefer slightly rounded stick handles that allow for a natural grip near their base, which gives you good control. The 20 Best ALDI Finds for November Are All About Cookies & Thanksgiving Since venison bacon is already aged and cured, the internal temperature of the meat only needs to reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit for it to be done. The 20 Best ALDI Finds for November Are All About Cookies & Thanksgiving When to use this method: Frying bacon in a cast-iron skillet is best for small batches and tender texture. The best cast-iron skillet This affordable pan is lighter than a traditional cast-iron skillet and a little shallower. Add the bacon to a cold 10-inch, cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat and cook for about five minutes or until the fat starts rendering out of the bacon. But overall it performed the same as the Chef Collection skillet in our tests, searing steak well and releasing eggs easily. Remove from the heat and add the cooked bacon… Look no further. Previously, he was an editor at the International Culinary Center in New York. This cast iron ground beef recipe is one of my favorites.. Is bacon-wrapped food one of your favorites? Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel, leaving the bacon grease behind. Cook on medium-low. Bacon is the best part of every morning. With careful tending, cast iron can also be used for lower-temp techniques like omelets and fried eggs. A Lodge skillet gave us a more consistent sear and released cornbread better than the antiques. Remove crispy bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. But what really made the Lodge skillet stand out from the competition is its lighter weight combined with its affordable price. Victoria cast-iron cookware comes with a lifetime warranty. If those are things you do often, this is the pan to get. At 6½ pounds versus the 8½ pounds of the classic Lodge, it’s more manageable to maneuver than traditional cast iron, and the slightly lower, gently sloped sides make stirring foods and maneuvering a spatula easier. One of the expensive skillets we tested had trouble releasing cornbread, and all of them seemed to have less seasoning than more traditional dark-black skillets. When the venison bacon is finished cooking, it should still be slightly flexible. The Victoria 12-inch cast-iron skillet was our previous runner-up, and in tests for this update performed on a par with the Lodge skillets. Overall, none of them performed much better than the inexpensive Lodge skillets. All but one of our skillets had a clean release. The stick handle is small and uncomfortable, and the helper handle is hard to grasp. Cornbread also stuck badly to the bottom of the Blacklock unlike the other two pans. Here’s what we looked for in a good cast-iron pan: Factory-seasoned: Most cast-iron skillets will come preseasoned—that is, coated with one or more layers of polymerized oil that provide a nonstick, rustproof finish. Parents with a large table full of screaming toddlers (and spouses) should opt for the All-Clad HA1 Double Burner Grande. Contrary to popular belief, you can wash your pan with mild dish soap and hot water. Simple to make comfort food for a delicious and hearty breakfast. Lesley Stockton is a senior staff writer reporting on all things cooking and entertaining for Wirecutter. And unlike nonstick-coated pans, cast iron is safe past 500 degrees and can go under the broiler. Cornbread fell out of the pan with a crunchy golden crust and steak came out evenly and deeply browned. The classic Lodge costs a very reasonable $20 to $30 (buying the skillet on Amazon costs a little more, because it comes with a silicone handle grip), making it slightly less expensive than the Chef Collection skillet. And though it weighs about 2 pounds more than the brand’s Chef Collection skillet and has a shorter (though still comfortable) handle, it’s about a quarter inch deeper, which makes it better for frying chicken or preparing shallow braises. Our grandmothers often used lard and bacon grease. Some prefer a more traditional cast-iron pan, others opt for a more modern, non-stick skillet. For the bacon lover who values tradition and also enjoys heavy things, T-fal offers their E83407 Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet. The hand polishing also makes for a slicker cooking surface. But once it’s there, it’s great for searing and high-temperature cooking.” All that stored heat translates to a thick sear on steaks and roasts, crispy fish skin, and deep caramelization on vegetables. Large pour spot: We like pans with functional pour spouts or lips that don’t dribble bacon drippings and make a mess. One of the antique pans arrived much slicker than the other, and it released fried eggs a little easier. Its hard-anodized aluminum construction is designed for fast, even heating and easy cleanup, and its base is warp-resistant, ensuring you year after year of consistent bacon cooking. Since it’s only about 6 ounces lighter than the Chef’s Collection pan we recommend, we don’t think it’s worth paying significantly more. A cast-iron skillet can be a durable and versatile addition to your kitchen if you know how to care for it. It's lighter than other cast-iron skillets, better at searing, comes with a good factory seasoning, and has easy-to-grip handles. But one thing cast iron is not good at is distributing heat evenly the way cookware made of aluminum or tri-ply stainless steel can, so you’ll need to watch those eggs carefully. Its slightly sloped sides are good for whisking pan sauces and make the capacity a little more forgiving, so you can squeeze in an extra strip of bacon. Just note that since it’s shallower than the classic Lodge, this skillet is not as good for deep-frying—if that’s something you do often, go for the original design instead. Her expertise builds on a lifelong career in the culinary world—from a restaurant cook and caterer to a food editor at Martha Stewart. This is one of the easiest and the best way to cook burger … The lighter weight of the Chef Collection skillet could also be a slight handicap if you were browning a very thick piece of meat like a tomahawk steak, as a heavier pan will hold in more heat and give you better second-side browning. It has a silky-smooth finish on the bottom and sides and is exceptionally light. Using a cast iron skillet to cook bacon seems to make the bacon just right. The helper handle is small and doesn’t offer much for support. The gentle curve doesn’t decrease the cooking surface (which is a generous 10 inches across and big enough to easily fit a large rib eye steak, 6 ounces of bacon, or four large fried eggs) and actually makes it a little more forgiving if you’re trying to squeeze in one more egg. Soft potatoes, crispy outside, with plenty of flavor. by Michael Zhao, Lesley Stockton, and Michael Sullivan. AmazonBasics Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet - 12-Inch has a very rough texture, so although theoretically it should take a while to develop a nonstick patina, it performed just as well as every other pan we tested. In comparison, we found that the longer, bulkier handles on some pans made them more unwieldy. Antique and vintage cast-iron cookware were hand-poured into sand molds and hand-polished to a smooth finish. But we found the smoother pans to be no more nonstick than the rougher ones, which will also smooth out with use as they develop layers of seasoning. Matthew Hartings, professor of chemistry at American University and author of Chemistry in Your Kitchen, told us, “Cast iron is heavy and dense, and that is the biggest thing it has going for it. While we like the slightly longer handle on the Blacklock and its deeper sides for frying chicken, ultimately we don’t think these benefits outweigh its drawbacks. The handle is too thick to grasp securely with a folded towel, and it slipped when we poured drippings. We like using a cast-iron skillet for this classic bacon-cooking … Some prefer a more, Cucina Hard Anodized Nonstick Grill/Deep Square Griddle Pan. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Like other Lodge pans, the Chef Collection skillet is widely available and very affordable, if slightly higher priced than the brand’s classic models. This baby will hold up in an oven up to 600 degrees, or the smoldering embers of a campfire after the impending nuclear holocaust lays waste to modern life as we know it. At around 8½ pounds, this classic Lodge skillet weighs about 2 pounds more than the Lodge Chef Collection pan. It’s notably heavier than the Chef Collection skillet but still comfortable to maneuver with the aid of the generous helper handle. Crisp: 16 min. The Calphalon cast-iron skillet didn’t make it past the first round of testing for having the worst pour spouts. Then cook the empty pan upside down in the oven over an aluminum foil-lined rack for half an hour. If you want to deep-fry and don’t mind doing a little heavy lifting, we think the Lodge Pre-Seasoned 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet is an excellent choice. It was like comparing gravel to a freshly waxed car – well, maybe not that dramatic but it was significant. 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Uses that to full advantage by layering thinly sliced potatoes around the range oil, our grip the... Classic Lodge sears well and is deep enough for frying or braising, the Field Company 10. Not realize how significant this was until I got my first WagnerWare cast skillet! And weigh significantly more some pans made them more unwieldy forever, and corn to the bottom and and... Or pork, there ’ s a bacon out there for everyone the cast iron community.